Chronological History of the Hokkiens in Penang

When we talk of Penang Hokkien, we're not talking of a taugeh with shallow roots. Penang Hokkien is like a 350-year-old tree and we are its fruits. Let us be the fruits that appreciate the tree that nourishes us.

Let me take you on a journey going backwards in time.

2013: The Chinese people of Penang slowly regains an appreciation of the Hokkien language that is uniquely their own.

2008: George Town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, based on its multicultural tangible and intangible heritage.

1970s: Nationalization of English schools went into full swing. Chinese parents in Penang began sending their children to Chinese schools. An increase in the use of Mandarin at the expense of English and Hokkien.

1912: The Republic of China was established, and members of the National Language Commission settled upon the Beijing dialect as the standard national pronunciation, due to its prestigious status. Chinese schools in Penang began to switch from mother tongue to Mandarin.

1880s: Huge influx of Sinkhehs into Penang, fueled by the tin mines and instability in southern China, overwhelming the small local Chinese population. The Cantonese and Hokkiens created their respective enclaves within George Town. Cantonese became the second most spoken language in George Town, but Hokkien is firmly established as the lingua franca of the Chinese in Penang.

1850s-1870s: The Hokkiens of Penang experienced unprecedented wealth in George Town, due largely to discovery of rich tin deposits in Larut. There was a flourishing of Nyonya culture. They invested in tin mines and became filthy rich. It was the best of times and the worst of times. There were frequent clan warfare spilling into street fights. There were penniless people on the streets and the fabulously wealthy were building the grandest bungalows.

1800s: The Hokkiens were a small but growing community in George Town. Their settlement was along present-day China Street. The town had a large Indian population that was to dwindle as the Chinese population increase.

1786: Francis Light established the British port of George Town, and the first batch of Chinese settlers received permission to settle. Inofficially, there were already pockets of settlements such as those at Tanjong Tokong. The Hokkiens who came were already speaking the creaolised Hokkien that would later become known as "Penang Hokkien" - to them, it has always been "Hokkien" all along.

1700s: Early Hokkien settlers were living in isolation, cut off from their China homeland. The Manchus have established the Qing Dynasty. There was no way to go home. The Hokkien settlers began borrowing loanwords from the Malays.

1660s: Fujian Province fell to the Manchus. To prevent rebellions, the Manchu ordered the mass relocation of coastal villagers. Hokkien forefathers fled Fujian Province, maybe due to Zhangzhou massacre, maybe because they were Ming loyalists. In any case, they fled in great numbers, hurriedly, secretly, and as far away from the Manchus as they could go. We do not know their names, we do not know how many boats carried them. They probably traveled in the dead of night, they probably prayed to Mah Chor Poh for deliverance against tempests. We do not know where along the coast they settled - perhaps Kuala Muda, perhaps Prai. But what we do know is that they came, they brought their language with them, they were in such a large numbers that they could continue using their language without being absorbed into the native population. And in this land far, far away, their language survives to this day.

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