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Chapter 1 1 The Returned Overseas Chinese Communit y in Hon g Kong : Som e Observation s James K. Chin hinese socia l institution s i n Hon g Kon g hav e neve r bee n homogeneous. I n additio n t o th e voluntar y association s suc h a s dialect associations and home village associations that' exist today, associations of returned oversea s Chinese establishe d since the 1970 s are of particular interes t t o student s o f th e Chines e diaspora , sinc e the y offe r a special perspective from which to examine communities of Chinese overseas. Despite this , ther e ar e ver y fe w studie s o f Oversea s Chines e tha t pa y attention to returned Oversea s Chinese currently resident in Hong Kong.1 This chapte r offer s a preliminar y exploratio n int o thi s specia l Chines e community i n Hon g Kong , base d o n th e author' s observation s o f thei r activities in recent years. In particular, it focuses o n associations establishe d by returned Oversea s Chinese, tracing the development and transformatio n of thei r communitie s b y examinin g th e function s an d leadershi p role s o f their associations. In addition, it considers the role these returned Oversea s Chinese hav e playe d ove r pas t decade s i n connectin g ethni c Chines e communities oversea s with Mainlan d China . Crossing th e L o W u Bridge : A Brie f Backgroun d After th e Second World War ended in Southeast Asia, various countries o f the regio n successivel y ri d themselve s o f colonia l rul e an d attaine d independence. With the development o f nation building in Southeast Asia, 292 James K Chin however, thorn y question s suc h a s choosing ne w identitie s withi n th e ne w nation-states wer e face d b y almos t al l o f th e Southeas t Asia n Chinese . I n addition, discriminator y economi c policie s toward s Oversea s Chines e wer e quietly put int o practic e b y th e ne w indigenou s authontie s i n th e earl y year s of independence , an d Indonesia n Chinese , includin g thos e local-bor n peranakan, suddenl y reahze d the y ha d bee n deliberatel y expelle d fro m rura l areas and that thei r economi c activitie s were confine d t o intermediary trade. 2 In th e meantime , a ne w wav e o f Chines e nationalis m graduall y reache d a peak amon g Southeas t Asia n Chines e wit h th e establishmen t o f the People' s Republic o f Chin a i n lat e 1949 . A s a result , a large numbe r o f local-bor n young Chines e student s who fel t discriminate d agains t in their hos t countrie s decided t o g o t o China . Encourage d an d persuaded by principals and teacher s of their local Chinese schools , many o f whom, i t was subsequently revealed , were undergroun d Chines e Communis t Part y (CCP ) members , thes e youn g Chinese lef t thei r familie s i n Southeas t Asi a fo r th e People' s Republic , t o continue thei r Chinese-languag e educatio n o r t o serv e the ne w China . Th e majority wer e Indonesia n Chinese . Base d o n interview s an d othe r sources , it appear s tha t fiv e majo r migrator y wave s o f Oversea s Chines e travellin g to Chin a ca n b e identifie d i n th e 1950 s an d earl y 1960s . These occurre d i n 1950, 1953 , 195 7 an d 1960 , wit h th e las t in 196 5 generate d b y Indonesia' s anti-Chinese stor m o f '30 Septembe r 1965' . Estimates vary as to th e numbe r of Southeas t Asia n Chines e wh o wen t t o Chin a ove r thi s period , bu...

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