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Same culture, different politics

Wang Gungwu will discuss the experience of overseas Chinese people tomorrow at Zhongshan Hall. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE LUNG YING-TAI CULTURAL FOUNDATION

Chinese people living in countries throughout Southeast Asia share the same cultural identity, but that doesn't necessarily translate into political identification with China.

Wang Gungwu (王賡武), chairman of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a respected Sinologist, is one of the foremost experts on Chinese migration and what it means to be huaqiao (華橋), or overseas Chinese.

The former director of Singapore's East Asian Institute will present some of his ideas, which he developed over a 40-year career as a researcher, in a lecture hosted by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation (龍應台文化基金會).

"The confusion for some is that in Asia the concept of a political identity and a cultural identity has to be understood as being two different things and they are not exclusive," Wang said recently in an interview published in the academic journal Asian Affairs. "Most [overseas Chinese] … identify themselves with the country where they live. A Chinese in Thailand is first of all a Thai."

TAIPEI SALON NOTES What: Taipei Salon: What kind of Chinese? Southeast variations Where: Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號) When: Tomorrow from 2pm to 5pm Admission: Free, but those attending must register in advance by calling (02) 3322-4907, or logging on to www.civictaipei.org Details: Lectures are conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Chinese

Wang's lecture will focus on the different attitudes huaqiao living in Malaysia and Singapore hold toward Chinese tradition. He will use his experience to examine the situation in Taiwan and predict what the future may hold.

Wang has written extensively on Chinese identity in overseas communities. His recently published Divided China: Preparing for Reunification, 883-947 is an examination of the 53-year period separating the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Sung Dynasty. Earlier works dealing with China and Chinese migration include China and Southeast Asia: Myths, Threats and Culture, The Chinese Overseas: From Earthbound China to the Quest for Autonomy and Joining the Modern World: Inside and Outside China.
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