it depends on who’s asking. if it’s for something official ,like documents, then your hometown would be listed as perak. but if a chinese person is asking, it’s not that straightforward.

younger generations might just consider your birthplace or where you grew up. so perak, again. but for older folks, or younger ones with a traditional mindset, “hometown” means your ancestral origin (in malaysia). that usually traces back to your dad or even your grandfather. in that case, saying johor wouldn’t be wrong either.

you’re definitely considered hokkien, because in chinese culture, heritage is based on the paternal side. your father’s ethnicity, surname, dialect group, and customs define yours, even if you don’t follow any of the traditions or speak a word of hokkien.

it’s still qing ming season now, have you visited your ancestors’ graves yet? you might’ve noticed the tombstones often mention the specific region in china and the ethnic subgroup they came from, even for those who were born and raised here.

at the end of the day, don’t stress too much about what people think. just do your best and succeed in life. what’s the point of being fluent in own dialect or being conscious about culture and heritage if one can’t even get by? memalukan ancestors only.

This post has been edited by incognitroll: Apr 10 2025, 05:41 AM

just because a chinese couple gives birth to a child in the u.s. doesn’t mean the child stops being ethnically chinese. he may grow up speaking only english, celebrating thanksgiving instead of lunar new year, and identifying fully as american—but to many, especially within chinese culture, his roots still define him. origin outweighs upbringing.

it depends on when the question is asked and how it's phrased. if someone you're not familiar with asks “你是什么人？你是哪里人？” (what are you? where do you from?), “乡下在哪里？” (where is your hometown?), or “老家在哪里？” (where is your ancestral home?), which are the most common ways to ask among chinese, they’re usually referring to your ancestral origin, not your place of birth. if your answer is johor, they will most likely nod politely and then ask, "so are you cantonese, or hakka? hakka from which part (of china)? that's usually how the conversation goes.

in chinese culture, the expected answer is often where your family originally came from in china. usually the province and town or district, like guangzhou meixian, or guangxi guilin. so even if you were born in malaysia, your "hometown" in this case would still be considered the place in china where your father (or ancestors) came from. this also depends on the context. if you're discussing chinese new year and going back to visit your parents, and someone asks, 'where is your hometown?', they’re clearly not referring to your ancestral origin.

if they want to know your actual "hometown" like where you were born or raised, they would ask “你父母住哪里？” (where do your parents live?) or “你以前跟父母住哪里？” (where did you live with your parents?). this kind of question would be more similar to how malay people ask “kampung dekat mana?” referring to your actual living or growing-up place, not your ancestral roots.

you might ask, what if my parents used to live in johor but now live in perak? so if someone asks me, "where do your parents live?", how would they know my parents aren't originally from perak? in this case, we would naturally assume they’re asking about our "hometown" in the local sense. we’d answer, "my parents are living with me now in perak. they used to live in johor." it’s just how local chinese tend to express this kind of thing.

This post has been edited by incognitroll: Apr 11 2025, 03:18 PM

an interesting thought came to mind. let’s picture this:

you migrated to the US, got married, and started a family there. one day, while out with your family, you bump into a fellow malaysian. the person turns to your 20-year-old son and casually asks in english, “hey, where’s your hometown?”

your son replies, “brooklyn, NY.”

now pause and think, how would that make you feel?

is it wrong? not really. he was born and raised there. but still… something about that answer hits differently.

now imagine the question was phrased another way:

“do you know about your hometown?” or
“did your dad ever tell you about your hometown?”

that small change reveals something deeper. a connection to roots, to stories, to identity.

maybe then, you’ll begin to understand how we feel about the word “hometown.” it’s more than just a place. it’s a part of who we are.

that's expected from someone coming from the EU. we don't study in dutch here. i've never seen a single sign in dutch in my whole life, and i've never even heard anyone speak it.

on the other hand, chinese roots run deep. it's part of the local culture. schools, universities, shops, tv, radio and almost every aspect of daily life reflects chinese influence, and at the heart of chinese culture is a deep respect for heritage and the importance of tracing one's roots.