Legendary China.
In the beginning, it was a world of myths and legends, and there were the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors - "Sanhuang Wudi" 三皇五帝.
Chen Hu Gong- the progenitor of Tan (Chen 陳) clan.
Tan Tiong - circa 1350; 
This is the house of Tan Tiong at Hong Sua. It is now the Tan's Clan ancestors house.
Venerating my ancestor Tan Tiong during my visit in 2012.
Zupu revealed more ancestors unbeknownst to us.We had only known through family oral history that my grandfather Tan Leong Tham came to Malaya to join his father who came much earlier. It's only when we obtained a copy of our clan's Zupu from Hong Sua that we found out there were ancestors who had been here earlier. None of our elders knew anything about it either.
It is an amazing chart that connects 23 generations illustrated in a single page.
Tan Sin Liew (1737-1784) - My 6th Great Grand Father
Posters of Tan Sin Liew (left) and Tan Kim Seng (right) hanging on the wall of the Overseas Chinese Association Building at Hong Sua.
As stated in the scribe of Sin Liew, the Sultan's wife was gravely ill once with breast disease and was not responding to any medical treatment. Sin Liew who had knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine treated her with licorice and other herbs used in traditional Chinese healing. She eventually recovered and the grateful ruler awarded Sin Liew with a large piece of forested land in Malacca.
To develop the land, he needed a large number of work force. He returned to Eng Choon and offered his kinsfolk and relatives from his village an opportunity to venture abroad and away from the mundane life. They needed no persuasion and responded overwhelming, by the hundreds. It was no surprise as many had yearned to seek greener pastures in the land they had heard so much about.
The Sultan's reward had enabled Sin Liew to offer his countryman opportunities to work abroad. He himself was able to set up a trading company called Hong Hin at Poh Siak Street from where he ran his business for many years.
This book is written in Chinese and I managed to order one from Kinokuniya Bookstore at KLCC for my brother. With the help of an online community Bukit Brown Cemetery (BBC) Singapore, he managed to decipher and identify the gravestone of Tan Sin Liew.
On page 129, Tan Sin Liew's gravestone is identified on the top right hand corner of the page listed as S86: B3-N8
The layout of graves at Bukit Cina which pointed out Sin Liew's grave as N8 located at Section B3.
The GPS actually shows the location to be in Section C1, not in B3 as indicated in the book. The error could be due to the draftsman who drew the layout plans to demarcate the site did so without the benefit of GPS technology.
It's an amazing feeling to discover the grave of an ancestor eight generations before me. To know that he lived during the time of Emperor Qian Long in China and came to Malacca during the Dutch occupation is indeed breathtaking. It had been lying here for 233 years and I am seeing it for the first time.
It looks ordinary, but must be grand during it's time.
KC silent prayers to Sin Liew. It is his passion that leads to this discovery.
This is how it looks facing south. Immediately behind those high rise is the Malacca Straits. The sea used to be nearer before it was reclaimed and there were no building to obstruct the view. One could see and feel the sea from this spot then. It's the ideal setting in Chinese geomancy ( Feng Shui ), back supported by the mountain and front facing the sea. A good feng shui layout of the tomb would bring good fortune and luck to the descendants in the Chinese culture and beliefs. This certainly holds true for Sin Liew because his next few generation of descendants have gone on to become hugely successful and prosperous people not only in Malacca, but in Singapore too.
Here it is, the grave of Tan Swee Poh at Bukit Cina, Malacca and seeing it for the first time after being buried for almost 200 years. Like his father, Swee Poh spent most of his life in Dutch occupied Malacca.
KC's passion have led him to this incredible find.
He was my direct ancestor, seven generations before me.
The inscription on the gravestone were the names of all his sons that survived him. Swee Poh's eldest son Tan Eng Bong which is my direct ancestor; his name was not inscribed here as he pre-deceased his father two years earlier.
Like his father, Swee Poh's grave also faces the sea which is the Straits of Malacca. It's the ideal "feng shui" position.
The exact location as pin pointed by the GPS. Both graves are only 100 meters apart.
The routes taken by the traders and migrants leaving Quanzhou, China in the 19th century. 
My "Gor Chap Kek" uncle Tan Choon Chee feeling very at home in front of the house chatting with Tan Poh King ( in light blue shirt ), the grandson of Hong Joo Chim.
View of the house from the side, back to front. It has a commanding view facing south west and at the background is the end of the hill ( ber sua in Hokkien ) as mentioned in my grandfather's Jiapu. All traditional houses in China faces south imitating the Emperor's power position.
At Eng Chin Tong with my siblings Stephen and KC and my father Boon Kwi in 2012.
Tan Boon Kwi at Qiao Lian Hotel rooftop. At the background are some of residential apartments in town.
My uncles, Boon Guan and Poh Thiam and cousin Kang Nie taking a morning stroll along the main river that cuts through town. The thoughtful constructed boardwalk along both sides of the river are for townsfolk to enjoy walking by the river.
A view of Eng Choon county from Qiao Lian hotel.
