Ethnic Chinese in Brunei

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Ethnic Chinese in Brunei
Orang Cina di Brunei/اورڠ چينا د بروني
汶萊華人
Chinese women and children in Brunei.JPG
Chinese women and children in Kuala Belait, 1945.
Total population
47,200
10.3% of the Bruneian population (2019) [1]
Languages
English and Malay as medium of communication in schools and government • Mandarin (lingua franca) • Chinese varieties such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka
Religion
Buddhism • Christianity[2] • Taoism • Islam[3] • Chinese folk religion
Related ethnic groups
Singaporean Chinese · Malaysian Chinese · Overseas Chinese
Teng Yun Temple in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Ethnic Chinese in Brunei are people of full or partial Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – ancestry who are citizens or residents in Brunei. As of 2015, they constitute 10.1% of the country's population, making them the second largest ethnic group in Brunei. Brunei is home to one of the smaller communities of overseas Chinese.

Ethnic Chinese in Brunei were encouraged to settle because of their commercial and business acumen. The biggest Chinese group is the Hokkien; many originated from Kinmen and Xiamen in China. The Hakka and Cantonese represent a minority of the Chinese population. Despite their small numbers, the Hokkien have a considerable presence in Brunei's private and business sector, providing commercial and entrepreneurial expertise and often operating joint business ventures with Malaysian Chinese enterprises.[4]

History[]

During the Song Dynasty (960 AD to 1296 AD) trade was active between Poni (Brunei) and China. By the 17th century, Brunei had a Chinese community. However, trade declined in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was not until Brunei became a British protectorate that immigration increased again. Most of the immigrants arrived from Sarawak, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1904, there were about 500 ethnic Chinese in Brunei, most of them British subjects. The discovery of oil in 1929 increased the population further. The Chinese population increased significantly during 1931–1947 when it quadrupled. In 1960, Ethnic Chinese made up slightly more than a quarter of the Bruneian population at 26%. The Chinese population of Brunei has declined significantly since then as they are only 10.3% of the population now. [5]

Statelessness[]

As of 1986, it was estimated that over 90% were unable to obtain Bruneian citizenship despite generations of residence in the country.[6] In the recent years, Chinese in Brunei are allowed to obtain Brunei Citizenship[7] although more serious reforms are blocked by the Home Ministry.[8][better source needed]

Religion[]

Around 65% of the Chinese population in Brunei practices Buddhism and Taoism. An additional 20% practices Christianity. There are smaller numbers of Muslims and other religions among the Chinese community in Brunei numbering a combined 25%. [5]

Religion Bruneian Chinese
Religion Percent
Buddhism & Taoism
 
 65%
Other religions (Islam, etc.)
 
 25%
Christianity
 
 20%

Notable people[]

  • Ong Sum Ping married Princess Ratna Dewi, the daughter of Sultan Muhammad Shah of Brunei. He was conferred the nobility title of Pengiran Maharaja Lela and elected Chief of Kinabatangan in the 14th Century.
  • Goh Kiat Chun (Wu Chun), actor and singer.
  • Roderick Yong Yin Fatt, former Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.[9]
  • Lim Jock Seng, former Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  • Goh King Chin, former member of the Legislative Council of Brunei.
  • Jaspar Yu Woon Chai, badminton player, Bruneian representative at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
  • Lim Jock Hoi, current and 14th Secretary General of ASEAN.[10]
  • Lau Ah Kok, owner of Hua Ho.
  • Mohammad Amin Liew, current Brunei's Second Minister of Finance and Minister in Prime Minister Office.
  • Cornelius Sim, first Apostolic Vicar of Brunei and first Cardinal of Brunei and Borneo.
  • Steven Chong Wan Oon, current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei.
  • Ong Tiong Oh, member of the Legislative Council of Brunei and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Chung Hwa Middle School.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Population by Religion, Sex and Census Year".
  2. ^ "Brunei". state.gov. 14 September 2007.
  3. ^ Islamic banking in Southeast Asia, By Mohamed Ariff, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, pg. 24
  4. ^ Richter, Frank-Jürgen, ed. (1999). "Overseas Chinese and Overseas Indian Business Networks". Business Networks in Asia: Promises, Doubts, and Perspectives. Greenwood. ISBN 9781567203028. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  5. ^ a b Minority, Rights (May 2020). "Brunei Darussalam Chinese". .{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Limlingan, Victor Simpao (1986). The Overseas Chinese in ASEAN: Business Strategies and Management Practices. pp. 240–241.
  7. ^ Hays, Jeffrey. "MINORITIES IN BRUNEI - Facts and Details". factsanddetails.com.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-09-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2015-06-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Dato Lim Jock Hoi assumes office as new Secretary-General of ASEAN - ASEAN - ONE VISION ONE IDENTITY ONE COMMUNITY". 5 January 2018.
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