How did migration from northern China change Guangdong after 1126?

The migration of Han Chinese into Guangdong intensified significantly after 1126, when the Jin dynasty captured the Bei (Northern) Song capital at Kaifeng, forcing the Song government and its people to migrate south. This movement was further accelerated a century and a half later by the Mongol conquest of China.1

These migrations fundamentally transformed the region in several ways:

• Effective Occupation: The influx of northern migrants marked the beginning of effective Han occupation of the territory, which had previously been viewed as a semicivilized frontier occupied predominantly by its original ethnic populations.1
• Cultural Development: The arrival of these populations spurred rapid cultural development throughout the province.1
• Demographic Shift: The sustained migration eventually led to such significant population growth that, by the late 17th century, Guangdong transitioned from a destination for migrants into a major source of emigration, with people moving to other parts of China and eventually overseas.1