Malaysian Chinese

Ethnic Chinese of Malaysia
马来西亚华人

File:Famous Malaysian Chinese.jpg Alex Yoong • Nicholas Teo • Michelle Yeoh
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia
Languages
Malaysian Mandarin, Chinese languages, Malaysian Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkiens, Teochew, Malaysian English and Malay
Religion
Predominantly Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Confucianism, and Taoism; significant minorities profess Christianity and Yi Guan Dao; relatively small numbers of Muslims
Related ethnic groups
Southern Chinese, Chinese Singaporean, Peranakan, Chindian

Malaysian Chinese
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	馬來西亞華人
Simplified Chinese	马来西亚华人
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǎláixīyà Huárén Yue: Cantonese Jyutping maa5 loi4 sai1 aa3 tong4 yan4 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Má-lâi-se-a-tn̂g-lâng
Malay name
Malay	Orang Cina Malaysia

Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to this community.

History

See also: Chinese emigration

First Wave

Main article: Peranakan

The first wave of Chinese settlers came during the Malacca Empire in the early 15th century when Princess Hang Li Po married overseas to the Sultan of Malacca, bringing along her huge retinue of nobles, companions and servants from China. These people came mostly from Fujian Province.

These early Chinese brought over brides from China or married locally available Malay women. Their original tombs can be found in Bukit Cina, Malacca today.

Their descendants are called baba (for men) and nyonya (for women), and they still retain their Chinese surnames up to present day.

Second Wave

The second wave of Chinese immigrants came during the 19th century and early 20th century. Most Chinese immigrants to Malaya came from southern China, particularly the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan.

They first settled in the Straits Settlements as traders. They were subsequently encouraged by the British to work in the tin mines of Perak and Selangor (which at the time included Kuala Lumpur). Thus, the Chinese were mainly concentrated on the west coast of Peninsular Malaya.

Min Chinese

The Min Chinese form the largest Chinese group and came from Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan province.

Chinese settlers from the southern parts of Fujian constitute the largest group, and generally identified as Hokkien. The bulk of Chinese settlers in Malaya before the 18th century came from Amoy and Zhangzhou and settled primarily in Penang and Malacca, where they formed the bulk of the local Chinese populace. More Hokkiens settled in Malaya from the 19th century onwards, and dominated the rubber plantation and financial sectors of the Malayan economy. The bulk of Hokkien-speaking Chinese settled in the Malay Peninsula and formed the largest dialect group in many states, specifically in Penang, Malacca, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis. In North Borneo, the Hokkiens make up a sizeable proportion within the Chinese community, and are primarily found in larger towns, notably Kuching and Sibu.

Settlers from Fuzhou (also known as Hokchew or Foochow among the Hokkiens and Cantonese respectively) also came in sizeable numbers during the 19th centuries and dominated the corporate industry in the 20th century. They speak a distinct dialect and are classified separately from the Hokkiens and a large number are Christians. The Foochow formed the largest dialect group in Sarawak–specifically in areas around the Rajang River, namely in the towns of Sibu, Sarikei and Bintangor. The Foochow also settled in large numbers in a few towns in Peninsular Malaya, notably Sitiawan in Perak and Yong Peng in Johor.

Immigrants from the Chaoshan region began to settle in Malaya in large numbers from the 18th century onwards, mainly in Province Wellesley and Kedah (mainly around Kuala Muda). These immigrants established were chiefly responsible for setting up gambier and pepper plantation industries in Malaya. More Teochews immigrated to Johor at the encouragement of Temenggong Ibrahim in the 19th century, and many new towns were established and populated by plantation workers from the Chaoshan region. The Teochews constitute a substantial percentage within the Chinese communities in Johor Bahru and principal towns along the coasts of Western Johor (notably Pontian, Muar and to a smaller extent, Batu Pahat) as well as selected hinterland towns in the central regions of the state. Many rural communes in Sarawak and Sabah were also populated by the Teochews, many of them being descendants of plantation workers which came to set up gambier and pepper plantations, following the administrative pattern of their countrymen in Johor. Smaller communities of Teochews can also be found in other states, notably in Sabak Bernam in Selangor, where many Teochews settled down as rice agriculturalists, as well as in the hinterlands of Malacca.

