However, Tan in his later years became a long-time resident of "Red China" and played various important roles in the newly communist country, so the strong anti-communist atmosphere of Singapore at the time meant people were hesitant to publicly lionize Tan. As a result, decades later this once influential patriot had begun to fade from the collective memory.
無奈其後幾十年，由於陳嘉庚晚年擁護「紅色中國」、長居大陸，並擔任人大常委、政協副主席等要職，在當時濃厚的反共氛圍中，新加坡人總是小心翼翼，避免公開議論陳嘉庚，這位影響力曾如日中天的愛國僑領，似乎也在眾人記憶中逐漸消失。