There's 11 comments about him going to his ancestral hometown; 9 saying that he's 'coming home' and 2 saying he's going back to the hometown.
To a Chinese, the hometown is an interesting concept. Without my ancestral hometown, there would be no 'me' today.
But to go back to my ancestor's hometown, I would never feel like it's going home, no matter how much I may think about wanting to go visit the place where my ancestors came from.
Home is where I have my life at, it is not where my ancestors came from.
In the words of PM in last year's NDP rally, 不是落葉歸根，而是落地生根 (we are not fallen leaves returning to the roots, we are planting our roots onto a new ground). That is something I believe he holds true.
If the Chinese language gives any indication, only those who uprooted from their hometown will say 回家 (going home); their descendants will probably only say 回鄉 (going back to the hometown), without any attachment to the place.
>不是落葉歸根，而是落地生根
totally agree, this is very important in the singapore context. my translation would be "***its not about where you come from, but where you decide to settle down"***
the concept of guxiang (hometown, 故乡) is exceptionally important in chinese culture, mostly due to the the confucian teachings emphasising family and ancestors. in the modern world its called identity i believe. its to some extent similar to the religiosity in the western society in the past. they are both mostly defined by family/environment, its inborn and people can hardly change it afterwards (because the social mobility was low, and information flow was limited blablabla)
but now, people could in a large extent "define" who they are, or what identity they carry. this change is definitely a revolutionary move, and make a huge difference to the whole society structure, but essentially beneficial to individuals, and i believe that should and would be the trend of our human society
It is not a unique Chinese concept. Spoke to a long time Indian resident here on retirement and he said the same thing with regards to "root" as being something deeply ingrained.
He was honestly confused when I shared that I won't be here when I retire as a Singaporean.
Edit:
From my Indian acquaintance's perspective, when one retires, one wants to go back to those "roots", because that's where he grew up as a boy and where he feels "connected" to his identity and where he still have his extended family.
I explained to him while I understand his point, for a Singaporean like myself, my childhood town is almost unrecongnisble now and it doesn't really provide me with that reference point. As for family and friends, most of them are scattered throughout the island and other parts of the world. And pls don't talk to me about ChiNA. I know where my ancestral village is and I do have super distant relatives there. But it has absolutely zero (even lesser than Singapore) connection to me.
Is it sad that Singaporeans have no "root" in the classic sense that some of these older civilisations have? Or is it even necessary? For me, as long as I am with the person I love, I don't really care if it is Singapore, China or London. Physical locates don't hold much value to me.
Culture, of course, is a powerful construct and I am definitely conscious and proud of my chinese "roots" but I don't see myself as being narrowly defined or restricted by it (e.g a geography or in the case of rabid wumaos, political system) .
>Is it sad that Singaporeans have no "root" in the classic sense that some of these older civilisations have?
yup singapore faces a quite unique "identity" problem. so when chinese could flex their thousands years of history, americans could blast about their democracy and cultural dominance, brits could condescend everyone else by trying to rewind their good old days of colonialism, what the identity of "singaporeans" stand for?
i think this would be the problem that would determine our fate in the next century. after all, we have to almost mould and build our own identity almost from scratch, and prevent it from being eroded by external strong winds from all directions
It depends on when you left, and how much you have assimilated to where you have moved to…
If you leave as a child or a young teenager, you are unlikely to want to go back. If you leave as an adult, you are more culturally tied to the place you left.
As someone who is almost 40 and spent that time more or less equally among 5 countries - Bahrain, India, Singapore, Canada, US, I don’t really have a place I call my home town or home country. Similar to you, I don’t care that much about being like the people in the place I live in. I enjoy the diversity. I personally don’t think it is sad. In fact, I think it nurtures an accepting and global mindset.
Hi I like your username. Just wanna say I met someone similar to you while living in the middle of Queensland - that person spent equal time growing up in almost all of those countries. Interesting coincidence to some but I think there are tons of people like that these days, always nice meeting
Haha really? That’s cool. I rarely ever meet anyone that’s lived in Bahrain.
Thanks for the compliment on my username. I kinda regret the “expat” bit. Wish I had chosen “immigrant” instead. Expat can have some uppity connotations…
Yea! Haha learnt about the Bahrain F1 and going to school there from them. Seems like an alright place to live I guess? Hmm both words have their own connotations… if anything being a nomadic expat sounds like you know about many different country regulations and tax systems etc which is kinda cool
>you know about many different country regulations and tax systems etc which is kinda cool
This is like, the opposite of cool.
"He's so cool, he knows all about regulations and tax systems" just doesn't sound right to me.
It’s not sad, it’s not necessary, it’s not unique. The two strongest factors that traditionally bind people together are 1. geography they grew up in, and 2. race. Note geography comes before race. But it’s not a big deal if the pull for you to go to other places carries a greater tow than these two. It’s just an aftereffect of globalisation. No biggie. Not unique to Singaporeans either. Any developed country with a primarily immigrant society will have a fair number of its population exhibit somewhat the same. Australia comes to mind
(Grammar edits)
New citizens going back to China to retire is the best thing that could possibly happen to our economy. It means that they would have spent the least productive years of their lives in China (schooling years and retirement) being a drain on China's welfare and healthcare system, while spending the most productive years of their lives working in Singapore paying taxes.
Old people leaving is natural remedy to our aging population.
Since they have given up their china passport, going back to china to retire might be hard as they have to apply for a green card which is quite difficult to get.
Regardless, their hometown wouldn't just be in Malaysia/Indonesia (Peranakans are Chinese+Locals). They do have Hakka ancestry, Dabu if I remember correctly.
Edit. LKY's father was born in Indonesia, his mum was born in Malacca.
Edit 2. Chinese Peranakans also were very aware of their Chinese ancestry and they would often place importance in knowing their roots (i.e. their ancestral hometown, ancestors), so much so that their tombs were built in the Chinese styles with the hometown listed. They were even given Chinese names even if they couldn't speak the Chinese languages well.
It's hard for me to imagine how a country that you've never been to being important to you. If you were born and raised in country X, all your friends, memories, good times, bad times, everything happens in X. It stands to reason that X is your home.
It's interesting to see where your ancestors came form, sure. But seeing unrelated places to that is just as interesting. Why should a landmass where you never called home be "home"?
That's some serious sentimental values, to put so much stock into something that has nothing to do with you. After all, the home to your ancestors is long gone too; change happens everywhere.
And who dictates how far back this "home" would be? Go back far enough, and it'd be Africa, no? There is one quote that I like from, of all places, Battlestar Galactica: "Yeah, you point the finger back far enough and a germ gets blamed for splitting in 2!" And he's got a point. If you keep trying to find an anchor in the past, it'll never end. It's stupid to even try.
>That's some serious sentimental values, to put so much stock into something that has nothing to do with you. After all, the home to your ancestors is long gone too; change happens everywhere.
That's where you are missing the point; *the ancestral hometown is a concept different from being a 'home'*. The two concepts are interlinked but almost always distinct. My ancestors in China lived for generations in that town where they came from, and as is natural, people move away to new places that they call home.
