The Teochew people are a Han Chinese people native to the historical Chaozhou prefecture of eastern Guangdong province who speak the Teo-Swa Min language. Today, most Teochew people live in Hong Kong, Guangdong Province, and also outside China in Southeast Asia, including in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the world, including North America, Australia and France. Teochew cuisine is distinctive. The ancestors of the Teochew people moved to present-day Chaoshan from the Central Plains of China in order to escape from a series of civil wars during the Jin dynasty.
Terms
Teochew can be romanised in a variety of schemes, and are known in Mandarin as Cháozhōu rén and in Cantonese as Chiuchao yan. In referring to themselves as ethnic Chinese, Teochew people generally use Deung nang, as opposed to Hang nang. Teochew people of the diaspora would generally use ting nang to indicate Chinese heritage in a cultural sense. tingnang and tangren are broadly used by Teochew, Hokkien as well as Cantonese Chinese people living outside of China, referring to their maintaining a substantial cultural identity they consider to be Chinese. The identification of "tingnang" could perhaps be due to their early affiliation with the Tang dynasty. It is possible that a large number of Teochew people were immigrants from Northern China who came to settle down in the Chaozhan areas following the establishment of the Tang dynasty. The Teochew people are those who speak the Teochew dialect and identify with Teochew culture, cuisine and customs. Teochew people also commonly refer to each other as ga gi nang.
History
The Teochews were often called Fulao because they came mostly from Henan and Shanxi via Fujian, with well-maintained language and customs from ancient north-central China. As was recorded in pedigrees and ancient inscriptions, one of the two groups of those who originally migrated to the capital city of Fujian later moved to Putian staying for at most one or two generations before being pressured to move to parts of Chaoshan instead in batches during the Tang Dynasty, genetically intermixing with the local people there. Geographic isolation and difficulty in traveling in the past made the Helao or Fulao become a relatively closed population. The Teochew people are mistakenly known to the Cantonese as "Hoklo", literally meaning "men of Fujian", although the term "Teochew" was used in the Straits Settlements in the 19th century and early 20th century. "Teochew" is derived from Teochew prefecture the departmental city where they originate.
Teochew immigration to Singapore
From the 19th century, due to disadvantaged circumstances, significant numbers of Teochew people left their homeland for Singapore and a new life. Early Teochew settlers could trace their origins to eight counties/prefectures: Chao'an, Chenghai, Chaoyang, Jieyang, Raoping, Puning, Huilai and Nan'ao. In addition to these new immigrants from the port of Swatow, there were Teochew people relocating to Singapore from Siam and the Riau Islands. Today, Teochew is the second-most spoken Chinese dialect in Singapore. They are the second-largest Chinese group in Singapore, comprising 21% of the Chinese population. As a result, they play a significant role in commerce and politics.
Teochew in Taiwan
Most of the Teochew descendants in Taiwan have already been "hokkienized". They speak the Taiwanese Hokkien language instead of Teochew. Some of them consider themselves as being Hakka. However, there are still some Teochew in Chaozhou township, in Pingtung County. A 1926 Japanese census found that there were 134,800 people in Taiwan of Teochew ancestry.
Culture
Throughout a history of over 1000 years, the region of Chaoshan, known in ancient times as Teochew Prefecture, has developed and cultivated a prestigious culture which manifests its unique characteristics in language, opera, cuisine, tea practice, music, and embroidery. The Teochew dialect is spoken by roughly 10 million people in Chaoshan and more than five million outside the Chinese mainland. Teochew opera is a traditional art form which has a history of more than 500 years and is now enjoyed by 20 million Teochew people in over 20 countries and regions. Based on local folk dances and ballads, Teochew opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas and originated in the Song Dynasty. The old form of choral accompaniment still preserves its distinctive features. Clowns and females are the most distinctive characters in Teochew opera, and fan-play and acrobatic skills are prominent. Teochew music is popular in Chaoshan's teahouse scene. The Teochew string instrument, gong, drum, and traditional Chinese flute are typically involved in ensembles. The current Chaozhou drum music is said to be similar to the Drum and Wind Music form of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Teochew woodcarving is a form of Chinese woodcarving originating from the Tang Dynasty. It is very popular in Chaoshan. Teochew people used a great deal of Teochew wood carving in their buildings. Yingge dance is a form of Chinese folk dance originating in the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the most representative form of Teochew folk arts. Although few movies or television dramas have been made about the Teochew people, one such notable drama is the Singaporean 1995 drama series The Teochew Family. In 2019 Netflix released the documentary series Flavorful Origins, which focused on Teochew cuisine.
