The Cantonese people () or Yue people (), are a Yue-speaking

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

subgroup In group theory, a branch of mathematics, given a group ''G'' under a binary operation ∗, a subset ''H'' of ''G'' is called a subgroup of ''G'' if ''H'' also forms a group under the operation ∗. More precisely, ''H'' is a subgroup ...

originating from or residing in the provinces of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

and Guangxi (collectively known as

Liangguang Liangguang (; Chinese postal romanization, Postal romanization: Liangkwang) is a Chinese language, Chinese term for the Provinces of China, province of Guangdong and the former province and present Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region o ...

), in Southern Mainland China. Although more accurately, "Cantonese" refers only to Han Chinese with roots from

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

and its satellite cities and towns, rather than simply and generally referring to the people of the Liangguang region. Historically centered and predominant in the

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...

Basin shared between Guangdong and Guangxi, the Cantonese people are also responsible for establishing their

native language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

's usage in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

during their 19th century migrations within the times of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

colonial eras respectively. Cantonese remains today as a majority language in Guangdong and Guangxi, despite the increasing influence of Mandarin.

Taishanese people Taishanese people or Sze Yup people or Toisanese (, Taishanese: Hlei Yip Gong Ong Ngin) are a Han Chinese group coming from Sze Yup ( 四邑), which consisted of the four county-level cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Xinhui and Enping. Heshan has ...

may also be considered Cantonese but speak a distinct variety of Yue Chinese,

Taishanese Taishanese (), alternatively romanized in Cantonese as Toishanese or Toisanese, in local dialect as Hoisanese or Hoisan-wa, is a dialect of Yue Chinese native to Taishan, Guangdong. Although it is related to Cantonese, Taishanese has littl ...

Terminology

"Cantonese" has been generally used to describe all Chinese people from Guangdong since "Cantonese" is commonly treated as a synonym with "Guangdong" and the Cantonese language is treated as the sole language of the region. This is inaccurate as "Canton" itself technically only refers to Guangdong's capital

and the Cantonese language specifically refers to only the Guangzhou dialect of the

Yue Chinese Yue () is a group of similar Sinitic languages spoken in Southern China, particularly in Liangguang (the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces). The name Cantonese is often used for the whole group, but linguists prefer to reserve that name for ...

languages. David Faure points out that there is no direct Chinese translation of the English term "Cantonese". The English name "Canton" derived from

or , a muddling of dialectical pronunciations of "

" (e.g., Hakka ''Kóng-tûng''). Although it originally and chiefly applied to the walled city of Guangzhou, it was occasionally conflated with

by some authors. Within Guangdong and Guangxi, Cantonese is considered the prestige dialect and is called ''baahk wá'', () which means "vernacular". In historical times, it was known as "Guangzhou speech" or Guangzhounese (廣州話, 广州话, Gwóngjāu wá). Other Yue peoples are sometimes labelled as "Cantonese" such as the

(), even though

() has low intelligibility to

Standard Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

. Some literature uses neutral terminology such as Guangdongese and Guangxiese to refer to people from these provinces without the cultural or linguistic affiliations to Cantonese.

History

Pre-19th century: History of Liangguang

Until the 19th century, Cantonese history was largely the history of

and Guangxi provinces. What is now Guangdong and later Guangxi, was first brought under Qin influence by a general named Zhao Tuo, who later founded the kingdom of

Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establis ...

in 204 BC. The Nanyue kingdom went on to become the strongest

Baiyue The Baiyue (, ), Hundred Yue, or simply Yue (; ), were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of East China, South China and Northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, b ...

state in China, with many neighbouring kingdoms declaring their allegiance to Nanyue rule. Zhao Tuo took the Han territory of

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

and defeated the Han dynasty's first attack on Nanyue, later annexing the kingdom of Minyue in the east and conquering Âu Lạc, Northern Vietnam, in the west in 179 BC. The greatly expanded Nanyue kingdom included the territories of modern-day

, Guangxi and Northern Vietnam (Tonkin), with the capital situated at modern-day

. The native peoples of Liangguang remained under Baiyue control until the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

in 111 BC, following the Han–Nanyue War. However, it was not until subsequent dynasties such as the Jin Dynasty, the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

and the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

that major waves of Han Chinese began to migrate south into Guangdong and Guangxi. Waves of migration and subsequent intermarriage meant that existing populations of both provinces were displaced, but some native groups like the Zhuangs still remained. The Cantonese often call themselves "people of Tang" (). This is because of the inter-mixture between native and Han immigrants in Guangdong and Guangxi reached a critical mass of acculturation during the Tang dynasty, creating a new local identity among the Liangguang peoples. During the 4th–12th centuries,

people from the central plains migrated and settled in the South of China. This gave rise to peoples including the Cantonese themselves and other dialect groups of Guangdong during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

. There have been multiple migrations of Han people into Southeastern and Southern China throughout history. The origin of the Cantonese people is thus said to be Northern Chinese peoples that migrated to Guangdong and Guangxi while it was still inhabited by

peoples. During

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later seized the thron ...

