Chinese in Florence

I am constantly amazed by the number of Chinese I find in different countries as I travel. This month I am in Italy and today is my fifth day in Florence. I see many Chinese Italians who speak in Chinese dialects sprinkled with Italian words and lo and behold, sounding just like Italian. Very strange to my ears. the Chinese diaspora is a phenomenon that is awesome. Apart from the Jewish dispersal, the Chinese dispersal is probably the largest in the world. Wherever it is, whatever the climate, there are Chinese and they take on the hues and shades of the local populace. In this case, Italy. Although they look different, the Chinese being from the Mongoloid race and the Italian from the Caucasoid race (anthropologically speaking that is), their cultures are the same. Both Italians and Chinese are members of collectivistic culture. It is family centred and hence no coincidence at all that the Italian mafiosa and the Chinese triads are organised along the same lines.