Chinese people first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th century. Today, they make up 24% of the population of Sarawak[1] and consist of communities built from the economic migrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The first Chinese (Hakka) migrants worked as labourers in the gold mines at Bau or on plantations. Through their clan associations, business acumen and work ethic, the Chinese organised themselves economically and rapidly dominated commerce. Today, the Chinese are amongst Sarawak's most prosperous ethnic groups.
The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Hakka
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Hokkien
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Teochew
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Hainanese
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Foochow
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Puxian Min
Whereas Hakka is spoken predominantly by the farmers in the interior, Hokkien and Teochew are the dominant dialects spoken within the major trading towns and among early traders and businessmen. Hainanese (a.k.a. Hailam) were well known as coffee-shop operators, the Henghua are famous as fishermen. The notable difference between those who presided in West Malaysia is the common use of Cantonese. Mandarin however was and still is the unifying language spoken by all the different dialectic groups in both East and West Malaysia.
The Chinese maintain their ethnic heritage and culture and celebrate all the major cultural festivals, most notably Chinese New Year, the Hungry Ghost Festival and Christmas. The Sarawak Chinese are predominantly Buddhists and Christians.
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