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I think some of the race discussions are interesting on all the message boards across City Data. You learn a lot about the origins of different people. A lot of it stuff people didn't know. To me it's fascinating to learn of the ancient migrations of people all over the planet and the mixing that has gone on everywhere over time.
Yes. it's not all race, and as long as people don't get obsessive/feel superior about it.
By ancestry. Whether I'm still ethnically Chinese even if I don't speak any Chinese, or am not culturally Chinese in almost every other way is debatable. Some would say I'm not.
I always wondered how "Chinese" are Chinese from Singapore compared to China and Taiwan.
I always wondered how "Chinese" are Chinese from Singapore compared to China and Taiwan.
Well the chinese in Singapore observe typical the same chinese traditional festivals as those in China and Taiwan, Chinese New Year is one of the most important days on our calendar, mid autumn festival and Ching Ming etc are observed too..
But we are influenced by Western commercialism, which well China and Taiwan are now growing too.. and in terms of media influence and music and movies etc, Western acts (american n particular) are huge here..
Korean influence is strong here too.. K pop and Kdrama are bigger than English and American pop here..
As for food and cuisine, i would say both Chinese and Western cuisine are well accepted in Singapore
I always wondered how "Chinese" are Chinese from Singapore compared to China and Taiwan.
Depends on the individual. Some are more westernised than others. As singaporelady said Chinese New Year is a big deal for most. My mother grew up in quite a traditional Chinese Singaporean family, CNY and other festivals were big, grandma went to the temple.etc, though through my auntie my mum had more western influence, speaking English, going to church, and then going to an English-medium secondary school.
If you go to Singapore, however, you might not immediately be able to tell who is a local and who is a PRC national, since a lot of Singaporeans now also speak Mandarin instead of their local 'dialect.' Most Singaporean Chinese are not of Mandarin-speaking stock but from the southeastern provinces.
Yes Singapore is of course westernised, being so English-speaking definitely helps here.
Singaporean food is definitely a must-try: there's Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes but a lot of dishes are uniquely Singaporean/Malaysian and I would consider them a local cuisine, Singaporean-Malaysian cuisine. Things like Hainanese chicken rice, curry laksa and murtabak to give three example.
I always wondered how "Chinese" are Chinese from Singapore compared to China and Taiwan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Postman
Depends on the individual. Some are more westernised than others. As singaporelady said Chinese New Year is a big deal for most. My mother grew up in quite a traditional Chinese Singaporean family, CNY and other festivals were big, grandma went to the temple.etc, though through my auntie my mum had more western influence, speaking English, going to church, and then going to an English-medium secondary school.
If you go to Singapore, however, you might not immediately be able to tell who is a local and who is a PRC national, since a lot of Singaporeans now also speak Mandarin instead of their local 'dialect.' Most Singaporean Chinese are not of Mandarin-speaking stock but from the southeastern provinces.
Yes Singapore is of course westernised, being so English-speaking definitely helps here.
Singaporean food is definitely a must-try: there's Chinese, Malay and Indian dishes but a lot of dishes are uniquely Singaporean/Malaysian and I would consider them a local cuisine, Singaporean-Malaysian cuisine. Things like Hainanese chicken rice, curry laksa and murtabak to give three example.
Are most or the larger majority of Singaporeans of Chinese descent generally those who trace their ancestry from Chinese immigrants in colonial times and farther back, or are there mainly more recent ones now, like first or second generation immigrants from modern day China?
Is there a strong divide between "old stock", and new immigrant Singaporeans? Is it kind of like old-stock Americans (whose ancestors were there during the Revolution and before, in colonial times) compared to later, recent immigrants to America?
They might not use the word 'Mongoloid' but in the West 'Asian' is short-hand for Mongoloid-type looking folks. Partly because of how non-Asians see them, a lot of disparate Asians tend to identify with each other as just 'Asian' no matter whether from Korea or Indonesia because of how they are seen.
Yeah, but that's in western countries, right? Asians in Asia itself probably don't identify with each other, regardless of whether they "look Mongoloid" or whatever, right?
A Korean in Korea is probably not going to care whether or not he looks more similar to an Indonesian, an Indian or Israeli, in terms of identifying himself culturally with a region, right? Or have even how westerners see Asians influence how Asians see other Asians?
Are most or the larger majority of Singaporeans of Chinese descent generally those who trace their ancestry from Chinese immigrants in colonial times and farther back, or are there mainly more recent ones now, like first or second generation immigrants from modern day China?
Is there a strong divide between "old stock", and new immigrant Singaporeans? Is it kind of like old-stock Americans (whose ancestors were there during the Revolution and before, in colonial times) compared to later, recent immigrants to America?
The very first Chinese came before colonial times - well Temasek (the name for an old settlement before Singapura) was known to the Chinese a long time ago. When Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in 1819 there were some Chinese fisherman living in Singapore. Subsequent immigration occurred throughout the 19th and early 20th century. On my mother's side most of my great-grandparents arrived shortly after the First World War, when China was going through a great upheaval and there were famines etc. I'd say the immigration from China dwindled and basically stopped after the Communist takeover in 1949 when China was pretty closed to the world. The 50s and 60s were tumultuous times for Malaysia/Singapore (as with many places). Recently having thrown off the colonial yoke the Communist element, who in many ways identified a lot with the PRC, was strong in Singapore, but LKY's People's Action Party managed to win the day.
Since then, there has been more recent migration from China, this time all over China. There definitely is a major cultural gulf between Singaporeans and these 'mainland Chinese', with many people resenting the mass immigration. This applies also to Indians from India, Malaysians from Malaysia, Indonesians, and other Asians.
Yeah, but that's in western countries, right? Asians in Asia itself probably don't identify with each other, regardless of whether they "look Mongoloid" or whatever, right?
A Korean in Korea is probably not going to care whether or not he looks more similar to an Indonesian, an Indian or Israeli, in terms of identifying himself culturally with a region, right? Or have even how westerners see Asians influence how Asians see other Asians?
Yes, how you see yourself depends in large part how the wider society sees you. In most cases, a non-Asian Australian will simply see you as 'Asian', whether you're Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese.etc.
Of course culture is far more important than 'race' in practical terms. Things like the food you eat, language you eat, religion you practice, your mythology. Of course a lot of Asian countries have some shared culture, but no more than European countries.
America is very race-based. In most of the world while looks play a role, culture is pre-eminent.
Are most or the larger majority of Singaporeans of Chinese descent generally those who trace their ancestry from Chinese immigrants in colonial times and farther back, or are there mainly more recent ones now, like first or second generation immigrants from modern day China?
Is there a strong divide between "old stock", and new immigrant Singaporeans? Is it kind of like old-stock Americans (whose ancestors were there during the Revolution and before, in colonial times) compared to later, recent immigrants to America?
Well, i'm sure i am a better person than Postman to answer that Markovian process, the Postman can give his inputs as well, but hey, the Postman though he knows Singapore well he is not Singaporean after all.. And doesnt speak Chinese...and he never really lived in Singapore !!!
I would saw most young Singaporeans don't trace the ancestry , we are all just Chinese Singaporeans, by dialect perhaps..
The is a strong divide between new immigrant Singaporeans and those who are born bred and live in Singapore.. I dont know much about the American old and new stock post revolutioin, but i would think it is pretty much similar
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