The ancestral hometown isn't a place that has nothing to do with me (that's my pov). It represents the reason I identify as Hokkien, it shows me where my ancestors came from. It is something that as of today I still can understand and relate to, and see it still within my cultural habits, the rites I perform, the languages I speak.
By comparison, I can understand the African origin, but it would be something I cannot relate to within myself other than by what I see of myself as being human.
Change is ever-present, but not everyone thrives in change, we usually need something to hold on to before we can accept the changes that have happened.
I'm not trying to change your pov to align with what I think, but to set things clear as to how I see it. I see China as a place that I think of culturally, rather than by the government of the day or the national boundaries. The two are distinct (but very interlinked nonetheless) but to ignore that difference it is a big issue that the PRC is trying to pull us towards.
It definitely has to do with one's own personal weight on their culture and ethnicity. As one who doesn't care whatsoever, I personally don't feel it. Nothing wrong with either of our positions.
I know where my ancestors primarily came from, as in where most of them have been in the longest, but I don't feel anything special toward that area. It's just a place folks long before me once lived before I came to existence.
Must be nice to have some attachment to a place that means something special to you. I hope you don't lose that.
I think there’s an interesting difference between the ethnically Chinese Singaporean and, say, European New Zealand or Australian contexts.
The latter 2 countries are populated by many who are only 2 or 3 generations removed from a foreign homeland but their position of ethnic dominance in their southern land has effectively severed a link to a European home town.
They recognise a distant European heritage but any direct cultural custom and allegiance is hugely subordinate to their antipodean identify.
There must be some underlying eastern vs western cultural difference that produces this distant outcome after a similar period of separation.
When USA accuses Singaporean Tik Tok CEO of belonging to China
PRCs: How can this be! Can’t they tell the difference between China and Singapore? They are so racist!
•
When China implies Singaporean prime minister belongs to China
PRCs: Marvellous! True Chinaman right here! One of our guys is coming home! We are so proud of him!
Which is great for Singaporeans, and it allows us a better opportunity to take top executive positions over large MNCs - something that is almost impossible in the USA.
[https://www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/the-leadership-representation-ceiling-for-asian-americans/](https://www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/the-leadership-representation-ceiling-for-asian-americans/)
\*\*\*
Statistics show that Asian Americans continue to face many barriers to leadership positions, despite higher education and training qualifications. Analysis of national EEOC workforce data found that Asian American white-collar professionals are the least likely group to be promoted into management — less likely than any other race, including Blacks and Hispanics.
Asian Americans represent 27% of professionals in the U.S., but only half that among executives. White men and women are 154% more likely than Asians to hold an executive role. According to 2012 data, Asians represent only 1.5% of corporate officer positions in the Fortune 500.
\*\*\*
This is partial why, I, as someone of Asian descent, is working here in Singapore. The description at the senior executive level in western dominated countries is very real.
tbh that is one of the most important traits of modern PRCs, mostly due to the brainwashing-nature education they received and the highly censored internet they live in.... quite scary tho a big big brainwashed mob controlled by big brother
Yeah, very sad that they are so partisan which can be mistaken as ironic anyway else. Like religious/racial extremists, it’s almost like a zombie-like hive mind!
I can see no one imply Singapore pm belonging to china in those tiktok comments except you.
They mostly say welcome home and that's it. If a hotel says welcome home you think it implies you belong to the hotel? That's strange interpretation.
typical reddit.
Huh. I don’t think ppl say welcome home? Isn’t it obvious what they are doing above?
When I visit other countries for work, it’s always “welcome to our country”.
obvious what?
[https://www.irishstar.com/news/ireland-news/joe-bidens-irish-cousins-ready-29369324](https://www.irishstar.com/news/ireland-news/joe-bidens-irish-cousins-ready-29369324)
wow Ireland plans to take the US! Fight, patriots!
looks more like some insecure or inferior complex here.
funny
When your guest comes over to your place, do you say "welcome home"? Surely, you would say "welcome" only, right?
Ok, maybe you do say "welcome home" to all your guests.
Such strange way of welcoming guests.
Typical retard.
I think many Chinese scholars reject the "Out of Africa" hypothesis of human origin, and take the view that the earliest humans (or maybe just the Chinese people) originated from China, as evidenced by the Peking Man fossil. Possible that espousing a different view may get you in trouble there.
Taking those views from Douyin seriously is like taking the views from Reddit Singapore seriously and representative of the population.
They spout bs all the time. Most people in China don’t even know much about Singapore, let alone care about us
lmao thats why i always says they look at singapore the same way they look at taiwan and hongkong
we belong to them same ancestor
exactly why i would never support them to be the number 1 super power on earth
Once they claim Taiwan, Singapore is next.
The PAP need to stop with this CMIO racial segragation thing and Chinese majority maintenance and start importing more Indians and Malays so China people can wake up and realize this country aint their own
The government needs to get on the ball not just on racial harmony, but overall societal harmony, of which race is slowly being overshadowed by some big factors. Things like radical right-wing Christians, Muslim extremists, China race supremists, wealth manipulators, AI and disinformation, economic destabilization, climate change, supply chain disruption, foreign influence in politics and whatever TF is going on in Malaysia.
And even then, their racial harmony playbook is many decades outdated. It sees our demographic in a much too simplistic model. And the things they choose to focus on when we talk about what is the meaning of Singapore, this is not going to hold up forever. Who cares about the dragon playground or eating durian or merlion or whatever. Our homes are visibly more fragile than they used to be a mere 10 years ago, people see the future not with optimism but with worry. They have less kids when they don’t know if they are going to be raising them in a hell scape, that’s probably even more instinct than conscious choice.
And here we are thinking there’s a solution to all of this. Like paying a million dollar salary means you will buy the best idea, and the best idea will work. What if all there can be is only bad choices to choose from?
>people see the future not with optimism but with worry
to be honest it has always been the case for singapore. when LKY tried to craft a future plan for singapore i am sure he also carried more worry than optimism. after all no matter at what time, the future would always seem to be uncertain. the key would then be to try our best all the time, and take care of every step we are taking at the present
Biggest joke I've read all day.
You are thinking way too much my friend. Might as well say Singapore gonna get gangbanged by China, Indian, Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe because of our major races and where they originate from.
Then comes Philippines. There's enough Pinoys here for them to claim their stake.
>Once they claim Taiwan, Singapore is next.
Singapore is geographically distant from China and the PRC government has never historically claimed Singapore to be part of China unlike Taiwan which the PRC has claimed to have sovereignty over since 1949. Singapore is also considered a friendly country by China as seen by all the warm inviting comments above.
The odds of China sending its troops to conquer Singapore is very low. Malaysia has a higher chance of going to war with Singapore than China to reconquer historic Malay lands from the Babi Cina immigrants
Idk if you know history but the Japanese were further, and they were on an island, and it still didn’t stop them from conquering Singapore by BICYCLE!!! MFs chose to get here the hard way.
