Category: Reviews
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Reviewing George Yeo’s ‘Musings’: Government, Singapore and a “Jewish” status
I managed to borrow George Yeo’s book Musings: Series One from the library in Singapore and it taught me three things: Who is George Yeo? And why am I reading his book? For non-Singaporeans, George Yeo’s name might not ring a bell. Succinctly, he’s a “Teochew Chinese, a Roman Catholic and a native Singaporean.” Wikipedia…
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In Spain, “nihao” connects the Chinese community
I spent 43 days in Spain visiting lots of places north of Madrid and in Seville. In 43 days, a lot of things can happen. One can almost complete a career as prime minister in that time. For me, it represented a period which strengthened my understanding of how life is for Chinese people living…
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A common thread: Chinese music and Chinese identity
你问我爱你有多深, 我爱你有几分。 Sounds familiar? From what I observe, many Chinese people, regardless of where they grew up, will know this song. I have never thought of this before, but it seems clearer and clearer to me that Chinese music represents a common centrepiece of Chinese identity. And I don’t mean modern Chinese music. Rather, there…
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It ain’t easy for the Chinese Argentines
In Argentina, if you said you “went to the Chinese”, you’d be expected to come back with groceries.
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How Chinese is Singapore?
How Chinese is Singapore? The long and short answer: people think it’s part of China. It isn’t. But one thing that really sets Singapore apart from other places that have overseas Chinese is the fact that it’s probably the ONLY place where Chinese people are not a minority. I can’t think of any other place…
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Migration is a difficult gamble our ancestors have undertaken
It’s Mother’s Day today and Asian Heritage Month here in Canada. I think it’s a good opportunity to show appreciation for our parents, grandparents and ancestors who have moved from China to places abroad. Migration is difficult and it’s a complete gamble. The prosperous countries today might just be the ones facing strife and poverty…
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What’s it like being Chinese in the UK’s north?
Chinese Chippy Girl is a particularly interesting podcast because it talks about growing up Chinese in the UK. The host is Georgie Ma (馬珮瑶) who grew up in Macclesfield, England, near Manchester. In the first episode of her podcast, she shares her experience being Chinese in the north of England. Other episodes are in an…
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Is “Chinese diaspora” a problematic term?
I used to sling the term “Chinese diaspora” in the same way as “Overseas Chinese” but someone argued that it might be a very damaging term.
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Jessica J(ie-ke) Lee’s Two Trees Make a Forest review
A half-Taiwanese, half-Welsh writer explores her Taiwanese identity. How similar is it to the overseas Chinese experience?
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Will Overseas Chinese lose their ability to speak their language?
I am not entirely sure if Chinese migrants can maintain their ability to speak Chinese, especially with each successive generation.