Taishanese people

台山人
Hoi San Ngin

File:Donnieyen SHFF.jpg From top to bottom right: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Andy Lau, Shawn Yue, Donnie Yen, Beyond (band), Chen Yunshang, Anna May Wong
Regions with significant populations
Greater China (Guangdong, Hong Kong) North America (Canada, United States)
Languages
Taishanese, Cantonese, Mandarin
Religion
Predominantly Chinese folk religions (including Taoism, Confucianism, ancestral worship and others) and Mahayana Buddhism. Minority: Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Other Han Chinese

Sze Yap Cantonese (Chinese: 四邑廣東人; Sze Yap: Sli Yip Gong Ong Ngin; Cantonese: Sze Yap Gwong Dong Yan; Mandarin: Sìyì guǎngdōng rén) are a Han Chinese group coming from a region in Guangdong Province in China called Sze Yap (四邑), now called Ng Yap, which consists of the cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Xinhui, Enping, Heshan and Jiangmen; which now administers these cities. Their ancestors are said to have arrived from what is today central China about less than a thousand years ago and migrated into Guangdong around the Tang Dynasty rule period and thus Taishanese as a dialect of Yue Chinese has linguistically preserved many characteristics of Middle Chinese. Although Taishanese is considered to be one of the Cantonese groups of the Yue Chinese family, it has also retained an identity that distinguishes themselves from other Cantonese groups. One theory among Taishanese themselves is that they were northern migrants from Tang who intermixed with the earlier local Cantonese people. Among the Han Chinese, Taishanese are a source for most of the famous international Chinese celebrities and have produced the largest numbers of Chinese actors and singers than any city/region in mainland China. Among Asian Americans, Taishanese are influential in politics and were the first Americans of Asian descent to be elected as Governors, Mayors, U.S congress, including the first international actress and actor of Asian descent, and the America's first ace in World War II also have an Taishanese origin.

Linguistic and Identity

Taishanese is a dialect of Yue Chinese but is also treated separately from Standard Cantonese, since Cantonese speakers often find Taishanese difficult to understand and usually with an average intelligibility of only 30%, however this is also true for other Yue Chinese dialects such as Goulou dialects. Like other varieties of Chinese dialects, Taishanese is known only by Taishanese and by other Chinese people as Toisan Cantonese, it is not prosperous like standard Cantonese. Unlike most varieties of Chinese, Cantonese has semi-official status in Hong Kong and Macau, and has an independent tradition of a written vernacular. Aside from Standard Mandarin, Standard Cantonese has achieved worldwide fame and is internationally well known due to popular Cantonese speaking action movies from Hong Kong, also because Cantonese in Hong Kong is the lingua franca for education, media, government, communication in Hong Kong, this leads to even more exposure of Cantonese throughout the world. Taishanese, who make up one-third of the population of Hong Kong, may identify themselves with Cantonese instead of Taishanese. Since Hong Kong culture is heavily Cantonese influenced and is a Cantonese speaking society, Taishanese and other Han Chinese who are Hong Kong born and raised, assimilate into the Cantonese identity of Hong Kong. Everything in Hong Kong from pop music, movies, media, education, TV series, cuisines, opera, communication is in Cantonese, and because Hong Kong, like Macau, has high autonomy and a different law and government system from China, this yet again strengthens Hong Kong identity. Cantonese is seen by all Hong Kong people as a cultural marker and identity that distinguishes themselves from mainland Chinese. Many Hong Kong activist are of Taishanese origin such as Szeto Wah who is a politician of the pan-democracy camp and sing democratic Cantonese songs with other activists to promote democracy in China.

