The Chinese chicken that spread its wings
Traditional Hainanese delicacy has established itself as a Southeast Asian staple, thanks to emigrants from China
Song Shenmei, 69, is the fourth-generation owner of a chicken restaurant in Wenchang, which he has been running for more than four decades.
"People in Wenchang eat Wenchang chicken during all the festivals," Song says, adding that during Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, many overseas Chinese returning home from Southeast Asian countries eat Wenchang chicken at his restaurant.
Song recalls that in the early 1980s, an overseas Chinese opened a chicken restaurant in Singapore. When he returned home, he came to visit Song's restaurant to learn how to cook chicken and make the sauce.
"Some overseas Chinese also like to watch me cooking, and when they learn how to make the dish, they cook it at home," Song adds.
Hainanese chicken rice not only satisfies the diners, but also embodies the taste of home for overseas Chinese from Hainan. It is a vivid reflection of the cultural exchange between people in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, from history to reality.
Michael Heng Yee Boon, president of Kota Kinabalu Hainan Association, is a second-generation Malaysian. Heng says chicken rice was always served during Spring Festival, and his mother would make it into rice balls, which symbolize "reunion" in Chinese.
