Weekend Long Read: Putting Down Roots in Europe’s Migrant Stopover

Published: Jul. 18, 2026 9:00 a.m. GMT+8

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A Chinese store owner adjusts a fanny pack for a customer at a general goods store on the outskirts of Tirana, Albania in May 2026. Photo: Ge Shasha

The first time I saw Sun Ying’s bubble tea shop in Albania’s capital, it was the kiddie rides that caught my eye — and ear.

The two coin-operated machines sat out front, looping Chinese nursery rhymes through thin plastic shells that amplified the songs far down the street. In Tirana, the sound was hard to place — a small piece of a Chinese childhood, playing to a Balkan audience.

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Explore the story in 30 seconds

Chinese migrants in Albania, like Sun Ying who runs a bubble tea shop, often view the country as a temporary stop, not a permanent home.
Many Chinese from Qingtian have lived in Albania for decades, running wholesale shops, yet still plan to return to China after earning enough money.
Sun Ying's shop serves as a hub for services like currency exchange, while she and her husband balance business with raising their infant son Eric.

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Explore the story in 3 minutes

1. The story begins in Tirana, Albania, with Sun Ying's bubble tea shop, recognizable by kiddie rides playing Chinese nursery rhymes for a Balkan audience. [para. 1] Sun, originally from Qingdao, moved to Albania over three years ago. Her five-month-old son, Eric, grows up in the narrow shop alongside Yiwu wholesale goods, her place of business and his environment combined. [para. 2]

2. Albania is an unlikely destination for Chinese migrants, a small country on the Balkan peninsula. Once a closed society during the Cold War, over a third of its people have emigrated since 1990. [para. 3] Now making EU membership its defining ambition, it has become a waypoint for migrants traveling the Balkan route. [para. 4] The Chinese community feels profoundly transient; even after 20 or 30 years, they speak of the future as if they have just set out, with home always just over the horizon. [para. 5]

3. Many Chinese in Tirana are from Qingtian in East China's Zhejiang province, a county famous for its vast overseas diaspora where migration feels inherited. [para. 11] A father who has lived in Albania for over 20 years runs a wholesale store. His daughter recently joined him, reflecting this pattern. Their plan echoes the community sentiment: to return to China once enough money is earned. [para. 8][para. 9][para. 10] Another veteran shopkeeper, a man of about 60 who has been in the country for 30 years, operates a cramped store packed with stock, including unsold desk lamps from the 1990s. [para. 12][para. 13] He blends in seamlessly with the local scene, switching into rapid Albanian to serve customers and deftly repairing items like watches to keep them sellable. [para. 14][para. 15]

4. Sun's shop is a community "switchboard" for currency exchange, WeChat transfers, tour groups, and connecting people. [para. 20] Her friend Judy, a mother of three from Fujian, recently returned to work at a Chinese massage parlor, reflecting the complex migration flows. [para. 18][para. 25] The shop is a second home for baby Eric, with bottles and diapers always kept. [para. 19] The deep personal ties to China remain strong. During a video call, her aged parents and grandmother ask when she will bring home Hailong ("Sea Dragon"), named in the hope he would grow up to be like a dragon in the ocean. [para. 21] During a trip to the Adriatic seaside, Sun points across the water and says, "Italy is just on the other side," embodying the migratory pull just beyond Albania. [para. 23]

5. The themes of transience and reinvention are pervasive. Judy asks the author to take photos to make her look a little younger for her job profile, revealing her adaptation to a new identity. [para. 25] Walking through the city, Sun and Judy pay little attention to history or architecture, instead focusing intensely on the local economy—discussing whose businesses are thriving and seriously considering buying a drink cart to sell lemon tea. [para. 27] On the final day, the author runs into Sun's husband Tony on the street holding the baby, who just woke up. "Come back and photograph us again," Tony says, smiling. [para. 28][para. 29] The story closes with the baby's dual names—Eric and Hailong ("Sea Dragon")—symbolizing the family's hopes and the constant tension between an evolving life in the Balkans and enduring roots across the sea in China. [para. 21][para. 30]

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