Only Connect! Sino-Malay Encounters

Originally immigrants, the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore have forged strong bonds with the native Malays. They have connected successfully across a spectrum of activities -- business, culture and politics. This sometimes spirited relationship started over two millennia ago with trading links between the peoples of the China coasts and the Malay archipelago. This book picks up the story in the 15th century when these trading ties were boosted due to China's official relations with the Malay kingdom of Malacca. From business, the interactions extended rapidly into the cultural and political spheres during the 19th and 20th centuries in British Malaya and later in the Malaysian Federation. Despite some serious setbacks in recent decades, the encounters must now be seen in the context of nation-building as the former immigrants and the Malays together form the young nations of Malaysia and Singapore. The book describes these interactions and the ongoing efforts of two peoples working to consolidate the gains of nationhood.