Local Chinese Community Research Articles

Germline RAD51C and RAD51D Mutations in High-Risk Chinese Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer Patients and Families.

RAD51C and RAD51D are crucial in homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair. The prevalence of the RAD51C and RAD51D mutations in breast cancer varies across ethnic groups. Associations of RAD51C and RAD51D germline pathogenic variants (GPVs) with breast and ovarian cancer predisposition have been recently reported and are of interest. We performed multi-gene panel sequencing to study the prevalence of RAD51C and RAD51D germline mutations among 3728 patients with hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer (HBOC). We identified 18 pathogenic RAD51C and RAD51D mutation carriers, with a mutation frequency of 0.13% (5/3728) and 0.35% (13/3728), respectively. The most common recurrent mutation was RAD51D c.270_271dupTA; p.(Lys91Ilefs*13), with a mutation frequency of 0.30% (11/3728), which was also commonly identified in Asians. Only four out of six cases (66.7%) of this common mutation tested positive for homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Taking the family studies in our registry and tumor molecular pathology together, we concluded that this relatively common RAD51D variant showed incomplete penetrance in our local Chinese community. Personalized genetic counseling emphasizing family history for families with this variant, as suggested at the UK Cancer Genetics Group (UKCGG) Consensus meeting, would also be appropriate in Chinese families.

Educational Fetish and Chinese Emigration to Poland

ABSTRACTEducational migration to Poland has recently served to reshape the local Chinese community, previously known largely for trade and small entrepreneurship. This marks a broader trend, with a number of European countries promoted in China as sites of elite learning and increasingly fetishized among the Chinese middle class. Drawing on research among families, students and intermediaries, I discuss the process through which Poland has been embraced as one of such ‘imagined’ destinations, meant to provide an alternative to the pressures of life in modern Chinese society. I also show how, despite the growing access, the actual pursuit of new aspirations remains complex, often leading to a conflicted experience abroad.

동남아시아 중국인 디아스포라와 화교⸱화인 학교교육의 설립과 변화: 청말 이후 1949년 이전까지

This paper examines the development and change of the Chinese education in Southeast Asian countries since the end of the Qing Dynasty, when nationalism and national identity sprouted and grew. I scrutinize the diaspora education in relation with the home country and also in the context of local Chinese community. Overseas Chinese diaspora education reflects various issues in Southeast Asia, including nationality, ethnicity, hometown, adaptation, generational change, and dual nationality. In the paper, as the background of modern Chinese education in many Southeast Asian countries, I discuss the aspects of educational reform in China and how they were linked to the overseas Chinese education system since the end of the 19th century, and record the actual progress in Southeast Asian countries. By doing so, this study aims to read the relationship between the changing Chinese diaspora generation's recognition of 'China' along with changes in Southeast Asian Chinese society projected on the progress of diaspora education.

Assessing the Vitality of a Local Chinese Community Language: Cantonese in Ipoh, Malaysia

Malaysia is a multilingual and multiethnic country with a substantial population of ethnic Chinese, who use standardized languages such as Malay, English, and Mandarin, as well as various Chinese dialects in their daily lives within and beyond Chinese communities. Cantonese is a community language that significantly impacts the lives of local Chinese in the city of Ipoh, Malaysia. This study aims to examine the vitality of Cantonese in Ipoh using the language vitality and endangerment (LVE) tool developed by UNESCO. Nine LVE-proposed factors reflecting the degree of endangerment were investigated. Using a survey method, 377 participants from various groups were randomly selected from the Chinese community in Ipoh, Malaysia during January 6 to February 5, 2022. The result shows that Cantonese in Ipoh is rated as “Unsafe,” indicating that measures should be taken to prevent its further decline. The result suggests that further research is needed to gain a clearer understanding of the factors affecting language shift and maintenance, as well as the potential and challenges of linguistic and cultural diversity in the contemporary world.

Examining Chinese Language Learning Among Chinese Students in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This article aims to address the gap in understanding the current state of Chinese language learning among the Chinese community in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It begins by surveying the local Chinese community's learning situation and needs, analyzing data to identify challenges and influential factors in Chinese language education. The study specifically focuses on the declining situation at the Tran Boi Co School's Language Centre. Based on these findings, the paper offers targeted suggestions for improvements in Chinese language teaching at the school.

