What is a Born-again Chinese?

What is a Born-again Chinese?

With the emergence of China as a new world/economic power, many ethnic Chinese across the globe are becoming increasingly aware and proud of their Chinese roots and cultural heritage. In Malaysia, this phenomenon is particularly observable: more and more ethnic Chinese Malaysians are sending their children to vernacular schools where Chinese is the medium of instruction; attending Chinese classes have become fashionable among working adults, and Chinese Malaysian are taking vacation trips to different parts of China in droves. In short, everything Chinese has become popular. This writer, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian with Christian upbringing, has come to see a parallel between the born-again Christians and the new “Chinese”. Thus, she coined the term “born-again Chinese” in jest, to tease the English-educated Anglophone Chinese around her. This term seems to have caught on and gained wide acceptance among Chinese Malaysians.

However, a search on the Internet for “born-again Chinese” revealed that several people in different parts of the world have used this term in the same context. The earliest entry was, in fact, in 1994!

Here are some of the references to the term:
1. The Sunday Times, July 17 1994.

http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~tanhw/life/sunday/confess.html

By Sumiko Tan
Confessions of a born-again Chinese

2) http://www.sino- economy.com/index.php?s=4e9b79628a0f052a2e46ee0c3f26bcb4&showtopic=277&pid=2349&st=0&#entry2349

Feb 18 2007 by New Lord Shang:
I was born in HK but raised in North America. ………..From being your typical apolitical model-minority Asian growing up in North America with no particular strong feelings towards one's culture, I've become what you might say a born-again Chinese. That's my new religion, being Chinese. As there are Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, I'M CHINESE AND PROUD OF IT !!

3) http://goldsea.com/Air/True/ILF/abc.html
Born-Again ABC Man Comes Home
Tuesday, December 10, 2002

4) http://www.dharmacafe.com/index.php/news-briefs/article/i-looked-like-everyone-else-but-i-cant-be-chinese/

I looked like everyone else. But I can’t be Chinese.
The Adelaide Festival Centre’s new OzAsia festival celebrates Australian artists with Asian heritage and cultural collaborations with our nearest neighbours. Photographer and storyteller William Yang writes about his new show, China, based on his travels there, and his discovery that he is a stranger in his own motherland. ... I was born in North Queensland, a third generation Australian-born Chinese, and I was brought up in the Western way. ... Eventually, in my mid 30s, I embraced my Chinese heritage. I did this when I became interested in Taoism, a Chinese philosophy. Friends at the time describe me as becoming born-again Chinese. Read Article

5) http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22409210-5006348,00.html

By William Yang