Culture

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ruishi Diaolou 瑞石樓

Culturally, Taishanese people are very similar to Cantonese. Today many Sze Yap people have become successful in many areas such as the entertainment industry, business and politics. Hong Kongers of Sze Yap origin include: Andy Lau, Beyond (band), Danny Chan, Kenny Kwan, Joey Yung, Ronnie Chan, John Tsang, Andrew Li and many others. The Father of, Lai Man-Wai also has ancestry from the Sze Yap region of province. As a result, Sze Yap people have dominated in the entertainment industry and play most major roles in the music and movie sectors. In many films, Taishanese can be heard, especially in many of Karl Maka's films such as Merry Christmas and Aces Go Places.

It is said that over 100 famous people come from the Sze Yap region of Guangdong province, making the region famous for producing more stars than any other city/region in mainland China. As a result, the local government in Jiangmen which administers the Sze Yap or Ng Yap cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, Xinhui, and Heshan, decided to build a Stars Park called Jiangmen star park (江门星光园).

Taishan county is famous for being the Birthplace of China's Volleyball, that was brought to Taishan by overseas, and the city won many provincial and national championships. Taishanese are well known for their love for Volleyball and being China's champions. Premier Zhou En-Lai once stated, "Taishan is Half of Country's (China) System.

In 2007, UNESCO named the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (开平碉楼与村落) in China as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO wrote, "...the Diaolou ... display a complex and flamboyant fusion of Eastern and Western structural and decorative forms. They reflect the significant role of émigré Kaiping people in the development of several countries in South Asia, Australasia, and North America, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the close links between overseas Kaiping and their ancestral homes. The property inscribed here consists of four groups of Diaolou, totaling some 1,800 tower houses in their village settings." Today, approximately 1,833 diaolou remain standing in Kaiping, and approximately 500 in Taishan. Although the diaolou served mainly as protection against forays by bandits, a few of them also served as living quarters. Kaiping has traditionally been a region of major emigration abroad, and a melting pot of ideas and trends brought back by overseas. As a result, many diaolou incorporate architectural features from China and from the West.

Economy and Business

Jiangmen GDP is ranked the 70th richest city in China out of 656 cities in 2012. Jiangmen was selected by the Chinese state as a pilot city for a nationwide information programme. According to the "Report on Investment Environment in China 2003" by the World Bank, Jiangmen ranked the fourth after Shanghai, Hangzhou and Dalian of 23 cities under evaluation in China. Among various indicators, Jiangmen excelled in infrastructure, labour redundancy, proportion of joint ventures in all firms, informal payments to government, taxation, productivity and the investment rate.

Besides dominating the entertainment industry, they are quite dominant and influential in Hong Kong's Business Industry, such as the Bank of East Asia (東亞銀行), Lee Kum Kee (李錦記), Hang Lung Properties, Maxim's Catering (美心), Hysan Development Limited, Li & Fung (利豐), Beijing Air Catering Ltd, Hysan Development Company Limited (希慎興業) and many others.

Famous overseas Taishanese businessmen includes Loke Yew, the richest man of Malaysia in his time and who made significant impact in the growth of Kuala Lumpur, and was one of founder fathers of Victoria institution. Jack Yan who founded his company Lucire, is a magazine publisher in New Zealand and he also owns a software firm that created over 100 typeface designs himself for the firm, and inspired other local typeface designers such as Kris Sowersby to pursue careers in that industry. Norman Kwong who is the lieutenant governor of Alberta, is also president and manager of Calgary Stampeders a Canadian football league.

Acamedics

Sze yup or Jiamgmen is considered the home of Chinese Academician town: The toal of academicians is 31 people, a city with over as many 20 is extremely rare in China.