's reign in the

(206BC–220AD), there were influxes of Han Chinese migrants into Guangdong and Guangxi, western coast of Hainan, Annam (now Northern Vietnam) and Eastern Yunnan.

19th–20th century: Turmoil and migration

During the early 1800s, conflict occurred between Cantonese and Portuguese pirates in the form of the Ningpo massacre after the defeat of Portuguese pirates. The First (18391842) and Second Opium Wars (18561860) led to the loss of China's control over

and Kowloon, which were ceded to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

also became a Portuguese settlement. Between 1855 and 1867, the Punti–Hakka Clan Wars caused further discord in Guangdong and Guangxi. The

third plague pandemic The third plague pandemic was a major bubonic plague pandemic that began in Yunnan, China, in 1855. This episode of bubonic plague spread to all inhabited continents, and ultimately led to more than 12 million deaths in India and China (and perha ...

of 1855 broke out in

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

and spread to the Liangguang region via Guangxi, killing thousands and spreading via water traffic to nearby Hong Kong and Macau. The turmoil of the 19th century, followed by the political upheaval of the early 20th century, compelled many residents of Guangdong to migrate overseas in search of a better future. Up until the second half of the 20th century, the majority of overseas Chinese emigrated from two provinces of China; Guangdong and

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

. As a result, there are today many Cantonese communities throughout the world, including in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, the Pacific Islands, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, the Caribbean and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, with Chinatowns commonly being established by Cantonese communities. There have been a large number of

interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 1 ...

s between Cantonese men and women from other nations (especially from Cuba, Peru, Mexico), as most of the Cantonese migrants were men. As a result, there are many Afro-Caribbeans and South American people of Cantonese descent including many Eurasians. Unlike the migrants from

, who mostly settled in

, many Cantonese emigrants also migrated to the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

, particularly the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Many Cantonese immigrants into the United States became railroad labourers, while many in South America were brought in as

coolie A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...

s. Cantonese immigrants in the United States and Australia participated in the California Gold Rush and the Australian gold rushes of 1854 onwards, while those in Hawaii found employment in sugarcane plantations as contract labourers. These early immigrants variously faced hostility and a variety of discriminatory laws, including the prohibition of Chinese female immigrants. The relaxation of immigration laws after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

allowed for subsequent waves of migration to the Western world from Southeastern

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

and

. As a result, Cantonese continues to be widely used by Chinese communities of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau regional origin in the Western hemisphere, and has not been supplanted by the Mandarin-based Standard Chinese. A large proportion of the early migrants also came from the

Siyi The Siyi (Seiyap or Sze Yup in Cantonese; ) refers to the four former counties of Xinhui (Sunwui), Taishan (Toisan), Kaiping (Hoiping) and Enping (Yanping) on the west side of the Pearl River Delta in Southern Guangdong Province, China. Geogra ...

region of Guangdong and spoke

. The Taishanese variant is still spoken in American Chinese communities, by the older population as well as by more recent immigrants from Taishan, in Jiangmen, Guangdong.

Cantonese influence on Xinhai Revolution

Cantonese uprising against feudal China in 1895 let to its naming as the "cradle of the Xinhai Revolution".Langmead, Donald.

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection code ...

(2011). Maya Lin: A Biography. ABC-CLIO publishing. , 9780313378539. pg 5–6. Revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen was born in

Zhongshan Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 ...

, Guangdong. Hong Kong was where he developed his thoughts of revolution and was the base of subsequent uprisings, as well as the first revolutionary newspaper. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary army was largely made up of Cantonese, and many of the early revolutionary leaders were also Cantonese.

Cultural hub

Cantonese people and their culture are centered in

, Eastern Guangxi,

and

(formerly known as Canton), the capital city of Guangdong, has been one of China's international trading ports since the

. During the 18th century, it became an important centre of the emerging trade between China and the Western world, as part of the

Canton System The Canton System (1757–1842; zh, t=一口通商, p=Yīkǒu tōngshāng, "Single orttrading relations") served as a means for Qing China to control trade with the West within its own country by focusing all trade on the southern port of ...

. The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top three cities in the world. Operating from the Thirteen Factories located on the banks of the

outside Canton, merchants traded goods such as

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

("fine china") and

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

, allowing Guangzhou to become a prosperous city. Links to overseas contacts and beneficial tax reforms in the 1990s have also contributed to the city's ongoing growth. Guangzhou was named a global city in 2008. The migrant population from other provinces of China in Guangzhou was 40 percent of the city's total population in 2008. Most of them are rural migrants and they speak only standard Chinese. Hong Kong and Macau are two of the richest cities in the world in terms of GDP per capita and are autonomous

SARs Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

(Special Administrative Regions) that are under independent governance from China. Historically governed by the

and

empires respectively, colonial Hong Kong and Macau were increasingly populated by migrant influxes from mainland China, particularly the nearby Guangdong Province. For that reason, the culture of Hong Kong and Macau became a mixture of Cantonese and Western influences, sometimes described as "East meets West".