Chinese immigrants from Hainan began to migrate to Malaya and North Borneo from the 19th century onwards, albeit in much smaller numbers than the aforementioned speech groups. The Hainanese were employed as cooks by wealthy Straits Chinese families, while others were engaged in food catering business or the fishery business and formed the largest dialect group in Kemaman district of Terengganu and Pulau Ketam (Selangor) as well as sizeable communities in Penang and Johor Bahru. Smaller communities of Hainanese are also found in Sarawak and Sabah, where they work as coffee shop owners and are mainly found in large towns and cities.

The Hing Hua came from Putian. Their numbers were much smaller than the other Min Chinese from Fujian and they were mostly involved in the bicycle, motorcycle and automobile spare parts industry.

Hakka Chinese

The Hakkas came from both Guangdong and Fujian provinces. They form the second largest group of people after the Hokkiens. Large numbers of Hakka settled in the western parts of Malaya and North Borneo and worked as miners in the 19th century as valuable metals such as gold and tin were discovered. Descendants of these miners formed the largest community among the Chinese in Selangor and very large communities in Perak (specifically Taiping and Ipoh), Sarawak , Sabah and Negeri Sembilan. As the gold and tin mining industries declined in economic importance in the 20th century, many turned to the rubber industry, and large numbers of Hakka settled in Kedah and Johor (principally in Kulai and Kluang). In Sabah, many Hakkas were involved in agriculture. They cut down the forests to make way for tobacco, rubber and coconut plantations. In time, the Hakka community also dominated the state's industry and economy. However, even today, many Sabahan Hakkas are still involved in agriculture, especially those living in rural towns such as Tenom and Kudat where they are often the backbone of the local industry.

Cantonese Chinese

The Cantonese mostly came from Guangdong province and a minority from Guangxi province. They form the third largest group of people after the Hakkas. The Cantonese were engaged in the gold and metal mining trade with the Hakkas, and frequently engaged in civil wars over mining rights. From the late 19th century onwards, many Cantonese shifted their focus to developing banks in Malaya as the metal mining industry declined in economic importance. The Cantonese settled down in towns, and formed the largest community within the Chinese populace in Kuala Lumpur, the Kinta Valley in Perak, Pahang as well as very large communities in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and principal towns in Sabah, notably Sandakan.

Demographics

An early census of ethnic groups in the British Malay states, conducted by the British in 1835, showed that ethnic Chinese constituted 8 percent of the population and were mainly found in the Straits Settlements, while the Malays and Indians made up 88 percent and 4 percent of the population respectively. Malaya's population quickly increased during the 19th and 20th centuries, although the majority of Chinese immigrants were males rather than females. By 1921, Malaya's population had swelled to nearly three million, and the Chinese constituted 30 percent of Malaya's population while the Malays constituted 54.7% of Malaya's population, whose growth was fueled by immigrants from neighboring Indonesia (the Indians made up most of the remainder). While the Chinese population was largely transient, and many coolies returned to China on a frequent basis, 29 percent of the Chinese population were local born, most of whom were the offspring of first-generation Chinese immigrants. The British government began to impose restrictions on migration during the 1930s, but the difference between the number of Chinese and Malays continued to close up even after World War II. The 1947 census indicated that the Malays constituted 49.5% of the population, compared to the Chinese at 38.4%, out of a total population of 4.9 million.

The number of Chinese has increased from 2,667,452 in 1957 to 5,365,846 in year 2000, comprising 26% of total population in Malaysia.

States with large Chinese population

As of 2008, the majority of Chinese people are mainly concentrated in the west coast states of west Malaysia with significant percentage of Chinese (30% and above) such as Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor.

Areas with significant Chinese populations(40% and above) for each state are:

Kuala Lumpur
Kepong, Cheras, Bukit Bintang, Old Klang Road, Sri Petaling, Pudu, Segambut.