Wu Lien-teh - First Han Chinese and Malaysian Chinese to be nominated for a Nobel prize in physiology or Medicine, Chu Ching-wu - Selected as the Best Researcher in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 1990., GUO Jing-Kun - pioneer and one of academic leaders in the field of Materials Research Nancy Ip - member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences. ,Vivian Wing-Wah Yam - she was a 2011 L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureate "for her work on light-emitting materials and innovative ways of capturing solar energy. Huan Yong - China's modern plant taxonomy founder , Chen Haozhu - Career in medicine for many years, has won the national, military science and technology progress award more than 20 other awards Albert Chan (professor) - a Hong Kong professor of chemistry and traditional Chinese medicine. Huang Cuifen one of the founders, successive Chinese Academy of Military Medical Institute of Basic Medical researcher Liang Sili - Chinese Engineer. Chief Designer of inertial guidance platforms for Chinese ballistic missiles. Chen Guoda - Expertise in Mechanical Engineering Huang Benli - Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xiamen University, Professor, Huang has won many awards: 2 2nd-class Major Science and Technology Achievements Awards of Chinese Academy of Science Zhangyou Qi - Computational mechanics, civil engineering experts Xue Shepu - Researcher in cell proliferation and differentiation Huan Yong - Is one of the founders of modern science of plant classification. His lifelong hard work, rigorous scholarship on China Plant Science has made outstanding contributions. Li Chunxuan - Aerospace aircraft design, high-speed collision mechanics specialist. Chen Hao Zhu - Medical experts in cardiovascular disease. member of China Engineering Academy. Mr Wong - Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, general surgery specialist. TANG Zhao - Former director of the International Union Against Cancer Cai Ruixian - Recieved the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology Progress Award, Chinese Academy of Natural Science Award I Guocong - Former China Engineering Thermophysics director, China Power Engineering Society executive director; China Energy Research Association executive director. Kuang Yu Ping- 1989 was awarded the First Prize in Physics Wu Xun , 2003 was elected to the Academy of Mathematics and Physics Academy of Sciences. Henry NC Wong - University of London, and then to Harvard University postdoctoral research. Albert Chan - An organic chemist , Chinese Academy of Sciences. Huang Cuifen - University of London, and then to Harvard University postdoctoral research. Li Shaozhen - improve cataract surgery quality in the introduction of technology and innovation Huangyao Xiang - Zhongshan University Department of Physics. Chen Yong-Su]] - Research on a new target of cancer chemotherapy drugs and biochemical modulation Maisong Wei - 1965-1969 any Associate Professor University of Western Ontario in Canada. Ye Danian - 1991 was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Division of Earth Sciences and in 2001 as Peking University professor of Earth and Space Sciences. Feng Peide - well-known experts in the field of aviation.

History Overseas

Because the history of the going abroad is long, and there are many people sojourning widely in various districts, is called " No.1 Homeland of Overseas Chinese ". Now, 1.3 million overseas distribute in 91 countries and regions of the five continents including US, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Trestle, c.1869. : Carleton Watkins

Route of the first American transcontinental railroad from Sacramento, California, to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Taishanese have large influence in the course of Asian-American history, as they were first Asian Americans to be elected as Governors, Mayors, U.S congress in the continental United States. The first international celebrity of Asian descent, and America's first Ace in world war II. They also represented the largest Asian community in America and have an large significant contribution in building the First Transcontinental Railroad of United States. They were instrumental in the completion of the railroads. About 12,000 such emigrant workers were employed as laborers by the Central Pacific Railroad representing 90 percent of the entire work force. J. O. Wilder, a Central Pacific-Southern Pacific employee, commented that “The Chinese were as steady, hard-working a set of men as could be found. With the exception of a few whites at the west end of Tunnel No. 6, the laboring force was entirely composed of Chinamen with white foremen. A single Irish foreman with a gang of 30 to 40 Chinese men generally constituted the force at work at each end of a tunnel; of these, 12 to 15 worked on the heading, and the rest on the bottom removing material. When a gang was small or the men needed elsewhere, the bottoms were worked with fewer men or stopped so as to keep the headings going.” The laborers usually worked three shifts of 8 hours each per day, while the foremen worked in two shifts of 12 hours each, managing the laborers.

The Sun Ning Railway (aka Sunning Railway and Xinning Railway ) 新寧鐵路 (pinyin: Xinning Tielu) was a standard gauge railway in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province founded in 1906 by a man of Taishanese origin Chin Gee Hee 陳宜禧 (pinyin: Chen Yixi) and Yu Shek 余灼 (pinyin: Yu Zhuo). It was South China's second railway and one of only three railways in pre-1949 China built solely with private Chinese capital.