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Island was first colonised by the

in 1842 with a population of only 7,450; however, it was in 1898 that Hong Kong truly became a British colony, when the British also colonised the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

(which constitute 86.2% of Hong Kong's modern territory). It was during this period that migrants from China entered, mainly speaking

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

(the prestige variety of

) as a common language. During the following century of British rule, Hong Kong grew into a hub of Cantonese culture and has remained as such since the handover in 1997. Today Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial centres and the Hong Kong dollar is the thirteenth most-traded currency in the world.

Macau

native people are known as the Tanka. A dialect similar to Shiqi (), originating from

() in Guangdong, is also spoken in the region. Parts of Macau were first loaned to the Portuguese by China as a trading centre in the 16th century, with the Portuguese required to administrate the city under Chinese authority. In 1851 and 1864, the Portuguese Empire occupied the two nearest offshore islands

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; pt, Taipa, ) was a former island in Macau, presently united with the island of Coloane by reclaimed land known as Cotai. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do ...

and

Coloane Coloane (Cantonese: Lou Wan) is a former island in Macau that is united with the island of Taipa by an area of reclaimed land known as Cotai. It is located at the southern part of Macau. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil pa ...

respectively and Macau officially became a colony of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

in 1887. Macau was returned to China in 1999. By 2002, Macau had become one of the world's richest cities and by 2006, it had surpassed

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

to become the world's biggest gambling centre. Macau is also a world cultural heritage site due to its Portuguese colonial architecture.

Culture

The term "Cantonese" is used to refer to the native culture, language and people of Guangdong and Guangxi. There are cultural, economic, political, generational and geographical differences in making "Cantonese-ness" in and beyond Guangdong and Guangxi, with the interacting dynamics of migration, education, social developments and cultural representations.

Language

The term "Cantonese language" is sometimes used to refer to the broader group of

languages and dialects spoken in

and Guangxi, although it is used more specifically to describe ''Gwóngjāu wah'' (), the prestige variant of

spoken in the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton). ''Gwóngjāu wah'' is the main language used for education, literature and media in Hong Kong and Macau. It is still widely used in

, despite the fact that a large proportion of the city's population is made up by migrant workers from elsewhere in China that speak non-Cantonese variants of Chinese and Standard Mandarin. Though in recent years it is slowly falling out of favour with the younger generation prompting fears in Cantonese people that the language may die out. Cantonese language's erosion in Guangzhou is due to a mix of suppression of the language and the mass migration of non-Cantonese speaking people in to the area. Because of its tradition of usage in music, cinema, literature and newspapers, this form of Cantonese is a cultural mark of identity that distinguishes Cantonese people from speakers of other varieties of Chinese, whose languages are prohibited to have strong influences under China's Standard Mandarin policy. The pronunciation and vocabulary of Cantonese has preserved many features of the official language of the

with elements of the ancient Yue language.''South China Morning Post''. 009(2009). 11, October. "Linguistic heritage in peril". By Chloe Lai.

Written Cantonese Written Cantonese is the most complete written form of Chinese after that for Mandarin Chinese and Classical Chinese. Written Chinese was originally developed for Classical Chinese, and was the main literary language of China until the 19th cent ...

is very common in

manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...

, books, articles, magazines, newspapers, online chat, instant messaging, internet blogs and social networking websites.

Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

, cartoons and foreign films are also dubbed in Cantonese. Some videogames such as Sleeping Dogs, Far Cry 4, Grand Theft Auto III and

Resident Evil 6 ''Resident Evil 6'' is a 2012 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. A major installment in the '' Resident Evil'' series, ''Resident Evil 6'' was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2012, and for ...

have substantial Cantonese dialogues.

Arts

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...

during its early glory had spread to Mainland China, Taiwan, (South) Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Well-known Cantopop singers include

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

Aaron Kwok Aaron Kwok Fu-shing (born 26 October 1965) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. Active since the 1980s, Kwok is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. Dubbed the "God of Dance", Kwok's onstage dancing is influenc ...

, Joey Yung, Alan Tam,

Roman Tam Roman Tam Pak-sin (; 12 February 1945– 18 October 2002), known professionally by his stage name Law Man (), was a Hong Kong singer. He is regarded as the "Grand Godfather of Cantopop". Career Born in Baise, Guangxi, China, with family root ...

Anita Mui Anita Mui Yim-fong (; 10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout her career, and i ...

Danny Chan Danny Chan Pak-Keung (; 7 September 1958 – 25 October 1993) was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter, records producer and actor. He is widely recognised as the first modern day pop idol in Hong Kong, gaining fame alongside performers Alan Tam, ...

Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent ...

, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai,

Sammi Cheng Sammi Cheng Sau-man (; born 19 August 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dub ...

and

Coco Lee Coco Lee (; born Ferren Lee, 17 January 1975) is a Hong Kong-American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Lee's career began in Hong Kong and then expanded to Taiwan. Her single, "Do You Want My Love" also entered the US m ...