The Three Sovereigns
Fuxi, the Heavenly Sovereign,
Nuwa, the Earthly Sovereign and
Shennong, the Human Sovereign.
The Five legendary Emperors
2697 - 2597 BC : Hwang Ti the Yellow Emperor; Originator of the Chinese Civilisation.
2514 - 2436 BC : Zhuan Xu grandson of Hwang Ti created a calender and composed first music.
2436 - 2366 BC : Ti Ku, great grandson of Hwang Ti, invented musical instrument.
2358 - 2258 BC : Ti Yao, virtuous and a paragon of moral perfection.
2255 - 2195 BC : Shun Ti, originator of Daoshao, a symphony of 9 Chinese musical instruments..
Hwang Ti, the Yellow Emperor is the one whom all Chinese claimed ancestry to.
The tomb of the Yellow Emperor is located in today's Qiao Mountain at Yan'an, Shaanxi Province. Since 442 BC during the Zhou period, past emperors have been making offerings to Hwang Ti every year. I too paid homage to the Yellow Emperor at the Mausoleum when I visited his tomb in 2014.
Early Chinese History.
The existence of the Xia Dynasty from over 4,000 years ago were evidenced with the discovery of contemporary text written about their rituals on oracle bones and tortoise shells. These were found in the Central plains along the valleys of the Yellow River in today's Henan and Shaanxi province. These areas are widely regarded as the bedrock of Chinese civilisation.
After the legendary era of "Sanhuang Wudi", Chinese history begins with the Xia Dynasty. The timeline of various dynasties that follows are chronologised below:
2070 - 1600 BC Xia Dynasty - 470 yrs -Start of Dynastic rule.
1600 - 1046 BC Shang Dynasty - 554 yrs
1122 - 256 BC Zhou Dynasty - 866 yrs
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn Period
Warring States Period
221 - 206 BC Qin Dynasty - 15 yrs - Start of Imperial rule.
206 BC - 220 AD Han Dynasty - 426 yrs
Western Han
Xin Dynsaty
Eastern Han
220 - 280 AD Three Kingdoms - 60 yrs
Wu, Shu & Wei.
265 - 420 AD Jin Dynasty - 155 yrs
Western Jin
Eastern Jin
16 Kingdoms 304-438 AD
420 - 589 AD Southern & Northern Dynasties. - 169 yrs
581 - 619 AD Sui Dynasty - 38 yrs
618 - 907 AD Tang Dynasty - 289 yrs
907 - 1125 AD Liao Dynasty - 218 yrs
907 - 960 AD 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms
960 - 1279 AD Song Dynasty - 319 yrs
Northern Song
Southern Song
Western Xia Dynasty
Jin Dynasty
1271 - 1368 AD Yuan Dynasty - 97 yrs
1368 - 1644 AD Ming Dynasty - 276 yrs
1644 - 1911 AD Qing Dynasty - 267 yrs - Last of Imperial rule.
1911 - 1949 AD Republic of China
1949 - present People's Republic of China
Taiwan ( Republic of China )
The origin of Chen State ( Chen Guo 陳國)
During the time of Hwang Ti 黃帝 the Yellow Emperor, there once lived a man called Chen Feng. He was the only Chen in town, and only had one daughter.
Hwang Ti's great grandson Ti Ku 帝嚳 married Chen Feng's daughter. They were posted to a place called Wangqiu 宛丘 in Henan province.
Ti Ku soon had a son named Fang Xun who was later titled Ti Yao 帝堯.
Chen Feng and his family lived in Wangqiu for so many years that over time, people began to refer it as Chen instead of Wangqiu.
Chen Feng had no male descendants, hence his surname had no direct succeeding bloodline.
Remember, this was the legendary period of the five emperors. Hwang Ti was the 1st Emperor, Ti Ku was 3rd Emperor and Ti Yao was 4th Emperor. They lived in the time from 2,500 BC to 2,300 BC.
Eventually, it became a tier two state called Chen Guo 陳國 when the Zhou clan came to power 1,000 years later.
Ancient map of China during the Zhou period. Note that the state of Chen is a tier two state and is located at today's Huaiyang principality at Henan province.
The origin of the surname Chen 陳(Tan)
The surname Chen is among the oldest surnames in China with a history of over 3,000 years and is the 5th most populous. The majority of Chens today reside in the southern provinces of China. In Taiwan, it is the most popular surname. The surname is called differently in different dialect group, Chan, Chin, Tan or Chen, but when written, there is only one form of Chinese script and the surname is represented by the character 陳. In ancient times, the pronunciation of Tan ( Chen ) was quite different from that used today. It sounded something like "Dien".
Around 1046 BC, Ji Fa 姬發 the chief of the Zhou Clan 周 won a decisive battle against the armies of the last Shang Dynasty 商朝. That was the beginning of one of the most illustrious dynasties of China, the Zhou Dynasty. With the conquest, came a vast empire which became quite a challenge to administer.
Ji Fa assumed the dynastic title Wu Wang 武王 or Martial Emperor. In order to administer the empire, he had to rely on people he could trust and this immediately began with his children, relatives, comrades in arms, trusted associates, officials and so on. They would then be entrusted with the governments of various levels and locations and would periodically report back to him on the status of the empire.
