Starting in the nineteenth century, large numbers of Chinese emigrated to Southeast Asia. Their main purpose in migration to Southeast Asia was to improve their economic life in their motherland. While abroad, they did not get any support from the Chinese governments and the colonial governments in Southeast Asia. This predicament forced them to set up various associations, such as Huay Kuans, to meet the challenges of the hostile environment. At first, Huay Kuans' functions were focused on helping the Chinese to adjust to the new environment by providing accommodation, employment, burial services etc....[ Read more ]

Starting in the nineteenth century, large numbers of Chinese emigrated to Southeast Asia. Their main purpose in migration to Southeast Asia was to improve their economic life in their motherland. While abroad, they did not get any support from the Chinese governments and the colonial governments in Southeast Asia. This predicament forced them to set up various associations, such as Huay Kuans, to meet the challenges of the hostile environment. At first, Huay Kuans' functions were focused on helping the Chinese to adjust to the new environment by providing accommodation, employment, burial services etc.

However, the situation of overseas Chinese societies was constantly changing, a question naturally arose : should and could the associations change their functions to cope with the new environment? This is the question I try to answer in this thesis. The case of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan has shown that its functions did change gradually when facing different demands of the Chinese community in Singapore. Its original functions were to provide mutual and burial aid to the Chinese in the nineteenth century. But the situation was completely different in the twentieth century. Increasing numbers of settled Chinese raised their demand for Chinese education for their children and Hokkien Huay Kuan started to focus on the development of Chinese education. The Hokkien Huay Kuan leaders hoped that, by promoting Chinese education, they could unite the Singapore Chinese and maintain their leadership over the Chinese society.

Facing the changing environment, Hokkien Huay Kuan could indeed change its major functions. But this did not mean that it could unite the Chinese by promoting Chinese education. If they could not soften their concept of regionalism, it was difficult for Hokkien Huay Kuan to build up its leadershp and unite the whole community.