, many of whom are of Cantonese or

origin. The Hong Kong movie industry was the third-largest movie industry in the world (after Hollywood and

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

) for decades throughout the 20th century, with Cantonese-language films viewed and acclaimed around the world. Recent films include ''

Kung Fu Hustle ''Kung Fu Hustle'' ( zh, c=功夫, l=Kung Fu) is a 2004 Cantonese-language action comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Stephen Chow. The film tells the story of a murderous neighbourhood gang, a poor village with unlik ...

'', ''

Infernal Affairs ''Infernal Affairs'' is a 2002 Hong Kong action thriller film co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Jointly written by Mak and Felix Chong, it stars Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. The film fo ...

'' and ''

Ip Man 3 ''Ip Man 3'' is a 2015 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Raymond Wong and written by Edmond Wong with action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping. It is the third in the ''Ip Man'' film series based on the ...

''. Cantonese people are also known to create various schools or styles of arts, with the more prominent being

Lingnan architecture Lingnan architecture (), or Cantonese architecture, refers to the characteristic architectural style(s) of the Lingnan region – the Southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Usually, it is referring to the architecture associated wi ...

, Lingnan school of painting, Canton porcelain,

Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of Ch ...

, Cantonese music, among many others.

Cuisine

Cantonese cuisine has become one of the most renowned types of cuisine around the world, characterised by its variety of cooking methods and use of fresh ingredients, particularly seafood. One of the most famous examples of Cantonese cuisine is dim sum, a variety of small and light dishes such as '' har gow'' (steamed shrimp dumplings), '' siu mai'' (steamed pork dumplings) and ''

cha siu bao ''Char siu bao'' () is a Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled ''baozi'' (bun).Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. 005 ''The Food of China: A Journey for Food Lovers''. Bay Books. . p. 24. The buns are filled with barbecue-flavored ''cha siu ...

'' (barbecued pork buns).

Genetics

According to research, Cantonese peoples' paternal lineage is mostly Han, while their maternal lineage is mostly

aboriginals. Speakers of

Pinghua Pinghua (; Yale: ''Pìhng Wá''; sometimes disambiguated as /) is a pair of Sinitic languages spoken mainly in parts of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with some speakers in Hunan province. Pinghua is a trade language in some areas of Gu ...

and Tanka, however, lack Han ancestry and are "truly, mostly pureblood

". These genetic differences have contributed to Cantonese differing from other Han Chinese groups in terms of physical appearance and proneness to certain diseases. The genetic admixture of the Cantonese people clusters somewhere between the

Zhuang people The Zhuang (; ; za, Bouxcuengh, italic=yes; ) are a Tai-speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Hunan provinces. They form one of ...

(Tai) and the Northern Plains Han Chinese people.

Notable figures

This is an incomplete list of notable Cantonese people.

Historical

* Liu Yan, king of Nanhai and first emperor of the Yue/Han kingdom between 917–971 * Liang Daoming, king of Palembang during the Ming dynasty. * Chow Ah Chi, a Toisan Cantonese was Sir Stamford Raffles' ship carpenter who was the first man to land on modern-day

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and led the way in posting the East India Company's flag on Singapore Island. * Ching Shih, a female pirate leader brothel owner * Cheng I, pirate and husband of Ching Shih * Ah Pak, pirate chieftain who defeated Portuguese pirates * Liu Chang, the last emperor of the Southern Han Kingdom *

Yuan Chonghuan Yuan Chonghuan (; 6 June 1584 – 22 September 1630), courtesy name Yuansu or Ziru, was a Chinese politician, military general and writer who served under the Ming dynasty. Widely regarded as a patriot in Chinese culture, he is best known for d ...

, a Chinese general and hero from Ming dynasty who defeated and ward off the Manchu invasion 李鐵夫孫中山12345

* Sun Yat-sen, born in Zhongshan, Guangdong; Chinese revolutionary and founder of the Republic of China *

Deng Shichang Deng Shichang (4 October 1849 – 17 September 1894), courtesy name Zhengqing, posthumous name Zhuangjie, was an Imperial Chinese Navy officer who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for his service in the Beiyang Fleet during the ...

, admiral and one of the first modern naval officers in China in the late Qing dynasty * Tse Tsan-tai, early Chinese revolutionary of the late Qing Dynasty *

Kang Youwei Kang Youwei (; Cantonese: ''Hōng Yáuh-wàih''; 19March 185831March 1927) was a prominent political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His increasing closeness to and influence over the young Guangxu Emperor spar ...

was a Chinese scholar, noted calligrapher and prominent political thinker and reformer of the late Qing dynasty. *

Liang Qichao Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啓超 ; Wade-Giles: ''Liang2 Chʻi3-chʻao1''; Yale: ''Lèuhng Kái-chīu'') (February 23, 1873 – January 19, 1929) was a Chinese politician, social and political activist, journalist, and intellectual. His thou ...

was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist who lived during the Qing dynasty and Republic of China. * Henry Lee Hau Shik, first Finance Minister of the Federation of Malaya and the only major leader of the independence movement not born in Malaya. *

Jiang Guangnai Jiang Guangnai (; 17 December 1888 – 8 June 1967) was a general and statesman in the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, and was born in Dongguan, Guangdong. Defense of Shanghai He became a bodyguard to Sun Yat-sen and, in 19 ...

