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List of Malaysians of Chinese descent

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This is a list of notable Malaysians of Chinese origin, including original immigrants who obtained Malaysian citizenship and their Malaysian descendants. Entries on this list are demonstrably notable by having a linked current article or reliable sources as footnotes against the name to verify they are notable and define themselves either full or partial Chinese, whose ethnic origin lie in China.

This list also includes emigrant Malaysians of Chinese origin and could be taken as a list of famous Malaysians of Chinese origin.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Entertainment

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Film

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  • Amber Chia (谢丽萍) – international model and actress
  • Angelica Lee Sin Je (李心洁) – award-winning actress
  • Angie Cheung (张慧仪) – actress based in Hong Kong
  • Carmen Soo (苏慧敏) – international model and actress
  • Carrie Lee Sze Kei (李詩琪) – international actress and host; Miss Chinese Cosmos International 2004/05 Champion, Phoenix TV Hong Kong
  • Chen Han Wei (陈汉玮) – award-winning television actor based in Singapore
  • Chris Tong (童冰玉) – actress
  • Christopher Lee (李銘順)– leading television actor in Singapore; has also acted in joint China-Taiwan-HK-Singapore productions
  • Fish Liew (廖子妤）– award-winning actress and model based in Hong Kong
  • Hannah Tan – singer and actress from Sarawak
  • Isaac Hor (贺倾文) – online personality, post, and emcee
  • James Lee (李添兴) – film director
  • James Wan (温子仁) – film director. Wan was born in Kuching, Malaysia before migrating to Australia when he was seven years old.
  • Javi Rai[1] – international film actor
  • Jesseca Liu (刘子绚) – actress from Langkawi, based in Singapore
  • Koe Yeet (高艺) – television and movie actress
  • Lai Meng (黎明) – veteran actress
  • Ling Tan (陈曼龄) – international model
  • Lyndel Soon (孙玉心) – international actress
  • Melvin Sia (谢佳见) – Sarawak, Malaysian/Taiwan actor, model, host, singer
  • Michelle Yeoh (杨紫琼) – international actress
  • Mimi Chu （朱咪咪）- actress, singer, host, and emcee based in Hong Kong
  • Ng Tian Hann (黄天汉) – director
  • Phyllis Quek (郭妃丽) – television actress and singer based in Singapore
  • Shaun Chen (陈泓宇) – actor based in Singapore
  • Tan Chui Mui (陈翠梅) – film director, won an award in Pusan Film Festival 2006
  • Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) – Taiwan-based award-winning director
  • Vivien Yeo (楊秀惠) – television actress who has acted in Hong Kong movies and serials
  • Yang Bao Bei (杨宝贝) - film actress and YouTuber
  • Nicholas Teo(张栋梁) - Singer and Voice Actor

Comedy

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  • Douglas Lim (林有信) - comedian, actor, television presenter and YouTuber
  • Nigel Ng (黄瑾瑜) – UK-based Malaysian stand-up comedian (Uncle Roger) and YouTuber
  • Ronny Chieng (钱信伊) – stand-up comedian

Fine arts

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  • Yong Mun Sen (杨曼生; 1896–1962) –-Kuching born Penangite watercolorist and Malaysian artist; "father of Malaysian painting"; one of the founders of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts or NAFA, Singapore, Penang Art Society[2]
  • C. N. Liew (刘庆伦; born 1975) – K.L.-born artist who took the traditional artform of calligraphy to a whole new dimension with his creation of Surrealligraphy
  • Chang Fee Ming (郑辉明；born 1959) – Terengganu-born watercolor painter
  • Poesy Liang (梁小詩；born 1975) – multidisciplinary artist, poet, composer
  • Red Hong Yi (康怡) - Sabah-born artist and architectural designer[3]
  • Tang Tuck Kan (鄧德根; 1934–2012)- Pioneer Artist of Malaysian Modern Art Movement in the 60s and 70s.

