For centuries there has been a great influx of Chinese expatriates to many major cities the world over. From Houston to Johannesburg, Buenos Aries to Sydney, there are Chinatowns on virtually every continent. What about the other way around though? During the last hundred-plus years, and particularly since the economic reforms began in the 1980s, China's increasing clout on the global stage has driven large numbers of foreigners to the Middle Kingdom (as this website can attest to). Here's a look at five of the largest foreign communities in China—expat-towns, if you will—and how they've left their mark on the city they inhabit.

1) Guangzhou's Little Africa

In the last decade or so, Africa has become one of China's biggest trading partners, with many Chinese companies investing huge amounts of money into infrastructure projects throughout the continent. As a natural result, many Africans have come to China in search of business and a better life. In Guangzhou, statistics on the African expat population vary wildly, ranging anywhere from 10,000 (NPR, 2012) to as much as 200,000 (SZNews, 2007). However most estimates seem to cite around 20,000 African nationals, with a majority of them located in Guangzhou's Yuexiu and Baiyun districts.

The epicenter of Guangzhou's African community is the Canaan Clothing Market (迦南服装城) and the neighboring area of Xiaobei (小北). In Xiaobei, there are several African restaurants and other businesses and, nearby, there is the Shishi Catholic Church that routinely draws upwards of a 1,000 African patrons for weekly mass. Unfortunately, due to China's less-than-sparkling (to put it nicely) treatment of black people, as well as a pattern of overstaying visas by visiting Africans, recent years between the African community and Guangzhou have been rather turbulent. Two notable incidents include a protest in late July 2009 (after a Nigerian man fell to his death while trying to flee an immigration raid) and more recently in June of 2012 when a Nigerian man died while in police custody.

2) Beijing's Koreatown

Proximity, no doubt, has a great amount to do with the substantial Korean population residing in Beijing. Unlike other entries on this list, Koreans in China are unique because there are not only a significant number of expat Koreans, but also a large number of ethnic Koreans living in China (around 2.3 million according to a 2005 China.org.cn report). For the Korean expat community, the distance between the capital and Seoul is short and flights are quite inexpensive, making Beijing an ideal international destination for many students and families. The first of two major Koreatowns in Beijing is Wudaokou (五道口) in Haidian district, due in part to the vast number of Korean university students in the area. The second and larger of the two is Wangjing (望京) in Chaoyang district with an estimated 70,000 South Korean nationals. In both areas, it's incredibly common to see small shops and restaurants as well as HSK prep schools and international schools that predominantly cater to a Korean customer base. And Beijing isn't the only city to find good Korean barbeque—both Shanghai and Qingdao have significant Korean populations as well, at an estimated 60,000 and 100,000 respectively.
3) Qingdao's German Influence

Speaking of Qingdao, due to an occupation by colonizing forces back in the early part of the 1900's, the city has become famous for it's prevalence of German culture. This can be seen in architecture around the city, most notably St. Michael's Cathedral (圣弥爱尔大教堂) in Shinan district. There are also several German restaurants sprinkled throughout the city, although there's not necessarily one area dedicated to them. During the colonial period, Germans also established a brewery that would later become one of China's most recognizable exports: Tsingtao beer. Though fewer Germans reside in the city nowadays, the city still hosts an annual Qingdao International Beer Festival, put on by the local Tsingtao Brewery Company. Held in Laoshan district, the beer festival is the largest of its kind in Asia, regularly drawing upwards of 3 million visitors a year.

4) Harbin's Russian Influence

Like Qingdao, Harbin too has a distinctly foreign feel to it; only this time it's from China's northern neighbor, Russia. Closer to Vladivostok than it is to Beijing, Harbin has an old quarter close to the Songhua River which is filled with Russian style architecture. The pièce de résistance is the St. Sophia Church (聖索菲亜教堂), which, with its large onion dome, seems like it should be in Moscow as opposed to a Chinese city. Like Koreans, there are Russians that are classified as one of China's 55 ethnic minorities (although there are only an estimated 15,000 ethnic Russians living in the entire country). The food in Harbin also carries a heavy influence from Russia. Hearty sausages and famous breads very different from “normal” Chinese cuisine provide interesting flavors that are generally unavailable elsewhere in China.

Bonus: Hallstatt…China?

While not necessarily an expat-town per se, this tourist site is quirky and audacious enough to warrant a mention. Copied after the famous Austrian hamlet of the same name, Hallstatt, China is located in Huizhou, Guangdong province (广东惠州山寨奥地利村庄哈尔斯塔特). The town was developed by Minmetals Land Limited Company, a branch of a Hong Kong-based corporation. Staying true to China's wanton disregard for intellectual property rights, the town is a near-verbatim copy of the original in Austria. While at first there were some hard feelings from the actual Hallstatters (Hallstattanians?), they were eventually won over (likely with a liberal dose of hongbaos). Even the Mayor of Hallstatt, Alexander Scheutz, flew in to take part in the opening ceremony in June 2012. However, chances are that you won't find very many Austrians there—this replica Alpine villa was built for Chinese tourists with ample RMBs to spend.