Malaysia's etiquette and taboos

Federation of Malaysia, commonly known as Malaysia, or Malaysia for short. Malaysia is divided into two parts by the South China Sea: West Malaysia, located on the Malay Peninsula, is connected to Thailand in the north, and is separated by the Johor Strait in the south, connected to Singapore by the New Soft Causeway and the Second Channel; East Malaysia, located in the north of Borneo (Kalimantan Island), is connected to Indonesia in the south. Malaysia is also a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Malaysia is divided into 13 states, including Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negermilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Glass City, Selangor, Terengganu in West Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. There are also three federal territories: the capital Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya (referred to as Putrajaya, the administrative center of the federal government).

Kuala Lumpur, the capital, has a population of approximately 1.674 million (July 2011, Statistics Malaysia) and an area of 243 square kilometers. The Kuala Lumpur Petroleum Twin Towers, which has two major functions of sightseeing and communication, are 466 meters high. They were once the tallest building in the world and are still one of the tallest towers in Asia, like two silver swords piercing into the clouds. Kuala Lumpur is also the epitome of this multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. Mosque, Buddhist and Hindu temples can be seen everywhere in the city, and there are also more than 20 Christian churches.

As of 2015, Malaysia's total population was 30638600. Among them, 55% are Malays, 24% are Chinese, 7.3% are Indians, and 0.7% are other races. Malay is the national language, English is commonly used, and Mandarin is widely used. According to the Malay Constitution, Malays practice Malay customs (customary laws) and culture as Muslims, and they have political dominance.

Indigenous status was also granted to certain non-Malay indigenous peoples, including the Thai, Khmer, Cham and Sabah and Sarawak indigenous peoples. Non-Malay aborigines account for more than half of the population in Sarawak and more than 2\3 in Sabah. There is also a small indigenous group on the peninsula, where they are collectively known as Orang Asli. State laws vary on who can obtain Aboriginal status, and as long as they are indigenous people in Malaysia, Bumi, can enjoy benefits such as housing discounts. Although Chinese and Indians are both Malaysians, they cannot enjoy this right due to their different skin colors.

Most of the ancestral homes of Malay Chinese originated from Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other places. Various dialects also came south with their ancestors and continue to spread in Malaysia. The main ones are Minqing dialect, Xinghua dialect, southern Fujian, Hakka, Chaozhou dialect, Cantonese, Hainan dialect, Guangxi Cantonese, etc.

Because Malaysians insist on defending the Chinese curriculum in Chinese primary schools, Chinese independent middle schools and national middle schools, and have the support of Chinese newspapers and media, as well as Chinese social organizations (Chinese education, Chinese media, and clubs are collectively the three spiritual pillars of Malaysians), they are generally able to communicate fluently in Chinese. In daily life and informal occasions, most Chinese Malaysians habitually use "Rajak-style Mandarin", which mixes various dialects, English and Malay. In Chinese schools, radio and television, public formal occasions or speeches, standard Mandarin is used. On the other hand, some Cantonese and other dialect radio stations such as 988 and MyFM will speak dialects at certain times to prevent Chinese people from all origins from forgetting their roots.

Malaysia does not prohibit polygamy, but be careful not to talk about domestic matters. Malays do not yet have a fixed surname, so they are not addressed by their surnames. Malay names can be divided into two parts. The first part is their name, separated by "bin" or "binti" and sometimes omitted. The second part is the name of their father. Men: Use "bin" in the middle and "binti" for women.

In informal occasions, younger generations are more affectionately called Adik or dik, which means brother or sister, but the names can be omitted. Older men can be called Pakcik, meaning uncle, and women are Makcik, meaning aunt. Moreover, older people cannot be called "you", but "sir","madam" or "madam".

In daily situations, men are addressed by Encik, meaning Mr. XX, and women are addressed by Cik, meaning Ms. XX. On more formal occasions, Tuan is added to honor men, and Puan is added to honor women. In addition, a person who has a title can be directly treated respectfully with his title or his title plus his name. Such as Datuk, Tan Sri, etc.

Traditional Malay greetings are also very unique. When they meet, they will hold each other's hands with both hands and rub each other, and then point their right hand to their hearts. For a woman you are not familiar with, you should not reach out to ask for a handshake. Men should nod or bow slightly to the woman and take the initiative to extend verbal greetings. When passers-by met, they made a Namaste and said "God bless you, have a safe journey" in Arabic. However, during business activities, men often shake hands, and men and women rarely shake hands.

If you go to visit local people, be sure to take off your shoes before entering the home, whether you are visiting a Malay, Chinese or Indian home, unless the host allows you. When visiting a Malay family, if the host arranges to sit on a mat on the floor, men should sit cross-legged, and women should sit with their legs tilted to the left.

Malaysia is also a religious country. The country's state religion is Islam, which means that most people still believe in Islam. For religious countries, there are always many taboos, and Malaysia is no exception. In ancient China, yellow was a relatively noble color, but this was not the case in Malay, where yellow was regarded as a taboo color. In addition to yellow, black is also an unpopular color and is generally not used alone. They also avoid the numbers 0, 4, and 13.

The most taboo animal in Malaysians is horses, so try not to mention this issue during conversation. They also avoid eating pigs and dogs, especially pigs. Pig leather products are absolutely not allowed to be used in Malaysia, and even lacquer chopsticks are not allowed because pig blood is used in this process.

Finally, special attention should be paid to this: you cannot point at people with your index finger. If you want to indicate directions, you can only use your thumb. Do not use your left hand when greeting, shaking hands, offering gifts or receiving objects to Malays. If you use your left hand to receive objects or say hello, it is disrespectful to them. Malays avoid others touching their heads. Except for teachers or religious ceremonies, no one is allowed to touch others 'heads at will. Don't expose the soles of your feet in front of others. It is an insult to others to point your feet at others.