Selangor
Subang Jaya/USJ, Puchong, SS2, Petaling Jaya, Damansara Jaya/Utama, Bandar Utama, Serdang, Port Klang.

Year	Total population	Malay	Percentage	Chinese	Percentage
1891	81,592	23,750		50,844

Penang
Penang island, Bukit Mertajam

Year	Total population	Malay	Percentage	Chinese	Percentage
1812	26,107	9,854	37.7%	7,558	28.9%
1820	35,035	14,080	40.2%	8,595	24.5%
1860	124,772	71,723	57.4%	36,222	29.0%
1891	232,003	92,681	39.9%	86.988	37.5%
1970	775,000	247,000	30.6%	436,000	56.3%
1990	1,150,000	399,200	34.5%	607,400	52.9%
2005	1,511,000	624,000	41.3%	650,000	43%

Perak
Ipoh, Taiping, Batu Gajah, Sitiawan

Year	Total population	Malay	Percentage	Chinese	Percentage
1891				94,345	44.0%
1901	329,665			150,239	45.6%

Johor
Johor Bahru, Kluang, Batu Pahat, Muar, Segamat

States with medium Chinese population

These are states where the Chinese are a significant minority (10% - 29.9%) such as Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Sarawak and Sabah.

The major Chinese population areas (40% and above) for each state are

Malacca
Malacca City

Negeri Sembilan
Seremban, Rasah

Pahang
Bentong, Raub, Mentakab, Kuantan

Sarawak
Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Sarikei, Sri Aman, Marudi, Lawas, Mukah, Limbang, Kapit, Serian, Bau

Sabah
Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. Tawau, Kudat and scattered regions in the south (most notably Beaufort and Keningau) also have small but significant Chinese communities

Languages

A governmental statistic in 2000 classifies the dialect affiliation of the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia:

Dialect	Population
Hokkien (Minnan)	1,848,211
Hakka	1,679,027
Cantonese	1,355,541
Teochew	974,573
Mandarin	958,467
Hainanese	380,781
Min Bei	373,337
Foochow	249,413

Although their ancestral origin are different but due to intermarriages between the different linguistic groups and also due to regional influences, different regions are formed each with its own defacto lingua franca to facilitate communication between the different chinese dialects in the same region.

Furthermore, the younger generations have generally lost command of their own dialect (eg. Hainanese) and prefer to speak the lingua franca in each region.

Hokkien

Northern Peninsular Malaysia Penang, Kedah, Perlis, East Coast, Taiping are predominantly Penang Hokkien speaking.

Klang and Malacca groups are also predominantly Hokkien speaking but the variant spoken is different from Penang Hokkien.

In Sibu and Sitiawan, Fuzhou is widely spoken but it is not a lingua franca.

Hakka

Hakka, specifically the Huiyang (惠陽, Hakka: Fui Yong) variant, is the main Chinese dialect in the East Malaysian state of Sabah. According to a census in 1991, 113000 Sabahans identified themselves as being of Hakka descent. This is a clear majority over the Cantonese, of whom there were 28000, making them a distant second. This makes Sabah the only state in Malaysia where Hakka is clearly the predominant dialect among the local Chinese.

In other regions of Malaysia, there are significant numbers of Hakka people, for example in the town of Miri in Sarawak and in major cities in Peninsular Malaysia. However, many do not speak Hakka due to the stronger influence of Hokkien and Cantonese in Peninsular Malaysia. The variants of Hakka most widely spoken in Malaysian states other than Sabah are the Ho Poh and Moiyan (Meixian) variants, which are very seldom spoken in Sabah itself.

Cantonese

Central Peninsular Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Seremban, Ipoh & Kuantan are predominantly Cantonese speaking.

Cantonese is also the main dialect in Sandakan. The only district dominated by Cantonese dialect in Johor is Mersing.

Many Chinese of other dialect subgroups are able to understand and/or speak Cantonese at various levels due to the influence of movies and television programs from Hong Kong, which are aired on the TVB channel through the Astro pay television service. The Hakkas, especially, are able to pick up Cantonese with ease due to the similarities between the Hakka and Cantonese dialects.

