The greatest Chinese city outside China, and who actually built it
In 1819 a free port opened at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and began pulling the whole dialect spectrum of Fujian and Guangdong into one harbour. By 1947 the colony counted 730,133 Chinese among 940,824 people, 77.6% of the island. Between 1819…
The Liao (廖) Surname: From a Xia-Dynasty State to the Wuyi Diaspora
A Name from Before Writing
The Liao (廖, Liào) surname is one of the few Chinese surnames whose story begins before writing. It traces itself to Shu'an (叔安, Shū'ān), lord of the ancient state of Liu (飂, Liù) in the Xia dynasty, a…
In the spring of 1885, a Hakka woman of the Yuan clan (源, Yuán Shì) stood at the edge of Xiaoxiang Village (霄村) and watched her eldest son walk toward the Xijiang River (西). He was sixteen. He carried a cloth bundle containing three changes of clothing, a small pouch of ground tea leaves (擂,…
The Wuyi region—comprising Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping, Heshan, and Enping counties in Guangdong—is renowned for its distinctive culture shaped by centuries of migration and ethnic integration. Situated at the junction between the Pearl River Delta and the rugged hills of western Guangdong, Wuyi’s unique identity is a product of diverse ethnicities and historical narratives merging into…
Imagine stepping into an ancestral hall (宗祠, zōngcí)—its wooden beams creak under the weight of centuries, yet every inch tells a story. The air carries the faint scent of incense, and on the walls hang scrolls detailing names, dates, and achievements—a living record of your family’s journey through time. For overseas Chinese communities, Chinese genealogy…
LISTEN TO THE ARTICLE ON THE GO - PRESS PLAY NOW “Did you know Jamaica is home to one of the Caribbean’s oldest Chinese communities?” Picture the scent of jerk chicken mingling with the aroma of soy sauce, or the sound of reggae beats blending with the notes of a traditional Chinese guzheng. This vibrant…