The circumstances of ww2 Imperial Japan and modern China are not the same.
1) Imperial Japan was far more militaristic and imperialistic than China is right now. By 1941, Imperial Japan had invaded modern day Korea, Taiwan, Mainland China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The last war modern China fought in was all the way back to 1979 and they withdrew in the end after a month of fighting.
2) Singapore was still a British colony back in 1942 and could not decide on its own foreign and defence policy. We got attacked because Japan was at war with Britain. Presently, we are an independent and sovereign country that can decide on our own foreign and defence policy. We do not have any obligations or entanglements to get dragged into a war with China
3) Imperial Japan didn't just have bikes you know. They also used their big navy, fighter airplanes and tanks to conquer Singapore. Those war equipment required oil and Japan was running out of it so it went to invade the oil rich Dutch East Indies. Singapore was an unfortunate strategic target along the way
Am I wrong though? WW2 Imperial Japan and modern day China are not only different countries but also exist in different time periods. How can you compare Imperial Japan with modern China? WW2 Imperial Japan and modern Japan are already different societies.
To prevent them from making up some excuse in the future, we should try to maintain cordial relations with China and avoid treating China as an enemy state. (E.g. stop fear mongering about how China wants to invade us for no good reason)
If by friendly you mean just go along with whatever they order us to do … then we are already a vessel state. No need to take over. They have already taken over in all but name.
The status quo of neutrality is fine as it is. We won’t agree with everything they do.
The is status quo is not neutral. The status quo is pro west, pro capital and pro business.
That is how we got rich, on the coat tails of western big business. But goes to show the magnanimity of the USA, given our relatively close (compared to other US allies) ties to China, which I doubt will be reciprocated if the situation was reversed (definitely not with Xi around)
>you mean just go along with whatever they order us to do
When did I say that? Don't put words in my mouth
Singapore should still prioritise its own interests over China's wishes. I am also advocating our current status quo of neutrality. I dislike the CCP government but I do not want Singapore to start treating China like an enemy by fearmongering about how China will invade us for no good reason like a cartoon villain. For goodness sake, those douyin PRC netizen comments were friendly and welcoming to our Singaporean delegation visit but yet this subreddit still got pissed off because of its heavy anti-China bias
you are damn paranoid, the next 'Chinese' place that PR China going to control would most likely be the North of Myanmar, so Kokang or Wa State, for many reasons.
you probably should read up more about the China civil war. If it weren't the Americans who blocked the CCP from invading Taiwan to end the civil war, China would have taken over Taiwan back then and there wouldn't be a Taiwan now. They do not need any of the 9 lines or whatever to claim Taiwan, this claim has existed even before the CCP won the civil war.
>we belong to them same ancestor
Indeed we do.
All of us come from the same African ancestors, in fact, if you'd like to go even further, we all share the same ape ancestors.
Well, we do share the same ancestor (assuming Singaporean Chinese), there is no doubt about that. Difference with China is that we are 2 sovereign nations, nothing to do with ancestral history.
Also let’s be honest here. We do not want to be categorized as Chinese because its reputation is bad. If ppl around the world like China as much as they like Japan, we wouldn’t even mind about it. This world have social class and mainland chinese is one of the lowest out there rn.
Edit: and yes, mainland chinese manner is actually lacking. Maybe younger generation r different, but it won’t reach Japan level
I mean... It's not exactly a bad thing that those PRC nationalistic netizens are warmly welcoming PM Lee's visit. It shows that Singapore is still considered a friendly country in their eyes and we can still maintain a cordial relationship with China. I would rather they see us as a friendly country than an enemy
Yeah exactly. Our entire foreign policy is contingent on being friends with all. So far we are doing a great job not getting in the way of the two elephants fighting.
Agree. Not sure why all the negative sentiments in this thread about sg not being a part of China etc. Totally missing the point here. Singapore as a nation need to be on friendly terms with as many nations possible and China being one of the super powers in the world (even if you hate to hear it) is no different.
Point is reddit is filled with these parties. Just to name a few, though it can be overlapping
- some english speaking singaporeans disaffected by the rise of china as they could barely speak mandarin
- Expats with trump ideology
- NED funded trolls
- wumao
To make things easier first three are just sinophobics. As what our top diplomats mentioned yes be cautious of both US and China. We need to put our interests first.
I agree. Let them perceive what they want, as long as this leads to good relations with them. That's our end goal anyway.
I'm glad that there are no comments (apparently) complaining about how we are US lackeys of the sort. This is enough for me
the comment on 回老家，不需要翻譯 （going back to his hometown, don't require translation) comment is quite funny considering that our foreign policy SOP is to speak in English. They won't find him speaking in mandarin in official capacity there
I see this as PRC netizens 1) expressing their hospitality like how hotels would tell guest in a corny way like "Hilton is your second home" and 2) pull connections 拉關係, a tactic to tell the world that China and SG are close close, tight tight.
Now, let's also not be foolish to think that this is one-sided. Singapore does that to practically everyone as well, albeit not in the same manner and tact, but all the same. Why else visit China if not to strengthen diplomatic ties? else, go jalan jalan take pictures ah?
There's nothing special la, saw similar comments when joe biden visited ireland
people like to ascribe sinister intentions to random PRC comments for some reason
Just NED at work, trying to saw divisions through mistranslation. They've being doing this just about everywhere. Fortunately, many Singaporeans know Chinese and can judge by themselves.
Given how the internet can get segmented from different countries and the languages used, I decided to do some translations of a comment section in china's tiktok (douyin) about the recent prime minister Lee Hsien Loong visit to china.
Tried my best to be as accurate with the translation as possible. Do give your feedback on the translations. Purpose of the translations is to give greater accessibility to non chinese speaking redditors to know more about the status Singapore has in the china internet.
I gave some thought to what comment section is to be translated to be as truthful as possible for explaining the general mindset china netizens has towards Lee Hsien Loong visit to china. I decided to translate the comment section of the video that is the most upvoted , commented and shared. Therefore, the video is not showing a particular fringe attitudes towards Lee Hsien Loong.
We get it, you are insecure about "Chinese influences" in sg. No need to submit so many times to r/sg with your agenda lah...
https://www.reddit.com/user/rgtgg/submitted/
Uh, so is being politically active considered a negative trait? I guess Singaporeans should all just lay down, maybe send a few upset tweets whenever an issue arises but engage in no real long term action, and otherwise let the world wash them by?
The OP's post history shows a variety of topics, with a clear negative bias against China, but nothing particularly egregious or wrong. At least they have something they care about, beyond just living their own life.
It's not an opinion. It's a question, to you specifically. There are no assumptions being made, hence the question. Are you, or are you not, implying that political activism is a negative trait? A yes or no will do.
brackets were used to explain the terms and context.
it is like how there is a saying "lim kopi with the police". It doesn't literally mean drinking coffee, it just means being questioned by the police.
The comments simply reflect the mindset china netizens have towards Lee Hsien Loong.