Mandarin

Southern Peninsular Malaysia especially Johor are predominantly Mandarin speaking.

This is a result of influence from the Mandarin dominant media from Singapore and proximity of Johor to Singapore. Johor and parts of Malacca are able to receive Singapore's free-to-air TV.

Many Malaysian Chinese families have taken to speaking Mandarin with their children due to the notion that other Chinese dialects are growing increasingly redundant in an era where Mandarin is increasingly in importance. This has led to the emergence of a community of young Chinese who are fluent in Mandarin but unable to speak their native Chinese dialect, understand but do not speak it, or prefer not to speak it in public. This phenomenon has attracted some concern from certain parties who feel that the emphasis on Mandarin is eroding Malaysian Chinese culture, but so far this idea has not picked up speed.

Education

Main article: Education in Malaysia

While public education remains free and accessible to all citizens of Malaysia, there are several types of schools available for Malaysians to choose from to be educated from primary levels up to tertiary levels. There are known to be three types of schools with their language of instructions where education is delivered: Malay, Mandarin (Chinese), and Tamil. Each of these medium of instructions signifies the three major races that exists in Malaysia and peculiar to the Western Malaysian communities. It is common for a Malaysian Chinese to be either Chinese, English or Malay educated.

The Malaysian Chinese communities, therefore, usually have a choice to send their children to either Chinese schools or national schools. Whichever schools they went to, the Bahasa Malaysia must be taught as a compulsory subject, if the language of instruction is not already in Bahasa Malaysia.

Chinese educated

The first Chinese school in Malaya was established in Malacca in 1815.

The early use of the unofficial term "Chinese educated" referred to Chinese who attended such Chinese schools before the 1960s (see Razak Report). Since then, the term has gained sizable recognition, particularly among the Chinese community in Malaysia.

See also: Early Malay nationalism § Towards independence

Today most schools in Malaysia are national-type schools fully or partially funded by the government, however during early 1960s roughly 60 Chinese schools rejected the Razak Report, they continue and insist on the use of Mandarin Chinese as teaching medium, these type of schools were to be later known as Chinese independent high school. The students of Chinese independent high school studies numerous ancient Chinese literature, Chinese calligraphy, the teaching of Confucius, Four Books and Five Classics, etc., and they also study Bahasa Malaysia and English. Students of these type of schools are Chinese educated.

Malaysia is the only country outside mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau to have a complete Chinese-medium education system. The secondary Chinese-medium school in Malaysia is not funded by the government of Malaysia, existing in the form of privately owned Chinese independent high schools (Chinese: 独立中学). However they represent only 5% of all Malaysia Chinese schools.

There are roughly 1,300 national-type Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (SRK, National Primary School) (Chinese) primary schools in Malaysia that are all partially government funded, where the wages of teachers are paid by the government while the up-keeping of school buildings is funded by local communities in forms of donations. The Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK, National Secondary School) (Chinese) national-type high school received less than 3% of total funding for all primary schools, while Bahasa Malaysia is the language of instruction in SMK (Chinese) national-type high school for all subjects except in Chinese language classes and English language classes.

During the 1960s, most of the Chinese secondary schools had received government funding and had been converted into national-type high schools (SMK - Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan), known as "National-type Secondary Schools (Chinese)" to date to indicate their previous statuses as Chinese schools. Today, only 60 Chinese independent high schools that are supported financially by the public remain throughout the country, where Mandarin is the main language of instruction in all subjects, except Bahasa Malaysia and English classes, but some schools use either Malay or English in selected subjects (see Chinese independent high school#History).

