The Chinese writers who came south

Since the late Qing dynasty, writers born and raised in China have left their homeland for Nanyang (Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries) for a variety of reasons. Such reasons include making a living, seeking refuge, going on diplomatic missions, pursuing education, and immigration. Collectively referred to as “writers who came south”, most of them were engaged in Chinese education and journalism. Before 1919, they wrote classical-style poetry and prose using classical Chinese, but many started to use vernacular Chinese to create new literature after 1920, under the influence of China’s May Fourth Movement.

Five waves of immigration

At least five waves of Chinese writers have come to Nanyang over the past century. The first arrivals began in the late Qing period and included diplomats such as Tso Ping-lung (1850–1924), Huang Tsun-hsien (1848–1905), and Yang Yunshi (1875–1941). Others were literati such as Khoo Seok Wan (1874–1941), Yeh Chih Yun (1859–1921), Kang Youwei (1858–1927), and Xiao Yatang (birth and death years unknown). Their works belonged to classical literature and mainly expressed concern for the times and their homeland. Much was dedicated to promoting Chinese education and strengthening the Chinese community’s cultural identification with China. Some works, however, depicted local customs and practices — such as Huang Tsun-hsien’s poems about durians, and Khoo Seok Wan’s Nanyang poetry.

The turbulent period between the early days of the Republic of China and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of 1937 brought a large number of writers to Nanyang, including Lin Kexie (1892–1954), Zhang Shu’nai (1895–1939), Tan Yunshan (1898–1983), Chen Lien Tsing (1907–1943), Wu Zhongqing (1900–1948), Zeng Shengti (1901–1982), Ma Ning (1909–2001), Wang Gekong (1903–1959), Lin Cantian (1901–1972), Qiu Shizhen (1905–1993), Yang Sao (1900–1957), Xu Jie (1901–1993), Pan Shou (1911–1999), and Zhang Chukun (1912–2000). This was the group that pioneered Malayan Chinese new literature, advocating for a perspective on Nanyang through this emerging genre of literature. The acclaimed calligrapher and poet Pan Shou was also involved in the advancement of this genre while he was working as an editor, and wrote vernacular poems himself.

From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 to before the fall of Singapore and Malaya in February 1942, another batch of writers turned up on Singapore’s shores to propagate resistance against the Japanese and advocate for world peace. Among them were Tie Kang (1914–1942), Liu Yanling (1894–1988), Wang Junshi (1910–1942), Gao Yunlan (1910–1956), Yu Dafu (1896–1945), Hu Yuzhi (1896–1986), Shen Zijiu (1898–1989), Baren (1901–1972), and Hong Sisi (1907–1989).

When Malaya and Singapore fell to the Japanese, some of these writers were killed, while others fled. After the war, some of the survivors returned and even stayed on for good. One such individual was Liu Yanling, who spent his final years in Singapore. He belonged to the first generation of Chinese vernacular poets, and his works were posthumously included in a collection titled Zheliu nanlai de shiren: Liu Yanling xinjiapo zuopin xuanji (The poets who came south: collection of Liu Yanling’s literary works written in Singapore).

After the end of World War II came the Chinese Civil War. Ding Jiarui (1916–2000), Xie Baihan (1919–2011), Yang Jia (1917–1995), Yue Ye (1920–2001), and Yao Zi (1920–1982) were among the writers who came to Singapore and Malaya during this period. The 1950s was also the Cold War era, and writers such as Li Kuang (1927–1991), Huang Ya (1931–1992), Yao Tuo (Yiu Hong, 1922–2009), Bai Yao (1934–2015), Ma Moxi (1918–1971), Seow Yeoh Thian (1913–1990), and Yang Jiguang (1925–2001) travelled south from Hong Kong and contributed to the Chinese literary scene of Singapore and Malaya through the founding of publications Chao Foon and The Student Weekly.

Sojourners to settlers

From the 1960s to the 1980s, cultural exchange between China and Nanyang were stagnated for various reasons. After Singapore established diplomatic relations with China in 1990, a large number of Chinese started coming to Singapore for purposes including education, immigration, business, overseas assignments, and reunion with their families. A handful of them became new immigrant writers.

The aforementioned five waves of writers stayed in Nanyang for periods ranging from a few months to several decades. Some of them eventually settled down for good and acquired citizenship in their country of residence, while some went back to China as returned overseas (guiqiao) writers. Others left the region and moved to a third country.

There are differences in the literary works among the various generations of writers who came south. Writers from earlier times were seen as overseas Chinese writers as they considered themselves sojourners with no sense of belonging to the local community. In contrast, some writers from the same era chose to stay and made Nanyang their homeland. Examples include Yao Zi, Li Rulin (1914–1991), Xing Ying (1912–1967), and Li Kuang, who contributed to the growth and development of Chinese literature in Singapore and Malaysia through their writing, editing, and publishing efforts.

The establishment of diplomatic ties between Singapore and China brought the two countries’ relationship into a new era. Besides encountering the sights and sounds of Nanyang, Chinese writers who came to live in Singapore post-independence have witnessed the country’s economic prosperity, political integrity, social stability, and multiculturalism. A number of them have integrated into the local community, becoming Singapore citizens themselves and developing a sense of belonging.