How has communication for migrants changed from letters to digital?

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Migrant communication shifted from handwritten letters to instant digital messages and transfers
Migrant communication has moved from handwritten letters sent home to faster, phone-based digital methods such as instant bank transfers and WhatsApp messages. The film centred on the Chinese migrant diaspora highlights how earlier messages often took the form of qiaopi, letters sent home by migrants, frequently carrying remittances. It also points to a modern parallel: the same act of sending support and staying connected now happens through mobile and digital channels.
Handwritten qiaopi letters carried both messages and remittances
The qiaopi were letters sent home by Chinese migrants, often accompanied by remittances. Historical accounts estimate that between 1864 and 1980, more than 30 million such letters reached China, carrying remittances worth over US$10 billion. In the film’s framing, those letters helped sustain families and supported everyday needs such as building homes, schools, roads, and bridges.
Digital communication now includes instant bank transfers
The shift described is from paper letters to financial transfers that can be completed instantly. The handwritten qiaopi have become an instant bank transfer, meaning migrants can send money home without relying on postal delivery. This change keeps the remittance function while altering the speed and format of communication.
WhatsApp messaging has replaced the letter-writing pace
Alongside instant bank transfers, the modern counterpart to letters is WhatsApp messages sent through a mobile phone. That means migrants can send updates and maintain contact in near real time rather than waiting for correspondence to travel. The text links this change to the continued persistence of longing and family support, even as the communication tools evolve.
The core purpose remains the same across the communication shift
Even with the move from letters to digital tools, the text emphasises that the underlying emotional purpose stays consistent. It describes the handwritten qiaopi as part of families enduring decades of separation, and it contrasts that with today’s mobile-based communication. The longing, sacrifice, and money sent home are presented as continuing through the transition from letters to digital messages and transfers.

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How has communication for migrants changed from letters to digital?

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