Educationist Goh Kean Seng pointed out that while about 90% of Chinese children in Malaysia enroll into Mandarin-medium primary schools, which are run by the Malaysian government, less than 5% go on to Mandarin-medium secondary schools (such as Chinese independent high schools) which are privately-run and fee-paying. 90% of parents preferably send their children to government secondary schools, where education is free but resulted in many dropouts as students are unable to cope with the difference in the medium of instruction. Goh claimed that the situation is worsened by the switch from Mandarin to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction when the pupils go on to secondary school.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) also pointed out an estimated 25% of Chinese students dropout before reaching the age of 18; the annual dropout rate is estimated to be over 100,000 and worsening. Certain dropouts become apprentices in workshops, picking up skills like plumbing or motor-repair. Others eager to make a quick buck find themselves involved in illicit trades, such as peddling pirated DVDs or collecting debts for loan sharks.

English educated

During the British colonial days and up to the 1970s, National schools used English as the medium of instruction and most subjects were taught in English. From 1980 onwards, there exist alternative English medium schools in Malaysia that provide an education based on a British or US-based curriculum but these cater mostly for expatriate children. However, as from 2002 and until 2010, the Malaysian government has reintroduced English as the language of instruction for Science and Mathematics in national schools and universities.

A sizeable group of Malaysian Chinese speak English as a first language. They speak English at home, and make it a point to immerse and educate their children in the English language. Like their counterparts in Singapore, they are known as the "English-educated" although the term is something of an anachronism. Most of these "English-educated" Chinese, especially Peranakans, are unable to read and write in Chinese.

While proper English is generally spoken and understood among Malaysian Chinese, a common form used is a patois called Manglish (Malaysian English). See British and Malaysian English differences.

There is also a significant group of Malaysian Chinese living in the town of Johor Bahru who attends school in Singapore.

Malay educated

Another group has emerged since the government decided to teach all subjects (except for English language) in the Malay language from the 1970s onwards. Most Chinese who attended national schools during this period are neither well versed in the Chinese language nor the English language. There was a temporary switch back to the English medium of instruction from 2002 until 2010. However, the government will be reverting back to the Malay medium of instruction from 2011 onwards.

Name Format

Main article: Chinese_name

Chinese

Non Mandarin

Before Mandarin gained popularity among Malaysian Chinese in the late 20th century, Malaysian Chinese romanised their names according to the pronunciation of their Chinese names in their respective original dialect. E.g:

Male: Yap Ah Loy 葉亞來 (Hakka)

Mandarin

The younger generations tend to retain the original dialect for the surname while using Mandarin pronunciation and romanisation for the given name. E.g.:

Male: Chan Yung Choong 陈永聪 (Surname: Cantonese, Given name: Mandarin)

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for given names to be romanised according to the Pinyin system. E.g.:

Female: Wee Xiao Wen 黄小雯 (Surname: Hokkien/Hokchiu, Given name: Mandarin, according to Pinyin romanisation)

Non Chinese

English
Some Chinese will adopt an English nickname for the convenience of Westerners eg.

Yeoh Choo Kheng 楊紫瓊, Michelle commonly written as Michelle Yeoh

Arabic
Those converted into muslim will usually have an arabic name in front eg.

Tan Yew Leong, Abdullah commonly written as Abdullah Tan

Religion

Main article: Malaysian Chinese religion

Religions of Chinese Malaysians
Religion			Percent
Buddhism			75.9%
Taoism			10.6%
Christianity			9.6%
Islam			1.0%
Hinduism			0.3%
Other religions			0.2%
Folk religions			0.1%
No religion			2.3%

A majority of the Chinese in Malaysia claim to be Buddhist or Taoist, though the lines between them are often blurred and, typically, a syncretic Chinese religion incorporating elements of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and traditional ancestor-worship is practised, with the fact that each individual follows it in varying degrees. About 9.6% are Christian (Mainstream Protestants, Catholics and other denominations including a fast-growing number of Evangelicals and Charismatics) and a small number (0.7%) profess Islam as their faith.

Intermarriage

The Chinese in Malaysia maintain a distinct communal identity and rarely intermarry with native Muslim Malays for religious and cultural reasons. According to Muslim Laws, the Chinese partner would be required by law to renounce their religion and adopt the Muslim religion. Most Malaysian Chinese consider their being "Chinese" at once an ethnic, cultural and political identity.

However, there are many who have intermarried with Malaysian Indians, who are predominantly Hindu. The children of such marriages are known as Chindians. Chindians tend to speak English as their mother tongue.

