Peranakan Chinese

This article is about Peranakans with Chinese ancestry. For Peranakans with Indian ancestry, see Chitty. For Peranakans with Eurasian ancestry, see Kristang. For Peranakan Muslims of Indian and Malay descent, see Jawi Peranakan.

Peranakan Chinese
峇峇娘惹
Baba Nyonya
Baba Yaya
Kiau Seng
A photograph of Peranakan wedding couple – Chung Guat Hooi, the daughter of Kapitan Chung Thye Phin and Khoo Soo Beow, the son of Khoo Heng Pan, both of Penang – from a museum in Penang
Total population
8,000,000+ (estimates)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,[2] Southern Thailand[3]
Languages
Baba Malay and other varieties of Malay, Penang Hokkien and other varieties of Chinese, Indonesian, Sundanese, Javanese, Betawi, Southern Thai, English, Dutch
Religion
Majority:
Mahāyāna Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism
Minority:
Sunni Islam, Christianity and Other religions
Related ethnic groups
Chinese diaspora, Benteng, Bangka Island Peranakan Chinese, Sino-Natives, Malaysian Chinese, Thai Chinese, Chinese Singaporeans, Chinese Indonesians, Sri Lankan Malays
Peranakan Chinese
Chinese name
Chinese峇峇娘惹
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBābā-niángrě
Southern Min
Hokkien POJBā-bā-nō͘-niâ
Thai name
ThaiBaba Yaya / Baba Phuket
Malay name
MalayBaba Nyonya / Cina Peranakan / Cina Selat
Indonesian name
IndonesianKiau Seng / Tionghoa Selat

The Peranakan Chinese (/pəˈrɑːnəˌkɑːn, -kən/) are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (Chinese: 南洋; pinyin: nán yáng; lit. 'Southern Ocean'), namely the British, Portuguese and Dutch colonial ports in the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago, as well as Singapore.[4][5] Peranakan culture, especially in the dominant Peranakan centres of Malacca, Singapore, Penang, Phuket and Tangerang, is characterized by its unique hybridization of ancient Chinese culture with the local cultures of the Nusantara region, the result of a centuries-long history of transculturation and interracial marriage.

Immigrants from the southern provinces of China arrived in significant numbers in the region between the 14th and 17th centuries, taking abode in the Malay Peninsula (where their descendants in Malacca, Singapore and Penang are referred to as Baba–Nyonya); the Indonesian Archipelago (where their descendants are referred to as Kiau–Seng);[6] the Southern Thailand (where their descendants are referred to as Baba-Yaya), primarily in Phuket, Trang, Phang Nga, Takua Pa and Ranong;[7][8] Terengganu (where their descendants are referred to as Cheng Mua Lang)[9] and North Borneo from the 18th century (where their descendants in Sabah are also referred to as Sino-Natives). Intermarriage between these Chinese settlers and their Malay, Thai, Javanese or other predecessors in the region contributed to the emergence of a distinctive hybrid culture and ostensible phenotypic differences.[10][11] Through colonisation of the region, the impact and presence of the Peranakan Chinese spread beyond Nusantara.[12] In Sri Lanka, the Peranakan Chinese went on to contribute to the development of the Sri Lankan Malay identity that emerged in the nation during Dutch rule.[12]

The Peranakans are considered a multiracial community, with the caveat that individual family histories vary widely and likewise self-identification with multiracialism as opposed to Chineseness varies widely.[11][13] The Malay/Indonesian phrase "orang Cina bukan Cina" ("a not-Chinese Chinese person")[14] encapsulates the complex relationship between Peranakan identity and Chinese identity. The particularities of genealogy and the unique syncretic culture are the main features that distinguish the Peranakan from descendants of later waves of Chinese immigrants to the region.

  1. ^ "Chinese Indonesians can't be put in boxes". The Jakarta Post. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  2. ^ Peranakan Publications. "Tionghua Indonesian Chinese Peranakans". Peranakan.hostoi.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  3. ^ Forbes, Andrew. "Phuket's Peranakan Community". CPA Media.
  4. ^ "Peranakan". Forvo. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Scientists in Singapore complete DNA study on Peranakans". Youtube. 15 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. ^ Remy Sylado (2004). Sam Po Kong: Perjalanan Pertama. Gramedia Pustaka Utama. ISBN 978-979-22-0685-2.
  7. ^ D'Oliveiro, Michael (31 March 2007). "The Peranakan Trail". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
  8. ^ West, Barbara A. (2009). Encyclopedia Of The Peoples Of Asia And Oceania. Facts On File. p. 657. ISBN 978-0-8160-7109-8.
  9. ^ Shazwani Ali, Farah (22 October 2019). "Keunikan peranakan Cina Terengganu". Sinar Harian (in Malay).
  10. ^ "Peranakan". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  11. ^ a b Pue, Giok Hun (2017). "'Our Chinese': the mixedness of Peranakan Chinese identities in Kelantan, Malaysia". In Rocha, Zarine L. (ed.). Mixed Race in Asia: Past, Present and Future. London: Routledge. pp. 147–161.
  12. ^ a b Ricci, Ronit (2019). Banishment and Belonging Exile and Diaspora in Sarandib, Lanka and Ceylon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–22.
  13. ^ Chia, Josephine (7 October 2018). "I am Peranakan, not Chinese". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Peranakans". Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Malacca. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.