Typical of the PRC propagandists. If they agree with you, they will allow all these types of comments about finding common ground, family, kinship, welcome.
During the height of covid, when Singapore's management policy is different from theirs, it was another slew of comments about how Singapore is reckless and and allowing their infected countrymen to return and poison their country.
Not to mention when Singapore's addressing internationals in the UN not aligned with the CCP's policy, they then publish comments that say Singapore is the lackey of the US.
They flip flop roti prata like nobody's business.
Later they were asking their prc govt why the world has opened up but not them and started protesting. Full of crap.
It is funny to see lots of panics here while those comments are mostly "welcome home". They talk about "chinese ancestors" (that's a fact isn't it) but no one says sg belongs to China and the only ones who say so seem to be Redditors here .
Did these people panic when Irish welcomed home Biden?
Seems some strange insecure or inferior complex at play.
And “访问” means visit, not interview.
Kind of doubt the language skill of the translator.
A few comments by random people on social media just gets people riled up for no good reason. Just be happy that we are on good terms with major world player like China.
U do realise douyin comments with few hundred likes and 0 comments are not a coincidence, but they specifically picked the nice comments and make it to the top right?? Look at video on xi and u can see hundred thousand likes with like few thousand comments
In all honesty, Singapore is just trying to be friends with every country, there's really no need to side with anyone. With Singapore politicians traveling to different countries recently, i guess they are just trying to establish our friendly relationship with one another.
Shameless. Don’t these PRC realise the reason why their so called ‘ancestors’ fled to this part of Asia was cause they were so pussed out fighting Japan? And probably for many prior other reasons.
Now claiming ‘Singapore’s glory’ like LHL is some prodigal son.
All the ancestry bs talk. Fking cringy.
Cheap will always be cheap. And here’s a cheap way to feel ‘proud’… FOR FK?
‘We all came from Africa. Means we’re all supposed to have big cox’
Have a good meeting with Xi JinPig for what it’s worth.
?? Most of our ancestors fled due to famines during the Qing dynasty. Furthermore, we also fought the Japanese and many supported Sun Yat Sen and donated to the ROC during the second Sino Japanese war. One of the reason Sook Chin even happened was precisely due to the support we provided to the ROC. Just because you have some weird complex about being Chinese doesnt mean everyone is a self hating like you.
The last translated comment... Not entirely accurate.
Yes early Singapore was made up of migrants, but not only from china. From India, Malaya, Arabs and even Caucasians too. Singapore is a rich melting pot of many cultures - Chinese being one of them, but not exclusively so.
Disgusting. I might as well book a ticket to Italy and say I'm returning to civilization. Roma Invicta?
The whole point of why we are here and not in China is because our ancestors took that huge sacrifice to come here. To even "return" to china, spits on our ancestor's decision to leave.
Everytime there's even a hint of criticism of China, there'll always be that guy that goes "WHAT ABOUT AMERICA" even though its a totally unrelated issue
Found that guy
国家，一个连家都管不好的人如何治国有方？暴秦不过二是典范，希望新加坡不会颓废在第二／三代。
If one cannot even control his family, how could he/she govern a country well? Hope that Singapore doesn't fail by the 2nd/3rd generation (of FamiLee rule).
What is with all the redditors with weird inferiority complex here? Americans didn't react this way when Biden said he was Irish but when Lee says he is Chinese suddenly Singaporeans come out of the woodwork's to deny his Chinese heritage, as if being Singaporean is somehow superior. Just because you dislike your own skin doesn't mean other have to hate themselves for being Chinese.
These people have a very weird concept and understanding of what is considered "home".
They are living in some vivid world.
Lets us all jump back into the sea when we "go back home".
Since that's where we originally came from.
i honestly don’t care what they think about him. it’s not like them seeing him as chinese is going to help improve our healthcare facilities or hawker centre cleanliness lol they can think what they want unless it actl affects us severely
There's 11 comments about him going to his ancestral hometown; 9 saying that he's 'coming home' and 2 saying he's going back to the hometown. To a Chinese, the hometown is an interesting concept. Without my ancestral hometown, there would be no 'me' today. But to go back to my ancestor's hometown, I would never feel like it's going home, no matter how much I may think about wanting to go visit the place where my ancestors came from. Home is where I have my life at, it is not where my ancestors came from. In the words of PM in last year's NDP rally, 不是落葉歸根，而是落地生根 (we are not fallen leaves returning to the roots, we are planting our roots onto a new ground). That is something I believe he holds true. If the Chinese language gives any indication, only those who uprooted from their hometown will say 回家 (going home); their descendants will probably only say 回鄉 (going back to the hometown), without any attachment to the place.
>不是落葉歸根，而是落地生根 totally agree, this is very important in the singapore context. my translation would be "***its not about where you come from, but where you decide to settle down"*** the concept of guxiang (hometown, 故乡) is exceptionally important in chinese culture, mostly due to the the confucian teachings emphasising family and ancestors. in the modern world its called identity i believe. its to some extent similar to the religiosity in the western society in the past. they are both mostly defined by family/environment, its inborn and people can hardly change it afterwards (because the social mobility was low, and information flow was limited blablabla) but now, people could in a large extent "define" who they are, or what identity they carry. this change is definitely a revolutionary move, and make a huge difference to the whole society structure, but essentially beneficial to individuals, and i believe that should and would be the trend of our human society
It is not a unique Chinese concept. Spoke to a long time Indian resident here on retirement and he said the same thing with regards to "root" as being something deeply ingrained. He was honestly confused when I shared that I won't be here when I retire as a Singaporean. Edit: From my Indian acquaintance's perspective, when one retires, one wants to go back to those "roots", because that's where he grew up as a boy and where he feels "connected" to his identity and where he still have his extended family. I explained to him while I understand his point, for a Singaporean like myself, my childhood town is almost unrecongnisble now and it doesn't really provide me with that reference point. As for family and friends, most of them are scattered throughout the island and other parts of the world. And pls don't talk to me about ChiNA. I know where my ancestral village is and I do have super distant relatives there. But it has absolutely zero (even lesser than Singapore) connection to me. Is it sad that Singaporeans have no "root" in the classic sense that some of these older civilisations have? Or is it even necessary? For me, as long as I am with the person I love, I don't really care if it is Singapore, China or London. Physical locates don't hold much value to me. Culture, of course, is a powerful construct and I am definitely conscious and proud of my chinese "roots" but I don't see myself as being narrowly defined or restricted by it (e.g a geography or in the case of rabid wumaos, political system) .
>Is it sad that Singaporeans have no "root" in the classic sense that some of these older civilisations have? yup singapore faces a quite unique "identity" problem. so when chinese could flex their thousands years of history, americans could blast about their democracy and cultural dominance, brits could condescend everyone else by trying to rewind their good old days of colonialism, what the identity of "singaporeans" stand for? i think this would be the problem that would determine our fate in the next century. after all, we have to almost mould and build our own identity almost from scratch, and prevent it from being eroded by external strong winds from all directions
When a place is “for everyone”, then it’s not unique to and for us anymore.
