More Information on Peranakan Settlements and Migration 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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The first Peranakan Chinese settlements were established in the 10th century in Java. During that time the hindu Javanese kingdom of Majapahit established trade routes with China. China merchants and traders flocked to the island of Java in droves. As women were unable to leave ancient China due to an imperial edict passed by the Emperor, all men who settled in these areas took local Indonesian wives. The first Peranakan Chinese temple was constructed in the early 15th century in the port city of Semarang. It is the oldest Chinese temple in all of South East Asia. As the Peranakan Chinese community increased in size, vast numbers settled in the large cities of Batavia (Jakarta), Suarabaya, Bali, Bandung, Medan, Palembang.
The Peranakan community in Indonesia continued absorbing new Chinese immigrants into their fold thus increasing the number of local born Indonesian Chinese. Peranakans can now be found chiefly in the islands of Java, Sumatra, parts of Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Due to this long process of assimilation with local cultures, most Chinese in Indonesia are still Peranakan till this very day. This is manifested in the language, food and lifestyle of most Indonesian Chinese. Peranakan Culture was influenced by the local culture of the area. For example Peranakans in Bali will be more Balinese in their eating habits and in culture while Javanese Peranakans would be heavily influenced by Javanese culture. Peranakans in Medan will of course be influenced by the Hokkien speaking culture around them and would have used hokkien as their mother tongue, just like the penang hokkiens. The birthplace of Indonesian Peranakan culture is in Semarang.
On a similar scale Chinese traders venturing into the Malay peninsula (present day Malaysia) took local wives as their womenfolk could not accompany them out of China. Chinese traders came to the Malay Peninsula before the davent of colonialism. They traded with the local malays and ultimately absorbed much of the local way of life into their culture. Most of the women they married were also Indonesian women of the Indonesian Archipelago though some were local malays. Many Indonesian Peranakans intermarried with the Singapore, Malaccan and Penang Peranakans as well. Many families in Singapore therefore have Malaccan, Penang and Indonesian Peranakan ancestry. In time the Peranakan communities in this area gradually absorbed new arrivals from China into their fold. The first settlement of Chinese traders was in Malacca. With the advent of colonialism, Peranakans immigrated from this area to other areas such as Singapore, Penang, and other parts of Malaysia such as Kelantan and Kedah. Peranakan communities can still be found in these areas.
The Penang Peranakan community in turn was formed when Medan and Malacca Peranakans settled there. Migration northward took some of these Peranakans into South Thailand. There are still some Peranakans in Patani and Phuket till this day. The culture of the Peranakans in these areas was shaped by the local culture of the area. For example Penang Peranakans who were more influenced by mainstream Hokkien culture dropped the use of Malay in favour of Penang Hokkien which is very similar to Medan Hokkien. In the same way Peranakans who settled in Patani and Phuket began using Patani or Phuket Malay, Hokkien or Thai as their mother tongue though they kept some aspects of the original Peranakan Culture. The birthplace of Singapore and Penang Peranakan culture was from Malacca.