The Malaysian Historical Geographical Information System (MHGIS): The Case of Chinese Temples in Johor

This is a quantitative study of Chinese temples in Johor using temple data to show the development of Chinese religion in the state. The study finds that Chinese temples in Johor are dominated by a fusion of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, with only a minority of orthodox Buddhism in existence. The broad range of Buddhist and Daoist deities shows the diversity and inclusiveness of the religion. In addition, the number of newly created temples in the state is still on the rise, contradicting the perception that they, especially Daoist ones, are on the decline. The quantitative data collation and analysis of Chinese temples in Johor not only will reflect more accurately the development of religion and beliefs of the local Chinese community, but also is an attempt to construct Malaysia Historical Geographic Information System (MHGIS). We hope that in the future, we can make use of the convenience of the data humanities system to make a more macro and holistic exploration and development of the study of Chinese temples and beliefs in Malaysia.

Fo Guang Shan’s Expansion in the Religious Market of Thailand

As one of the prominent Mahayana Buddhist institutions from Taiwan, Fo Guang Shan (FGS) entered the religious market of Thailand as early as the 1990s. Its influence has grown tremendously among the local Chinese communities and Thai society. Despite this, there is a dearth of scholarship dedicated to FGS’s market expansion in Theravada-dominated Thailand. Through a SWOT analysis, this paper explores FGS’s marketing strategy for the Thai religious market. The findings suggest that FGS bears certain strengths, such as its appealing humanistic Buddhist doctrine, gift-giving networking skills and its strong emotional bonds with the Chinese communities in Thailand. These strengths have brought and will continuously provide FGS with opportunities for further expansion. However, FGS’s weakness is always there and obvious, given its foreign and non-mainstream nature and questionable legitimacy of existing as a Buddhist institution (or temple) in Thailand. All this has already caused threats to FGS’s missionary clergies and sanctuaries, mainly based in the Bangkok area, not to mention the growingly fierce competition from its Thai Theravada and local-born Mahayana counterparts.

The Protestant Missions to South-East Asia: Experimental Laboratory of Missionary Concepts and of Human Relations (Circa 1780–1840)

Abstract The relationship between the Anglo-Scottish Ultra-Ganges Mission and the Dutch missionaries in South East Asia, both missions based at Batavia and at Melaka (Malacca), could be described as “distant but cordial” – even during times of colonial conflict – but the same cannot always be said about the internal conditions of the British mission. This article will attempt to place the relationship between the Anglo-Dutch missionary enterprises into a historical context which includes the complex networks built up by the missionaries with the colonial administrations, as well as with the local Malay and Chinese communities. Ultimately, the success of their mission depended as much on such external factors as on the internal cohesion between the individual missionaries. Much of the historical sources for this article has been derived from the Special Collections archives kept at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Unpacking the root causes of gambling in the Asian community: Contesting the myth of the Asian gambling culture.

Problem gambling is a public health issue both in the United States and internationally and can lead to mental health and socioeconomic concerns for individuals, families, and communities. Large epidemiological studies on problem gambling have neglected to include working-class, immigrant Asian Americans, who are at higher risk for problem gambling. The lack of data on Asian American gambling may explain a subsequent lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate treatment and prevention services. Additionally, the invisibility of Asian American data in published literature has helped to perpetuate a commonly held myth of an Asian gambling culture. This stereotype of the "Asian gambler" is a form of anti-Asian racism which serves to ignore and minimize the root causes of problem gambling in the Asian American community. Utilizing a community-based participatory research approach, 40 interviews were conducted with the local Khmer (n = 12), Chinese (n = 20), Korean (n = 3), and Vietnamese (n = 5) immigrant communities in the Greater Boston region to assess how problem gambling manifests in the local Asian community. Interviews were conducted in language by bilingual/bicultural community fieldworkers experienced in serving their respective communities. Flyers and social media were used to recruit participants. The interviews were coded into themes which provided a better understanding of the patterns of systemic issues contributing to problem gambling in the Asian American community. Interviewees provided insights into the underlying issues of poverty and social and cultural loss due to immigration as root causes for problem gambling in the Asian American community. The interviews indicate that many individuals in these Asian immigrant communities, who are striving to make a living off low-wage and stressful jobs, struggle to integrate into American society. They often lack culturally appropriate and accessible social and recreational activities, a void that casinos capitalize on through targeted behaviors. Research must address the social and structural barriers in the Asian American communities rather than relying on the "Asian gambler" stereotype and assuming interventions for a general American problem gambler will work for Asian immigrants. The research points to a need for gambling interventions and services that are centered on lived experiences.

