Radiograph of chinese inmigration in Puntarenas,Costa Rica

Abstract

This paper shows the strategies used by Chinese immigrants to insert themselves in Costa Rican society, more specifically, in the city of Puntarenas. It starts with a brief historical review of Chinese immigrations from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century, and then it focuses on contemporary immigrations. The first Chinese immigrations were the product of the Costa Rican structures that sought to bring cheap labour to the country in order to contribute to the development of infrastructure and field work. The next immigrations were independent due to socioeconomic conditions that presented the country and made it attractive to foreigners.  The study concludes explaining how the current cycle of social insertion has deepened due the new bilateral relations established by the country with China since 2007