** Malaysian ethnicity Chinese









Malaysian Ethnicity--Chinese


Figure 1.-- Here we see two Chinese children in Kuala Lumpur They are engaged in selling. The Chinese dominated the commercial sector of the British Malay colony and were mostly found in urban areas. This snapshot is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1930s. The Chinese are still important in the commercial sector, but some what less so today as a result of Singapore's independence and a substantial affirmative action program favoring the Bumaputran majority.

The Chinese are the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia. The Chinese began emigrating before the British colonial era. They are not Bamiputras even though many Chinese families have lived in what is now Malaysia longer than many Malays. From the beginning, the Chinese were commonly involved in commerce and today play a major role in the Malaysian economy, both trade and business. Chinese who immigrated during the 19th centurty British colonian period came as laborers, much as they came to California. Many worked in tin mining and railway construction. Subsequent generations often moved into commerce. The Chinese are mostly Taoist or in some instances Christian. While the Chinese commonly remained separate from the Malays, the first Chinese to settle in what is now Malysia were more prone to intermarry with the Malays. This was especilly the case around Malacca. A new culture with mixed Malay-Chinese elements emerged. They became known as the babas (male) and nyonyas (female). The separation of Singapore substantially reduced the Chinese population in Malaysia. The ethnic Chinese (mostly Christian or Taoist) come from many different areas of China. They constitute about 25 percent of the population. The population has declined in recent years because of the higher Malay birth rate. The Chinese are primarily an urban population. Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur are Chinese-majority cities. Penang is the only Chinese-majority state. Many Chinese boys wear short pants for casual, though never for formal, wear. Likewise for school uniforms, a few Chinese Malaysian secondary boys wear uniform shorts.









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Created: 2:46 AM 6/22/2018
Last updated: 2:46 AM 6/22/2018