Connecting the Chinese Diaspora: See Boon Tiong and His Temple Networks in Singapore and Malacca

This study examines the temple networks of the 19th-century Chinese community leader See Boon Tiong （薛文仲） in Singapore and Malacca in order to cognize his rising influence in both places. In the early years of his career in Singapore, See Boon Tiong expanded his social networks by founding the Keng Teck Whay （庆德会）, as well as through his active involvement in the affairs of Chinese temples. In 1848, the Keng Teck Whay, represented by See Boon Tiong, precipitated the establishment of the Cheng Wah Keong Temple （清华宫） in Malacca and the organization of the “Wangchuan” （王船） Ceremony, thereby consolidating See’s leadership in the local Chinese community. This also provides insights into the process of the reconstitution of power by the Malaccan Chinese merchants in their hometown after forging social networks in Singapore. In the 1850s, See’s influence, exerted through these networks, further penetrated Cheng Hoon Teng Temple （青云亭）in Malacca, outstripping the authority and influence of Tengzhu （亭主） Tan Kim Seng （陈金声）, and engendered the dominance of the Hokkien Zhangzhou （漳州） group to which he belonged. The biography of See Boon Tiong is a microcosm of the strategies which ethnic Chinese leaders in Southeast Asia in the 19th Century deployed to amalgamate and cement their power and influence in society. This also exemplifies the interplay and inseparability between the leadership of the Chinese communities in Singapore and Malacca, and highlights the influential role and agency of these power networks behind the temples in transforming the power structure of the Chinese community in that era.

Female Bonding and Marginality in Shang Wanyun’s novella “Xialihe” (1978)

This article explores the representation of homosociality between two marginalized female characters in “Xialihe” (夏麗赫) (1978), a novella by Sinophone Malaysian writer Shang Wanyun (商晚) (1952-1995). Although some scholars have suggested that the writer’s preoccupation with the intimate world of women started only in the 1980s, I argue that “Xialihe” already highlights issues such as female intimacy and women’s social marginalization. The text represents, therefore, a link between her earlier nativist production and her later more feminist approach. Additionally, I contend that, writing from a marginal position at the periphery of Malaysia’s national literary system and from a doubly-conservative environment (Muslim-majority Malaysia and the local Chinese community), by means of sensual descriptions and dialogical innuendos, the author bravely blurs the line which separates female bonding from homoaffectivity, thus leading the reader to question the real nature of the relationship between the Chinese narrator and her Malay friend. Lastly, through the analysis of a novella by one of the leading Sinophone Malaysian female writers of the twentieth century, this article fills a gap in Western scholarship, where studies on Shang Wanyun and her oeuvre are virtually non-existent.

Chinese Pride and European Prejudice

The Chinese government’s cover-up of the origins of the new coronavirus, and its more openly prideful and aggressive foreign and human rights policies, triggered a dramatic deterioration of foreign views of China in 2020. That year also witnessed a significant increase in anti-Chinese/Asian prejudice around the world. Could the former have shaped the latter? Drawing on theories of prejudice and ideology, and using an Autumn 2020 13-nation European survey about China, this paper explores whether increasingly negative attitudes toward Chinese government policies prejudiced European views of local Chinese students, tourists, and communities. It finds substantial evidence of a spillover effect, an effect which is stronger among conservative Europeans than among progressive Europeans more motivated to avoid prejudice. The paper concludes with thoughts on the danger that China’s prideful “wolf warriors” pose for Chinese students, tourists, and local Chinese communities confronting prejudice in Europe today.