, general and statesman in the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China who successfully defended Shanghai City from the Japanese invasion in the 28 January Incident of 1932

Entertainers

* Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American and Asian female international movie star *

, singer and actress, dubbed as the " Madonna of the East". * Harry Shum Jr., actor * James Wong Howe, leading Hollywood cinematographer in the 1930s–40s and ten-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee * Lai Man-Wai, the father of Hong Kong cinema * Stephen Chow, His mother is Cantonese but his grandfather is from Ningbo. He is actor and film director known for the comedy blockbusters ''

Shaolin Soccer ''Shaolin Soccer'' ( Chinese: ) is a 2001 Hong Kong sports comedy film directed by Stephen Chow, who also stars in the lead role. The film revolves around a former Shaolin monk who reunites his five brothers,"Brothers" here does not mean biolo ...

'' and ''

''. *

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun ...

, influential film director *

Tony Leung Chiu-wai use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place ...

, award-winning actor known for his collaborations with

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

, including '' In The Mood For Love'' *

, one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful singers and actors since the mid-1980s *

Gigi Lai Gigi Lai (born 1 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. Entering the entertainment industry in 1985, Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB from 1991 until she retired in 2008. Nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the ...

, actress and Cantopop singer *

, dancer and singer since the early 1990s *

Amy Kwok Amy Kwok (born September 26, 1967) is a former Miss Hong Kong (1991) winner and actress based in Hong Kong. Education Kwok earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University. Kwok earned a master's degree in Mechanical ...

, actress and

Miss Hong Kong The Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. The current Miss Hong Kong is Denice La ...

1991 *

Eason Chan Eason Chan Yick Shun (born 27 July 1974) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Chan was ranked sixth in the 2013 Forbes China Celebrity Top 100 List. In 2006 Chan's Cantonese album ''U87'' was named one of ''Time'' magazine's "Five Asian Albums W ...

, well-known Cantopop singer * Rainie Yang, Taiwanese singer *

Vivian Chow Vivian Chow Wai-man (, born 10 November 1967) is a Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer-songwriter and actress. Life and career Vivian Chow is the only child in her family. Her father died before her birth due to heart disease. She was brought u ...

, Cantopop singer and actress * Fish Leong, Malaysian Chinese singer * Kris Wu, Chinese Canadian actor and singer, former member of K-pop boy band EXO. * Jackson Wang, singer and member of K-pop boy band GOT7. *

Louis Koo Louis Koo Tin-lok ( zh, t=古天樂; born 21 October 1970) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong actor, singer and film producer. He began his professional career as an actor in local television series, winning TVB's Best Actor award in 1999 and 2001 ...

, Hong Kong actor * Tony Leung Ka-fai, Hong Kong actor * Cheung Ka Fai, Hong Kong actor * Leo Ku, Hong Kong singer *

Rui En Loh Rui En (born 29 January 1981), better known by her stage name Rui En (瑞恩), is a Singaporean actress and was named as one of the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp in 2006. She was under contract of MediaCorp and managed under Hype Records. ...

, famous Singaporean actress *

Liang Wern Fook Dr Liang Wern Fook (; born 1964 in Singapore) is a Cantonese Singaporean writer, musician, singer and researcher in Chinese literature and pedagogy. He was one of the pioneer figures in '' xinyao'' (Singaporean Chinese folk songs) movement i ...

, one of the pioneer figures in Singaporean Chinese folk songs * Yuen Woo-ping, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema * Sinn Sing Hoi, one of the earliest generation of Chinese composers *

Chris Cheong Christopher Cheong Kit Kei (courtesy name 閻王 Yan Wang born 18 November 1992 in Penang), better known by the stage name Chris Cheong is an international Mentalism, mentalist and Magic (illusion), illusionist. He was previously credited to ...

, an international mentalist and illusionist. *

Terence Cao Terence Cao Guohui (born 6 October 1967) is a Singaporean television actor. Biography Cao studied at Anglo-Chinese School for both his primary and secondary education. Cao used to be a flight attendant and joined Singapore Broadcasting Corpora ...

, Singaporean actor * Mark Chen, renowned Singaporean composer * Kelly Poon, Singaporean singer *

Awkwafina Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian who rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...

