The
Chinese - (78% of Singaporeans)
The Chinese had known about
Southeast Asia for several centuries, however, the Chinese
immigrants began to pour into Singapore during the period of
19th and 20th century in order to escape the turmoil and poverty
in China. Most of them came as laborers.
There are several ethnic
subgroups which can be mainly classified as:-
1. Hokkiens from the southern
Fujian Province of China - constitute about 42% of the Chinese
in Singapore and are the most successful ethnic group
economically
2. Teochew from Shantou in Eastern Guangdong Province - 23%
3. Cantonese from central Guangdong Provice - 17%.
4. Hakkas from central China. - 7%
5. Hainanese from the island of Hainan in the Southern part of
China - 6%
6. Others - 5%
Different subgroups of the
Chinese have their own dialects which are mostly uncommon to one
another. In an attempt to unify all the Chinese people in
Singapore, the authority decided to designate
"Mandarin" as the official language in addition to
English, Malay and Tamil (Indian). The government also
encourages all the Chinese ethnic subgroups to use only "Mandarin", which later becomes quite successful after decades of
persuasion.
Ultimately, the Chinese
community becomes the most predominant group in Singapore. In
conclusion, Singapore's society is but an 'ethnic melting pot'
society, having Chinese as the largest community, followed by
the Malays, Indians, and colored by other races which possess
only a few percent. The blend of many diversified cultures,
beliefs, life styles, and the people makes this small island -
Singapore an attractive and outstanding destination. It is worth
to visit once in a lifetime.
The Articles about
Singaporean People & Population:
This article is authored and
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Royal Exclusive Travel
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