Formation of Hong Kong’s Administrative System in the 1840-1870s

The article considers the process of Hong Kong’s administrative system formation after its placement under the administration of the British Empire in 1842. A brief description of the local Chinese and expatriate communities is given and the character of their interaction is identified. The transformations of Hong Kong’s administrative system at the various stages of its formation are analyzed and its qualitative characteristic is given. The significant language and other barriers to the establishing of interaction between colonial administration and the Chinese community and inefficiency of the administrative control pattern in the 1840-50s are identified. Inefficiency of this pattern is considered as a prerequisite for its development by establishing of the new scheme of civil servants’ selection with the aim of teaching them Chinese language and creation of the team of interpreters ready to communicate with the local Chinese. The abovementioned scheme turned out to be efficient and practically laid the foundation for creating Hong Kong’s administrative system. The author comes to the conclusion that the new scheme trained specialists made an important contribution to the development of Hong Kong, which from the periphery of the Qing Empire was transformed to the autonomous outpost of the British Empire.

Ethnozoological and commercial drivers of the pangolin trade in Benin

BackgroundPangolins are trafficked in unsustainable volumes to feed both local and global trade networks for their meat and the medicinal properties of their derivatives, including scales. We focus on a West African country (Benin) to assess the medicinal and spiritual values of pangolins among different ethnic groups and identify the cohort of buyers involved in the pangolin trade and related economic values along the chain, notably from local diasporas.MethodsWe organised 54 focus groups in villages surrounding occurrence habitats of pangolins across Benin and conducted 35 individual interviews with vendors from five major traditional medicine markets (TMMs). Our questionnaire addressed the different uses of pangolins, the commercial value of pangolin items, the categories of clients and the related selling prices.ResultsPangolin meat was strictly consumed as food. Scales, head, bones, tongue, blood, heart and xiphisternum were the items used by local communities as part of medicinal (65% of the focus groups) and spiritual (37%) practices. Scales were the most frequently used item (use value index = 1.56). A total of 42 medicinal and spiritual uses, covering 15 International Classification of Diseases (ICD) categories, were recorded among ethnic groups. The ICD and spiritual categories-based analyses of similarity showed a partial overlapping of ethnozoological knowledge across Benin, although knowledge was significantly influenced by ethnicity and geographic location. The pricing of pangolins both varied with the category of stakeholders (local communities vs. stakeholders of TMMs) and clients (local and West African clients vs. Chinese community) and the type of items sold. The Chinese community was reported to only buy pangolins alive, and average selling prices were 3–8 times higher than those to West African clients.ConclusionsOur results confirm that pangolins in Africa are valuable and versatile resources for consumption and medicinal / spiritual practices. The pangolin trade in Benin is based on an endogenous and complex network of actors that now appears influenced by the specific, high-valued demand from the Chinese diaspora. Further investigations are required to assess the growing impact of the Chinese demand on the African wildlife trade.

The Roles of Multilingual Learning Facilitators in Assisting Non-Chinese-Speaking Students in Learning Chinese in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study

This study aimed to define the roles played by Multilingual Learning Facilitators (MLFs), a novel post created to facilitate non-Chinese-speaking (NCS) pre-schoolers in learning Chinese in Hong Kong, based in community agencies. Qualitative analysis of field observations and interviews with MLFs and social workers found that roles fell under teaching-related and social work-related categories. For teaching-related roles, MLFs facilitated learning of Chinese in NCS pre-schoolers, assisted social workers in classroom management during activities, engaged NCS parents, and fostered communication between social workers and NCS parents. For social work-related duties, MLFs offered consulting for NCS parents dealing with issues, and also fostered communication between social workers and NCS parents. These roles are made possible due to MLFs’ language and cultural expertise of that of NCS families and the local Chinese community. This addresses current limitations faced by teachers and social workers in their roles in teaching NCS students, and expands resources available for NCS families, from schools to the community, in supporting their children in learning Chinese, potentially opening up opportunities for NCS children to integrate into the local community.

