What does it mean to be overseas Chinese?

《经济学人》的“鼓楼”播客由陈家豪和黄素琳主持，探讨了一个复杂的问题：“作为华人意味着什么？”尤其是对那些生活在中国大陆之外的华人而言。他们深入探讨了“华人身份”的多元性——英文将其一概笼统地称为“海外华人”，但中文本身却提供了“华侨”（hua qiao）和“华裔”（hua yi）等词汇，每个词都代表着与故土的不同关系。 本期节目邀请了历史学家、汉学家王赓武，他非凡的人生经历为此次讨论提供了深刻的见解。王赓武于1930年出生于英属马来亚，亲身经历了许多关键的历史时刻：马来亚日占时期、中国内战、马来亚紧急状态、新加坡建国，甚至在天安门事件期间担任香港大学副校长。现年95岁高龄的他，从新加坡的现居地提供了独特的视角。 王赓武的早年生活深受其父的影响，其父毕业于南京大学，并移居新加坡，在该地第一所华文中学教授普通话。此举凸显了华人社区内部的语言多样性，当地闽南语和客家话等方言与普通话形成鲜明对比。起初，王赓武一家计划返回中国，但即将爆发的日本侵华战争阻止了这一计划。他六岁时首次回到中国，让他接触到了家族传统，尤其是他母亲对维护“王氏家族”传承的重视。值得注意的是，他父亲选择将他送入英文小学，认为可以在家中教授中文，这一决定深刻地影响了王赓武的人生轨迹。在日占时期，他如饥似渴地阅读英文“通俗小说”，这些书来自被日军没收的英国藏书，这进一步拓宽了他的视野。 1947年，王赓武作为学生回到中国，彼时中国正处于内战之中。他目睹了同学对腐败的国民党政府的深刻幻灭，甚至回忆起由于通货膨胀和物资匮乏，同学们如何熟练地从米饭中挑出石子。尽管觉得自己“头脑简单”，与同学们对古典中文的深刻理解相比，王赓武依然享受着那里的智力激荡。然而，父亲的病重以及家人对他在冲突中安全的担忧，促使他回到了东南亚。 回到马来亚后，共产党叛乱使得华裔身份变得危险，因为许多人被怀疑支持共产党。黄素琳分享了一个类似的家族轶事，她的曾叔父差点被马来亚共产党招募，随后被从华文学校转到了英文学校。这个时期在许多海外华人中形成了一种心态，即与共产主义划清界限。这种情绪至今仍有共鸣，因为如今华裔血统常被与对中国共产党（CCP）的支持混为一谈。 王赓武后来在英国攻读博士学位，最终成为著名的汉学家，尤其以其对海外华人社区的研究而闻名。他挑战了中国对“南洋华人”（东南亚华人）的单一化视角，认为“根本不存在”这样一个统一的群体。他发现他们在经历、爱国情怀和文化习俗方面存在巨大差异，即使在不同的国家乃至这些国家内部的不同区域。这种观点起初不为中国政府所喜，但却受到海外华人自身的认同。 如今，中国共产党（CCP）继续以服务其政治议程的方式定义“华人身份”，宣传马来西亚女演员杨紫琼和美国滑雪运动员谷爱凌等人物，以此来体现中华文化传承，并隐性地暗示忠诚。这种将文化和政治身份混为一谈的做法，常常导致一些对中国进行批判性报道的华裔记者被指责为“民族叛徒”。 黄素琳强烈驳斥了这种观点，坚称具有中华文化属性（例如喜欢潮汕火锅）与作为另一个国家（例如澳大利亚）的自豪公民并不矛盾。她认为海外华人对“华人身份”的定义是深刻的个体性和个人化的，不应由中共的政治目标所左右。新加坡拥有多元化的社会和充满活力的中华文化，但同时拥有独特的国家认同，是这种动态的一个有趣例证。

The Economist's Drum Tower podcast, hosted by Jia Hao Chen and Su Lin Wong, explores the complex question: "What does it mean to be Chinese?" especially for those living outside mainland China. They delve into the multifaceted nature of "Chineseness," which the English language flattens into "overseas Chinese," but Chinese itself offers terms like *hua qiao* and *hua yi*, each denoting a different relationship to the homeland. The episode features historian and Sinologist Wang Gongwu, whose extraordinary life deeply informs this discussion. Born in British Malaya in 1930, Wang has lived through pivotal historical moments: the Japanese occupation of Malaya, China's Civil War, the Malayan Emergency, the creation of Singapore, and even served as Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong University during the Tiananmen Square massacre. Now 95, he offers a unique perspective from his current home in Singapore. Wang's early life was shaped by his father, a Nanjing university graduate, who moved to Singapore to teach Mandarin at the first Chinese high school there. This move highlighted the linguistic diversity within Chinese communities, with local dialects like Hokkien and Hakka contrasting sharply with Mandarin. Initially, Wang's family planned to return to China, a move thwarted by the impending Japanese invasion. His first trip to China at age six introduced him to his family's traditions, particularly his mother's emphasis on preserving the "Wang family" heritage. Notably, his father chose to send him to an English primary school, believing he could teach Chinese at home, a decision that profoundly influenced Wang's trajectory. During the Japanese occupation, he devoured English "pop books" from seized British collections, further broadening his perspective. In 1947, Wang returned to China as a student amidst the Civil War. He witnessed the deep disillusionment of his classmates with the corrupt Nationalist government, even recounting how they expertly sifted stones from their rice due to inflation and scarcity. Despite feeling "simple-minded" compared to his classmates' profound grasp of classical Chinese, Wang enjoyed the intellectual stimulation. However, his father's illness and family fears for his safety amidst the conflict led to his return to Southeast Asia. Back in Malaya, the communist insurgency made being ethnically Chinese dangerous, as many were suspected of supporting the communists. Su Lin Wong shares a similar family anecdote, where her great-uncle was pulled from Chinese school and sent to an English one after nearly being recruited by the Malayan Communist Party. This era forged a mindset among many overseas Chinese to distance themselves from communism, a sentiment that resonates today when Chinese heritage is often conflated with support for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang Gongwu later pursued a PhD in the UK, eventually becoming a renowned Sinologist, particularly for his work on overseas Chinese communities. He challenged the monolithic Chinese perspective of "Nanyang Chinese" (Southeast Asian Chinese), arguing that there was "no such thing." He found immense diversity in their experiences, patriotism, and cultural practices across different countries and even regions within them. This view, initially disliked by the Chinese government, was embraced by overseas Chinese themselves. Today, the CCP continues to define "Chineseness" in a way that serves its political agenda, showcasing figures like Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh and American skier Eileen Gu as embodying Chinese heritage and implicitly, loyalty. This conflation of cultural and political identity often leads to accusations of being "race traitors" for journalists of Chinese heritage who critically report on China. Su Lin Wong strongly rejects this, asserting that being culturally Chinese (like enjoying Teochew hot pot) is not mutually exclusive with being a proud citizen of another country (like Australia). She argues that the definition of "Chineseness" for overseas Chinese is deeply individual and personal, not to be dictated by the CCP's political goals. Singapore, with its pluralistic society and vibrant Chinese culture, yet distinct national identity, stands as an interesting example of this dynamic.