Overseas: The Fate of Refugees in China's State-Run Farms (21 images)

The Overseas Chinese Farms are China's effort to provide assistance and a means of living for the large influx of refugees from Vietnam and Indonesia. In the late 1970's hostilities between Vietnam and Cambodia escalated culminating in the Vietnamese incursion into Cambodia to overthrow the Pol Pot regime that was supported by China. China responded by invading Vietnam and in retaliation, Vietnam forced many Vietnamese of Chinese descent to leave. In Indonesia, anti-communist purges during...
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The Overseas Chinese Farms are China's effort to provide assistance and a means of living for the large influx of refugees from Vietnam and Indonesia. In the late 1970's hostilities between Vietnam and Cambodia escalated culminating in the Vietnamese incursion into Cambodia to overthrow the Pol Pot regime that was supported by China. China responded by invading Vietnam and in retaliation, Vietnam forced many Vietnamese of Chinese descent to leave. In Indonesia, anti-communist purges during the mid-60's left hundreds of thousands dead, many of them Chinese. That is not to say that the purges were directed specifically against them, but many of the victims happened to be Chinese and that was only made easier due to strong anti-Chinese sentiment that became official policy around the time of the purges. When they arrived in China, knowledge of the language and customs could not be automatically assumed.

The refugees were given land to build homes on (with the UN providing the capitol for the actual building) and work was provided by growing crops such as fruits and sugar cane. As the decades passed, things tend to remain unchanged. Some still work on the farms, while others live by the meagre amount given by the government and by raising their own vegetables and livestock. The old who are resistant to change stayed while the younger generations tend to move on and integrate into Chinese society since they do not see much of a future in the farms. In some farms, the crops are doing well and in others the crops failed and farmlands were reduced or abandoned altogether. Another problem people faced is China's burgeoning real estate market. Land that once belonged to them are being sold to developers and the residents are given a modest compensation and forced to leave. They are understandably frightened of the uncertainty of the days ahead.

Over 30 years have passed since the violent events that led them to these farms. These are the daily lives of those who remained.
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