Old Malay Texts Concerning the Chinese in the Malay World

Essays from Malay Islamic historiography contain the brief reports on the history of local societies and kingdoms in the Malay world from 13th to 20th centuries. The sources focus mainly on information on rulers, the elite and those in the upper crust of society, in addition to their families, also including information on all those who resided at court. There is much to learn from such sources of knowledge, specifically with regards to politics, intellectual life, trade and economy, shipping, customs and ceremonies, and the very fabric and design of Malay society, to name a few. Scholars have correctly assumed such works to be veritable encyclopedias of Malay life. One of the subjects that is quite frequently recorded in Malay Islamic historiographical texts concerns the various civilizations and races which have lived in the Malay world for centuries. For example, there are records on the Chinese and their respective civilization. The author discusses the information related to China and the Chinese people that can be found in old Malay texts, based on six chronicles, namely Hikayat Raja Pasai (HRP), Sejarah Melayu (SM), Hikayat Aceh (HA), Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor (PSNJ), Hikayat Siak (HS), and Tuhfat al-Nafis (TN). Analysis on these texts revealed that there are various information regarding the Chinese community in the Archipelago, including general information concerning life and customs of the Chinese people, trade routes and toponyms, shipping, trading, Chinese-Malay relations, local stories and legends and others. The analysis also proved that the Chinese community in Malay world experienced some important transition in 13th–19th centuries.