Charming Hainan, Enchanting Malaysia EP5: Homesick Shores

By / HIMC / Updated: 22:24,30-August-2025

One street connects Nanyang with the homeland; one dialect revives the roots etched deep in our blood.

Episode Five brings us into the Malaysia Hainan Heritage Museum and Haikou’s Qilou Historic Street, to listen to stories of homesickness and perseverance that span across the seas. In foreign lands, Hainanese started from scratch — with coffee, chicken rice, and countless trades they took root and thrived, yet they never lost their mother tongue nor their cultural identity.

On the other side of the ocean, Haikou’s Qilou Historic Street stands as a living epic. It is not only an architectural gem, but also the emotional and spiritual homecoming of overseas Hainanese. After years of striving abroad, they returned with knowledge, wealth, and a profound love for their homeland, building what is now a “living fossil of overseas Chinese culture.”

From associations to Qilou streets, from Nanyang back to Hainan, the same dialect still resonates, and the same spirit endures. The Hainanese may travel the world, but their hearts remain tied to one origin. This is a memory born of the sea and reunited by the sea — a dialogue of civilization across time and space.

A Joint Production by

Hainan International Media Center

and Bernama TV

#CharmingHainanEnchantingMalaysia #China #Malaysia #Documentary 

#HainanFTP #ASEAN

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