Living Outside the Walls

Never before has research into the benefits and drawbacks of the Chinese migration to Prato in Tuscany been presented so comprehensively in English. The recent influx of Chinese to the longstanding textile manufacturing and wholesale businesses in Prato has stirred strong emotions in the host culture and among the new arrivals alike. The breadth of the coverage of this publication is demonstrated by the full range of perspectives focused on the economic and social dilemmas being experienced. A wide range of points of view are elucidated -- the concerns of the local commune, the factory labourers, the traders, economists, Italian nationalists, Italian bureaucrats, Chinese provincial government, demographers, urban planners, academics, community developers, industry analysts, cultural observers, labour market analysts, media commentators, social planners, students, and social geographers.