I really liked hearing how the interviewees talked about how they related to being Chinese - taking the best of both sides, or appreciating it more after some event in life.
Being Peranakan, I don't consider myself ethnically Chinese; 'racially' perhaps, but not culturally. Yet I would say that there is certainly a clear heritage and link to some aspects of being Chinese.
Most people in Singapore, seeing my face or name, expect me to be or behave like I'm Chinese, and are dismissive, even offended, when I don't meet their expectations - such as my speaking to them in English, or hearing my poor spoken Chinese when I do try.
In a similar way, I also felt that the Chinese language was forced on me in school, because of my 'race'. Yet it has never been my mother tongue; neither my parents nor three of my grandparents spoke Mandarin. Only my maternal grandfather, like Lim Boon Keng, appreciated the Chinese language and heritage in a significant way.
Thus, my basic reaction is to reject anything that might reinforce others' labelling of me as 'Chinese'.
Yet, apart from the pressures and expectations of others, I realize that, yes, I have clear Chinese roots - and I shouldn't deny them.
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