A GIS analysis of the distribution of remittance enterprises in Republican Shantou

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to restore the spatial distribution of overseas remittance businesses in Shantou during the 1940s. It explores various socioeconomic factors that influenced the concentration of local remittance business investment in real estate. By reconstructing the spatial distribution of remittance business activities in Shantou, this study hopes to lay a foundation for further analysis of the business strategies of Chaoshan merchants.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on information from the published Swatow Guide, archival sources and cadastral maps to identify the location of remittance enterprises and the native place and overseas networks of property owners.

Finding

This study reveals that the spatial distribution of the remittance enterprises was determined by the native place origins of local property owners, and that the inflow of overseas Chinese capital contributed to real estate development in Shantou.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the limited access to Chinese official archives, this paper manages to identify several building blocks and neighbors in Shantou for spatial analysis.

Practical implications

This study is the first attempt to use the geographical information system (GIS) method in Chinese urban history research and hopes to establish a larger historical database of Shantou as a sample for comparison.

Originality/value

This investigation advances the spatial study of urban history and overseas Chinese remittances in the maritime society of South China.

Citation

Ouyang, L., Zhang, Z., Huang, X. and Xie, S. (2018), "A GIS analysis of the distribution of remittance enterprises in Republican Shantou", Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 60-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/STICS-04-2018-0004