World war II

A Chinese American soldier training at Fort Knox

It has been estimated that between 12,000 and 20,000 Chinese American men, representing up to 22 percent of the men in their portion of the U.S. population, served during World War II. Of those serving about 40 percent were not citizens,and unlike Japanese and Filipino Americans, 75 percent served in non-segregated units. Chinese Americans distinguished themselves from Japanese Americans, and suffered less discrimination. A quarter of those would serve in the U.S. Army Air Forces, some of were sent to the Chinese-Burma-India theater for service with the 14th Air Service Group and the Chinese-American Composite Wing. Another 70 percent would go on to serve in the U.S. Army in various units, including the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 32nd and 77th Infantry Divisions. Prior to the war, the U.S. Navy had recruited Chinese Americans but they had been restricted to serve only as stewards; this continued until May 1942, when restrictions ceased and they were allowed to serve in other ratings. Wilbur Carl Sze was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and the first Chinese-American officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

List of Notable people from China and Hong Kong

• Lai Man-Wai (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Father of Hong Kong cinema
• Feng Ru (Enping, Guangdong) - Father of Chinese Aviation
• Liang Sicheng (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Father of Modern Chinese Architecture
• Hu Die (Heshan, Guangdong) - Empress of Chinese Cinema
• Chen Yunchang (Taishan, Guangdong) - Very Famous Shanghainese Actress and is the "3rd Empress of Chinese Movie" (连获三届“中国电影皇后”) who starred some popular movies including "Mulan Joins the Army" in 1939.
• Lee Ya-Ching (Enping, Guangdong) - China’s First Lady of Flight
• Dai AiLian (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Mother of Chinese Dance"中国舞蹈之母".
• Betty H P Tung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong first lady
• Ti Lung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly The Sentimental Swordsman (and its sequel), and in the classic A Better Tomorrow.
• Lily Leung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong's First TV Actress. She acted in the first ever TV drama series produced in Hong Kong
• Lau Kar-leung (Xinhui, Guangdong), China - is a Hong Kong-based Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer and martial artist. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio.
• Shawn Yue (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a famous Hong Kong Actor, Singer and former model
• Joey Yung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong
• Andy Lau (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, film actor, and producer; one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop (四大天王)
• Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Cannes Film Festival and five-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning Chinese film and television actor
• Danny Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - Very popular Hong Kong Actor, Singer and Song Writer; his hometown is Sijiu, Taishan
• Hung Sin-nui (Kaiping, Guangdong) - a national treasure level Cantonese opera master and movie actress in China and Hong Kong
• Kenny Kwan (Kaiping, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actor and Singer; former member of Hong Kong boy band Boy'z
• Gillian Chung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress and Singer; a member of Hong Kong music group Twins
• Beyond (band) (Taishan, Guangdong) - The most famous Hong Kong rock band; the whole band members have origins from Taishan. The band became the first Band from Hong Hong rock band and Chinese rock band to have an multinational fan base in Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, China.
• Karl Maka (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a popular Hong Kong producer, director, actor and presenter; his hometown is Chonglou, Taishan
• Donnie Yen (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, film director, action choreographer and film producer and also a World wushu medalist champion
• Alfred Cheung (Kaiping, Guangdong) - Chinese actor, director, writer and producer
• Raymond Wong (film presenter) (Heshan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and presenter
• Ekin Cheng (Enping, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer
• Kenny Bee (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor; a member of the Hong Kong English pop and cantopop band the Wynners
• Alan Tam (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is an award winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor
• Kenny Ho (Enping, Guangdong) - is ) is a Hong Kong and Taiwanese actor
• Hacken Lee (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is an award winning Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and lyricist, actor, Master of Ceremonies and Association football sportscaster
• Tiffany Lam (Xinhui, Guangdong)the former Hong Kong TVB female artistes, won the 2002 Miss Hong Kong winner and 2003 Miss Chinese International runner-up. His cousin Liu Qianting for the year 2009 Miss Hong Kong winner
