Chinese Transnational Economic Networks and Global Peru: Chinese Merchants in the Plantation Economy,1900-1930

• In Event: Chinese Migration in Latin America: Transnational Histories and Local Entanglements

Abstract

In the early 20th century, Peru was an active node in the global economy, with its outward-oriented export model placing plantation agriculture at the center of global commodity flows. Chinese merchants in Peru invested in plantations and selected globally traded crops such as sugar and cotton, establishing socioeconomic mechanisms that allowed them to integrate into local environments. In doing so, they formed one of the country’s most significant immigrant communities while also engaging in transnational entrepreneurship that connected Latin America, Asia, and Europe.This paper examines how, between 1900 and 1930, Chinese merchants mobilized capital, labor, and commercial expertise across borders to develop diversified agricultural enterprises. It explores how these transnational economic networks shaped the plantation economy in Peru and analyzes the mechanisms through which they connected Peruvian, Chinese, and European markets. By facilitating the modernization of plantation production, these networks contributed to Peru’s integration into global commodity chains.

Author

• Qing Zhou, Shanghai University