In his search for relatives, he found a man called Gui Man 媯滿 who was a Marquis or Hou侯 in the previous Shang court. Gui Man is a 34th generation descendant of Shun Ti 舜帝, who was the last of the five sage emperor that descended from Hwang Ti, the same lineage of Wu Wang.
Wu Wang summoned Gui Man to Zhou court to perform two edicts :
i. He was conferred the title of Marquis of Zhou and was enfeoffed to a feoff called Chen ( Wangqiu ).
ii. Wu Wang also approved the marriage of his daughter Tai Ji 太姬 to Gui Man thus making him his son in law.
i. He was conferred the title of Marquis of Zhou and was enfeoffed to a feoff called Chen ( Wangqiu ).
ii. Wu Wang also approved the marriage of his daughter Tai Ji 太姬 to Gui Man thus making him his son in law.
This was the beginning of a noble called Gui Man who with his wife came to reside at a place called Chen. In time, the feoff of Chen was upgraded to a minor state called Chen Guo 陳國 which is today's Huaiyang, Henan Province.
Chen Guo survived for 20 generations during which time there were 24 marquises and lasted 588 years. It came to an end during the Warring Period between 475 to 221 BC. Endless wars among the seven major Zhou States over territorial expansion went on for 250 years. The hundreds of minor states either had to be allied with a major power or be overrun. Chen Guo was destroyed and annexed by the major state of Chu 楚國 in 479 BC.
In remembrance of the loss of their Chen state 陳國, the Gui 媯 royal family adopted Chen 陳 as their surname. Gui Man was posthumously named Chen Hu Gong 陳胡公 in memory of Chen Guo, the place he had ruled.
That was the beginning of the current surname of Chen ( Tan ), which is now 2500 years old. It is derived from the name of the place called Chen Guo, which in turn came from a man called Chen Feng who once stayed in that place which was originally called Wangqiu.
Chen Hu Gong is therefore considered the first Chen to the clan. The bloodline originated from the surname of Gui.
After the demise of Chen Guo, the remnants of the nobles and families fled and scattered.
The 24 Marquis that had ruled Chen Guo for a total of 588 years.
Source of above information is from "House of Chinn" .
More information on Chen State can also be found in Wikipedia.
Migration waves.
The Warring Period came to an end in 221 BC when a young emperor by the name of Qin Shi Huang conquered all the states and established the Qin Dynasty. This dynasty was short lived when Qin Shi Huang died in 210 BC. During that 15 years, he had unified China before being overran by the Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty collapsed, it was another turbulent time during the Three Kingdoms period.
Migration of people have been happening since the beginning of time for various reasons. In ancient China, mass migration tends to follow the rise and fall of each dynasty.
i. The first notable wave of exodus south to Fujian and Guangdong happened at the end of Eastern Jin (420 AD) with the emergence of Sixteen Kingdoms in an unstable region stricken with conflicts.
ii. The successive southward migration continues periodically until the Song Dynasty in 960 AD.
iii. When the Northern Song was taken over by the Jurchens (Jin), the dynasty was left with only the South in 1127 and remain there until 1279 AD as Southern Song Dynasty. During the Jurchens incursion, many people again took flight from Henan towards Fujian and Guangdong in the south.
It was during this period around 1350 AD the first trace of an ancestor directly linked to us came to Fujian and settled in Yong Chun at Feng Shan village. In the Hokkien dialect, Yong Chun is Eng Choon and Feng Shan is Hong Sua. Henceforth, I shall be using the Hokkien pronunciation where it applies.
Migration pattern southwards over centuries
The story of my ancestors.
From the first Tan in Hong Sua, I am 22 generations down the line in the chart of my ancestors family tree. That is a span of 700 years and the information we have of them are the dates and places when they lived. In addition, names of their siblings and spouses were also transcribed from our clans Zupu.
However, there are more stories of my ancestors from 300 years ago as both public and private information are available. The former are published materials available online and offline due to the prominence of some of them whilst the latter came from clan associations and family records.
But the most important reference piece is the ancestor's family chart that ties in all the stories I am about to tell. I shall start with the first Tan that arrived in Hong Sua from Henan province around 1350 AD.
The progenitor of Tan's Clan at Hong Sua village, Eng Choon.
Tan Tiong, is being deified at the Tan Clan Ancestor's House at Hong Sua village.
Our earliest ancestor, Tan Tiong had arrived from Henan to Fujian and settled in Hong Sua village in Eng Choon around 1350 AD. The first four generations listed in the Zupu, with Tan Tiong being the first, were recollection from memory of the 5th generation. Thereafter, the dates and other raw information were being recorded. We have to contend with the only important fact that he is the progenitor of the Tan's Clan in Hong Sua village who came from Henan.
Zupu revealed more ancestors unbeknownst to us.
The clan's Zupu from Hong Sua village.
The clan's Zupu administrator at Hong Sua tracing our direct ancestor's lineage from the Zupu during our visit in 2012.
