'I now proudly declare myself as Hinghwa,' says clan member

Clan group for those with roots in China’s Putian among many drawing new members

- Chin Soo Fang

Growing up, Ms Catherine Yeow perceived the Hinghwa community as small and relatively unknown in Singapore.

Frequently met with puzzled expressions when identifying herself as Hinghwa, she often ended up using the more familiar Hokkien label instead.

But this changed after she met Mr Fong Chi Chung, president of the Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network, while providing recruitment services for the regional expansion of his restaurant chain Putien Holdings.

He invited her to join the association to reconnect with her roots and heritage.

In September 2022, Ms Yeow became a member of the Puxian network, one of the newest clan associations in Singapore.

The 53-year-old managing director (Singapore & Thailand) of executive search company HRnet One is a third-generation Hinghwa, with her grandparents and parents being migrants from Putian, a coastal city in the southeast of Fujian province in China.

"I now proudly declare myself as Hinghwa, taking every opportunity to share with others who we are and our origins," she said.

"Despite growing up in a Hinghwa family, my knowledge about our culture and origins was limited, confined mostly to the delicious Hinghwa dishes my grandma and mum prepared," she said.

The Hinghwas first arrived in Singapore in the late 19th century from Putian, also known as Henghua or Henghwa, Hin Ann or Puxian. According to the Census of Population 2020, there are about 27,000 Hinghwa people here.

The Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network, which was inaugurated in 2021, has about 700 members.