第二届 白手兴家 - 东盟海外华人纪录大全与表扬奖 ASEAN CHINESE BOOK OF RECORDS AND AWARDS 2022

俗话说“海水到处有华人”,东南亚与中国山水相连。几百年或几十年前,我们的先辈漂洋过海,离乡背井来到南洋陌生的国度讨生活,继而成家立业,从原来的衣锦还乡、落叶归根,变成在异国落地生根、开枝散叶,只为了让下一代能够过上好日子,生生不息。

人人都说华人血脉是天生的企业家,祖辈们为了让我们过上更美好的生活而努力奋斗,所到之处皆是他们打拼的痕迹,而这些个性与精神也流淌在华人的血液里,代代传承。

与此同时华人作为东南亚各国人⺠重要的组成部分,在促进当地经济繁荣方面扮演着举足轻重的⻆色。早期他们当中有者从事种植业或锡矿业,有者开设杂货店、做小商贩,他们从零开始,胼手胝足、努力拼搏,白手兴家,为自己奠下财富的基石,也为国家的经济带来新气象。

华人从下南洋与历经殖⺠时代,到第二次世界大战后的⺠族独立运动,一直到今天溶入当地社会,叱咤商场,也投身政治,并且积极发展教育事业、热心慈善工作,他们创造了东南亚的繁荣奇迹,成为了这片土地的底色。可以说,东盟的近代史和现代史是华人与原住⺠土著族群共同谱写的。

There’s a saying that goes “Wherever there is ocean, there will be Chinese people.”

This saying rings true as all throughout our ancestors’ journey decades ago were mountains and rivers which connected China and Southeast Asia. They left their hometowns and traveled to foreign lands with a dream of having a better life for themselves and their children. They planted roots in new areas and started their venture into various sectors.

Till this day, the literal and metaphorical bonds still live on in Southeast Asian Chinese. The core values of hard work, self-improvement, and ingenuity flows through the veins of every Chinese person. Generations on, they are still known for their entrepreneurial prowess.

It was at the same time, our Chinese ancestors played a key role in economic growth for Southeast Asian countries. During the early days, some tried their hand in farming and tin mining while others started to be small time traders and open grocery stores.

Their hard work building the foundation for their families and wealth from scratch brings a new outlook to everyone.
The Chinese have gone from immigrating to Nanyang, living through the colonial era, and achieving national independence movement after WWII to being integrated into Southeast Asia. Their integration included being involved in the business, political, education, and humanitarian sector. They were the driving force that made Southeast Asia thrive. It can be said that the history of the modern ASEAN region was written by the aborigines and Chinese.