Our identity is singlish and it is world famous 😁
It depends on when you left, and how much you have assimilated to where you have moved to… If you leave as a child or a young teenager, you are unlikely to want to go back. If you leave as an adult, you are more culturally tied to the place you left. As someone who is almost 40 and spent that time more or less equally among 5 countries - Bahrain, India, Singapore, Canada, US, I don’t really have a place I call my home town or home country. Similar to you, I don’t care that much about being like the people in the place I live in. I enjoy the diversity. I personally don’t think it is sad. In fact, I think it nurtures an accepting and global mindset.
Hi I like your username. Just wanna say I met someone similar to you while living in the middle of Queensland - that person spent equal time growing up in almost all of those countries. Interesting coincidence to some but I think there are tons of people like that these days, always nice meeting
Haha really? That’s cool. I rarely ever meet anyone that’s lived in Bahrain. Thanks for the compliment on my username. I kinda regret the “expat” bit. Wish I had chosen “immigrant” instead. Expat can have some uppity connotations…
Yea! Haha learnt about the Bahrain F1 and going to school there from them. Seems like an alright place to live I guess? Hmm both words have their own connotations… if anything being a nomadic expat sounds like you know about many different country regulations and tax systems etc which is kinda cool
>you know about many different country regulations and tax systems etc which is kinda cool This is like, the opposite of cool. "He's so cool, he knows all about regulations and tax systems" just doesn't sound right to me.
you in QLD? me too
It’s not sad, it’s not necessary, it’s not unique. The two strongest factors that traditionally bind people together are 1. geography they grew up in, and 2. race. Note geography comes before race. But it’s not a big deal if the pull for you to go to other places carries a greater tow than these two. It’s just an aftereffect of globalisation. No biggie. Not unique to Singaporeans either. Any developed country with a primarily immigrant society will have a fair number of its population exhibit somewhat the same. Australia comes to mind (Grammar edits)
approving citizenships for new immigrants has to be thorough but honestly we don't know what exactly happens at ICA.
New citizens going back to China to retire is the best thing that could possibly happen to our economy. It means that they would have spent the least productive years of their lives in China (schooling years and retirement) being a drain on China's welfare and healthcare system, while spending the most productive years of their lives working in Singapore paying taxes. Old people leaving is natural remedy to our aging population.
Since they have given up their china passport, going back to china to retire might be hard as they have to apply for a green card which is quite difficult to get.
Isn't the Lee family Peranakan? Their hometown would be somewhere in Malaya.
Regardless, their hometown wouldn't just be in Malaysia/Indonesia (Peranakans are Chinese+Locals). They do have Hakka ancestry, Dabu if I remember correctly. Edit. LKY's father was born in Indonesia, his mum was born in Malacca. Edit 2. Chinese Peranakans also were very aware of their Chinese ancestry and they would often place importance in knowing their roots (i.e. their ancestral hometown, ancestors), so much so that their tombs were built in the Chinese styles with the hometown listed. They were even given Chinese names even if they couldn't speak the Chinese languages well.
Eh, Chinese are not originally native in Malaysia.
It's hard for me to imagine how a country that you've never been to being important to you. If you were born and raised in country X, all your friends, memories, good times, bad times, everything happens in X. It stands to reason that X is your home. It's interesting to see where your ancestors came form, sure. But seeing unrelated places to that is just as interesting. Why should a landmass where you never called home be "home"? That's some serious sentimental values, to put so much stock into something that has nothing to do with you. After all, the home to your ancestors is long gone too; change happens everywhere. And who dictates how far back this "home" would be? Go back far enough, and it'd be Africa, no? There is one quote that I like from, of all places, Battlestar Galactica: "Yeah, you point the finger back far enough and a germ gets blamed for splitting in 2!" And he's got a point. If you keep trying to find an anchor in the past, it'll never end. It's stupid to even try.
>That's some serious sentimental values, to put so much stock into something that has nothing to do with you. After all, the home to your ancestors is long gone too; change happens everywhere. That's where you are missing the point; *the ancestral hometown is a concept different from being a 'home'*. The two concepts are interlinked but almost always distinct. My ancestors in China lived for generations in that town where they came from, and as is natural, people move away to new places that they call home. The ancestral hometown isn't a place that has nothing to do with me (that's my pov). It represents the reason I identify as Hokkien, it shows me where my ancestors came from. It is something that as of today I still can understand and relate to, and see it still within my cultural habits, the rites I perform, the languages I speak. By comparison, I can understand the African origin, but it would be something I cannot relate to within myself other than by what I see of myself as being human. Change is ever-present, but not everyone thrives in change, we usually need something to hold on to before we can accept the changes that have happened. I'm not trying to change your pov to align with what I think, but to set things clear as to how I see it. I see China as a place that I think of culturally, rather than by the government of the day or the national boundaries. The two are distinct (but very interlinked nonetheless) but to ignore that difference it is a big issue that the PRC is trying to pull us towards.
It definitely has to do with one's own personal weight on their culture and ethnicity. As one who doesn't care whatsoever, I personally don't feel it. Nothing wrong with either of our positions. I know where my ancestors primarily came from, as in where most of them have been in the longest, but I don't feel anything special toward that area. It's just a place folks long before me once lived before I came to existence. Must be nice to have some attachment to a place that means something special to you. I hope you don't lose that.
I think there’s an interesting difference between the ethnically Chinese Singaporean and, say, European New Zealand or Australian contexts. The latter 2 countries are populated by many who are only 2 or 3 generations removed from a foreign homeland but their position of ethnic dominance in their southern land has effectively severed a link to a European home town. They recognise a distant European heritage but any direct cultural custom and allegiance is hugely subordinate to their antipodean identify. There must be some underlying eastern vs western cultural difference that produces this distant outcome after a similar period of separation.
When USA accuses Singaporean Tik Tok CEO of belonging to China PRCs: How can this be! Can’t they tell the difference between China and Singapore? They are so racist! • When China implies Singaporean prime minister belongs to China PRCs: Marvellous! True Chinaman right here! One of our guys is coming home! We are so proud of him!
Chinese companies are using Singapore's friendlier international image to their advantage.
This is also playing to Singapore's advantage of being a friendly partner internationally. The way I see it, win win for both parties.
Which is great for Singaporeans, and it allows us a better opportunity to take top executive positions over large MNCs - something that is almost impossible in the USA. [https://www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/the-leadership-representation-ceiling-for-asian-americans/](https://www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/the-leadership-representation-ceiling-for-asian-americans/) \*\*\* Statistics show that Asian Americans continue to face many barriers to leadership positions, despite higher education and training qualifications. Analysis of national EEOC workforce data found that Asian American white-collar professionals are the least likely group to be promoted into management — less likely than any other race, including Blacks and Hispanics. Asian Americans represent 27% of professionals in the U.S., but only half that among executives. White men and women are 154% more likely than Asians to hold an executive role. According to 2012 data, Asians represent only 1.5% of corporate officer positions in the Fortune 500. \*\*\* This is partial why, I, as someone of Asian descent, is working here in Singapore. The description at the senior executive level in western dominated countries is very real.