From the Zupu, we have it converted into a one page chart illustrated as below. This chart is done by Chinese genealogists in Malaysia, Dr Philip Tan and Mr Stephen Lim and is specific only to our direct line of ancestors. We are grateful for their selfless effort and their passion. Both have also helped hundreds of Chinese, including those outside Malaysia to trace their roots through their forum Siyigenealogy.proboards.com.
From Tan Tiong down to the 13th generation, their key information are displayed on the above chart. They are too far back in time for us to know more about their life. However, from the 14th generation to the present, we do have some stories to tell on some of them, and this starts from Tan Sin Liew.
The first ancestor in Nanyang.
Tan Sin Liew was our ancestor we never knew of until we got hold of the Zupu. He was one of the first from Eng Choon county that venture into Malaya and was my 6th Great Grandfather as illustrated in the above chart. At Hong Sua village in the Overseas Chinese Association office at Eng Choon, hanging on the wall are four framed posters of illustrious sons of the village. Tan Sin Liew is one of them. At the side of his photo there is a short scribe about him and what is written is transcribed in green font below.
Tan Sin Liew was born in 1737 under the Qing rule. He was the fifth son of Tan Liang Yeok and they were ordinary village folks living a life that centers around farming. Despite there being a ban for overseas travel, many had left for greener pastures especially in Nanyang. In his growing years, Sin Liew was well educated up to the Book of Rites and played the traditional musical instruments in his leisure hours. At the early age of 8, his mother died and later his father too passed away when he was 16 years of age. Soon after his father's death, he decided to leave Eng Choon to find his fortune at Nanyang. Malacca was his destination because that was the trading port of Nanyang where a Chinese community had settled as far back as Ming times. By the age of 20, Sin Liew left his home and set sailed for Malacca to follow his dream.
While there, he eventually ended up having some dealings with a Malay Kapitan. It was also mentioned in the scribe that because of his knowledge in traditional Chinese healing, he once cured the Sultan's wife who was suffering from breast disease when she was not responding to all other medication and treatment".
It must be noted that the Malacca Sultanate fell to the Portuguese in 1511 and they then set up their new reign in Johore. At it's height, the Johore Empire stretches to Pahang, the Riau-Lingga Islands and a large portion of Sumatra. They then had an agreement with the Dutch, to recapture Malacca from the Portuguese. After a few attempts, the Portuguese fell in 1641 but the Dutch took control of Malacca while the Johor Sultanate continued to rule the vast Johore Empire. In the agreement, the Johor Sultanate was free to trade and stay in Malacca under the Dutch protection. They were also given a royal residence in Malacca which was located at Kampung Kling.
- source sabrizain.org "Sejarah Melayu".
During the attack on Portuguese in Malacca, the Dutch had some help from the locals. One of those was a notable leader from a Malay village of Klebang, a guy called Arom who was a Muslim convert. Arom was once a trader from China by the name of Tan Seek Tiong before he converted to the Muslim faith and settled down in the village at Klebang. Reciprocating his support, the Dutch appointed him as the Kapitan, and offered him land and enough resources to build place of worships and lodgings to house the mosque officials and followers. Unlike the Portuguese who had destroyed all the mosques, the Dutch were more liberal and friendly with the locals and encouraged the practice of local customs and religion. This was their strategic policy of maintaining a peaceful environment with a local ally in the Johor Sultanate to prosper their goal of establishing a profitable trading center in the East Indies. Arom was therefore the first Malay Kapitan and he was succeeded by his son, Sulaiman who was the second Malay Kapitan from 1740 to 1782. This was the period when Sin Liew arrived in Malacca in 1757.
The reigning Johor Sultan during Sin Liew's time was Sultan Sulaiman Alam Shah who had 17 sons and 10 daughters (wikipedia reference ) from his three official wives. The members of the royal house were spread all over the Johor empire which includes Pahang, Riau-Lingga, part of Sumatra and the royal residence at Malacca.
We would deduce that the Sultan's wife referred to in the scribe could be a secondary wife who resides in Malacca and the Kapitan mentioned is the second Malay Kapitan, Sulaiman Bin Arom. Sin Liew's working relationship with the Kapitan was not clearly explained in the scribe, but we believe the Kapitan whose father is Chinese know's the healing properties of Chinese traditional treatment and is the one that facilitate Sin Liew to treat the Sultan's wife. Sin Liew's educational background would have made him have stood out from the rest in this environment.
An old Portuguese map of Malacca showing the proximity of Kampong Kling, Kampong Java and Kampong Cina. The royal house was situated at Kampong Kling, a stone throw away from all other communities.
Hong Hin had been active and was operating for generations. It's name was still featured in the advertisement from the 1938 local paper, The Malacca Guardian. Estimating the time of company set up as 3 years after Sin Liew's arrival in Malacca, this company would have operated for over 180 years since the below advertisement date.
The above address shows the location as immediately next to the Malacca Hokkien Huay Kuan ( Malacca Hokkien Association ) today. There's another association building at the adjacent road which is the Eng Choon Association at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Hanging on the wall of that association is a steele stating that Tan Sin Liew was one of the earliest person from Eng Choon to settle in Malacca.
