Are overseas Chinese Chinese?
Here are our viewer's comments to the article Are overseas Chinese Chinese? and poll. If you like to share your thoughts, e mail info@chinatownology.com. PLease state your name and location (city, country). Your comments maybe produced on the website. Here are the comments as they come in:The Chinese overseas are hua-ren (华人华裔) but they are not zhongguo-ren (中国人). Meaning, we are ethnic Chinese but we are not "Chinese" or citizens of China or Taiwan. The argument arises from the use of the overall/encompassing word "Chinese" to mean ethnic Chinese, Chinese citizens, people of Chinese descent, etc. because the English language does not give a distinction. In Southeast Asia, the phrase "once a Chinese always a Chinese" has very dangerous and disturbing undertones. They were used during times when Chinese were suspected of illegal activities on behalf of their "mother" country -- as in being used as fifth columns, for instance. The phrase highlights undercurrents of racism but there is some truth in the fact that many of the early Chinese immigrants who considered themselves huaqiao (华侨) remained loyal only to China and identified with China's interests. Now that the Chinese overseas are well integrated into the mainstream society in the countries which they have called their own, then they should not be called "Chinese" without a qualifier. At the very least, they should be labeled ethnic Chinese but it is best to just label them Chinese Filipinos, Chinese Americans, Chinese Italians, Chinese Canadians, etc.... In Malaysia, they are called the babas and the nonyas, in Indonesia they are called the peranakans, in the Philippines they are called Tsinoys. The best sources on these questions of identity, nationality, integration and cultural transformation are the works of Drs. Wang Gungwu (H.K., Australia, now Singapore), Wang Lingchi (North America), Zhou Nanjing (Beijing), Leo Sruyadinata (Singapore and Indonesia), Tan Cheebeng (Malaysia and Hong Kong), and Teresita Ang See of the Philippines.
This is ridiculous, a certain portion of the youth born after 1980's were called 憤青 by the mainstream, they were considered insensitive, arrogant and self-centered, their opinions often lacks of substantial facts and proofs, sometimes with total disregard of the truth and history. Overseas Chinese (海外華人) can be classified into 2 parts, those who remained citizens of Mainland China, HK and Taiwan, and those who holds citizenship of other countries. Here, we are speaking of race and ethnicity, not nationality. Even if one holds African citizenship, as long as he still speaks Chinese, looks like Chinese, celebrate Chinese customs and traditions, he is still considered Chinese (by race). This theory doesn't conflict with integration, since integration encourages Chinese to adopt and change their lifestyle and became part of the social mainstream, but the true essence of integration is to introduce the good values of Chinese to the society, at the same time, learning the positive values of the host country. By looking at these opinions, I remember some comments of a few Taiwanese who were against overseas Chinese. Some overseas Chinese experienced being refused ride by taxi drivers in Taiwan and verbally insulted, they were called 白米蟲, going to Taiwan to eat rice for free. How could they say such thing when overseas Chinese donated so much during the 1950's to 1970's when Taiwan is still poor. Same as Mainland China, overseas Chinese send money as well as pork fats to their hometown, build houses, construct roads, bridges and schools. Even Dr. Sun Yat Sen said, overseas Chinese is the mother of revolution. For me, a Chinese born in the Philippines, I was considered by law a natural-born Filipino, I am proud of that, but at the same time, I am also proud of my roots. For those who claimed that overseas Chinese is not Chinese, we can only laugh at them because they don't know their own history, they probably haven't heard of the sacrifices of overseas Chinese throughout the history for their motherland, like during World War II, how much resources were poured in by overseas Chinese to help the Chinese government fight the Japanese invaders, and how the overseas Chinese formed guerilla forces to fight Japanese in their host country to forge partnership and friendship with local people. For those who said overseas Chinese are not Chinese, shame on you!
Its interesting. I consider myself a Chinese with Malaysian citizenship. To a country, I pledge my loyalty to Malaysia. I am a Chinese because I carry a Chinese name and belong to 曾 clan. I know my parents migrated from Fujian. We speak 闽南语and 华语 and still observe Chinese traditional festivals like: Chinese Lunar calendar New Year, Duan Wu Jie （端午节），Ching Ming（清明），Mid-Autumn Festival（中秋节），Dong Zhi （冬至), no doubt we are Christian. The middle of my Chinese name reflects the seniority of 曾 clan For example: My father's middle name is 文 which is the same with my 叔叔s, my middle name is 焕 same with my brother and cousin brothers, and our children's middle name are 国。We still greet our family senior/junior start with the titles like: 爸爸，妈妈，公公，婆婆，哥哥，姐姐， 弟弟，妹妹，伯伯，叔叔，舅舅，姨姨，and so on not just aunty uncle. China cannot be as what she is today, maybe worse, without the helps from oversea Chinese and it should be part of modern China history. Without 钱学森 returned to China from America I don't think China can achieve her advancement in astronomy, aerodynamic, aviation engineering, jet propulsion, engineering in cybernetic. Not to forget during the 1960s many students from Chung Ling High School Penang M'sia gone back to China to rebuild New China. If ONLY Chinese China is Chinese, how about Chinese people staying in Taiwan? After all, not all Chinese in China are 汉族 One can change one's religion or nationality but not race. Race is something that belong to flesh and blood, and is not something that can be defined, like that Kutty likes to say " I am M**** by defination" So you can guess how I have voted.
Related article: Are overseas Chinese Chinese?
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Mr. Chan,
Malaysia