Chapter 3.2: The Straits-Born Chinese (Chinese Peranakan) Traders Flashcards
Name another group of people who were attracted to Singapore’s excellent geographic location / Singapore’s location as a convenient meeting point for traders.
Straits-born Chinese also known as the Chinese Peranakans. They, too, were attracted by business opportunities to set up their own trading houses in Singapore.
Give another reason why the Chinese Peranakans were attracted to Singapore.
Singapore was a free port under the British rule and this enabled merchants to do business and make more profits in Singapore compared to other ports in the region.
What was the advantage of Singapore being a free port under British rule?
Traders from different parts of the world were able to call at the port and trade freely with one another without having to pay custom duties or taxes.
What about other ports, such as the ones controlled by the Dutch?
Only some foreign traders were allowed to trade there and they had to pay heavy taxes to the Dutch government.
Where did most of the Chinese Peranakans who acted as middleman between the British Agency Houses and Asian traders come from?
Mostly from Melaka.
Who was Tan Kim Seng?
One of the first Straits-born Chinese merchants to come to Singapore. His ability to speak different languages helped his business grow rapidly / quickly. He was a very important and influential member of the Chinese community.
Who are the Chinese Peranakans?
Chinese who had lived in the Malay Archipelago for generations and could speak English, Malay and Chinese dialects well enough with the British as well as the Asian traders.