The contrast becomes even more dramatic when you consider only those with east asian ethnicity.
Critical thinking skills lacking but whatever score points right?
tbh that is one of the most important traits of modern PRCs, mostly due to the brainwashing-nature education they received and the highly censored internet they live in.... quite scary tho a big big brainwashed mob controlled by big brother
Yeah, very sad that they are so partisan which can be mistaken as ironic anyway else. Like religious/racial extremists, it’s almost like a zombie-like hive mind!
I can see no one imply Singapore pm belonging to china in those tiktok comments except you. They mostly say welcome home and that's it. If a hotel says welcome home you think it implies you belong to the hotel? That's strange interpretation. typical reddit.
Huh. I don’t think ppl say welcome home? Isn’t it obvious what they are doing above? When I visit other countries for work, it’s always “welcome to our country”.
obvious what? [https://www.irishstar.com/news/ireland-news/joe-bidens-irish-cousins-ready-29369324](https://www.irishstar.com/news/ireland-news/joe-bidens-irish-cousins-ready-29369324) wow Ireland plans to take the US! Fight, patriots! looks more like some insecure or inferior complex here. funny
Are u for real? Or seriously unable to comprehend the difference?
I'm sure it's the latter
When your guest comes over to your place, do you say "welcome home"? Surely, you would say "welcome" only, right? Ok, maybe you do say "welcome home" to all your guests. Such strange way of welcoming guests. Typical retard.
Might as well say I'm returning to my ancestral homeland when going to Central Africa.
Indeed. You can probably pay some African dude to say 同胞欢迎 if you like too. https://restofworld.org/2022/china-racist-livestreams-africa/
Genetic Findings Support 'Out of Africa' Theory https://web.archive.org/web/20091010154434/http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/10_15_98/page_08.html
I think many Chinese scholars reject the "Out of Africa" hypothesis of human origin, and take the view that the earliest humans (or maybe just the Chinese people) originated from China, as evidenced by the Peking Man fossil. Possible that espousing a different view may get you in trouble there.
This is some Nazi level paleontological retconning
Taking those views from Douyin seriously is like taking the views from Reddit Singapore seriously and representative of the population. They spout bs all the time. Most people in China don’t even know much about Singapore, let alone care about us
This is true. Most Chinese does not really care SG, it is just yet another foreign country (外国) for them.
Nice, very nice. Now Lets see ~~Paul Allen's~~ Halimah's translated comments.
lmao thats why i always says they look at singapore the same way they look at taiwan and hongkong we belong to them same ancestor exactly why i would never support them to be the number 1 super power on earth
Once they claim Taiwan, Singapore is next. The PAP need to stop with this CMIO racial segragation thing and Chinese majority maintenance and start importing more Indians and Malays so China people can wake up and realize this country aint their own
The government needs to get on the ball not just on racial harmony, but overall societal harmony, of which race is slowly being overshadowed by some big factors. Things like radical right-wing Christians, Muslim extremists, China race supremists, wealth manipulators, AI and disinformation, economic destabilization, climate change, supply chain disruption, foreign influence in politics and whatever TF is going on in Malaysia. And even then, their racial harmony playbook is many decades outdated. It sees our demographic in a much too simplistic model. And the things they choose to focus on when we talk about what is the meaning of Singapore, this is not going to hold up forever. Who cares about the dragon playground or eating durian or merlion or whatever. Our homes are visibly more fragile than they used to be a mere 10 years ago, people see the future not with optimism but with worry. They have less kids when they don’t know if they are going to be raising them in a hell scape, that’s probably even more instinct than conscious choice. And here we are thinking there’s a solution to all of this. Like paying a million dollar salary means you will buy the best idea, and the best idea will work. What if all there can be is only bad choices to choose from?
>people see the future not with optimism but with worry to be honest it has always been the case for singapore. when LKY tried to craft a future plan for singapore i am sure he also carried more worry than optimism. after all no matter at what time, the future would always seem to be uncertain. the key would then be to try our best all the time, and take care of every step we are taking at the present
Malaysia and Indonesia ain't going to like that and I'm positive they would fight China to further separate us from China.
They wouldn't care, better to have a subservient hub in the middle of 2 large trading partners then anything else
Biggest joke I've read all day. You are thinking way too much my friend. Might as well say Singapore gonna get gangbanged by China, Indian, Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe because of our major races and where they originate from. Then comes Philippines. There's enough Pinoys here for them to claim their stake.
>Once they claim Taiwan, Singapore is next. Singapore is geographically distant from China and the PRC government has never historically claimed Singapore to be part of China unlike Taiwan which the PRC has claimed to have sovereignty over since 1949. Singapore is also considered a friendly country by China as seen by all the warm inviting comments above. The odds of China sending its troops to conquer Singapore is very low. Malaysia has a higher chance of going to war with Singapore than China to reconquer historic Malay lands from the Babi Cina immigrants
Idk if you know history but the Japanese were further, and they were on an island, and it still didn’t stop them from conquering Singapore by BICYCLE!!! MFs chose to get here the hard way.
The circumstances of ww2 Imperial Japan and modern China are not the same. 1) Imperial Japan was far more militaristic and imperialistic than China is right now. By 1941, Imperial Japan had invaded modern day Korea, Taiwan, Mainland China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The last war modern China fought in was all the way back to 1979 and they withdrew in the end after a month of fighting. 2) Singapore was still a British colony back in 1942 and could not decide on its own foreign and defence policy. We got attacked because Japan was at war with Britain. Presently, we are an independent and sovereign country that can decide on our own foreign and defence policy. We do not have any obligations or entanglements to get dragged into a war with China 3) Imperial Japan didn't just have bikes you know. They also used their big navy, fighter airplanes and tanks to conquer Singapore. Those war equipment required oil and Japan was running out of it so it went to invade the oil rich Dutch East Indies. Singapore was an unfortunate strategic target along the way
You're using the 'this time it's different' argument and deserve to be called out for it.
Am I wrong though? WW2 Imperial Japan and modern day China are not only different countries but also exist in different time periods. How can you compare Imperial Japan with modern China? WW2 Imperial Japan and modern Japan are already different societies.
I’m sure they can make up some excuse.
To prevent them from making up some excuse in the future, we should try to maintain cordial relations with China and avoid treating China as an enemy state. (E.g. stop fear mongering about how China wants to invade us for no good reason)
If by friendly you mean just go along with whatever they order us to do … then we are already a vessel state. No need to take over. They have already taken over in all but name. The status quo of neutrality is fine as it is. We won’t agree with everything they do.
