Are the Peranakans a part of Singapore’s past or a heritage shaping my life choices?

Growing up Singaporean, I thought my ‘Peranakan heritage’, a group to which my maternal side of the family traces their lineage, only went as far as a steaming bowl of laksa (rice noodles served in a curry sauce or hot soup), enjoying the sight of vibrantly-coloured shophouses, or owning pair of kasut maniks (as Peranakan beaded slippers are called).

As I deepened my research into Peranakans, I began to realise that my ancestors far exceed their reputation as creators of imaginative cuisine and eclectic architecture. In fact, the culture not only shapes the Singapore we see today but has largely influenced the choices I have made in life.

The term ‘Peranakan’, a conjugated word adopted from the Malay language, means ‘locally born’. Tracing their origins back to the Malaysian city of Malacca in the 15th century, the intermarriage between Southern Chinese traders and Malay women contributed to the gradual emergence of a distinct hybrid culture.

Those who would eventually become Peranakans were relatively isolated in their connections with mainland China, largely due to the difficulties in transportation and so not desiring to return to China, these settlers had to adapt. However, largely due to their economic status, the Peranakans were fortunate enough to be able to maintain a sense of personal and historical identity and did not dissolve into the Malay society. Instead, a new culture was born.

In the journal article, Review: Java’s Chinese Minority: Continuity and Change, American anthropologist G. William Skinner (1925-2008) wrote about the Peranakans, describing them as a theoretically improbable if not impossible ‘creation through fusion of a new socio-cultural system that achieved autonomy and stability despite continued contact with both parent societies’.

The notion ‘Peranakan’ mostly refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay or Indonesian heritage, although historical sources also mention Dutch, Arab, and Indian Peranakan identities. The Peranakan Chinese, however, are the largest and most prominent sub-group to the extent that the term ‘Peranakan’ is commonly used to refer specifically to the Chinese sub-group₁.

Discovering the multicultural nature of my ancestors and their strong connection with British culture made me aware of how I had a lot more in common with Peranakan culture than I had initially expected.

For someone born and raised in Singapore, living in a cultural melting pot is not a foreign concept. Growing up on the island nation, I distinctly remember spending my primary school days playing capteh₂ with friends, watching the lion dances during the Chinese New Year, or henna decorating during Deepavali celebrations.

These values can be seen particularly within the Peranakans that have pioneered the development of Singapore. Among some of the most prominent figures includes Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015), Singapore’s inaugural Prime Minister.₃

Through his personal ingenuity and diplomatic skills, Lee was a strong example of what it means to be Peranakan – he is recognised as the country’s founding father who led the decades-long transformation of Singapore from a British colonial backwater into an economic powerhouse.

I am walking up Emerald Hill, surrounded by narrow shophouses. The smell of incense permeates the air, tourists crowd the sidewalks and the sound of music can be heard from one of the houses. The flurry of chaos is the distinguishing soundtrack of my home city.

Through the shutters of a cerulean blue home, I imagine a young woman who lived here a century ago. She wore a tea-green kebaya3 embroidered with hibiscus flowers, with a salmon-pink hair clip adorning her smooth black locks. She is a true embodiment of Peranakan culture. Were she able to see me, a teenager in a t-shirt and shorts with dishevelled hair, claiming to be Peranakan, she would have probably shaken her head in disapproval. You are nowhere close to being a Peranakan.

Yet, I would have strongly disagreed. Yes, I may not appear anywhere close to being Peranakan on the exterior: I rarely eat our food, I do not wear our clothes, and I don’t follow any traditions.

But the Peranakan culture is so much more than that. When you go beneath the surface, you find a heritage entrenched in values which I continue to follow to this day. Whether it may be ambition or exploration, these principles not only form the backbone of the Singapore we see today but the opportunities I have been lucky enough to experience.