GOLDEN DRAGON AND PURPLE PHOENIX: THE CHINESE AND THEIR MULTI-ETHNIC DESCENDANTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Many books have been written about the Chinese in Southeast Asia, but very few, if any, are written specifically about the multi-ethnic descendants of Chinese immigrants. Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix is not about the diaspora per se of Chinese in Southeast Asia but about the impact of intermarriage between Chinese immigrants and the natives, that is, the intermingling of blood and the offspring from such unions — the influence they wielded on the society and environment they chose to live in. It is also about how they rose to high positions and their contributions to their societies. Some rose to become kings or king makers, others to become presidents, prime ministers, senior ministers, prominent businessmen, or religious leaders. Some openly declared their ancestry and are proud of their Chinese DNA, while others have forgotten their heritage and in their fervour to prove their allegiance to their country of birth, dissociate themselves, assertively through violence, indirectly through economic sanctions and various other means. In short, the multi-ethnic Chinese descendants form a unique community with unique cultural genes of its own, and these fresh and rarely-known stories about them in this book will be a good resource for historical researchers as well as fascinating reading materials for readers in general.With 14 years' experience as a journalist and a 29-year career as a politician and diplomat, Mr. Lee Khoon Choy has set foot on every land in Southeast Asia and observed closely the local life in each country. Mindful of his Hakka identity, Mr. Lee has a keen interest in multi-ethnic Chinese descendants in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, etc.