Music

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Fashion

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Beauty pageant titleholders

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Businesspeople

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Gastronomy

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Medicine, science and technology

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  • Lim Boon Keng (1868–1957) – first Malayan to receive a Queen's Scholarship, gained admission to the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 1892 with a first class honours degree in medicine
  • Wu Lien-teh (伍连德) (1879–1960) – renowned plague fighter and pioneer in the modernization of China's public health system; first medical student of Chinese descent to study at University of Cambridge in 1896, after winning the Queen's Scholarship held in Singapore; first Malaysian Chinese nominated to receive a Nobel Prize in Medicine, in 1935[5]
  • Gu Hongming - Penang-born scholar and famous professor in Peking University firstly established
  • Pua Khein-Seng (潘建成) – CEO of Phison Electronics Corporation, arguably one of the inventors of the USB flash drive[6]
  • Cheah Ming Tatt – biologist specializing in immunology and genetics, a recipient of Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Future Scientists Fellowship for his work on RNA splicing
  • Shu Jie Lam - Research Chemist at University of Melbourne
  • Moi Meng Ling - virologist and professor at the University of Tokyo
  • Chiang Ti Ming (张世明) (1976–2007) - child prodigy and particle physicist
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Politicians

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Early history

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Malayan Communist Party

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Malaysian Chinese Association

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Democratic Action Party

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Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia

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People's Justice Party

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Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party

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North Kalimantan Communist Party

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Sarawak United Peoples' Party

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United Bumiputera Heritage Party

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Progressive Democratic Party

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Sabah Heritage Party

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United Sabah Party

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Others

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  • Tan Sri Datuk Chong Kah Kiat – 13th Chief Minister of Sabah, former president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
  • Ding Kuong Hiing – former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for the Sarikei, Sarawak (from 2008 to 2013)
  • Hee Yit Foong – former Perak state assemblywoman for Jelapang
  • Tan Tee Beng – former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Nibong Tebal, Penang
  • Wee Choo Keong – former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur (from 2008 to 2013)
  • James Wong Kim Min – first Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak; president of the Sarawak National Party (SNAP)
  • Khaw Boon Wan – serving as the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister for Transport in Singapore since 2015
  • Lee Bee Wah – serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency in Singapore
  • Foo Mee Har – serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Coast Group Representation Constituency in Singapore
  • Chin Tet Yung – former Singaporean Member of Parliament (MP) for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency in Singapore
  • Jing Lee – South Australian politician

Sportspeople

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Badminton

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  • Lee Chong Wei – former world No.1 men's singles shuttler; record ten-time Malaysia Open winner; 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist; 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics silver medalist; World Championship silver and bronze medalist; Asian Games silver and bronze medalist; three-time All England Open champion; a total of 55 career titles won as of 2014
  • Eddy Choong – men's singles shuttler; brother of David E. L. Choong; four-time All-England Open champion
  • Wong Peng Soon – Malaysian-born men's singles shuttler who later represented Singapore; four-time All-England Open champion and record holder for the most Malaysia Open titles (8) won for over 60 years before being surpassed by Lee Chong Wei in 2013
  • David E. L. Choong – men's singles shuttler. Brother of Eddy Choong; All-England champion in 1951, 1952, and 1953
  • Ng Boon Bee – All-England Open men's doubles champion in 1965, 1966, and 1971; member of Malaysia's winning Thomas Cup team in 1967
  • Tan Yee Khan – All-England Open men's doubles champion with Ng Boon Bee in 1965 and 1966, and a member of Malaysia's winning Thomas Cup team in 1967
  • Tan Aik Huang – former All-England Open men's singles champion
  • Koo Kien Keat – former world No.1 men's doubles pair with Tan Boon Heong; Asian Games gold and silver medalist; World Championships silver and bronze medalist; All-England Open Champions; two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist in men's doubles and 2012 London Olympics semifinalists
  • Tan Boon Heong – former world No.1 men's doubles pair with Koo Kien Keat; Asian Games gold and silver medalist, World Championships silver and bronze medalist, All-England Open Champions, 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, 2012 London Olympics semifinalists and former World Junior Champion
  • Chan Chong Ming – men's doubles shuttler; 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist; World Championships and Asian Games bronze medalist; two-time World Junior Champion
  • Chan Peng Soon – former world No.3 mixed doubles pair with Goh Liu Ying
  • Goh Liu Ying – former world No.3 mixed doubles pair with Chan Peng Soon
  • Wong Mew Choo – former world No.7 women's singles shuttler; 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist; wife to Lee Chong Wei as of 2012
  • Cheah Soon Kit – former world no.1 men's doubles shuttler; 1996 Olympics silver medalist with Yap Kim Hock, member of Malaysia's 1992 winning Thomas cup team, World Cup and World Grand Prix gold medalist, Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist, World Championships silver and bronze medalist and Asian Games silver medalist
  • Yap Kim Hock – men's doubles shuttler; 1996 Olympics silver medalist with Cheah Soon Kit; World Grand Prix gold medalist; Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist; World Championship silver and bronze medalist; Asian Games bronze medalist
  • Wong Choong Hann – former world No.2 men's singles shuttler; 2003 World Championships silver medalist; Commonwealth Games gold, silver and bronze medalist
  • Ong Ewe Hock – former world No.2 men's singles shuttler; 1994 Commonwealth games silver medalist
  • Goh Jin Wei - professional badminton player. She is a two-time BWF World Junior Championships champion and gold medalist in the girls' singles at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
  • Aaron Chia - national men's doubles player. Together with Soh Wooi Yik, he is the first Malaysian to win the gold medal at the BWF World Championships.[7]
  • Soh Wooi Yik - national men's doubles player. Together with Aaron Chia, he is the first Malaysian to win the gold medal at the BWF World Championships.[7]
  • Lee Zii Jia - professional badminton player who currently ranked 3 in men's singles.