The Eng Choon Association at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Malacca.
The stele among others hanging on the wall near the entrance hall.
 |
| Close up of the stele inscription that mention Tan Seng Liew as the earliest clansman from Eng Choon to Malacca and was instrumental in the subsequent wave of kinsfolk migration |
After more that a decade of hard work, Sin Liew married a local girl called Yow Sui and settled in Malacca. She was born of a mixed Chinese/Malay parentage in what we termed as Peranakan today. They had a daughter, Tuan Neo and two sons, Swee Leong and Swee Poh. His wife being a Peranakan spoke only Malay to the children, a language Sin Liew had become conversant with.
Sin Liew's wife died at age 32 leaving him with three motherless young children. His youngest son Swee Poh, was only 7 years old then. Sin Liew worrying that his motherless sons would not have the proper care and education about Chinese culture and language sent the boys back to Eng Choon for his relatives to bring them up the Chinese way.
Sin Liew himself died in 1784 at the age of 47 when both his sons were still in Eng Choon. As stated in the Zupu, he was buried in Malacca and his grave is "located at the hillock behind the Sam Poh Temple".
The Sam Poh Temple at Malacca.
The graves are spread over two hillocks behind the temple known as Bukit Cina.
Searching for the grave of Tan Sin Liew.
Relying on that bare information in the Zupu, KC, my father and I made a trip to Bukit Cina, Malacca in 2014 to see if we could locate his grave. Needless to say, it was like trying to find the needle in a haystack as Bukit Cina is a huge area containing 12,500 of mostly old graves. Nevertheless, it was more of a recce and we were hopeful of gathering further information from the temple to which there was none. After this, my brother KC who is actually US based did some research in his spare time.With the help of an online group of like minded people searching the tombs of their ancestors, he asked me to get hold of a book entitled " A Collection of Tombstone Inscription of Bukit Cina, Malacca - 1614 to 1820" which I did. The book was recommended by the online group called Bukit Brown Cemetary, Singapore and that helped my brother identified Sin Liew's tomb which was featured in that book.
With the information, I made a trip to Malacca in 2016 to try and locate it. Despite the layout plan which narrow the search area to section B3, it was still bewildering because there is no such demarcation on the ground. I gave up after more than two hours under the hot sun.
In 2017 when my brother KC came back on his annual home trip, the first thing he did was to head for Bukit Cina at the earliest opportunity. He had a better sense of cemetery layout and did not confine himself to section B3, but searched the adjacent sections as well. After about two hours of search, he finally found it and promptly sent some photos to me. I was elated on seeing the pictures. It's the same tombstone as shown in the book.
After celebrating the Chinese New Year, KC and I drove to Malacca on 3rd February, 2017. Upon reaching Bukit Cina, he led me to the site to see the grave for myself. And there it was, further up from where I did my first search. It was soul satisfying to see our ancestor's grave still intact since the time of Dutch occupation of Malacca.
Tan Swee Poh (1775-1824) - My 5th Great Grandfather
The first Malaysian born ancestor .
Tan Sin Liew's second son, Tan Swee Poh, was my 5th Great Grandfather. He was born in Malacca in 1775 and was only 7 years old when his peranakan mother died at the age of 32. His father sent him and his elder brother Swee Leong back to Eng Choon, China to be cared for by his relatives and learn the Chinese language and culture. Sadly, his father died two years later in 1784 when they were still in Eng Choon. Swee Poh was 9 years old then and his elder brother Swee Leong had passed away at a young age leaving Swee Poh as the only surviving son. When he came of age, Swee Poh married a lady by the surname of Kui and they were childless. When it's time for Swee Poh to return to his place of birth and to carry on his father's business, he adopted a son by the name of Tan Eng Bong. Making the long journey to Nanyang is always perilous and not without risk and the adoption was to ensure the continuance of his family line. This custom is common in China and adoptions from within the clan are widely practiced in every family throughout the ages. That adopted son Tan Eng Bong was my 4th Great Grandfather.
Around 1800, Swee Poh finally returned to Malacca and resume his father's business in running Hong Hin, the trading company. After two years, Swee Poh had a second wife when he married a local peranakan girl by the name of Goh Kan Neo. She bore him four sons, Tan Eng Chik, Tan Kim Seng, Tan Geok Seng and Tan Ong Cheong.
Swee Poh would go back to Eng Choon a few times to see his wife and adopted son, Eng Bong. His wife in China later bore him another son by the name of Tan Eng Ghee and two daughters, Tan Seok Neo and Tan Wan Neo.
Swee Poh died in 1824 at the age of 49 leaving behind two line of descendants, one with Mdm Kui in China and the other with Mdm Goh in Malacca. Of the four Malacca born sons, Tan Kim Seng was the most successful and very prominent in Malacca and Singapore. He is noted as the most illustrious son of Hong Sua and I shall dedicate a section to hail some of his incredible success and achievements.
Locating Swee Poh's grave.
