Exploring the Meaning of Being Peranakan among the Peranakan Chinese Communities in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The growing interest in the Peranakan identity and heritage at the turn of the 21^st century resumes its momentum in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. The trend sees cultural elements of Peranakanness being selectively copied and adapted into themes and packages in a myriad of industries and popular culture products. For Southeast Asian countries that are home to the Peranakan communities, Peranakan heritage is also a part of the national heritage; its cultural elements are used to represent the nation in international culinary, beauty, and sports events. The trend gradually established certain extrinsic cultural elements as symbols of the Peranakan identity, particularly the iconic kebaya and sarong, Peranakan food and tableware, and the famous Chinese-European fusion architectural and furniture style. However, is this all it takes to be a Peranakan? The present paper explores what it means to be a Peranakan from the insider’s point of view. Qualitative data from narratives of growing-up experiences were collected from 20 informants who are descendants of the Peranakan Chinese community in Kelantan or Terengganu from the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia from December 2021 to July 2022, suggests that while tangible cultural elements including the attire and food were readily recognized along with their phenotypical characteristics as Peranakan ethnic markers, it is the Malay-centric place attachment that incorporates Malay-influenced cultural script, interpersonal relations, and local knowledge of the locality during formative years that shape the life-long meaning and experience of ‘being a Peranakan’, despite not familiar with the ‘Peranakan’ label growing up.