Post by galvatron prime on Nov 10, 2016 8:39:44 GMT
The Origins Of The Hokkien, Cantonese, And Other Chinese Dialect Groups In Malaysia
For hundreds of years, millions of Malaysian Chinese have called Malaysia home since their ancestors sailed over and settled in this region way back in the 15th century
Malaysian Chinese, also known as Chinese Malaysians, refer to people of full or partial Chinese blood who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia. Most of them are descended from immigrants - likely of Han Chinese ancestry - who arrived between the mid-19th and early 20th century.
Today, Malaysian Chinese represent the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia at 6.65 million, making up 23.4% of Malaysia's population. They are also considered the second largest community of Overseas Chinese in the world after Thailand.
First, a little bit of history. Chinese immigration into Malaysia can be classified into three major waves:
(i) FIRST WAVE: More than 500 years ago, Chinese traders and young nobles from a royal entourage started settling in and around Melaka. Some married the locals, creating a new class of Straits-born Chinese.
Tun Seri Lanang's 'Sejarah Melayu' recorded that in 1459 CE, Princess Hang Li Po of the Ming Dynasty was sent from China to marry the sultan of Melaka, Sultan Mansur Shah. The princess brought with her an entourage of 500 high-ranking young men and a few hundred handmaidens, all of whom eventually settled in Bukit Cina.
It is believed that some of them had married into the local populace, birthing a new community known as the Chinese Peranakan, sometimes simply referred to as Baba-Nyonya.
Historical accounts also suggest that Chinese traders, many of whom are Hokkien-speaking men from the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou regions in Fujian province, may have married local women and settled down in Melaka as well.
(ii) SECOND WAVE: From early 19th century to the 1930s, thousands of Chinese immigrants came to British-ruled Malaya in search of a better life. Most Malaysian Chinese today are descended from this wave of immigrants.
During the British rule, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people - most of whom are from the Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the south east coast of Mainland China - came to Malaya in the hopes of escaping a life of poverty in China. The Chinese, along with Indian immigrants, filled labour shortages in tin mines, rubber plantations, and railway construction.
Unfortunately, many arrived deeply in debt to the bosses who paid their fares, and remained so when they sought escape from their hardships by smoking opium and gambling. However, those who managed to escape the vicious cycle would go on to set up their own businesses or become traders, hence contributing to the rapid economic growth in developing towns.
The education level and literacy rate among the Chinese population were pretty low at the time, although the wealthier Chinese who lived in town were able to send their children to Christian missionary schools set up by the British. In time, Chinese-medium schools were established for the benefit of the poorer Chinese community.
This wave, considered the largest influx of immigration to Malaysia, brought with it several different Chinese subgroups along with their respective dialects and cultures, such as those of the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka people.
Back then, it's not unusual for people of the same dialect group to stick together, whether it be the locale of their early settlements or their trade of choice, as jobs were filled mainly based on referrals by friends or fellow immigrants from the same province. Outsiders - those who do not belong to the same subgroup or are from another province - are shunned.
(iii) THIRD WAVE: In the present day, Malaysia is seeing a small but quickly-growing number of Mandarin-speaking immigrants from China, especially those married to Malaysian Chinese as well as rich and middle-class families
The early 2000s saw an increasing number of Malaysian Chinese men marrying foreign wives from Mainland China and Vietnam.
Later on, in this decade, China's wealthy elites and middle-class families started flocking to Malaysia to escape pollution, food scares, and political constraints in their homeland. In fact, Chinese nationals are the largest group of participants of the 'Malaysia My Second Home' (MM2H) foreign residency scheme.
Much like their ancestors, Malaysian Chinese people consider their individual ancestral origin to be linked to a particular dialect group
For example, you might have come across Malaysian Chinese saying that they are "Hokkien lang" or "kwong dong yan", meaning they are of Hokkien or Cantonese descent respectively.
While your ancestry typically signifies your mother tongue i.e. the main dialect spoken in your family, some Malaysian Chinese today are of mixed descent e.g. half Hokkien, half Cantonese, or even consider an entirely different dialect or language their mother tongue.
