Chinese people are scattered all over the globe and it is interesting to note that all of us like the saying that we are the descendants of the dragon. Another interesting saying is that the dragon’s descendants can be found wherever you can see the sky.

Although all of us hold on proudly to the fact that we are Chinese, I for one, was very surprised on my visit to Beijing’s Forbidden City when I was not allowed to walk in by the main doors which the Emperor used but had to use a side door formerly assigned to concubines and eunuchs. Only Chinese citizens were allowed to use the main doors. Chinese citizens refer to us as overseas Chinese and though we are well tolerated, we are just not the same stock.

Most of the migrants to South East Asia were from the South and we had maintained our difference in speech dialects whereas Chinese in Beijing spoke only Mandarin, the book language otherwise known as Putong Hwa. While the migrants strove to maintain their memory of home in strange lands, the Chinese people were losing their individuality in Communism. Thus it was very surprising to me when I was told by my friends from China that I was actually more Chinese than they were when it came to adhering to believes, superstitions and practices.

So let me tell you what being Chinese means to many of us in Malaysia. One of the first things that mark a Malaysian Chinese is that he / she is guilty of one of these vices; philandering, gambling, smoking and drinking. Gambling is one of the most favored past time of the Chinese. Children learn that as soon as they are able to count. At least one type of gambling will be found at weddings, wakes and any kind of social gathering.

Another thing that Malaysian Chinese are known for is their diligence in doing business. Even here in Canada, it has been noted that the corner store owned by the Asians is always open. Malaysians of other races have noted this and some have even started sending their children to Chinese schools in the hope that some of that will rub off. Chinese school students are pushed to achieve, they attend school six days a week instead of the regulatory five.

Malaysian Chinese still adhere to the lunar calendar for the many religious and cultural celebrations of the year. Other than the main ones like Chinese New Year, we also observe many others like Cheng Beng’ (April 5), Dumpling Festival’ (5th day of the 5th month of lunar calendar), Hungry Ghosts Festival (7th month of the lunar calendar), Mid Autumn Festival or more popularly known as the Lantern Festival (15th day of the 8th month of lunar calendar) and Winter Solstice (December 22). Although these are of Chinese origin, I have found that most of them are now more typically Malaysian than Chinese as my friends from China don’t have a clue as to what I try to explain to them. Even the ones that they know of are just another day on the calendar for them and not one that is actually celebrated in style.

Chinese are strong and they adapt easily to their environment while stubbornly holding on to their old beliefs. Children growing up here in Canada are still being put into Chinese schools but since their parents were from communist China where culture had been distilled off, they are more Canadian than Chinese. Luckily for us Malaysians, we have still managed to maintain what being Chinese is all about.