, American rapper, comedian, television personality, television host * Jeff Chan, Asian American tenor saxophonist and composer * Zen Chong, Malaysian actor and won supporting acting in 2009 *

Michael Paul Chan Michael Paul Chan (born June 26, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Lieutenant Michael Tao on the TNT series ''The Closer'' and '' Major Crimes''. He also acted in '' U.S. Marshals'', playing an assassin. Biography Ch ...

is an American film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. * Laura Ling, American journalist and writer. Correspondent and vice-president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit. * Lisa Ling, American journalist, television presenter, special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show *

Sam Tsui Samuel Tsui (born May 2, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter and video producer. He rose to fame as an internet celebrity known for doing covers and musical medleys of songs by pop artists. He has since released original songs and expanded t ...

, American singer/songwriter and video producer. Internet celebrity with 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube. * Wong brothers, three ethnic Chinese film directors, the pioneers of the Indonesian movie industry *

Lo Lieh Wang Lap Tat (June 29, 1939 – November 2, 2002), better known by his stage name Lo Lieh, was an Indonesian-born Hong Kong film actor and martial artist. Lo was perhaps best known as Chao Chih-Hao in the 1972 martial arts film '' King Boxer' ...

, famous Hong Kong action star * Lü Wencheng, master of Cantonese music and Guangdong folk music * Warren Mok, an operatic tenor who has performed many leading roles since his European debut in 1987. *

Hung Sin Nui Hung Sin Nui (25 December 1924 – 8 December 2013) () was a former Chinese actress and Cantonese opera singer from Hong Kong and China. Hung was a national treasure level Cantonese opera master.(Required paid subscription) Life In 1924, Hung was ...

, Master of Chinese and Cantonese opera.

Politicians

Tang Shaoyi Tang Shaoyi (; 2 January 1862 – 30 September 1938), also spelled Tong Shao Yi, courtesy name Shaochuan (), was a Chinese statesman who briefly served as the first Premier of the Republic of China in 1912. In 1938, he was assassinated by the ...

, Prime Minister of the Republic of China * Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of Hong Kong * Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of Macau *

Fernando Chui Fernando Chui Sai-on (; born 13 January 1957) is a Macau politician who served as the 2nd Chief Executive of Macau from 2009 to 2019. He served as Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs from 1999 to 2009. Chui was born in 1957 to local c ...

, Chief Executive of Macau * Wu Ting-fang, Chinese foreign minister * Wen Tsungyao, Chinese politician and diplomat *

Kang Tongbi Kang Tongbi (; 1887–1969), also romanized as Kang Tung Pih, was the daughter of Kang Youwei, a Chinese reformer and political figure of the late Qing dynasty and early Republican era. Early life In 1880, Kang was born in Southern China. Offi ...

Chinese politician. * Hiram Fong, the first Asian American and Chinese to be elected as Republican United States Senator and nominated for presidency of the United States *

John So John Chun Sai So (; born 2 October 1946) is a Hong Kong Australian businessman who served as the 102nd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia. He was the first Lord Mayor in the city's history to be directly elected by v ...

, the first Lord Mayor of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to be directly elected by the people in 2006 and the first mayor of Asian descent *

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...

, 26th

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

, the first non-white Canadian to be appointed to the vice-regal position *

Norman Kwong Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also an active businessman ...

, the 16th Lieutenant Governor of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

* Gary Locke, first governor of a state in the Continental United States of Asian descent; the only Chinese American ever to serve as a governor *

Judy Chu Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chin ...

, first Chinese American woman to be elected to the United States Congress * Julius Chan, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982 and from 1994 to 1997 *

Lee Siew Choh Lee Siew Choh (; 1 November 1917 – 18 July 2002) was a Singaporean politician and physician. He was the Member of Parliament for Queenstown from 1959 to 1963 and served as the NCMP from September 1988 to August 1991. Initially a member of ...

, politician and medical doctor. Singapore's first Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) * Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan was the first Chief Minister of Sarawak. * Víctor Joy Way was the Prime Minister of Peru from January 1999 until December 1999. * José Antonio Chang Escobedo was the Prime Minister of Peru and second Chinese Peruvian Prime Minister, the first being Víctor Joy Way * Peter Chin, lawyer and 56th

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand mayor * Meng Foon, mayor of

Gisborne, New Zealand Gisborne ( mi, Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa "Great standing place of Kiwa") is a city in northeastern New Zealand and the largest settlement in the Gisborne District (or Gisborne Region). It has a population of The district council has its headquarte ...

Alan Lowe Alan Lowe (born July 26, 1961) is a Canadians, Canadian politician. He served as mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, 1999–2008. Education In 1982 Lowe earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of Manitoba, and ...

, architect, former mayor of

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, Canada *

Ida Chong Ida Chong (; born 1956 or 1957) is a British Columbia politician who served as MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head from 1996 until 2013. Chong and BC NDP MLA Jenny Kwan together became the first Chinese-Canadian members of the BC Legislative Assembl ...

, accountant, former municipal councillor of Saanich, British Columbia, former cabinet minister/Member of Legislative Assembly of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada *

Chang Apana Chang Apana (December 26, 1871 – December 8, 1933; ) was a Chinese-Hawaiian member of the Honolulu Police Department, first as an officer, then as a detective. He was acknowledged by Earl Derr Biggers as the inspiration for his fictional Chines ...