• Justin Lo (Kaiping, Guangdong) - American singer-songwriter, actor and record producer working in Hong Kong.
• George Lam (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer and actor
• Gigi Lai (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actress and singer.
• Bobby Au-Yeung (Xinhui, Guangdong - (is a Hong Kong actor best known for his comedic roles in many TVB television dramas.
• Adam Cheng (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer; husband of Lydia Shum (肥肥)
• Joyce Cheng (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong musician, writer, actor and performer. She is the daughter of famous Hong Kong comedian Lydia Shum and veteran actor Adam Cheng.
• Chapman To (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actor, best known for specializing in comedic roles in films such as Infernal Affairs and Initial D.
• Jaime Chik (Kaiping, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong TVB actress. She is married to Michael Miu.
• William So (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer
• Stephanie Cheng (Enping, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer
• Edmond Leung (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, TV host
• Wong He (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Chinese Actor & Model and former Hong Kong Policeman
• Myolie Wu (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress and Singer
• Ti Lung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actor known for his martial roles and gangster
• Maggie Cheung Ho-yee (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
• Bosco Wong (Jiangmen, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actor under TVB management and singer under East Asia Music.
• Gigi Leung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong singer and actress
• Moses Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actor
• Michelle Yim (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actress
• Kenneth Ma (Xinhui, Guangdong) - a Chinese Canadian actor from Hong Kong
• Deep Ng (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actor, song writer, and singer
• Lee Kum Sheung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Founder of Lee Kum Kee (李錦裳)
• Ha Yu (actor) (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Famous Hong Kong actress
• Connie Chan Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actress
• Anthony Chan Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actor
• Christine Ng (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
• Tiffany Lam (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Winner of Miss Hong Kong and Miss Chinese International runner up.
• Stanley Tong (Xinhui, Guangdong) A famous Hong Hong director film director, producer, action choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist who produced some Asian and Hollywood breakthrough movies
• Darryl O'Young (Xinhui, Guangdong) was the first Chinese and HK racer to enter World Touring Car Championship and also a two times Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
• Flora Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
• Pakho Chau (Kaiping, Guangdong) - Hong Kong singer
• Raymond Wong (Heshan, Guangdong - Hong Kong director
• David Li (Heshan, Guangdong) - Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia (東亞銀行); his grand father founded the Bank
• Loletta Chu Taishan, Guangdong)- Winner of Miss Hong Kong pageant, composer, Loretta won the Fairchild TV New Talent Singing Awards Vancouver Audition in 2005 and represented Vancouver at the New Talent Singing Awards International Championship that year and garnered the "Most Trendy Image Award".
• Sarah Song Heshan, Guangdong)- is the Miss Chinese International 2007 winner.
• Ronnie Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - One of the top 10 HK Billionaire; he is the chairman of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties
• Victor Fung (Heshan, Guangdong) - is the Group Chairman of Li & Fung (利豐) group of companies; his grand father founded the company
• Joey Leung Hong Kong actor
• Lee Hysan (Xinhui, Guangdong) - was a renowned land developer and entrepreneur in Hong Kong who founded modern-day Hysan Development Company Limited (希慎興業). He was known as the Li Ka-shing or the wealthiest man in HK in the early 20th Century.
• Dr.James Tak Wu (Taishan, Guangdong) - founder of Maxim's Catering (美心); which is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain
• Lee Gum Poy (Taishan, Guangdong) - was an architect who has been responsible for the design of Changsha, Baoding and other places YMCA hall in Shanghai.
• Annie Wu Suk-ching (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong-based Chinese businesswoman and activist who founded Beijing Air Catering Ltd, the first joint venture company in the People's Republic of China; she is the daughter of Dr. James Tak Wu
• John Sham Enping, Guangdong) Hong Kong's famous presenter, film director, producer, screenwriter, planners, investors and actor, known as the Contemporary Hong Kong and China 's most successful filmmakers, filmmakers, film distributors, and also the famous Hong Kong affairs commentator, social activist, cross-media people, reporters .