In the Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysians of mixed Chinese-Native parentage ('native' referring to the indigenous tribes in those states, e.g. Iban and Melanau in Sarawak as well as Kadazan and Murut in Sabah) are referred to as "'Sino'" (e.g. Sino-Iban, Sino-Kadazan). Depending entirely on their upbringing, they are either brought up to follow native customs or Chinese traditions. A small minority forgo both native and Chinese traditions, instead opting for a sort of cultural anonymity by speaking only English and/or Malay and not practicing both Chinese and tribal customs.

Food

Main article: Cuisine of Malaysia

Malaysian Chinese eat all types of food which includes Chinese, Indian, Malay and Western cuisines. Malaysian Chinese food contains similarities and differences with the Chinese food in China.

China

The cuisine of Malaysian Chinese food are similar to the food in China as they are primarily from the Fujian cuisine and Cantonese cuisine.

Local

However, there are local inventions such as 滷麵, thick noodle in clear gravy found only in Klang Valley. The influence from the Peranakan cuisine can be found in dishes such as Assam Laksa.

Cultural differences

China

There exist some degrees of differences in the Malaysian Chinese culture compared to that of China. Some traditional festivals celebrated by the Chinese community in Malaysia are no longer celebrated in China after the Chinese Cultural Revolution. This is especially true of regional rites and rituals that are still celebrated by the Malaysian descendants of the peasant migrants from China. Some have attributed the traditional practices of Malaysian Chinese to "a little backwater of Chinese culture as it was in China 80 years ago".

Further information: Festivals of Malaysia

There are also significant differences in the way the Chinese language is spoken among the Chinese community in Malaysia. All the various dialects spoken are influenced by Malay and English vocabulary.

Singapore

See also: Chinese Singaporean

The Malaysian Chinese community was intricately linked to the Chinese Singaporean community because of a shared history and culture. Singapore was a part of the Federation of Malaysia before it became independent in 1965. Many Singaporean Chinese have relatives in Malaysia and vice-versa. There are also a significant number of Malaysian Chinese residing and working in Singapore. Some families in nearby Johor send their children (around 5,000 of them) to school in Singapore, commuting back and forth between the two countries every day.

Manglish is very similar to Singlish (Singaporean English). Manglish speakers typically understand 80-90% of Singlish and vice versa. Unless specifically Manglish or Singlish terms are used in a conversation, it can be difficult even for native speakers to differentiate the two as the accent and most terms (especially the infamous lah) are common.

Other Nanyang

On that same note, the Malaysian Chinese are culturally much more distant from the Indonesian Chinese, Filipino Chinese and Thai Chinese. This is attributable to the fact that these countries did not have a shared history with Malaysia like Singapore did.

Albeit, some of Chinese communities in these countries does shared a common culture in some extend, such as the Medan Chinese who shared a common language with the Penangite Chinese, the Chinese from Malaysian southern states (Johor, Negeri Sembilan) shared culture together with Singapore and parts of Riau Islands. While the Southern Thai Chinese are close to the Kedahan and Kelantanse Malaysian Chinese, and the Bruneian Chinese who are closely related to the northern Sarawakian and southwestern Sabah Chinese.

The entire Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora is characterized by their considerable economic fortunes and their susceptibility to discrimination or political exploitation by politicians. This diaspora is commonly referred to as the Nanyang Chinese, 'Nanyang' (南洋) being the Mandarin term for Southeast Asia.

Economy

The Malaysian Chinese have traditionally dominated the Malaysian economy, but with the implementation of affirmative action policies by the Malaysian government to protect the rights of ethnic Malays, their share has somewhat eroded.

Profession

The Malaysian Chinese have traditionally dominated the Malaysian economy with more than 90% of the commercial shops in urban areas being owned by the Chinese. The Chinese prefer to work as their own bosses rather than work as employees. The Chinese are involved in all types of businesses in the private sector.