While some dialect groups such as the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka seem to have a big presence here, the Chinese community in Malaysia is actually made up of nine subgroups:
1. Hokkien, the largest Chinese subgroup in Malaysia
WHERE THEY CAME FROM: The Hokkiens originated from the southern Fujian (or Min) province in China, particularly the cities of Quanzhou, Amoy (known as Xiamen today), and Zhangzhou.
says.com
The Hokkien people came from the cities of Zhangzhou, Amoy, and Quanzhou in Fujian province.
WHERE THEY FIRST SETTLED IN: The Zhangzhou Hokkiens went to the northern parts of the peninsula, particularly in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu. On the other hand, Quanzhou Hokkiens settled in the south - Melaka and Johor - and some larger towns in Sarawak.
PAST MAIN OCCUPATIONS: Besides dominating the job market in rubber plantations, the Hokkiens were also pioneers in the trading sectors. Most Chinese traders and merchants in the import-export industry as well as wholesale dealers and grocers are of Hokkien descent, hence why the dialect also became the lingua franca of trade in the states they settled in.
2. Cantonese, the second largest Chinese subgroup in Malaysia
WHERE THEY CAME FROM: The Cantonese originated from the Guangdong Province in China, particularly from Guangzhou, and Guangxi. The word "Cantonese" is actually romanised; they are typically referred to as "gwong dung yan" in their dialect or "guang dong ren" in Mandarin.
WHERE THEY FIRST SETTLED IN: The Cantonese were attracted to the booming tin industry, hence setting up communities in developing towns like Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh in Perak, Seremban (formerly known as Sungai Ujong) in Negeri Sembilan, and Sandakan in Sabah.
PAST MAIN OCCUPATIONS: Most Cantonese settlers worked the tin mines and had a hand in the rapid development of their early settlements into principal towns.
IN PRESENT DAY MALAYSIA: The Cantonese are the most urbanised of the Chinese community, with approximately 80% living in principal towns such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Ipoh.
The Cantonese dialect is predominantly spoken among the Chinese in the central region, particularly in Klang Valley (e.g. KL, PJ, and Subang Jaya), Seremban, Kuantan in Pahang, as well as Ipoh and Kampar in Perak. There are also communities of Cantonese-speaking Chinese in Sandakan, Sabah and Mersing, Johor.
says.com/my/lifestyle/history-ancestral-origin-spoken-dialect-of-chinese-people-in-malaysia
For hundreds of years, millions of Malaysian Chinese have called Malaysia home since their ancestors sailed over and settled in this region way back in the 15th century
Malaysian Chinese, also known as Chinese Malaysians, refer to people of full or partial Chinese blood who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia. Most of them are descended from immigrants - likely of Han Chinese ancestry - who arrived between the mid-19th and early 20th century.
Today, Malaysian Chinese represent the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia at 6.65 million, making up 23.4% of Malaysia's population. They are also considered the second largest community of Overseas Chinese in the world after Thailand.
First, a little bit of history. Chinese immigration into Malaysia can be classified into three major waves:
(i) FIRST WAVE: More than 500 years ago, Chinese traders and young nobles from a royal entourage started settling in and around Melaka. Some married the locals, creating a new class of Straits-born Chinese.
Tun Seri Lanang's 'Sejarah Melayu' recorded that in 1459 CE, Princess Hang Li Po of the Ming Dynasty was sent from China to marry the sultan of Melaka, Sultan Mansur Shah. The princess brought with her an entourage of 500 high-ranking young men and a few hundred handmaidens, all of whom eventually settled in Bukit Cina.
It is believed that some of them had married into the local populace, birthing a new community known as the Chinese Peranakan, sometimes simply referred to as Baba-Nyonya.
Historical accounts also suggest that Chinese traders, many of whom are Hokkien-speaking men from the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou regions in Fujian province, may have married local women and settled down in Melaka as well.
(ii) SECOND WAVE: From early 19th century to the 1930s, thousands of Chinese immigrants came to British-ruled Malaya in search of a better life. Most Malaysian Chinese today are descended from this wave of immigrants.
During the British rule, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people - most of whom are from the Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the south east coast of Mainland China - came to Malaya in the hopes of escaping a life of poverty in China. The Chinese, along with Indian immigrants, filled labour shortages in tin mines, rubber plantations, and railway construction.
Unfortunately, many arrived deeply in debt to the bosses who paid their fares, and remained so when they sought escape from their hardships by smoking opium and gambling. However, those who managed to escape the vicious cycle would go on to set up their own businesses or become traders, hence contributing to the rapid economic growth in developing towns.