List of Notable people from China and other countries in U.S, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii ect

Artists

• Alan Chin - San Francisco Bay Area contemporary artist
• Tyrus Wong - painter, muralist, ceramicist, lithographer, designer and kite maker
• James Hong - former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists (AAPAA)

Directors and presenters

• Arthur Dong - is a Three Award-winning Films, Academy Award-nominated American documentary filmmaker and also three Sundance Film Festival Awards, and five Emmy nominations
• Kim Chan - was a Chinese-American actor and producer
• Esther Eng was a Chinese–American film director. Eng was the first female director to direct Chinese-language films in the United States. Eng made four feature films in America and five in Hong Kong

Business

• Patrick Soon-Shiong A world famous surgeon who performed the first encapsulated human islet transplant and invented the first FDA approved protein nanoparticle technology . In 2011 Forbes ranked the Taishanese businessman's fortune at $7.2 billion, ranking him #39 among US billionaires.
• Kwong Sue Duk- A merchant in Australia, respected and influential amongst the Chinese and European communities
• Wong Ah Fook A builder of many famous Johor heritage buildings
• Chin Gee Hee - A labor contractor, and railway entrepreneur who contributed railway workers for American railway project.
• Jack Yan - He founded Lucire an fashion magazine publisher in New Zealand.
• James Tak Wu - founder of Hong Kong's famous Maxim's Catering Limited, which is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain. His ancestral town is Sijiu (四九)
• Loke Wan Tho founder of Cathay Organisation in Singapore and Malaysia
• Thomas Tam a Hong Kong-born Canadian businessman
• Annie Wu Suk-ching - founder of Beijing Air Catering Ltd and member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She is the daughter of James Tak Wu.
• Qiu Liben selected by the netizens in China as one of the Top 100 Public Intellectuals in 2006 and 2008.
• Lee Quo-wei - director of Hang Seng Bank and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His ancestral home is in Kaiping.
• Lui Che Woo - is a billionaire businessman who developed multi-national conglomerate involving properties, entertainment & leisure, construction materials and hotels with over 200 subsidiaries and more than 20,000 employees in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Macau, North America and Southeast Asia. On May 2011, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited has opened $2 billion Galaxy casino and hotel in Macau with 2,200 rooms, 50 restaurants, 450 gambling tables, an artificial beach and a wave pool.
• Yip Hon - A Macau tyconn with estimated wealth of 100 million
• Yip Sang - was a prominent Canadian businessman, whose business and family flourished during the period when Chinese Canadians faced discrimination and restrictions.
• Lee Quo-wei - was a prominent Hong Kong businessman who served as the director of Hang Seng Bank and Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was awarded a Grand Bauhinia Medal in 1997.

Athletes

• Norman Kwong - Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta & professional football player, president & manager of the Calgary Stampeders. He was one of very few of his contemporaries to be voted one of the Canadian Football League's Top 50 players of the sport's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
• Wan Chi-keung was a known as "Asia's top striker". Wan was a key player for the Hong Kong national football team in the 1970s and 1980s. Played for South China and Japan club seiko. After retired, he became an actor.
• Yi Jianlian is a 7 ft tall Chinese basketball player; he played for NBA, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards.
• Tam Kong-pak- who represented the Republic of China national team during the 1936 summer olympics.
• He Jianbin His mother Guohua Ying was backstroke national record holder, also represent China in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. He is a Chinese swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he finished 21st overall
• Yu Zhuocheng Yu won a silver medal in the 3 metre springboard diving at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
• Guan Weizhen She is the only woman to have won three consecutive women's doubles titles at the BWF World Championships. She also won a silver medal in 1996 olympics Barcelona. She's also part of the team that won Uber Cup (women's international) teams that won world championships at this biennial event.
• Rong Zhi Xing was Nicknamed: "Asian Pele","New Chinese Football King".
• Chen Xiaomin Chinese retired weightlifter, in 2000 Sydney Olympics on the women's 63 kg weightlifting gold medal, also a world and Asian champion
• Kim Ng executive in Major League Baseball. She is currently the Senior Vice-President for Baseball Operations with Major League Baseball.
• Tan Sixin She is a gymnastic youth champion, east Asian champion and national champion. She was also a bronze medal world champion

