Introduction

This chapter addresses the question of why the Singapore Chinese continue to be interested in their ancestral home villages and, more specifically, why they, especially those born in Singapore, have become involved in the life and socio-economic reconstruction of their ancestral villages, as well as in the revival of their traditional culture. In fact, Singapore-born Chinese of Anxi descent have substantial interest in their ancestral villages. Historical and social memories are important in helping individuals to establish themselves in relation to the past and to provide anchorage in their search for self-identity in contemporary society, in which the past and the present have become increasingly separated. The collective memory of the Singapore Anxi Chinese is tied to their shared understandings of their ancestral home, their past experiences and their present expectations. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.