The overwhelming success of the recent TV drama serial,. Little Nonya, has triggered off a sudden surge of interest in things Peranakan, including its culture, food and dress. .

But this is unlikely to arrest the gradual decline of Peranakan practice and lifestyle in Singapore.

Despite signs of revival since the 1980s, a gradual extinction of the Peranakan culture and lifestyle will probably take place in decades to come. The fast-dwindling Singaporeans, steeped in Peranakan culture and practices, are becoming an endangered species which may fade into oblivion within the next 120 years or so.

A Peranakan myself, I often joked with my Peranakan friends and relatives that we are the "Last of the Mohicans' in Singapore.

Among the distinctive features of Perankan culture are its elegant terrace house architecture, ornate furnishings, beautifully- embroidered sarong kebayas and delectable Nonya cuisine.

Peranakan culture showed a marked decline after the Second World War. During the war and the Japanese occupation, many Babas lost their fortunes. To make ends meet, they had sold their landed properties, ancestral heirlooms, silver, porcelain and jewelry.

Since the war, conversion of many Baba families to Christianity prompted them to abandon Taoist-centred ancestral and funeral rites and Peranakan weddings. Also, the steady rise of inter-marriages between Peranakan and non-Peranakan Chinese families during the past four decades has eroded the Baba culture and threatened its existence.

The increasingly widespread use of English as Singapore's working language and the Government'educational policy of making all ethnic Chinese, including the Peranakans, learn Mandarin as a second school language, have resulted in a sharp decline of Peranakan families speaking Baba Malay, their traditional mother tongue. Baba Malay is a Malay dialect which blends Malay with Hokkien and English words.

My own family, in many ways, mirrors the sharp decline of the use of Baba Malay in the home. A Hokkien Peranakan, I married a Cantonese wife. My two daughters can barely speak Malay - except for reciting the lyrics of Majullah Singapura, the national anthem. Yet they speak English and Mandarin fluently, as well as being able to converse in basic Cantonese. Furthermore, my younger daughter speaks and reads Korean as well.

Most of Singapore's younger Babas, engrossed in the pursuit of material success, show scant interest in Peranakan culture. They are not conversant on Baba Malay and are ignorant of their heritage.

Who are the Peranakans? The historical origins of the Peranakan people can be traced to Chinese traders, mostly from the Fukien province of China, who came and settled in Malacca, Penang, Singapore, Java and Sumatra as far back as the 14th century.

These pioneer Chinese settlers adopted many local customs because of their long residence in this region. And they are believed to have married local women. Their descendents became known as the Peranakans or "local-born" Chinese.

Legend has it that around 1459. Princess Hang Li-Poh, the daughter of the Chinese emperor, married Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca. Five hundred handmaidens, who accompanied the Princess on board the ship bound for Malacca, were given away as brides to the Malacca court officials. Some believe the Peranakans are descendents of these court-centred marriages in Malacca.

In terms of mixed Chinese ancestry, parallels can be drawn between the Peranakans and the Hui, the Muslims in China. The Hui are descendents of Arab and Persian traders and soldiers who had settled in China from the 7th century and had married Han Chinese women. And the most prominent Muslim in Chinese history is famed explorer and navigator, Admiral Cheng Ho, a Hui,, who had visited Malacca six times in the 15th century. There is now a museum in Malacca dedicated to him.\

Since the 1980s, there appeared to be a resurgence of interest in Peranakan culture. Renewed interest can be seen through the establishment of the Peranakan Place at Orchard Road and preservation of its architecture; opening of new Baba restaurants; staging of Peranakan plays; the setting up of the Peranakan Museum at Armenian Street and staging of Nonya Kebaya exhibitions/

A few months ago (Sept 2008) saw the opening of Baba House at Neil Road by President Nathan. Set up to preserve Peranakan heritage, it is being managed by the NUS Museum. And just a few weeks ago, the 34-episoide drama serial, Little Nonya, ended after a successful run. It was a blockbuster show with the highest TV viewership -for home-grown drama - for the last 15 years.

But this buzz and excitement over things Peranakan may just be a flash in the span. German scholar, Jurgen Rudolp, who wrote a book on the social history of the Babas in Singapore, reckons this revival is "nothing more than a nostalgic curiosity item, an exotic tourist attraction and museum showpiece.''

Is the Peranakan culture a dying legacy? Some Peranakans,who push hard for the preservation of their heritage, maintain their culture will live on for posterity. However, most Peranakans (including myself) and many scholars are pessimistic over its long-term survival.

Many experts on the culture believe that Baba Malay will be extinct 100 years from now. The language may only be found in oral records and archives. By then, museums will be the only institution playing a key role in preserving the Peranakan culture for posterity.

It is likely that 50 to 60 years from now, Peranakan wayangs and plays will be a thing of the past. Some Nonya food and kebayas and occasional Perankan shows on TV, may still be around as they are seen as profitable entities or curiosity items.

Most experts predict that pure Peranakans - those with parents who are both Peranakans - will be extinct in Singapore by 2060. The overwhelming majority of Babas and Nonyas by then would be diluted Peranakans, with a quarter or a fraction of the Peranakan ancestry.

Felix Chia, well-known author the book, The Babas, notes that the Peranakans are a dwindling minority race which will become extinct in a matter of time. He says:"The Baba, a product of an accident of history, is a time traveler; he has come, and he must go."