170-year-old Hainanese clan association continues to serve community: PM Wong

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Hainan Hwee Kuan continues to play a crucial role in drawing the Hainanese community together 170 years after its founding, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Dec 13.

At a gala dinner celebrating the clan association’s 170th anniversary, PM Wong said he hopes the community can continue working together to contribute to society.

“Unity is strength,” he told an audience of about 820 in Mandarin. They included local clan members and representatives from overseas Hainanese clan associations, including those in Australia and Germany.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat was also present and gave out awards to scholarship recipients at the dinner, held at Bliss Garden restaurant at the Singapore Expo.

To stay united, association members should focus on the bigger picture when differences in opinion arise, working towards the community’s larger interests, PM Wong said.

For early Hainanese migrants, the clan association was a second home and haven, he noted.

Today, it continues to shoulder the mission of uniting the community and spreading Hainanese culture and traditions, he said.

The Hainanese are a Chinese dialect group originally from Hainan island in the South China Sea.

They are one of the smallest dialect groups in Singapore, making up about 6 per cent of the total population, or about 183,000 people, in the 2020 census.

PM Wong, who is himself Hainanese, said Singaporeans of Hainanese descent have forged a unique identity.

“We are not just a Hainanese community, we are a Singaporean Hainanese community,” he said.

He added that Singapore’s Hainanese have something special as they live in a multiracial and multi-religious environment.

“We learn to live harmoniously with all our different communities, not just different dialect groups amongst the Chinese community, but our Malay friends, our Indian friends, and we uphold our Singaporean identity together.”

The clan association’s 170th anniversary is a milestone of great significance, reflecting the community’s history, development and achievements over the past century, said PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister.

There are schools founded by the Hainanese, such as Yuying Secondary School, whose students were helping out at the dinner, he added.

The association has also been involved in charity work, and during the Covid-19 pandemic raised funds to help people in need, he said.

It also awards grants and scholarships to support the education of the next generation, he added.

PM Wong said: “The mission of the clan association has not changed – it has been taking care of people for many years and passing on Chinese culture and values ​​and helping those in need.”

While Singapore’s Hainanese have made various contributions to its wider society, their start in the country was not always easy, he noted.

The Hainanese migrated to Singapore later than other groups, and many of the better jobs had already been taken, he said.

They had to take on difficult jobs instead, making a living as chefs or working in the service industry.

This is why there are many well-known restaurants in Singapore run by members of the community, PM Wong said.

He added: “Hainanese people also brought their dishes over and infused them with local characteristics to turn them into dishes rich with Singaporean flavour.”

Many of these, such as

Hainanese curry rice

and pork chop, cannot be found on Hainan island today, he said.

“They reflect Singapore’s unique culture – the merging of Chinese and Western, integrating and absorbing the influences of different cultures’ essences.”

The clan association is also working to bring younger people into its ranks, PM Wong noted.

These efforts include dialect classes and food events to give young people an interesting way to get in touch with the culture, he said.

“I am confident that the younger generation can inject new vitality into the development of the association and cooperate with experienced seniors to work together to promote the development of the clan association,” he added.