KUALA LUMPUR: Many Malaysian Chinese continue to feel a deep connection to their ancestral roots in China through family ties and shared heritage, and not because of political allegiance, says Prof Dr Tan Chee Beng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Family ties, he said, were one of the earliest and strongest cultural links maintained by Chinese migrants.
“Earlier generations of migrants were naturally very close to their families in China. Although their descendants may now have fewer direct relatives there, many still feel a connection to their ancestral homeland,” he said at the 12th International Conference of the International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO).
Themed “Chinese Overseas in a Changing World: Global Networks, Local Realities”, the keynote session was moderated by Universiti Malaya’s Chinese Studies Department adjunct professor Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy.
Prof Tan said kinship networks often transcend national borders, as families migrate to different countries and maintain contact through shared ancestry and marriages across nations.
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“Marriage, especially of daughters to individuals from other countries, is a key factor in forming these transnational family networks. This happens not only among the Chinese overseas but also among families in China,” he explained.
He said that migration waves from China since the 1980s had given rise to new immigrants who helped strengthen family and social links between Chinese communities in various parts of the world.
With globalisation, the end of the Cold War and China’s opening up since 1979, associations and clan groups have also become important in maintaining cultural and social ties.
Prof Tan noted that many Chinese associations around the world now hold international conventions, while national federations bring together local chapters under one umbrella.
“Even temples, which used to operate locally, now form national and regional federations.
“For example, the Tua Peh Kong temples in Malaysia and Singapore are now part of the World Tua Peh Kong Federation,” he said.
He added that advances in transport, digital communication and global capitalism have made it easier to maintain family and cultural connections across borders, giving rise to what he called “astronaut families” and global Chinese networks.
“China, as the land of Chinese civilisation and ancestral heritage, will always hold meaning for the Chinese abroad. The bond between China and the Chinese overseas is rooted in history, culture and shared memory,” he said.
Chan described Prof Tan as a well-respected scholar whose research and writings have inspired generations of students and thinkers in Malaysia.
He said Prof Tan’s guidance and insight during his own postgraduate years at UM had a lasting impact on his academic and professional journey, shaping his understanding of Malaysian society and Chinese communities.
Prof Tan’s works remain essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the social, cultural and historical realities of the Chinese in Malaysia, Chan said.
“His research has influenced the way many of us see our country and our communities,” he added.
The conference is sponsored by the Ikhasas Group; the Institute of Science Innovation and Culture, Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep, Thailand; Pejati, UM’s Alumni Association of the Department of Chinese Studies and the Fo Guang Shan Education Centre. The Star and Sin Chew Daily are media partners.
