Unravelling the DNA of Peranakan Chinese in Singapore

A portrait of Baba Colin Chee's maternal great grandparents' family in Kuching, Sarawak, taken in the early 1910s. PHOTO: BABA COLIN CHEE
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SINGAPORE - Defining Peranakan identity has been a contentious topic for decades, stirring up deep-seated emotions among many in the community, said Baba Colin Chee, president of The Peranakan Association Singapore.

For instance, some in the community insist that a person can be considered Peranakan Chinese only if his maternal and paternal lineage are fully Peranakan, but this view is not widely held.

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