I met John through a historical walkabout in Singapore. He was a volunteer guide in his late forties and showed immense passion for history and in preserving Singapore's heritage. He was interested in my research and we arranged to meet near his home on a weekday night. We sat by the swimming pool at the private condominium he resides in and I found out that John's eloquence was related to his work: he was a lawyer by day. We conversed mostly in English and I was surprised to find out later in the conversation that John was originally educated in a Chinese curriculum in Singapore. No wonder that he seemed so well-versed in Chinese history; a trait not often found amongst most Singaporean-Chinese. As we chatted about Chinese identity, John told me that he sees himself as a descendant of China's five-thousand-year-old culture and he feels an “emotional connection” when he reads about Chinese culture and history. Unlike British history, which he reads only for intellectual curiosity, he toldme that his interest in Chinese history is “visceral … it feels like you are reading your own history.” I asked if he felt the same kind of connection to mainland Chinese migrants. He expressed that he felt “sad” as he “feel[s] a sense of kinship towards them, but I don't feel connected to them”. He felt however, that the new Chinese migrants are good for Singaporean society as the “injection of new blood” will bring about a renewal of appreciation for Chinese culture. This, he felt, was very important, as in his words, Singaporean-Chinese have become “cultural orphans”.