Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
I have a question to those who go to school in Malaysia and Singapore. In addition to Mandarin (华语), are you also taught Literary Chinese (文言文)? If yes, is it part of Chinese language studies, and in which year, say Form 3 or Form 4?
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As I research and share with you information, I do have to apologize way in advance that there may be instances of errors. This could be due to several factors including error in the research material, opinion passed on as facts and other misunderstandings. My assurance is that I will be transparent in my discoveries, and every time I come across new findings that contradicts what I presently know, I will continue to share them with you.
Nothing that I have told you is carved in stone or frozen in time, that it cannot be amended and improved. But with each new finding, my knowledge of the past improves, and with improved knowledge, I can better explain things to you.
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@learnpenanghokkien is not my only YouTube channel. My YouTube presence is spread across many different channels, so occasionally, I may have a video on one of my other channels that may be of interest to viewers of this channel. One of them, is my tour of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, possibly the most opulent clan associations in Penang and possible Southeast Asia.
You can tour this clan association and get to know its history on this video: https://youtu.be/ceuEHjtw4mY?si=20tKe...
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Yesterday I was startled when someone asked me about one of the pictures I use in my post. That's not a period photo. I thought everybody is aware. But in case you are unclear about it, let me say this: in the interest of full disclosure and transparency, I want to inform you that all the images I use are computer-generated. I do not use any period pictures from any sources (except, once in a while, from Wikimedia, for which I will clearly attribute its source and licensing terms). It is not my intention to deceive people into thinking that the images I use are real, and the moment I am surprised to learn that some people thought these are actual pictures, I want to make this clear so that I would not be accused in the future of trying to deceive you with fake period imagery.
I will not take any pictures from books that I read, not even for "fair use". And I will not make use of pictures I come across on the Internet. I prefer to illustrate my posts and videos with images that I create myself.
On top of that, all episodes of The China Podcast are computer generated. The two podcasters James and Jessica, are simply mouthing off words which I feed to them to say. These are all put together to help explain history in a way that is easy to be understood, without using other people's material.
But having said that, in future, I plan to do videos where I will review history-related books or articles, tell you about their content, and refer you to them, so that you can get knowledge from the source, and be clear that I am not simply plucking information from the sky. However, there would also be instances where what I present to you is based on my body of accumulated knowledge, from which I form hypotheses which could not be directed cited.
I want everybody who visit my channel to be aware that the images are for illustration only, and what they come here for, is the quality of information which I have worked hard to research. On top of that, this is not a faceless channel where the authorship is anonymous. You have full awareness of the producer of all the videos because he is directly in communication with you.
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In order to really know history, we need to approach it with an open mind. In other words, we need to be willing to discard existing understanding if new evidence comes to light that expands our knowledge, but also contradicts what we thought we know. Of course, we do not need to accept every document that comes our way as correct - if we do so, we will quickly become confused. On the other hand, we should also not cherry pick facts and documents simply to fit or to support our existing notion or narrative. That's something that many historians and amateurs are guilty of doing. It's like their reputation hangs on their having made a statement that is now carved in stone and cannot be modified. They will only accept documents that support their belief, and if they come across documents that contradict it, they put it aside, or worse, dismiss it.
We should never believe everything we read. That includes material printed a hundred years ago. If we cannot believe everything printed in the newspaper today, why should we believe something just because it is old? Be it today or a hundred years ago, when an author or reporter commits something to print, he brings to the table not only the facts, but also his interpretation of the facts, as well as his opinion, and any existing bias of that period. For example, if we read a 19th century Westerner's description of the Chinese, we might be shocked and regard him as racist. And yet, he might be completely unaware that when his writing is reviewed a century or two later, he would be considered as such. During his time, it was entirely acceptable for him to take such an attitude, which is the same as that of his peers.
Question everything. Even what I am telling you in my videos, I question it too. What if what I told you is incorrect? If I found out, and there is sufficient evidence to tell me so, then I will let you know. Tomorrow I may put out another video where I update what I have previously mentioned. It could happen. That's because I have not stopped learning. But as I progress in my learning, I will continue to share with you what I have learned. I will correct myself with full open mindedness. If I have to tell you that I was wrong over something or other, it won't have an impact on my reputation, for the reputation is built on a sincerity to provide you the information which I believe is correct, at the time I produce my video, and you know that I do not intentionally cloak contradictory information just because it does not align with my narrative.
If you have anything interesting to share, whether it is in the form of a video link or academic paper, do share it in the comment, so that everybody has a chance to expand his knowledge.
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If you are a Chinese in West Malaysia or Singapore, you might at some point in time wonder about your identity. Why are you here, in this region, speaking Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew or some other Chinese language. What was in the minds of your ancestors to make that treacherous journey to a new unknown land and make it their home. You might have heard of famines and warfare which drove them out, but what famine and which warfare?