The education level and literacy rate among the Chinese population were pretty low at the time, although the wealthier Chinese who lived in town were able to send their children to Christian missionary schools set up by the British. In time, Chinese-medium schools were established for the benefit of the poorer Chinese community.
This wave, considered the largest influx of immigration to Malaysia, brought with it several different Chinese subgroups along with their respective dialects and cultures, such as those of the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka people.
Back then, it's not unusual for people of the same dialect group to stick together, whether it be the locale of their early settlements or their trade of choice, as jobs were filled mainly based on referrals by friends or fellow immigrants from the same province. Outsiders - those who do not belong to the same subgroup or are from another province - are shunned.
(iii) THIRD WAVE: In the present day, Malaysia is seeing a small but quickly-growing number of Mandarin-speaking immigrants from China, especially those married to Malaysian Chinese as well as rich and middle-class families
The early 2000s saw an increasing number of Malaysian Chinese men marrying foreign wives from Mainland China and Vietnam.
Later on, in this decade, China's wealthy elites and middle-class families started flocking to Malaysia to escape pollution, food scares, and political constraints in their homeland. In fact, Chinese nationals are the largest group of participants of the 'Malaysia My Second Home' (MM2H) foreign residency scheme.
Much like their ancestors, Malaysian Chinese people consider their individual ancestral origin to be linked to a particular dialect group
For example, you might have come across Malaysian Chinese saying that they are "Hokkien lang" or "kwong dong yan", meaning they are of Hokkien or Cantonese descent respectively.
While your ancestry typically signifies your mother tongue i.e. the main dialect spoken in your family, some Malaysian Chinese today are of mixed descent e.g. half Hokkien, half Cantonese, or even consider an entirely different dialect or language their mother tongue.
While some dialect groups such as the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka seem to have a big presence here, the Chinese community in Malaysia is actually made up of nine subgroups:
1. Hokkien, the largest Chinese subgroup in Malaysia
WHERE THEY CAME FROM: The Hokkiens originated from the southern Fujian (or Min) province in China, particularly the cities of Quanzhou, Amoy (known as Xiamen today), and Zhangzhou.
says.com
The Hokkien people came from the cities of Zhangzhou, Amoy, and Quanzhou in Fujian province.
WHERE THEY FIRST SETTLED IN: The Zhangzhou Hokkiens went to the northern parts of the peninsula, particularly in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu. On the other hand, Quanzhou Hokkiens settled in the south - Melaka and Johor - and some larger towns in Sarawak.
PAST MAIN OCCUPATIONS: Besides dominating the job market in rubber plantations, the Hokkiens were also pioneers in the trading sectors. Most Chinese traders and merchants in the import-export industry as well as wholesale dealers and grocers are of Hokkien descent, hence why the dialect also became the lingua franca of trade in the states they settled in.
2. Cantonese, the second largest Chinese subgroup in Malaysia
WHERE THEY CAME FROM: The Cantonese originated from the Guangdong Province in China, particularly from Guangzhou, and Guangxi. The word "Cantonese" is actually romanised; they are typically referred to as "gwong dung yan" in their dialect or "guang dong ren" in Mandarin.
WHERE THEY FIRST SETTLED IN: The Cantonese were attracted to the booming tin industry, hence setting up communities in developing towns like Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh in Perak, Seremban (formerly known as Sungai Ujong) in Negeri Sembilan, and Sandakan in Sabah.
PAST MAIN OCCUPATIONS: Most Cantonese settlers worked the tin mines and had a hand in the rapid development of their early settlements into principal towns.
IN PRESENT DAY MALAYSIA: The Cantonese are the most urbanised of the Chinese community, with approximately 80% living in principal towns such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Ipoh.
The Cantonese dialect is predominantly spoken among the Chinese in the central region, particularly in Klang Valley (e.g. KL, PJ, and Subang Jaya), Seremban, Kuantan in Pahang, as well as Ipoh and Kampar in Perak. There are also communities of Cantonese-speaking Chinese in Sandakan, Sabah and Mersing, Johor.
says.com/my/lifestyle/history-ancestral-origin-spoken-dialect-of-chinese-people-in-malaysia