BUE 20013

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC WRITING

MAGAZINE ESSAY

COMPARE & CONTRAST

ETHNIC: BABA NYONYA & CHINESE COMMUNITY

GROUP 10
PREPARED BY:

NO NAME MATRIX NO
1 MUHAMMAD SHAZWAN BIN BASTIAN 09BTH21F3003
2 MUHAMMAD YUSOF ROOFI 09BTH21F3019
3 MOHD ZAMIR BIN JOHARI 09BTH21F3008

PREPARED FOR:

DR. PRASANNA KESAVAN

 According to statistics from Frontier Ventures Malaysia (2017), the population of Baba
Nyonya in Malaysia is 259,000 people including Malacca and Penang. The origins of Baba Nyonya
can be traced back to centuries ago when the Chinese emigrated from China to the British Straits
Settlement of Melaka, Singapore, Penang, and also Java of Indonesia (Wei, T. 2012). During the
ancient time, they retained some practices of Chinese cultures but at the same time adapted local
Malay traditions to minimize the culture shock. Baba Nyonya from China. In early times, Chinese
merchants came to Malacca to trade their goods and also be rough laborers and miners. (Tan Yao Sua,
2011). However, the Baba Nyonya identity is the result of the acculturation process which is the
acceptance of foreign culture without losing its own. The Baba Nyonya communities are different
from the Chinese community, although they consider themselves Chinese. The most obvious
difference is in their traditional clothes based on the design of the clothes, the material, and the
evolution of the clothes from time to time.

The difference between Baba Nyonya and the Chinese community’s traditional clothes is their
influence on the design of the clothes. Baba Nyonya’s clothes design is likely influenced by many
countries such as Indonesia, British, and Japan. For example, Indonesia also has an ethnicity that
wears the same design as Baju Panjang from Baba Nyonya. Other than that, the design of Baba
Nyonya is also more similar to Kimono from Japan. Meanwhile, the Chinese community, their
traditional clothes which is Samfoo and Cheongsam is based on Mainland China. Their traditional
clothes design is not influenced by other countries. Their traditional clothes is only worn by their
community. (Chinese Costumes, 2022). Consequently, the difference between Baba Nyonya and
Chinese community traditional clothes is the influence of the design of the clothes.

Another difference between Baba Nyonya and the Chinese community’s traditional clothes is
the material of the cloth. For Baba Nyonya, there is a variety of materials that they use for the clothes.
In the beginning, cotton materials were used for Baju Panjang. Then voile and organza fabrics are
added due to British colonization. Then after Japan conquered Malaya, the material of Baju Panjang
changed into silk. Until now, Baju Panjang from Baba Nyonya comes in a variety of materials.
Meanwhile, the Chinese community only uses cotton to make Samfoo and Cheongsam. Chinese
community’s traditional clothes materials have not changed due to any colonization era in Malaya.
From then until now, the materials that they use in making their traditional clothes remain the same.
In conclusion, the textile in making traditional clothes is different between Baba Nyonya and the
Chinese community.

The evolution of the clothes occurs from time to time and with every change, there will be
improvements to the design and materials. For example, Baba Nyonya clothes evolved from Baju
Panjang to Baju Kebaya Pendek, Baju Kebaya Sulam and Baju Kebaya Modern. Meanwhile, for
Chinese clothing, no changes have taken place, where they still retain the original design and the use
of materials. The growth of clothes from traditional to modern, make a huge transformation while still
maintaining the originality of the clothes. The impact of changes from one colonization era to another
has made the revolution of design and use of materials change accordingly with time.
 We can see the differences in the pattern of the clothes in which Baba Nyonya is more
influenced by other countries compared to the Chinese communities. The textiles that they use for the
clothes are also different. Baba Nyonya uses voile, organza fabric, and silk meanwhile the Chinese
community only uses cotton and fabric. Baba Nyonya’s traditional clothes have changed through
evolution from time to time while the Chinese community remains the same up till now.
In summary, although the Baba Nyonya community may seem the same as the Chinese community,
there are differences between these two communities in terms of their traditional clothes. Through this
discovery, we can identify the differences between The Baba Nyonya and the Chinese Community in
form of their traditional outfit. We hope the younger generation will not forget about the original
traditions and customs and keep practicing and preserving them.

References

Lee, S., & Kim. (2008). The Peranakan Baba Nyonya Culture: Resurgence or
Disappearance? (Vol. 26, pp. 161–170).
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/1125/1/The_Peranakan_Baba_Nyonya_Culture.pdf

Tan Yao Sua ( 2011 ), “Akulturasi Peranakan Cina di Tirok, Terengganu”

dalam Jurnal Terjemahan Alam dan Tamadun Melayu 2:2. Bangi : ATMA
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Wei, T. (2012). Culture and Social Changes of the Baba- Nyonya community in
Malacca. Www.academia.edu.
https://www.academia.edu/3836310/Culture_and_Social_Changes_of_the_Baba_Nyo
nya_Community_in_Malacca