Unpacking ‘Koreatown’ in Chinese Metropolis: urban governance, variations in ethnic incorporation and Consequences

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the various forms of ethnic incorporation present in the daily lives of ethnic Koreans living in Beijing, including the conditions of their integration into Chinese society. On the basis of an ethnographic research (2014–2015) in Wangjing area, an alleged ‘Koreatown’ in Beijing, this study involves three ethnic categories, namely, South Koreans, Korean Chinese and Han Chinese. The study suggests that Koreatown in Beijing is not a full-fledged ethnic community but a patchwork of ethnic categories, networks and associations. Ethnic cohesion is implicitly disaggregated by the Chinese urban governance over the foreign population embedded in the unfolding trend of internationalisation in Chinese metropolises. As a consequence, Korean cultural elements are incorporated into the increasingly cosmopolitan culture in Chinese metropolises, with ethnic categories maintained. However, Korean integration into the Chinese circumstance still has a substantially long way to go.