НАЦИОНАЛИСТИЧЕСКАЯ ПОЛИТИКА ПХИБУНА СОНГКХРАМА И ЕЁ ВЛИЯНИЕ НА КИТАЙСКУЮ ОБЩИНУ ТАИЛАНДА

The Chinese community has greatly influenced Thailand's domestic development. Since the beginning of the XX century the Thai authorities began to view it as a factor that prevented the creation of a nation-state. The most decisive measures in resolving the so-called Chinese question were taken by Prime Minister Phibun Songkhram. This article examines the impact of his nationalist policies on the life of the local Chinese community.

9Memory and Masculinity at Stanford's Arboretum Chinese Quarters

AbstractUsing archival, archaeological, and oral historical evidence, I explore how Chinese men living at Stanford University's Arboretum Chinese Quarters navigated changing attitudes toward gender and race at the end of the nineteenth century. Artifacts helped prompt an intersubjective process of oral history and stories shared by descendants of Chinese employees at Stanford and other members of the local Chinese American community in California's San Francisco Bay Area. Based on these interviews and further research into documents and objects, I highlight two intertwined social spheres for the Chinese population at Stanford, including networks based on business, family, or fraternal organizations, and competitive games and athletics. I show how these men may have forged new ways to perform an emergent Chinese American masculinity by combining practices from both sides of the Pacific. Research conducted between 2016 and 2019 helped produce new senses of heritage for the Chinese American communities at Stanford and elsewhere in the Bay Area.

Playing the China card or yellow perils? China, ‘the Chinese’, and race in South African politics and society

ABSTRACT Over the past several years there have been a number of racially-tinged incidents in South Africa involving ‘the Chinese.’ Simultaneously, the love affair between Chinese and South African government leaders has expanded to include local Chinese community leaders and local ANC officials. Based on ongoing research on Chinese communities in South Africa I examine these conflicting phenomena and explore the various ways in which the three main ethnic Chinese communities – Chinese South African, Taiwanese South African, and mainland Chinese migrant – and other South Africans respond to these often conflicting social and political messages. I argue that China’s global ascendance and South Africa’s increasing national-level dependence on China encourages some actors (both Chinese and non-Chinese) to opportunistically wield the China card while other non-Chinese South Africans respond with fear and racism, invoking Yellow Peril narratives.

Crossing Boundaries–Tactical Urbanism Practices in Guangzhou City

Tactical Urbanism is a growing movement across the world in which individuals, communities, and municipalities are improving their cities by using short-term, lowcost, and small-scale interventions and policies to catalyze long term change. The aim of this paper is to test the principle sand the approach of tactical urbanism to solve Guangzhou’slocalpublicspacesproblemsbyshowcasingtwotacticalurbanismprojects which have been completed in the Guangzhou urban context. These two cases reveal the opportunities that bottom-up approaches like tactical urbanism can build a bridge to conjunct with long term planning efforts and complete the top-down mechanisms. IntheZhusigangcommunitycase,we examine the spontaneous unplanned practices in the local community,which resemble“Tacticalurbanism” principles,and their spatial appropriation and utilization of marginalized community spaces. We assess how and where daily activities are happening and what other amenities could be provide by temporarily introducing these activities into a local gallery space. In the former textile factory case, we present examples that make the case for temporary, flexible and experimental responses to urban vacant land, then conclude by outlining the potential benefits and drawbacks of this temporary use model. This paper explores the existing practices of appropriation and the potential of temporary occupation in the city and concludes with thoughts on how tactical urbanism, an international movement, might gain a foothold in the context of local Chinese communities

Language Investment during University Adjustment: The Divergent Path of Two International Chinese Freshmen

ABSTRACT International students encounter academic and social adjustments different than those of their domestic peers. Of particular concern is language proficiency, specifically students’ investment in continual language development throughout university study. In the current article, I present a comparative case study of two Chinese freshmen (Jenn, Angela) completing university study in the United States. Each participant completed seven individual, 60-minute interviews over the course of their first year of study. Through an analysis of narrative approach, I establish a complex interaction between Jenn’s and Angela’s past (U.S. high school study abroad) and current (university) academic and cultural experiences and future expectations (professional goals). Jenn’s perception of high school belonging led to high integration into the university community. Angela’s perception of rejection by her American peers strengthened her connection to the local Chinese community. This contrast in communal acceptance fostered opposing levels of language investment, with only Jenn intent on pursuing further opportunities in the target community.