The history books in school do not adequately explain your origin. You might have read of "Chinese seafarers coming to Malacca during the Sultanate period to trade", but China is a vast country, when the history books state "Chinese seafarers", where in China did they come from?
Quite often, the gaps in knowledge are filled in with assumptions, and more than once, with incorrect assumptions. Did the Chinese come along with Zheng He on his voyages, and he left them in the Malay peninsula to continue their lives here?
Through this series of videos, I am on the quest to uncover the history of the Chinese in West Malaysia and Singapore, for the audience of one: myself. I am doing the research for my own knowledge, as part of understanding my identity and heritage, but I will share what I learn with those who care to listen.
One of my discoveries is that while Zheng He features prominently in China's maritime history, his voyages is only a small beep in the annals compared to the Maritime Silk Road, which has existed for hundreds, even thousands of years, prior to and after Zheng He's voyages, often carried out by the nameless seafaring merchants of Fujian Province, whose role in the maritime trade is often downplayed, and yet whose legacy remains to this day, most prominently, by the language they left behind.
To be exact, if the Ming Dynasty had not collapsed, history would be very different today, and the Chinese diaspora population of Southeast Asia would be much fewer than it is. The fall of the Ming set off a chain of irreversible events, and I will explain it to you, just as I discover and understand it for myself.
I am a Taishanese Cantonese, and yet I am writing about the Hokkiens, for I give credit where it is due. It does not matter whether we are Cantonese, Hokkien or Hakka, we all benefit from understanding our common history.
I am now working on the next video in the series, and will publish it once it's ready. Stay tuned.
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Eleven years ago, in 2013, I embarked on a journey to understand and preserve my identity, as a Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. That journey has helped me know many things, the language that I speak, and where our forefathers come from. In order to understand the Chinese language of Penang, I have to research and learn about the languages of West Malaysia and Singapore. And often, that research requires that I learn about the Chinese diaspora across Southeast Asia, and back to China itself.
Today, eleven years later, I am still researching, I am still finding out, and I am still modifying my knowledge.
In the quest for knowledge, all existing knowledge has to be questioned. We cannot accept something as correct, just because everybody believes that it is so. This is one of the things I discover, because a hundred years ago, history is often not compiled in a clinical fashion. Very often, myths and personal interpretations (of that period) creep into early documentation, and as a result, what we thought we know is the result of regurgitating distortions.
There's so much we need to know, and at times, we need to unlearn what we thought we have known. Is (Chinese) Peranakan the same as Baba Nyonya? Are they the same as Straits Chinese? Are Straits Chinese those born within the Straits Settlements, or those living in the Straits Settlements? Does someone living in Kuala Lumpur qualify as Straits Chinese?
On the other hand, we also have to be on guard that our 21st-century lens does not distort our understanding of the past. We will not be able to see the past as it actually was, if we keep allowing our present understanding of the world around us intrude into our comprehension.
For example, if you are to evaluate a time past, such as the 19th century, we need to remember it as a time when there is no electricity, no photography, no telecommunication, no pipe water, no flush toilets, and, no universal literacy. The ability to read text, as you are doing now, is a privilege and reserve that was exclusive to the elites. If you were a common man, you don't have the opportunity to learn to read. And because people don't read, the amount of reading material is also very limited. It's only in this age of social media that we see an explosion of media material, not only main steam but also off main stream, as on social media.
The limited amount of reading material from the past does not adequately tell us everything about the past. That's because written material of the past is not focused on lifestyle and daily living, it is focused mainly on bureaucracy, religion and commerce. That's why it is difficult to understand the life of people back then, and going through the available reading material is like trying to understand present lifestyle based on sieving official documents, company's annual reports, and religious text.
The way I approach our history is to question a lot, and not accept everything we thought we know as all that we should know. In so doing, we will uncover new truths.
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A conversation I had with internationally renowned linguist Richard Simcott of Polyglot Conference where we discussed Penang Hokkien:
https://youtu.be/kSLMUOZqsA8?si=nPhhZ...
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If you are eager to learn Penang Hokkien, join us at the Learn Penang Hokkien Facebook Group. That's the place where learners of the language can interact with native speakers. You can ask questions and get your questions answered. Join the group here: www.facebook.com/groups/learnpenanghokkien
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Hello and welcome to the Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel. My name is Timothy Tye. I created this channel to promote the learning of Penang Hokkien as a modern, written language. Please visit us at Learn Penang Hokkien on Facebook, and make use of our free online Penang Hokkien Dictionary (www.timothytye.com/dictionary.htm)