Chinese Clans And Dialect Associations Of The Past And Present Day Singapore

Chinese clan or dialect associations in past and present day Singapore

1. Introduction

Ever since the immigration of the Chinese into Southeast Asia in the nineteenth century, they had started grouping themselves into different types of traditional organizations. In even a small country like Singapore, a respectable number of organizations were set up. There were clans, dialect associations, hui kuans, guilds, bangs and secret societies. These traditional organizations served a variety of functions and often overlapped one another in their roles. There are several reasons pertaining to their setup namely which were for self help, protection, leadership, identity and also continuation of their culture and tradition. This list is not exclusive and the interesting point is that not all the organizations that were formed perpetuate till today and if they do, their roles have changed over time. Throughout the history of Singapore, some were disbanded, some forgotten1, but there are some that merged to form bigger ones. One would ask, when were the more crucial times in history that when these organizations were affected to change? It is difficult to just isolate clans and associations for studies because all the other organizations are interlinked and intertwined by the social network, guanxi. Each rise and fall of the various traditional organizations would directly or indirectly affect one another. One would also have to look at the brief history of the Chinese society in Singapore and the subsequent events that unfold. Hence, the first part of the essay will briefly look into the types of organizations in past Singapore and what they have evolved into since then. The second part of the essay will examine some of the important periods in history that help paved the way for clans or associations to what they are today. The significant time frames are 1) Influx of the types of Chinese into Singapore during the British Colonization period 2) Support for China and anti- Japanese activities during World War 3) Post war rebuilding of Singapore. The last part of the essay will look into how the roles of these organizations have changed.

1.1. Types Of Traditional Chinese Organizations

In Singapore, many traditional organisations were established with overlapping roles but each one had their own identity and function. One might hold several memberships because the Chinese shared a common social network through guanxi. The following are the various types of organisations that were formed.

Clans are voluntary organizations set up based on kinship and blood ties. The members involved are usually of the same surname and shared the same ancestor. However in Singapore context, common surnames could allow the Chinese to be granted affiliation even if they were not biologically related. This is because the immigrants did not come to Singapore with their whole clans or villages from China. The local Chinese population was very diverse and it would make more sense for the locals to relate to one another by common surnames.

Dialect Association as its name implied, were formed more on the basis of people speaking the same dialects. Surnames and the origins of their hometown were not the basis of memberships. The more prominent dialects2 group since the 19th century were the Hokkiens, Teochews, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakkas eventually brought the rise of their own dialect organizations. Hui- Kuans is another broad term given to associations. In China they were formed by people of the same village or province. Locally, they were believed to be the subsequent form of secret societies or KongSi, after the British banned secret societies. However not all Hui- Kuans were of the similar origins. Some are reputable associations like the Hokkien and Teochew hui-kuans.

Guilds memberships are based on same occupations and trade. These organizations are usually formed by people of same dialect groups. This is because each dialect group tend to specialise in different trade. Thus the employers were inclined to employ people of same dialect. It was only in the late 20th century when cross dialects guilds3 were seen.

Secret Societies/ KongSi are organisations based on the ideology of brotherhood. It had its origins from Ð''Society of Heaven and Earth' (Tian Di Hui), a secret political organization in China to overthrow the Qing dynasty. The revolutionaries had flee overseas due to their activities but upon reaching Singapore, establishment of societies by them played a different role. These societies were usually involved in the criminal aspects of society such as gambling, prostitution, opium smoking and coolie trade. Memberships were not voluntary as violence was often used for recruitment4. Though they were dis-banned towards the late 19th century, several continued to operate underground.

Bangs are "Chinese politico- socio- economic grouping based principally on a dialect"5. These organisations were the bigger groups or clusters of clans and associations. They consisted of clans, associations, schools, hospitals, clubs, temples, cemeteries, and pugilistic or recreational associations. The five main bangs were formed from the foundations of clans and dialect associations, the Hokkiens, Teochews, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakkas. A example of its strength was in 1969, the Teochew had fifty associations in its bang6.

In summary, when the early Chinese first formed clans, dialect associations, guilds with the prevalence of secret societies. As mentioned, a Chinese could hold multiple memberships. Though leaders of clans and dialect organization generally avoided getting involved in secret societies, it was still difficult to distinguish between them7. This is because both provided welfare and wealthy influencial businessmen were members too. In the late 19th century, the secret societies created more unrest than contributions to society. Eventually secret societies were banned which allowed the clans and associations and evenutually bangs to play a more dominant role8 in Singapore society. Bangs being much bigger than normal clans or associations permitted the cross- regional networking, greater resources to cater to the members and deal with external agencies. However, there were problems such as inter and intra Bang rivalries. In 1906, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) was formed to govern the main bangs.

1.2. Period Of Time That Affect Development Of Chinese Traditional

After looking at of the general development of the Chinese traditional organizations, one can now examine the significant periods that influence their developments. The important