Diving

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Swimming

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Football

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Cycling

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  • Josiah Ng – won silver medals in track cycling at the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Asian Games; won gold medal in track cycling at 2010 Commonwealth Games
  • Ng Joo Ngan – former Commonwealth Games cycling champion

Misc.

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  • Chung Thye Yong – first Chinese rugby player in Malaysia; first racehorse owner in the country
  • Chung Kok Ming – one of the finest tennis players in the country during his time – first Asian committee member of Perak Turf Club
  • Alex Yoong – Formula One racer

Writers

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Criminals

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  • Took Leng How, a Malaysian Chinese from Penang who murdered a Chinese girl named Huang Na in Singapore. He was sentenced to death and hanged in Singapore's state gallows in 2006.
  • Yong Vui Kong, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian from Sabah, Malaysia. He was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Singapore in 2008, but subsequently, in 2013, he escaped the death sentence and was re-sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane following the 2013 changes to Singapore's death penalty laws and a subsequent re-trial by the High Court of Singapore.
  • Nyu Kok Meng, a convicted robber who was, in 1983, involved in the armed robbery of a businessman in Andrew Road, Singapore. His partner-in-crime, Sek Kim Wah, without Nyu's knowledge and consent, killed three of the five robbery victims the duo took hostage in an attempt to silence them before Nyu discovered Sek's monstrous acts and went on to protect the remaining two victims and assisted them in their escape from Sek. Hence, Nyu escaped the murder charges and he was sentenced to life imprisonment and 6 strokes of the cane for being armed with a rifle while committing armed robbery under the 1973 Arms Offences Act.
  • Botak Chin, Malaysian gunman who was executed in 1980 for armed robbery and possession of firearms, the latter which was a capital crime in Malaysia.
  • Kho Jabing, a Malaysian who was of mixed Chinese and Iban descent. He was accused of murdering Cao Ruyin during a robbery in Singapore in 2008, and was sentenced to death. He was hanged in 2016.
  • Yap Weng Wah (born 1983), a Malaysian serial sex offender and hebephilic who had raped 31 teenage boys aged between 11 and 15 in Singapore between 2009 and 2012. He had also targeted at least 14 boys to satisfy his sexual urges during his time in Malaysia. After pleading guilty to 12 out of 76 charges, Yap was sentenced to a term of 30 years in jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
  • Jho Low, who engineered the 1MDB fraud scheme.
  • Jonaris Badlishah, a Malaysian of mixed Malay and Chinese descent and distant nephew of the Sultan of Kedah who was executed for killing Singaporean beautician Sally Poh after stealing her Rolex watch in 1998.
  • Cheong Chun Yin, Perak-born Malaysian drug trafficker from Johor who was initially sentenced to death for importing heroin in Singapore in 2010, but subsequently, in 2015, he escaped the death sentence and was re-sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane following the 2013 changes to Singapore's death penalty laws and a subsequent re-trial by the High Court of Singapore.
  • Pang Siew Fum, Malaysian and accomplice of Cheong Chun Yin. She was initially sentenced to death for importing heroin in Singapore in 2010, but subsequently, due to the judicial changes to Singapore's death penalty laws in 2013, her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in a re-trial by the High Court of Singapore in 2015.
  • Lim Chin Chong, a Malaysian teenager and male prostitute, who at age 18, murdered his 65-year-old employer Philip Low Cheng Quee, a male brothel owner. Lim escaped to Malaysia after the crime but was arrested twenty days later, and sent back to Singapore for trial. Lim was found guilty of murder and executed at Changi Prison on 23 October 1998.
  • Chin Seow Noi, Chin Yaw Kim and Ng Kim Heng, the three Malaysians who were charged in Singapore with murdering Lim Lee Tin, the female lover of Chin Seow Noi, the elder sister of Chin Yaw Kim, after Lim kept harassing the elder Chin for money. All three were convicted and hanged on 31 March 1995 for Lim's murder.
  • Boh Soon Ho, a 48-year-old Melaka-born Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident who strangled his 28-year-old Chinese girlfriend and nurse Zhang Huaxiang to death. Boh fled to his hometown in Melaka but was arrested and sent back to Singapore. He was charged and found guilty of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2020.
  • Lim Kok Yew, Tiong Bahru bus hijacker who was hanged in 1984 for discharging a firearm with intent to cause hurt
  • Lim Kim Huat and Neoh Bean Chye, the two Malaysian armed robbers hanged in 1975 for killing a Singaporean wine shop proprietor
  • Lee Chor Pet, Lim Kim Kwee and Ho Kee Fatt, three of the five kidnappers charged with kidnapping and killing a millionaire's son. They were hanged in 1973
  • Sim Min Teck, Beh Meng Chai and Chng Meng Joo, the three perpetrators of the 1980 Jurong fishing port murders. Sim was executed for murder, Beh was jailed for life for manslaughter and Chng remained at large and was never caught
  • Ng Theng Shuang, Penang-born Malaysian armed robber and gunman hanged in Singapore on 14 July 1995
  • Lee Kok Chin, Penang-born Malaysian armed robber and gunman who was gunned down in 1992 during a shootout at South Bridge Road

