The Chinese have been entering Southeast Asia since the early years of the fifteenth century. By 1941, in Malay alone, there were about 2,580,000 Chinese, outnumbering the natives. The detailed history of this movement into Malaya has been written by Victor Purcell, who delineates the story of the beginnings of contacts and carries it through to July 1947 . Mr Purcell is highly qualified to engage with this study. He was a member of Malayan Civil Service from 1921 to 1946. During these years, he served as the protector of Chinese , assistance director of Chinese Education, director-general of information, and, after the liberation of Malaya from the Japanese , he was appointed principal adviser to Chinese affairs to the British Military Administration.