April 13, 2023

Speaking at a recent talk co-organised by Yale-NUS College and the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Professor Wang Gungwu (NUS History) gave a lecture titled “What Does it Mean to be Ethnically Chinese in Singapore?”. In attempting to answer this question, Professor Wang explores the historical context of Singapore’s relationship with China, the significance of the Chinese in Singapore’s self-definition, and the evolution of the concept of Chineseness and how it takes shape among ethnically Chinese Singaporeans.

Prof Wang firstly contextualises the presence of Chinese in Singapore by examining the historical connection between Singapore and China. He emphasises the importance of trade routes in establishing Singapore as a crucial node for the Chinese, with the Portuguese, Dutch, and British playing key roles in facilitating this process. The natural migration of private traders to Singapore then helped to establish the roots of the Singaporean Chinese population.

He notes that the Chinese have played a crucial role in the nation-building and identity formation of Singapore, with the position of the Chinese being of special relevance to the country’s survival and development. In particular, he highlights that in comprising a population where ethnic Chinese are the majority, Singapore is placed in a particularly interesting position in the region, being a nation made up almost entirely of migrants. Prof Wang also brings up the inextricable ties between the history and significance of the Chinese in Singapore and the nation-building and identity formation of the Chinese in mainland China. Political developments in mainland China have had significant implications for the formation of Chinese identity and consciousness among the Chinese in Singapore.

Moving forward, Prof Wang also considers the implication that the world order has on Singapore, and how we operate within this international world order in our relationship with China and Chineseness. He places importance on understanding how increasingly hostile international politics can have implications on how Singapore relates to and with China.

Ultimately, however, Prof Wang notes the complexity of the titular question. Given that there are many distinct, co-existing definitions of being Chinese, to fully understand what it means to be ethnically Chinese in Singapore would entail accounting for the multitude of these perspectives and identifications.

Read the full transcript of Prof Wang’s lecture here: https://www.thinkchina.sg/wang-gungwu-what-does-it-mean-be-ethnically-chinese-singapore