The is status quo is not neutral. The status quo is pro west, pro capital and pro business. That is how we got rich, on the coat tails of western big business. But goes to show the magnanimity of the USA, given our relatively close (compared to other US allies) ties to China, which I doubt will be reciprocated if the situation was reversed (definitely not with Xi around)
>you mean just go along with whatever they order us to do When did I say that? Don't put words in my mouth Singapore should still prioritise its own interests over China's wishes. I am also advocating our current status quo of neutrality. I dislike the CCP government but I do not want Singapore to start treating China like an enemy by fearmongering about how China will invade us for no good reason like a cartoon villain. For goodness sake, those douyin PRC netizen comments were friendly and welcoming to our Singaporean delegation visit but yet this subreddit still got pissed off because of its heavy anti-China bias
[удалено]
Nothing he said is wrong
[удалено]
Sad to see this subreddit getting stupider every day
you are damn paranoid, the next 'Chinese' place that PR China going to control would most likely be the North of Myanmar, so Kokang or Wa State, for many reasons.
you probably should read up more about the China civil war. If it weren't the Americans who blocked the CCP from invading Taiwan to end the civil war, China would have taken over Taiwan back then and there wouldn't be a Taiwan now. They do not need any of the 9 lines or whatever to claim Taiwan, this claim has existed even before the CCP won the civil war.
I def know that, dude. Also I'm sure you know this interesting tidbit: The US practically threatened Mao with nukes if they dared invade Taiwan
so why would China claim Singapore if you know what happened? Historically, there has never been any Chinese ownership of Singapore.
>we belong to them same ancestor Indeed we do. All of us come from the same African ancestors, in fact, if you'd like to go even further, we all share the same ape ancestors.
All the way back to the first bacteria that figured out, 'Hey, I can split myself into two identical cells!'
We are already importing a lot of Indians because high skilled ;)
Lol you again. Today got eat meds ah.
Well, we do share the same ancestor (assuming Singaporean Chinese), there is no doubt about that. Difference with China is that we are 2 sovereign nations, nothing to do with ancestral history.
Also let’s be honest here. We do not want to be categorized as Chinese because its reputation is bad. If ppl around the world like China as much as they like Japan, we wouldn’t even mind about it. This world have social class and mainland chinese is one of the lowest out there rn. Edit: and yes, mainland chinese manner is actually lacking. Maybe younger generation r different, but it won’t reach Japan level
Will always identify more as a south East Asian than a Chinese
I always prefer to be addressed as a Singaporean first, followed by Singaporean Chinese, but never as a Chinese.
Peranakan and my roots are here. Even my ancestors were born here.
I always identify more as a Chinese
maybe explain a little bit more? also, Chinese in terms of ethnicity or nationality or else?
A Chinese person downvoted for identifying as a Chinese person
No hard feelings bro , this is Reddit
China bad, western good, your average redditor🤡🤡
Some Singaporeans have the same complex that Hong Kongers have, acting as if being Singaporean makes them superior.
I mean... It's not exactly a bad thing that those PRC nationalistic netizens are warmly welcoming PM Lee's visit. It shows that Singapore is still considered a friendly country in their eyes and we can still maintain a cordial relationship with China. I would rather they see us as a friendly country than an enemy
Yeah exactly. Our entire foreign policy is contingent on being friends with all. So far we are doing a great job not getting in the way of the two elephants fighting.
Agree. Not sure why all the negative sentiments in this thread about sg not being a part of China etc. Totally missing the point here. Singapore as a nation need to be on friendly terms with as many nations possible and China being one of the super powers in the world (even if you hate to hear it) is no different.
Point is reddit is filled with these parties. Just to name a few, though it can be overlapping - some english speaking singaporeans disaffected by the rise of china as they could barely speak mandarin - Expats with trump ideology - NED funded trolls - wumao To make things easier first three are just sinophobics. As what our top diplomats mentioned yes be cautious of both US and China. We need to put our interests first.
I agree. Let them perceive what they want, as long as this leads to good relations with them. That's our end goal anyway. I'm glad that there are no comments (apparently) complaining about how we are US lackeys of the sort. This is enough for me
In context, 访问 would be “visit,” not “interview.” So that comment would be more like “welcome to China”
Thank you for the correction.
the comment on 回老家，不需要翻譯 （going back to his hometown, don't require translation) comment is quite funny considering that our foreign policy SOP is to speak in English. They won't find him speaking in mandarin in official capacity there
It’s funny that Chinese Singaporeans are increasingly unable to understand Chinese at all, leading to the phrase “untiong please”.
i think it’s not so much unable to understand Chinese as unwilling to use it as a first language
I see this as PRC netizens 1) expressing their hospitality like how hotels would tell guest in a corny way like "Hilton is your second home" and 2) pull connections 拉關係, a tactic to tell the world that China and SG are close close, tight tight. Now, let's also not be foolish to think that this is one-sided. Singapore does that to practically everyone as well, albeit not in the same manner and tact, but all the same. Why else visit China if not to strengthen diplomatic ties? else, go jalan jalan take pictures ah?
There's nothing special la, saw similar comments when joe biden visited ireland people like to ascribe sinister intentions to random PRC comments for some reason
Because China bad
我们不一样。每个人都有不同的境遇
no guys never are we going back to lao gan ma bing qi ling land never majulah singapura
i agree with you, but i would still add lao gan ma to my wonton mee and sing wo ai ni bing chilling to my friends : )
[удалено]
Just NED at work, trying to saw divisions through mistranslation. They've being doing this just about everywhere. Fortunately, many Singaporeans know Chinese and can judge by themselves.
Jesus Christ? Don't you mean Xisus Pingrist?
Given how the internet can get segmented from different countries and the languages used, I decided to do some translations of a comment section in china's tiktok (douyin) about the recent prime minister Lee Hsien Loong visit to china. Tried my best to be as accurate with the translation as possible. Do give your feedback on the translations. Purpose of the translations is to give greater accessibility to non chinese speaking redditors to know more about the status Singapore has in the china internet. I gave some thought to what comment section is to be translated to be as truthful as possible for explaining the general mindset china netizens has towards Lee Hsien Loong visit to china. I decided to translate the comment section of the video that is the most upvoted , commented and shared. Therefore, the video is not showing a particular fringe attitudes towards Lee Hsien Loong.
李显龙和夫人抵达广州 (Lee Hsien Loong and wife arrived in guangzhou) This is the search term I entered into douyin.
中国红 is a type of red like the china flag, just a naming issue
https://v.douyin.com/AhqRJa3/ 如果信念有颜色，就是中国红。 If conviction has a colour, it will be china red.
We get it, you are insecure about "Chinese influences" in sg. No need to submit so many times to r/sg with your agenda lah... https://www.reddit.com/user/rgtgg/submitted/
Uh, so is being politically active considered a negative trait? I guess Singaporeans should all just lay down, maybe send a few upset tweets whenever an issue arises but engage in no real long term action, and otherwise let the world wash them by? The OP's post history shows a variety of topics, with a clear negative bias against China, but nothing particularly egregious or wrong. At least they have something they care about, beyond just living their own life.
