Qiaoxian are 'emigrant communities,' a ter researchers use to refer to any town or village which, for various ecological and historical reasons, specializes in sending men abroad and which, for various ecological and historical reasons, specializes in sending mean abroad and which relies on regular remittances for at least half of its regular income. Though remittances can be domestic, originating within the country from, say, rural men who have gone to work on building sites or in factories in the city, the term 'emigrant community' is usually reserved for places with a high degree of overseas migration.