Chapter 30 Section 2 Overseas Chinese Malay Language and Literature

One of the characteristics of native Indonesian overseas Chinese is that they do not speak Chinese but use the dialect of the place of residence.Indonesia is a country with complex dialects. Sundanese, Javanese, and the "low-level Malay language" of coastal cities (as opposed to the "high-level Malay language" officially protected and promoted) are circulated only in Java Island, where overseas Chinese live in large numbers. ).Overseas Chinese who speak Javanese and Sundanese have played an important role in the local cultural and artistic fields, and even writers have emerged.Around the middle of the 19th century, native overseas Chinese gradually used the "Overseas Chinese Malay language" (also called "Chinese Malay language" and "Market Malay language") that was formed and developed on the basis of low-level Malay language.The basic grammar and basic vocabulary of this Malay language is Malay, but it incorporates many Chinese expressions and absorbs a large number of Chinese (mainly Hokkien dialect) vocabulary.It has not only become the spoken and written language of the native Chinese who speak different dialects, but has actually become the mixed lingua franca of all the residents of Batavia (now Jakarta).The unified national language of Indonesia today was determined in the 20th century, based on the Malay language that was previously popular in various regions of Indonesia.Overseas Chinese Malay is a branch of Malay, which played an important role in the formation of a unified Indonesian language.There are a large number of Chinese (Southern Hokkien) loanwords in the Malay language of overseas Chinese. Most of these loanwords are used in daily life and business. They have now become vocabulary in the unified Indonesian language.The role of overseas Chinese, more specifically native-born overseas Chinese, in the formation of a unified national language in Indonesia should be affirmed.

In 1901, the native overseas Chinese published their first Malay newspaper, Li Pao.Afterwards, various publications in Malay, including works of Confucius and Mencius, Chinese literature and history, and creative novels came out one after another, and Malay literature of native overseas Chinese also began to appear.Most of the earliest works are translations of Chinese classical novels.According to statistics by some scholars, from the 1870s to the early 1960s, Indonesian Chinese writers created and translated more than 3,000 works.Among them, 759 Chinese works were translated, while only 233 Western works were translated during the same period.In nearly 100 years, and under very difficult conditions, such a large number of Chinese classical works have been translated into the same foreign language, which is rare in the world.Translators are almost without exception overseas Chinese, especially native overseas Chinese.Except for a few classic novels, such as , almost all have Malay translations.Translated in 1883, this book was published in at least six editions throughout Java in just 29 years from 1883 to 1912. It was translated in 1885, and at least four translations were published in the following hundred years, and there were three translations.Others, such as "Jing Zhong Yue Zhuan", various koan chivalrous novels, novels of gods and monsters, and Confucian works have been translated and published one after another.Some rap literary works, such as "The Story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", have multiple translations, and the story of Liang Zhu is performed in local operas.The story of Liang Zhu is well-known to every household, not only conquered the native Chinese society, but also penetrated into all walks of life in Indonesia.In short, a large number of excellent Chinese classical literary works have been translated and published by native overseas Chinese. They are not only welcomed by native overseas Chinese readers who do not know Chinese, but also have many readers among Indonesian aborigines, which greatly promotes their understanding of China's long history of civilization. .The contribution of native-born overseas Chinese translators is very outstanding.

China is an ancient civilization in the world. It is a historical fact that Chinese culture spread to Southeast Asia and had a positive impact on the social and cultural development of this region.In Indonesia, the medium of communication is Chinese immigrants and their descendants native-born overseas Chinese.Through the role of Indonesian overseas Chinese in spreading Chinese culture, we can see that in Indonesia, and even throughout Southeast Asia, overseas Chinese also play the role of cultural messengers.