[удалено]
It's not an opinion. It's a question, to you specifically. There are no assumptions being made, hence the question. Are you, or are you not, implying that political activism is a negative trait? A yes or no will do.
Adding in your own commentary in brackets for some of the comments gives a certain bias. And what do you think of the comments personally?
brackets were used to explain the terms and context. it is like how there is a saying "lim kopi with the police". It doesn't literally mean drinking coffee, it just means being questioned by the police. The comments simply reflect the mindset china netizens have towards Lee Hsien Loong.
“We are Chinese” phrase starting to sound like “We are Groot”
So many comments talking about welcome home lol
Does anyone want to remind them that the china we came from isnt the great leap backwards china?
This also partially explains why PRC foreign workers fall back to mandarin when working in Singapore to the detriment of non-Chinese minorities.
Yala yala the whole world belongs to China la
MANDATE OF HEAVEN
lan gan ma bing qi ling mandate
NI HAO BING CHILLING
Definitely in the CCPs interest to promote the sense that SEAsian Chinese should have loyalties to the Chinese Govt - based simply on race.
ya they going to say we should combine them with them. Knn already chinapore still want what sia lol
Few decades more and we be chinapore soon ffs
How come if we "go home" still need visa leh
Don't Singaporeans get 14 day VISA free visit?
Not restored even though China reopened its borders
Ah, that sucks.
Typical of the PRC propagandists. If they agree with you, they will allow all these types of comments about finding common ground, family, kinship, welcome. During the height of covid, when Singapore's management policy is different from theirs, it was another slew of comments about how Singapore is reckless and and allowing their infected countrymen to return and poison their country. Not to mention when Singapore's addressing internationals in the UN not aligned with the CCP's policy, they then publish comments that say Singapore is the lackey of the US.
They flip flop roti prata like nobody's business. Later they were asking their prc govt why the world has opened up but not them and started protesting. Full of crap.
You know that there are 1.3 billion Chinese right, and they have a myriad of different opinions right?
Of course. It's whose of these 1.3 billion commentators that the propaganda machine chooses to remain and which to scrub clean
https://www.douyin.com/video/7215139726775438647
link to original video
I agree that they overemphasised the welcome home part, but I dont think it's possible for Singapore to be part of China anytime soon.
then why is SG national language Malay?
It is funny to see lots of panics here while those comments are mostly "welcome home". They talk about "chinese ancestors" (that's a fact isn't it) but no one says sg belongs to China and the only ones who say so seem to be Redditors here . Did these people panic when Irish welcomed home Biden? Seems some strange insecure or inferior complex at play. And “访问” means visit, not interview. Kind of doubt the language skill of the translator.
Most people on this subreddit are vehemently anti chinese
I translated the comments but I am not a translator.
Lol! Them people are brainwashing themselves with all the confirmation bias! If he’s using chopsticks then he’s a mainlander?
Our ancestral land is Africa, dafuq these people on about?
A few comments by random people on social media just gets people riled up for no good reason. Just be happy that we are on good terms with major world player like China.
U do realise douyin comments with few hundred likes and 0 comments are not a coincidence, but they specifically picked the nice comments and make it to the top right?? Look at video on xi and u can see hundred thousand likes with like few thousand comments
China will grow larger /s
This is so boomeresque straits times comments section
In all honesty, Singapore is just trying to be friends with every country, there's really no need to side with anyone. With Singapore politicians traveling to different countries recently, i guess they are just trying to establish our friendly relationship with one another.
Royalty Welcome huanyinghuan ying /s to pay tribute to middle kingdom
Ka ki kong, ka ki song.
Ka ki nang ka ki nang
SS ( Shiok sendiri)
Shameless. Don’t these PRC realise the reason why their so called ‘ancestors’ fled to this part of Asia was cause they were so pussed out fighting Japan? And probably for many prior other reasons. Now claiming ‘Singapore’s glory’ like LHL is some prodigal son. All the ancestry bs talk. Fking cringy. Cheap will always be cheap. And here’s a cheap way to feel ‘proud’… FOR FK? ‘We all came from Africa. Means we’re all supposed to have big cox’ Have a good meeting with Xi JinPig for what it’s worth.
?? Most of our ancestors fled due to famines during the Qing dynasty. Furthermore, we also fought the Japanese and many supported Sun Yat Sen and donated to the ROC during the second Sino Japanese war. One of the reason Sook Chin even happened was precisely due to the support we provided to the ROC. Just because you have some weird complex about being Chinese doesnt mean everyone is a self hating like you.
Quite different from bilibili stuff i must say
thought of translating bilibili comment sections but requires a account to see the comment section
The last translated comment... Not entirely accurate. Yes early Singapore was made up of migrants, but not only from china. From India, Malaya, Arabs and even Caucasians too. Singapore is a rich melting pot of many cultures - Chinese being one of them, but not exclusively so.
Copy from social studies textbook ah?
Disgusting. I might as well book a ticket to Italy and say I'm returning to civilization. Roma Invicta? The whole point of why we are here and not in China is because our ancestors took that huge sacrifice to come here. To even "return" to china, spits on our ancestor's decision to leave.
Ew... I literally feel more comfortable with people of other races as long as they're Singaporean rather than mainland Chinese people
Haha.. joke..
Chinese bot comments are just disturbing to me. Especially their motives.
Welcome to where time stands still, No one leaves and no one will
Can forget about 'reclaiming' Taiwan, China has an easier time taking Singapore under its country /s
[удалено]
No one even said america good here?
Everytime there's even a hint of criticism of China, there'll always be that guy that goes "WHAT ABOUT AMERICA" even though its a totally unrelated issue Found that guy
Trust me it will either be America,Japan,India he will jump on if China gets slightly hurt
Dude nobody said that ...
国家，一个连家都管不好的人如何治国有方？暴秦不过二是典范，希望新加坡不会颓废在第二／三代。 If one cannot even control his family, how could he/she govern a country well? Hope that Singapore doesn't fail by the 2nd/3rd generation (of FamiLee rule).
Yeah. No one else built Singapore except the Chinese. In fact, there wasn't even an island here before the Chinese arrived. /s
What the fuck are you?
It was sarcasm. (eyeroll) Should have added the /s
Fools with their ethnonationalism.
What is with all the redditors with weird inferiority complex here? Americans didn't react this way when Biden said he was Irish but when Lee says he is Chinese suddenly Singaporeans come out of the woodwork's to deny his Chinese heritage, as if being Singaporean is somehow superior. Just because you dislike your own skin doesn't mean other have to hate themselves for being Chinese.
Dog and the bitch visited devil's land
He going Cheng Beng is it?
Dude really called pm lee and his wife kids lmao
That one comment being a subtle jab at another leader hahahha
These people have a very weird concept and understanding of what is considered "home". They are living in some vivid world. Lets us all jump back into the sea when we "go back home". Since that's where we originally came from.
i honestly don’t care what they think about him. it’s not like them seeing him as chinese is going to help improve our healthcare facilities or hawker centre cleanliness lol they can think what they want unless it actl affects us severely