Mixed marriages and cultural assimilation have meant that they can no longer read Chinese or speak a Chinese dialect; in fact they are indistinguishable from the local people both in speech and behavior.
而他們或多或少都不可避免地遭遇文化「邊緣人」困境。在東南亞，他們曾介於殖民政府和當地原住民之間；待各國獨立後，又因掌握財富而引起疑慮，至今仍有些國家禁止華語。