Chinese Diaspora and Faith Formation in Peninsular Malaysia: Ayer Salak, 1850-2019

Abstract

Ayer Salak, 17 kilometres from Malacca town, is not only one of the oldest Chinese villages in Malaysia but also one that is predominantly Teochew (Chaozhou) and Christian. It still has about 100 families from the original number of over 200. The village was part of a transnational network of the Teochew people that facilitated the movement of people, trade, the spreading of the Catholic faith and the maintenance of identity. In this network, a key role was played by the Paris Foreign Missions Society whose mission work spanned across the Teochew people of Shantou in China, Singapore, Siam and the Malay Penisula. This transnational network was largely underpinned by the rice trade that moved between Siam, China, and Singapore in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.