Others

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  • Venerable Prof. KL Dhammajoti - Theravada Buddhist monk, one of the leading scholars on 'Sarvastivada Abhidharma' and is well known in the world of Buddhist scholarship.
  • Bhante Sujiva – well-known teacher of Vipassana in the Theravāda Buddhist Tradition
  • Venerable Chi Chern – well-known Buddhist monk and principal of the Malaysian Buddhist Institute.
  • Ngeow Sze Chan – Chinese physician, regarded as “The Father of Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine”
  • Albert Kwok Fen Nam (1921–1944), war hero and leader of the "Kinabalu Guerrillas" against Japanese occupation
  • Khoo Kay Kim – highly regarded national academic for his views on local sports and socio-political issues, was honoured with Emeritus Professor title by the University of Malaya in 2001
  • Wong Siew Te – zoologist and Malayan sun bear expert
  • Wong Ah Kiu – also known as Nyonya binti Tahir, born to a Muslim family but raised Buddhist
  • Felixia Yeap – also known as Raisyyah Rania, Malaysian model
  • Lee Poh Ping (李宝平) - Professor in international relations
  • Zulhadi Omar – also known as Eddie Teyo, is known for his many lawsuits against Malaysia in a bid to officially change faith from Islam to Buddhism
  • Hussein Ye – Islamic scholar who claimed that Muslims terrorists were not responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States, just based on "suspicion".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Javi Rai - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  2. ^ "National Art Gallery Malaysia". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  3. ^ "Hong Yi, the artist who paints without paintbrush". 27 January 2013.
  4. ^ Jeremy Veno (2 September 2018). "Up close and personal with local beauties". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  5. ^ Wu Lien-Teh, Plague Fighter: The Autobiography of a Modern Chinese Physician. Areca Books, 2014 (reprint). ISBN 9789675719141
  6. ^ "Up close & personal with Pua Khein-Seng". Biz.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  7. ^ a b Kirubashini, R. (28 August 2022). "History is made, Aaron-Soh win first Malaysia's badminton world title". The Star. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
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