It was stated in the Zupu that Swee Poh was also buried at Bukit Cina, Malacca. After locating Sin Liew's grave, KC and I decided that we have to try and find Swee Poh's grave too. During the earlier trips to Bukit Cina, KC had taken pictures of tombstones surrounding Sin Liew's grave and noted down their spot. When he analysed the names and village engraved on those tombstones, he noticed that many of them were from Hong Sua and some were close relatives. His haunch was Swee Poh's grave should be around the same area and he was right.
When he return home from the States in January 2020, he headed straight for Bukit Cina again. After about an hour search, he came across what he was looking for, the characters all matched. He had found the grave of Tan Swee Poh. And like before, after celebrating CNY, we drove to Malacca on 29th January, 2020 and he led me to his second incredible discovery.
Tan Kim Seng (1806-1864) - the most successful son of Tan Swee Poh.
A dedication to Hong Sua's most illustrious son.
Tan Kim Seng was born in 1806 in Malacca to the second wife of Swee Poh. He is therefore the step brother of Tan Eng Bong, my direct ancestor who stayed behind in China with his mother Mdm Kui. Even though Kim Seng was born from the second wife, who is a Peranakan lady and speaks mostly Baba Malay, he was well educated. He grew up speaking Hokkien and studied Chinese at home. He also learned English, Dutch and Portuguese at the missionary school and was fluent in all of it. His multilingual skill would serve him well in the years to come when he starts his own business.
During Kim Seng's time, Malacca was ruled by the British. The Dutch had handed their colonies to the British at the start of the Napoleonic War in 1795. In 1819 when Stamford Raffles founded Singapore, he started encouraging people to move there. Kim Seng was only 13 years old then, too young to join the flock. He stayed in Malacca and served as an apprentice in Hong Hin where he learned the fundamentals of business.
Sometime around 1824, he expanded his business activity into greenfield Singapore. During this time, the Industrial Revolution in Britain had resulted in large production of cheap manufactured goods beyond what the primary market in Europe could absorb. In order not to jeorpardise the pricing and to protect the profit margin, the excess capacity were exported to the colonies even at a loss. This process is term as "dumping", what the West is accusing China of doing today.
European merchants based in Singapore received these goods on consignment and in turn granted credit to local merchants to redistribute or sell them. It was the return cargo of silk, tea, porcelain, spices like cloves, cinnamon and other exotic local products that were really important, for the profits from these products were sizeable. In order to ensure their procurement, European merchants would finance the local Chinese merchants to secure the purchases of the array of such goods for the British market.
The Chinese merchants found themselves in an enviable position where they could secure European manufactured goods on credit and and received advance payment to buy regional produce. This was the environment when Kim Seng started his business in Singapore. It was a gathering of the perfect storm for a young polyglot whose upbringing imparts value of trusts and integrity, possess entrepreneurial skill and who is at ease dealing with both the local and European business community.
Hong Hin was the company his grandfather established, and to deal with the Europeans, he established Kim Seng and Company which they recognised and have better trust in that brand.
John Camerons the Editor of Straits Times in his book "Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India" published in 1865 wrote this about Kim Seng, "A Chinaman who died in March 1864, worth many millions....... an extensive merchant, a planter, and tin miner had left behind many memorials of his public spirit and charity."
William John Butterworth, Governor of Straits Settlement called Kim Seng "my friend", and so did Edward Boustead of Boustead and Co as well as Partners of Hamilton, Grey and Co.
His dealings with the large European merchants were massive, enough for him to host big parties like the European Ball and have in attendance the Governor and the "who's who" of the business community. He was the second Asian to be appointed Justice of Peace after Tan Tock Seng and a leader of the Chinese community.
Assets of Tan Kim Seng.
A search of microfilms of property sales from 1820 to 1900 in the Singapore Land Authority archives revealed there was not a single transaction in Tan Kim Seng's name before 1840. Thereafter, his name regularly appeared as a buyer of various properties up until the year before his death. His sons were also regular property buyers. They only bought and never sold. Thus, at the age of 35, Tan Kim Seng had become a major player in Singapore. By the time he died at the age of 58 in 1864, he was the richest man in Singapore and Malacca.
He was reputed to be one of the largest landowner in Singapore and Malacca. Family oral history indicated that Tan Kim Seng owned the Gap (NUS Kent Ridge Campus), Alexandra Road Burial ground (now Queenstown) and much of Pasir Panjang including many shophouses at Telok Ayer and Boat Quay area. He also owned the land at Panglima Prang now developed into Yong An Park Condominium and vast tracts of land from River Valley Road to Havelock Road where Kim Seng Road runs through today.
A Map of Singapore and it's Dependencies 1898 published by CB Buckley clearly outlined "Tan Kim Seng's Pasir Panjang" which covered the coast of Pasir Panjang to Ulu Pandan in the northwest and Tanglin in the northeast.
Wikipedia goes so far as estimating that Tan Kim Seng once owned 50-60% of land in Singapore! That may be grossly overstated, but it does highlight the wealth and prominence of Kim Seng in his time.
In his will, while he endowed his four sons with inheritance rights to his assets, he ensures that his immense wealth was also showered on his large extended families that have no inheritance rights. These were the spouses, daughters, grand children adopted sons, siblings and other family members who would receive annual income, or a gift of fix sum on events, or attaining certain age, from an investment fund which he called Sinchew Fund.