, inspirational detective with an influential law enforcement career * Kin W. Moy American diplomat and the first ethnic Chinese to be director of the American Institute in Taiwan. * Debra Wong Yang, first Asian American woman to serve as a United States Attorney. *

Chan Heng Chee Chan Heng Chee (; born 19 April 1942) is a Singaporean academic and diplomat who has been serving as Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2012, Chairwoman of the National Arts Council and Member of the Presidential C ...

, Singapore's Minister in Prime Minister's Office, Chief of Army from 2010 to 2011 * Chan Sek Keong, third Chief Justice of Singapore, Attorney-General of Singapore from 1992 to 2006 * Chan Kong Choy, Malaysian politician, deputy president and transport minister * Cheryl Chan, member of the country's governing People's Action Party (PAP) *

Sitoh Yih Pin Sitoh Yih Pin ( zh, s=司徒宇斌, p=Sītú Yǔbīn; born 1963) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Potong Pasir SMC since 2011. An account ...

, Singapore politician member of Parliament (MP) *

Leong Yew Koh Major General Tun Leong Yew Koh (; 22 August 1888 – 12 January 1963) was a Malayan politician who served as the 1st Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from the independence of the Federation of Malaya in August 1957 to August 1959 and Minist ...

, first Governor of Malacca since independence. *

Cheong Yoke Choy Cheong Yoke Choy, JP, OBE (; 16 July 1873 – 26 May 1958) was a famous philanthropist during the British Malaya era. During his lifetime, he became one of the early developers of Kuala Lumpur, together with several prominent figures from th ...

, famous and well respected philanthropist during the British Malaya era. *

Edwin Tong Edwin Tong Chun Fai ( zh, s=唐振辉, p=Táng Zhènhuī; born 1969) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law concurrently since 2020. A member of the ...

, member of Parliament in Singapore representing the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. * Eu Chooi Yip, prominent member of the anti-colonial and Communist movements in Malaya and Singapore *

Ho Peng Kee Ho Peng Kee ( zh, s=何炳基, p=Hé Bǐngjī; born 9 May 1954) is a Singaporean legal academic and former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and the Minis ...

, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Home Affairs * Jek Yeun Thong, prominent first generation People's Action Party (PAP) politician in Singapore *

Hoo Ah Kay Hoo Ah Kay (; 1816 - 27 March 1880), better known as Whampoa (), was a Singaporean businessman and community leader. An immigrant from China to Singapore, he held many high-ranking posts in Singapore, including honourable consul to China, Jap ...

, leader with many high ranking posts in Singapore, honourable consul to China, Japan and Russia. *

Kan Ting Chiu Kan Ting Chiu () is a former Judge in the Supreme Court. Kan retired as a Judge on 27 August 2011 at the age of 65. Kan received his Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore) ...

, Senior Judge in the Supreme Court. * Ho Yuen Hoe, Nun who received a Public Service Award from the

President of Singapore The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the reserves and the integrity of the public service. The presidency is largely ceremonial, with the Cabinet led by the prime ...

* Kin W. Moy, American diplomat. He is one of the first Chinese to hold an important position. * Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam (), was the former Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak. *

Fong Chan Onn Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Fong Chan Onn (, born 29 February 1944) is a Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Human Resources. He is a former vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a component party of the then-rul ...

, Malaysian politician and a former Minister of Human Resources * Fong Po Kuan, Malaysian politician from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) * Loke Siew Fook, Member of the Parliament of Malaysia * Tan Chee Khoon, major figure in Malaysian politics from 1959 to 1978 *

Lui Tuck Yew Lui Tuck Yew (; born 16 August 1961) is a Singaporean diplomat, former politician and two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Singapore Ambassador to China since 2019. He previously served as Singapore Ambassador to Japan between 2017 an ...

, country's Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Defence, Singapore's Chief of Navy from 1999 to 2003 * António Ng Kuok Cheong is currently a member in the Macau Legislative Assembly and was the founding chairman of the New Democratic Macau Association.

Athletes

Chen Aisen Chen Aisen (, born 22 October 1995) is a Chinese diver. He is a double gold medal winner at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won gold in the men's synchronised 10m platform competition with diving partner Lin Yue, as well as gold in the men's indiv ...

, Chinese diver. He is a double gold medal winner at the 2016 Summer Olympics and a world champion. * Wong Peng Soon, a renowned male badminton player in the latter half of the 20th century * Patrick Chan, a world champion Chinese Canadian male figure skater *

Michelle Kwan Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...

, Chinese American female figure skater and five-time world champion * Yi Jianlian, a 7-foot-tall Chinese basketball player for NBA, Milwaukee Bucks,

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

and Washington Wizards *

Guan Weizhen Guan won numerous major international doubles titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is the only woman to have won three consecutive women's doubles titles at the BWF World Championships. She won the 1987 and 1989 tournaments with Lin Y ...