Education

• Wu Lien-teh - First Han Chinese and Malaysian Chinese to be nominated for a Nobel prize in physiology or Medicine
• Chu Ching-wu - Selected as the Best Researcher in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 1990.
• Li Enliang - Chinese civil engineer and educator.
• Chin Siu Dek- (aka Jimmy H. Woo) - martial artist of Sanba and a Grandmaster of Kung Fu San Soo.
• William Poy Lee - San Francisco author who wrote The Eighth Promise. book won the 2007 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award for outstanding and original contribution to multicultural literature.
• Ken Hom - Chinese American chef, author and British television-show presenter. In 2009 he was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II with an honorary OBE for ‘services to culinary arts’.
• Betty Kwan Chinn- won the 2008 Minerva Award.U.S. President Barack Obama awarded her and 12 others the Presidential Citizens Medal on August 4, 2010 at the White House[2]
• Wing-tsit Chan - was one of the world's leading scholars of Chinese philosophy and religion, active in the United States. Chan was the author of A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, one of the most influential sources in the field of Asian studies, and of hundreds of books and articles in both English and Chinese on Chinese philosophy and religion. He was a leading translator of Chinese philosophical texts into English in the 20th century

Historical figures

• Liang Qichao - scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist and was called Mind of Modern China
• Kang Youwei - prominent politician and Leader Gongche Shangshu movement who influenced Guangxu Emperor and Chinese politicians
• Loke Yew the richest man of Malaysia in his time and made significant impact in the growth of Kuala Lumpur, and was one of founder fathers of Victoria institution.
• Evan Low - the youngest Asian American mayor in the United States.
• Anna May Wong - the first Asian and Chinese American to become international movie star.
• Chen Yunchang - a very famous Shanghainese actress. She starred some popular movies including Mulan Joins the Army. She is the 3rd "Chinese Film Queen"; while the 1st is Hu Die who is also of Sze Yap origin.
• Gary Locke - the first known person of Chinese American/Asian descent to become a governor within the continental United States. He was also the first known person of Chinese heritage to served as the Commerce Secretary of the US.
• James Wong Howe - master cinematographer of Hollywood.
• Arthur Chin – America's first ace in World War II.
• Raymond Kwok Chow (a.k.a. Shrimp Boy) -- San Francisco Chinatown mobster, Dragon Head of the San Francisco Chapter Chinese Freemasons
• Judy Chu She is the first Chinese American woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress. Chu was reelected in the 2010 United States midterm elections, defeating Republican challenger Edward "Ed" Schmerling.
• Michael Woo He served as the first Asian American on the Los Angeles City Council from 1985 to 1993. Woo chaired the Citywide Planning commission, until 1993 when he became the first Asian American to run for the mayor of a major city.
• Szeto Wah- He is the first Chinese and first person from Asia to have received an Homo Homini Award. He is regarded be one of the most influential Hong Kong politician of pan-democracy movement and is respected by many pro-democracy citizens from China and Hong Kong.
• Alexander Yee - calculated World Record digits of Pi.
• Louie Yim-qun - During the Sino-Japanese war, Louie ended the war with 3 biplane victories. After the Japanese surrender, he went to Japan as a member of China’s Military Commission in Japan. In the 50’s and 60’s, General Louie served as Chief Liaison Officer to the U.S. Garrison Command in Taiwan, He came an instructor pilot for British India and also was the CEO of China Beijing Airline
• Chan Siu-bak He was one of the Four Bandits, together with Sun Yat-sen, Yau Lit and Yeung Hok-ling. president of the Hong Kong Chinese Revolutionary Alliance.
• Hazel Ying Lee Chinese American pilot who flew for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II
• Chen Baisha- One of China most famous Confucian scholars, poets, and calligraphers, during the Ming Dynasty
• Chan Heung- Is one of the martial legend of China and founder of the Choy Li Fut that became one of China's most popular fighting system.
• Jeong Yim- He is Chan Heung best student, and is recognized as an important contributor to the expansion of Choy Li Fut. His life is filled with heroism, myths, stories, and legends, and was an significant influential character in the novels of anti-Qing organizations.
• Kwan Tak-hing - Is In total he made over 130 films. No-one else in cinema history has portrayed the same person as many times he did.
• Jian Youwen - was a Chinese historian, public official, known in particular for his writings on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He taught at Yenching University, the University of Hong Kong, and Yale University.
• Chin Siu Dek (Jimmy H. Woo) - the man responsible for bringing Kung Fu San Soo
• Chan Kowk Wai He introduced traditional Shaolin Kung Fu to Brazil through the China-Brazil Kung Fu Academy.[1] His disciples have spread as far as the USA, Canada, Spain, Argentina and the Czech Republic. In September, 2004, Chan was awarded the 10th degree of the World Organization of Wu Shu & Kung Fu Masters from Vancouver, BC, Canada,[2] in five styles: Northern Shaolin, Yang Taiji, Bagua, Xingyi and Hungsing Choileifat.

