Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the ability to harness the power of the spirit world) for advice before making any life-
changing decisions.
The Malay surname is the child's father's first name. This is why Malaysians will use your given name
after the Mr or Ms; to use your surname would be to address your father.
The Chinese
Religious customs govern much of the Chinese community's home life, from the moment
of birth, which is carefully recorded for astrological consultations later in life, to funerals
which also have many rites and rituals. It is common to see Malaysian Chinese wafting
sticks of incense outside their homes and businesses. There's also a strong attachment to
the original area of China from where a family originated, seen in the attachment of famil-
ies to specific temples or clanhouses
(kongsi)
.
The Chinese, who started arriving in the region in early 15th century, came mostly from
the southern Chinese province of Fujian and eventually formed one-half of the group
known as Peranakans. They developed their own distinct hybrid culture, whereas later set-
tlers, from Guangdong and Hainan provinces, stuck more closely to the culture of their
homelands, including keeping their dialects.
If there's one cultural aspect that all Malaysian Chinese agree on it's the importance of
education. It has been a very sensitive subject among the Malaysian Chinese community
since the attempt in the 1960s to phase out secondary schools where Chinese was the me-
dium of teaching, and the introduction of government policies that favour Malays in the
early 1970s. The constraining of educational opportunities within Malaysia for the ethnic
Chinese has resulted in many families working doubly hard to afford the tuition fees
needed to send their offspring to private schools within the country and to overseas insti-
tutions.