, female badminton player who won three consecutive women's doubles titles at the

BWF World Championships The BWF World Championships, formerly known as IBF World Championships, and also known as the World Badminton Championships, is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). The tournament is one of the most prestigious i ...

Chen Xiaomin Chen Xiaomin (; born February 7, 1977, in Heshan, Guangdong) is a female Chinese weightlifter. She began weightlifting in 1989, and joined the provincial team in 1991, and the national team in 1992. She is also a law Law is a set of ...

, Chinese retired weightlifter, in 2000 Sydney Olympics on the women's weightlifting gold medal, also a world and Asian champion * Shanshan Feng, the first golfer from China to win LPGA major championship and major championship, she was ranked fifth in 2012 Women's World Golf Rankings. *

He Chong He Chong (; born June 10, 1987 in Zhanjiang, Guangdong) is a Chinese diver. He is the 2008 Olympic Champion in the 3m springboard. He split with partner Wang Feng after they won a gold medal in the 3m synchronised springboard event at the 20 ...

, Chinese diver. He is the 2008 Olympic Champion gold medalist in the 3m springboard. He was unbeaten from 2006–2016. * Jiang Jialiang, table tennis player. He won medals in Asia and world table tennis tournaments. * Xie Xingfang, badminton player, a two-time world champion women's singles. * Chen Xiexia, won three golds at the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships. The first gold medal for China in the 2008 Summer Olympics. *

Zhang Jiewen Zhang Jiewen (; born 4 January 1981) is a Chinese former badminton player. Career One of China's most successful women's doubles specialists, Zhang has won some thirty international titles, the vast majority of them in partnership with Yang ...

, gold medal in Badminton 2004 Athens * Lao Lishi, gold medal in women's 10 meter synchronised platform along with Li Ting. * Su Bingtian, sprinter. He is the reigning Asian champion over 100 metres, was a semi-finalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a finalist at the 2015 World Championships. *

Liang Wenchong Liang Wenchong (, born 2 August 1978) is a Chinese professional golfer. He was the highest ranked golfer from the People's Republic of China and the first Chinese golfer to have reached the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He succeeded ...

, highest ranked golfer from the People's Republic of China, the only Chinese golfer to have reached the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. * Zeng Qiliang, the first medal of Chinese male swimmer in world championships. * Lindswell Kwok, six times world champion of Wushi * Brian Ah Yat, former American football quarterback *

Harland Ah You Harland Ah You (born February 26, 1972) is a former gridiron football defensive lineman who played 10 games with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 1998. He played college football at Brigham Young University and attended K ...

, is a former gridiron football defensive lineman who played 10 games with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

in 1998. *

Junior Ah You Miki "Junior" Ah You (born December 30, 1948) is a former college and professional Canadian and American football player who played primarily at the defensive end position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the CFL Montr ...

, Hall of Fame and Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN. * Keanu Asing, surfer who competes in the World Surf League and debuted on the World Championship Tour of the 2015 World Surf League. * Soh Wooi Yik, Malaysian men's doubles player in badminton, first Malaysians to win BWF World Championships in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

. * Josiah Ng, the first Malaysian to make it into the cycling Olympic finals becoming a three-time Olympian *

Brian Fok Brian Fok (; born 8 March 1994) is a Nigerian-born Hong Kong people, Hong Kong association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), centre back for Hong Kong First Division League, Hong Kong First Division club Happy ...

, footballer * Leung Ka Hai, footballer * Zhi-Gin Lam

Business

* Raymond, Thomas and Walter Kwok, Brothers whose property business makes them the fourth richest in Hong Kong * Stanley Ho, Hong Kong and Macanese business magnate * Lui Che-woo, real estate and hospitality magnate, Hong Kong billionaire, once the 2nd richest man in Asia *

Cheng Yu-tung Cheng Yu-tung GBM (; 8 August 1925 – 29 September 2016) was a Hong Kong billionaire with extensive property investment, development and service businesses, hotels, infrastructure, jewellery retailing and transportation interests in Hong Kong, ...

, Hong Kong billionaire * Tang Yiu Hong Kong billionaire businessman, founder of shoe and sportswear retailer Belle International * Mei Quong Tart, rich nineteenth-century merchant * Yaw Teck Seng was founded of Sarawak timber group, Samling *

Charles Sew Hoy Choie Sew Hoy (; 1836–1901) also known as Charles Sew Hoy was a notable New Zealand merchant, Chinese leader, gold-dredger and a New Zealand Business Hall of Fame laureate. He was born in the village of Sha Kong in the Poon Yu District (n ...

, merchant and gold-dredging pioneer *

Loke Yew Loke Yew (), born Wong Loke Yew, CMG, LL.D. (1845–1917) was a Chinese-born, of Cantonese descent, business magnate. During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fath ...

, philanthropist and was once the richest man in British Malaysia *

Chin Gee Hee Chin Gee Hee (June 22, 1844
, Bureau of Archives of Taishan City.