Only a very few minority work as government servants in the public sector. Those Chinese who do work in the government sector are usually politicians. The Chinese who do work as employees in the private sector are most active in the Computer, Sales and Housing industries.

Economic status

Due to the highly active participation of Malaysian Chinese in the economy, they make up the majority of the middle- and upper-income classes.

The Chinese household income is the highest among the 3 ethnic groups. According to Sulaiman Mahbob, as of December 2007, the monthly average household income was at 4,437 ringgit As a result, they are also the largest income tax and various government tax contributor to the coffers of the government.

The Chinese also have the highest savings rate in the country having been brought up with traditional values of savings for a rainy day and good work ethics.

New Economic Policy

Ye Lin-Sheng, the author of The Chinese Dilemma, said that the winners from former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad's New Economic Policy benefits Malays, who receive preferential treatment in education and business, while leaving the Chinese with the feeling that they have been victimised by the policy.

Prominent Malaysian Chinese

Further information: List of Malaysian Chinese

See also

• Chinese Singaporean
• Peranakan
• Overseas Chinese
• Malaysian Chinese religion
• Demographics of Malaysia
• Islam in China
• May 13 Incident
• Zheng He#In Malacca
• New Village
• Konrad Ng, Ph.D., husband of President Barrack Obama's maternal half-sister — Maya Soetoro-Ng, (newspaper clipping with photo)

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Backman, Michael; Butler, Charlotte, Big in Asia: 25 strategies for Business Success, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003, ISBN 0333985117
• Ball, James Dyer, Things Chinese: Or Notes Connected With China, 4th edn., Hong Kong
• Butcher, John G., The Closing of the Frontier: A History of the Marine Fisheries of Southeast Asia, c. 1850-2000, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2004, ISBN 9812302239
• Constable, Nicole, Chinese Politics in Malaysia: A History of the Malaysian Chinese Association, Oxford University Press, 1988, ISBN 0195888812
• Constable, Nicole, Guest People: Hakka Identity in China and Abroad, University of Washington Press, 2005, ISBN 0295984872
• Goh, Beng-Lan, Modern Dreams: An Inquiry into Power, Cultural Production, and the Cityscape in Contemporary Urban Penang, Malaysia, 2002, Cornell Univ Southeast Asia, ISBN 0877277303 (0-87727-730-3)
• Hara, Fujio, Malayan Chinese and China: Conversion in Identity Consciousness, 1945-1957, NUS Press, 2003, ISBN 9971692651
• In-Won Hwang, Personalized politics: The Malaysian state Under Mahathir, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2003, ISBN 9812301852
• International Conference of South-East Asian Historians, Papers on Malayan History, Journal of South-east Asian History., 1962
• Megarry, Jacqueline, World Yearbook of Education: Education of Minorities, Taylor & Francis, 2006, ISBN 0415392977
• Ooi, Jin-Bee, Land, People, and Economy in Malaya, Longmans, 1963
• Owen, Norman G.; Chandler, David, The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia: A New History, University of Hawaii Press, 2005, ISBN 0824828410
• Pan, Lynn, The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas, Harvard University Press, 1999, ISBN 0674252101
• Tan, Chee Beng, Chinese Minority in a Malay State: The Case of Terengganu in Malaysia, Eastern Universities Press, 2002, ISBN 9812101888
• Tan, Chee Beng; Kam, Hing Lee, The Chinese in Malaysia, Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 9835600562
• Tan, Sooi Beng, Ko-tai, A New Form of Chinese Urban Street Theatre in Malaysia, Southeast Asian Studies, 1984
• Toong, Siong Shih, The Foochows of Sitiawan: A Historical Perspective, Persatuan Kutien Daerah Manjung, ISBN 9834182406
• Yamashita, Shinji; Eades, Jeremy Seymour, Globalization in Southeast Asia: Local, National and Transnational Perspectives, Berghahn Books, 2003, ISBN 1571812563
• Yan, Qinghuang, The Chinese in Southeast Asia and Beyond: Socioeconomic and Political Dimensions, World Scientific, 2008, ISBN 9812790470

External links

• The Malaysian Chinese experience