Where are the Teochews?

[Lim Eng Di]

I'm doing a feature on where Teochiu people have settled. It will be a feature on my Teochiu-themed website (see travel section):

http://teochiu.tripod.com

If anyone is familiar with a city/town/state in any country that has a significant population of teochiu people (outside of Chaoshan), please tell me. Some examples are: Pontianak, Indonesia; Philadelphia, US; Paris, France. Information/Photos would be appreciated.

Gamsia!
Ty Lim

[PC]

Other than Ciao Zhou, Guang Dong (Teochiu, Gendang), significant population of Teochiu people is located in SE Asian countries such as Thailand Malaysia, and Vietnam. Thailand, especially, has a significant number of Teochiu people. There are also Teochiu people in Hong Kong and Taiwan due to the Chinese Civil War. In the U.S., I believe there are some Teochiu communities in California and New York. (Note: the information provided are based on my own observations, may be inaccurate.)

[Na Ren]

South East Asia, excluding Viet Nam (mainly Cantonese), Malaysia (with many Cantonese and Hokkien) and Indonesia, the majority Chinese population is Teochew, although in most places there has been a lot of assimilation and intermarriage. Thailand's Yawalaj district, the gold shop area of Bangkok, is an almost exclusively Teochew area. Laos has few Chinese, but most are Teochew. Cambodia has a few Teochew in the cities, but the mixed Cambodian-Teochew people still follow some Chinese practices lost in Thailand's halfbreed populations.

[Ken]

Hi Na Ren,

Is it true that the majority of the Chinese popualtion in Indonesia are Teochews? I have some reservations abt that. I think the Hokkiens are just as numerous if not more than the Teochews.

[Ong]

Hi Na Ren,

According to reliable sources, Hokkiens constitute the largest Chinese community in South-east Asia, being most numerous in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei and even Indonesia. Please check your facts.

[Ken]

Hi Ong,

You are absolutely right. A good reference to the distribution of Chinese dialect groups around the world is the 'Encyclopedia of Chinese Overseas' published in Singapore.

[Lim Eng Di]

Does anyone who in which particular cities there are large concentrations of Teochiu. For Example: Riau in Indonesia, Kuching (Sarwak) Malaysia, etc. I'm wondering in which cities in particular. Also, not necessarily in SEAsia.

Thanks

[Na Ren]

Sorry about that confusion. I was referring to mainland Southeast Asia minus Viet Nam, Malaysia, and the island groups. Does any one know the status of Myanmar's (Burma's) Chinese population? Which dialect they belong to?

[Kobo-Daishi]

Dear all,

This passage comes from "Chinese" by Professor Jerry Norman published by the Cambridge University Press:

"In Southeast Asia, dialects of the Xiamen type (so-called "Hokkien" dialects) predominate, except in Thailand, where Chaozhou-speakers form the majority. Smaller communities of Fuzhou, Putian and Hainan dialect speakers are also to be found, especially in Malaysia."

"Chaozhou" is the Mandarin pronunciation for "Teochew".

Kobo-Daishi, PLLA.

P. S. In my Taishanese dialect we would pronounce it Chiao jiu.

[Kobo-Daishi]

Dear all,

I find that a lot of the ethnic Chinese from Vietnam living here in the United States are actually Chaozhou people but they speak Cantonese so people assume they are Cantonese.

I asked a woman and she said that Chinese schools in Vietnam offered either Cantonese or Mandarin so that is why.

Kobo-Daishi, PLLA.

P. S. Quite a few of the Chinese from Vietnam that I have met speak a dialect from Hainan Island.

P. P. S. In my last post I wrote the Taishanese pronunciation for Chaozhou. The ch- initial is pronounced like the ch- initial in pinyin Mandarin romanisation not Wade-Giles Mandarin romanisation.