Despite the well crafted Will that seeks to benefit his descendants for generations to come, it was challenged in the court of law by the third generation. Through a series of inept handling from the court to the trustees and the greed of some descendants, the will was ruled invalid by the Court of Law. This enforced intestacy open up the pandora's box. It brought in a hosts of unintended recipients like the spouses and daughters who were now accorded equal inheritance right from that confounding ruling. Eventually, the trustee have to dispose off properties one after another and distribute it to the enlarge recipients. It's a complex and long drawn out affair and can be better understood from Vivienne's explanation on her biography of Tan Kim Seng.
Unfortunately for Kim Seng, the Chinese proverb about family wealth not lasting longer than three generations turns out prophetic.
Tan Kim Seng was a generous man whose philanthropy benefited the communities of Singapore and Malacca. In his time, he contributed greatly to the Chwee Eng Free School, Singapore, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Singapore Water Utilities, appointed Justice of Peace, head the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, Trustees to Malacca Cheng Hoon Teng and leader of the Chinese communities in Singapore and Malacca. His children and grandchildren continued and expanded on the good work after him.
The bridge across the Malacca River was built by him in the 19th Century that still bears his name. It has since been reconstructed to the current uninspiring design when the connecting road was realigned.
The Tan Beng Swee clock Tower at the Studhuys, Malacca. Tan Beng Swee is the eldest son of Tan Kim Seng who carried on the philanthropic work of his father.
It was completed in 1886 and donated to the people of Malacca by Tan Jiak Kim in honour of his father, Beng Swee.
The fountain in Esplanade Park in Singapore recognising Tan Kim Seng's contribution to the
Singapore Public Works during his time.
Singapore Public Works during his time.
Much of the information about Tan Kim Seng came from the book "Biography of Tan Kim Seng" written by Vivienne Tan. The book also shed some light on Tan Sin Liew and Tan Swee Poh. I was invited by a wonderful friend Baba Cedric Tan who was one of the organiser of the book launch at the Malacca Chinese Peranakan Association. There I had the opportunity to meet up with the author Ms Vivienne Tan and her husband Walter Tan. Walter is the fifth generation descendant of Tan Kim Seng. Vivienne herself is descended from Wong Ah Fook, another notable early Chinese immigrant who found great success in Johor Baru in that same era..
My wife and I with Vivienne Tan ( in Kebaya ) and Walter Tan ( purple shirt ) at the book launch in Malacca Chinese Peranakan Association building on 3rd May, 2019.
Tan Eng Bong (1797-1822) - My 4th Great Grandfather.
The three generations in China.
As mentioned earlier, Tan Eng Bong my 4th Great Grandfather was adopted by Swee Poh before he embarked on his journey back to Malacca. We do not have much information about him other than some raw facts from the Zupu. He died young, at the age of 25 in the year 1822 in Eng Choon and was buried there. He predeceased his father Swee Poh by two years. Eng Bong had a son by the name of Kuan See who at a tender age of two lost his father when Eng Bong passed away early in life.
Tan Kuan See my 3rd Great Grandfather was born in 1820 and had 5 sons with his wife Mdm Wu Shi. He also married a second wife by the name of Lin Wu but did not have any children with her. He died in 1874 at the age of 54 and was buried in Eng Choon.
One of his son, Tan Lian Ting owns the most prominent house in Hong Sua and all the village folks called that house "Lian Ting Choo". My grandfather Leong Tham, would sometimes mentioned about Lian Ting Choo in his conversation with the family. We didn't know how grand it was nor did he mentioned that Lian Ting was his grand uncle. We only found that out from the Zupu, long after his passing.
Kuan See's second son, Tan Yue Liang is my 2nd Great Grandfather was born in 1855. Yue Liang died young, at the age of 23 in 1878 and was also buried in Eng Choon. He was survived by two sons, Sew Bin and Sew Chuan (Xi Quan).
All the above ancestors from Tan Sin Liew to Tan Yue Liang were not known to us before. It was not mentioned in Tan Leong Tham's Jiapu ( family ancestry book ) which started with Tan Sew Bin. When we got hold of the Zupu ( clans ancestry book ) in 2012, all the above came to light. It immediately connects us all the way to Tan Tiong and into the 5,000 year old Chinese history.
Tan Sew Bin ( 1875-1932 ) - My Great grandfather.
The monsoon trader.
Tan Sew Bin was born in 1875 in Eng Choon. He was my great grandfather and was only 3 years old when his father, Yue Liang passed away. Like his forefathers before him, he too seek his fortune by venturing abroad. And by the mid 1890s around the age of 20, he started sailing out as far as Makassar in Indonesia. His passage was not to find work, but to trade.
Despite the introduction of passenger steamships in the 18th century, Chinese junks were still plying the trading route in South East Asia. They were a familiar sight in these waters until the last quarter of the 20th century before it disappeared quite suddenly.
Sew Bin would have traveled in one of those junks when he sailed into the Indonesian archipelago. Many of the junks were rickety and they would follow the monsoon wind staying close to the coastline.
