Diving into the ‘Lannang’ Identity: Episode 2 of Chinese by Blood, Filipino by Heart Season 5

Episode 2 of CHiNOY TV’s flagship series, fittingly entitled Lannang, Our People, is a deep-dive into the roots of Chinoy identity and where it stands now. Educators and enthusiasts take CFBH viewers on a journey through the life of the Lannang and the Lannang-ue with a plethora of historical contexts, personal experiences, and passion projects.

Who are the Lannang?

Kicking off the episode with a little bit of a history lesson, Dr. Wilkinson Daniel Wong Gonzales, Assistant Professor of Applied English Linguistics in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Richard Chu, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, discusses the historical origins of this alternative term that the Chinese communities residing in the Philippines use to refer to themselves. Lannang is a term that can often be heard being used by Chinese-Filipinos when talking to each other. The term derives from the Hokkien words lán-lâng, or “our people”. 

Born from the need to foster a stronger sense of community, families of Chinese descent started to form a more particular identity in the midst of a country where their roots were originally not tied to; so, the community began to call themselves Lannang, and it has been around since then.

Identity tied to language

Dr. Gonzales explains, “It’s necessary to regard Lannang as an ethnolinguistic group meaning a group that has a particular that defines its ethnicity”, stressing that other than common geographic origin, the Lannang identity is one that is strengthened by the people’s shared language and culture. 

As most Chinese-Filipinos come from the province of Fujian in China, the language that they use to communicate with each other is the province’s dialect, Hokkien. However, as they continued to stay longer in the Philippines, this dialect had remolded itself into a hybrid of both the Filipino languages and the Hokkien dialect, ultimately becoming Lannang-ue or “our people’s tongue.”

Heritage preservation

Dr. Juliet Uytanlet, an adjunct faculty member of the Asian Theological Seminary, also goes into the history of Lannang-ue as used in religion. The consistent usage of the language in Christian and Buddhist spaces of worship had helped in its evolution and preservation.

Furthermore, just like for every other culture, art plays an important role in tending to and caring for unique heritages. John Peter “JP” Chua, a Filmmaker and Writer, talks about the importance of sharing stories through art to preserve culture. 

In the efforts to remain authentically Chinese-Filipino, Chua had used Lannang-ue to create the dialog for his short film, No More Crying. Adding that, while difficult, it was something that was absolutely necessary to do in order to create the film. In regards to having Lannang representation in film, he says, “whenever we watch a film, we don’t just partake in a story, but we meet characters, the way they act, the way they move. And so we grow our sense of what it means to be Lannang by watching them.”  

The Lannang in current times

In a time of technology and innovation, it becomes both harder and easier to preserve and share the Lannang culture. As the younger generations gain more and more access to popular culture and external influences, they can sometimes easily forget their Lannang roots; however, at the same time, social media is also a useful tool in spreading the Lannang culture. 

As a Chinese-Filipino social media influencer, Thunderson Tan shares valuable insight on making Lannang content online and what this does for sharing his beloved heritage to both Chinoys and non-Chinoys. He says that the most important part of content-making is to “promote awareness and acceptance of our identity and our culture as Lannang.”

In the efforts to solidify Lannang-ue as a separate and unique language from the ones used by Chinese living in other places, Marvin Sy, a Hokkien enthusiast, had begun to write a Lannang-ue dictionary. He points out that in his research to write the dictionary, he had learned that Lannang-ue is a fluid language that would not be what it is today without the Philippines. 

The Lannang Archives

The episode wraps up with Dr. Gonzales introducing The Lannang Archives, his non-profit organization promoting Lannang heritage preservation. The organization champions Lannang stories by making online resources about anything Lannang available for those who want to learn more about the culture and history surrounding it. The Lannang Archives also holds symposiums and other activities where members of the Chinese-Filipino community can come together to discuss and celebrate their own identity. 

According to Dr. Gonzales, his organization aims to create and provide materials made by Lannangs for the Lannangs: “Our goal is to connect people, like-minded people who share the same goal, same vision, and same goal, to preserve and celebrate Lannang-ue and its heritage.” 

ALSO READ: [Recap] Chinese by Blood, Filipino by Heart Season 5 Ep 1 – Dugong Tsino, Pusong Pinoy

Season 5 of Chinese by Blood, Filipino by Heart will continue on with more episodes featuring more prominent features in the Chinoy community as they share their experiences from their own corners of the community. 

If you would like to learn more about the vibrant heritage of the Chinese-Filipino community, be sure to tune in to One News every Sunday at 8PM for new episodes of Chinese by Blood, Filipino by Heart. If you miss an episode, worry not as you can still catch the replays on Saturdays at 8:30PM. You can also catch the episodes live on CHiNOY TV’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.