Politicians

• Fernando Chui The Chief executive of Macau
• Tang Shaoyi - first prime minister of Republic of China
• Fernando Cheung - a HK politician the vice-chairman of the Labour Party, was also a physician and head of an Asian rights organization in San Francisco.
• Wu Tingfang - was a Chinese diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Wu Chaoshu - became Foreign Affairs Minister and served as Minister to the United States from 1928 to 1931,
• Wen Tsung-yao - Deputy president of Tibet, and a Politician and diplomat of Qing.
• Mei Quong Tart - A prominent businessman, activist and philanthropist who had a significant impact against anti-Chinese sentiment in Australia
• John Tsang - Financial Secretary of Hong Kong.
• Leland Yee - California State Senator. In 2004 Yee became the first Asian American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore.
• Margaret Chin - New York City-based American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the New York City Council (First elected to this position) on November 3, 2009, to represent District 1 in Lower Manhattan.
• Bill Lann Lee - United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Clinton Administration.
• Chaovarat Chanweerakul - Acting prime minister of Thailand
• Julius Chan - former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea of An Nan Jiang Chao village in Doushan.
• Hiram Fong (a.k.a. Hiram Kwong) (1906–2004) - former US Senator from Hawaii.
• Matt Fong (a.k.a. Matt Kwong) (1953–2011) - former Treasurer of the State of California.
• Wong Kim Ark - defendant in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898).
• Fernando Cheung a HK politician the vice-chairman of the Labour Party, was also a physician and head of an Asian rights organization in San Francisco.
• Patrick Yu - Hong Kong lawyer and Crown Counsel, and founder of its first law school.
• Inky Mark - is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Canadian House of Commons and is also a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.
• Yu Hung-Chun - Political figure who served as premier of the Republic of China on Taiwan between 1954 and 1958.
• Wu Shih-wen - was the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China in 2000-2002.
• Art Lee - Lee was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada to represent the electoral district of Vancouver East. From 1984 to 1987, he served as the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party.
• Liang Xiang - first governor of Hainan and a representative in the fifth, sixth, and seventh National People's Congresses.
• Delbert E. Wong - was the first Chinese American judge in the continental United States.
• Adrienne Clarkson - Born to a Taishanese father and Hakka mother, she is the Honourable as a former Governor General of Canada,