In the months between November to March when the North East monsoon winds blow south, Sew Bin would be in one of the junk heading that same direction. He would bring along goods like tea, silk, porcelain and local produce from his homeland. The junk boat would sail along the coastline of Luzon, Pahlawan, Borneo and onto Makassar, at the Celebes ( Sulawesi today ). There he would stay until May to September to catch the South West Monsoon wind back to Fujian.
The return journey would see him bringing home goods like hawksbill turtle, cloves, cinnamon and other spices from Makassar. Those who sailed in this manner according to the dictates of the monsoon wind to ply their trade were known as Monsoon Trader and Sew Bin was one.
Barter trading was a common practice during his time. He also had a trading post in Manila which is along the route to Makassar. There were many monsoon traders from China plying these routes for and Sew Bin would have journeyed back and forth between Quanzhou-Manila-Makassar numerous times over more than two decades. He did not seemed to strike it big in his maritime venture, but the money he made was more than enough to support the family in the poverty stricken village at Eng Choon. He even renovated and expanded his house at Eng Choon with the money he made.
Map taken from Quanzhou Maritime Museum.
Tan Sew Bin, my Great Grandfather was a monsoon trader.
The section after Kapeh River was forested area before it was opened up for rubber cultivation. The backbreaking work of clearing and planting rubber were the early Chinese settlers from Eng Choon.
Trading was good until an incident which caused Sew Bin to leave Makassar forever. The Bajau had rioted and the Chinese traders there were targeted. That rampage had caused many to flee Makassar. Sew Bin himself was helped by some local trading partners. They got him into a boat which quickly sailed out of Makassar never to return. He ended up in Malaya as the monsoon wind for the return leg to China was not blowing that way yet. His target destination was a hinterland in the Peninsular at a place called Segamat. Sew Bin had kinsfolks from Eng Choon who had settled there earlier and his decision to come to an interior place in Segamat was hobson's choice. He needed to go somewhere when he can't sail back yet. There were also many other village folks from Eng Choon already settled there.
Sew Bin came to Segamat by boat via the Muar-Segamat River. There he later set up a small stall selling daily provisions at Jalan Sultan on the bank of the Segamat River. It was during that time, the British were keen to open up forested land for rubber cultivation and alienated lands in the interior for private ownership to meet that objective. One of those area was in the interior forested area of present day Kampung Tengah. In that area before the Kapeh River, there were already some Malay dwellers. The Chinese occupied the area after the river and their houses were spread all over wherever their landed property were.
Sew Bin managed to procure a piece of 10 acre land we called "Gua Kau" situated about a kilometer after Sungei Kapeh. That land was cleared for rubber planting and that's where he subsequently build a wooden house when his family joined him later. All this time, his family members were still living in Eng Choon, China.
During this time in China, the Qing Dynasty had fallen in 1912 with the abdication of the last Emperor Pu Yi. The transition of power from the 2,000 year old Imperial rule to an unprepared Republic was fraught with turmoil, internal strife and power struggle. It quickly degenerated into chaos and lawlessness giving rise to an era of Warlords. This was a period of chaos and anarchy and it led to a breakdown of law and social order. Banditry and kidnapping was common, food was scarce and daily life was severely disrupted.
One day, news came to Hong Sua that there was a plan by some bandits to abduct my grandfather, Leong Tham who was 18 years old then. My great grandmother, Khoo Swee Neo ( Sew Bin's wife ) sense the dangerous situation and quickly made plans to flee Eng Choon. Overnight, she left the village with her sons, Leong Sing and Leong Tham, and her nephews, Gen Ker and Gen Leong. The plan was to join Sew Bin in Segamat. She had brought her two nephews along to protect them from their gambling father who had intention of selling them to settle his gambling debts.
Before she left, the house called "Eng Chin Tong" was entrusted to a neighbour by the name of Hong Joo Chim. That year was 1920, and that was also the last time they saw the house. They never went back after leaving China.
A year later, the Chinese Communist Party was established in 1921 in Shanghai. After 28 years of struggle, the party leader Mao Tse Tong took control of China in 1949 after he ousted Chiang Kai Sek and his Kuomintang Party. All foreigners were expelled and China closed it's doors to the world. No Chinese could leave China, and no foreigners could enter. The people who left too had no wish to return to a chaotic state. The perception of Communist rule at that time was bad, especially after the turbulence of the cultural revolution.
By comparison life in Malaya was peaceful and there were opportunities to make a good living under the British rule. Compared to chaotic China, there was law and order, systems of trade, binding contracts and forested land for cultivation. The environment in Malaya was a world away from China and conducive for making a living. Sew Bin family's income came solely from the rubber plantation. Work was hard but earning was good initially due to the rubber boom. He had made a small fortune and reinvested in three more pieces of rubber land, two in the interior towards Kampung Tungku Tiga and one in Buloh Kasap. It was named "Tian Hor" estate, "Eng Joo Tin" estate and "Kasap" estate respectively.
Tan Sew Bin and Khoo Swee Neo's final resting place at Hong San Tien Cemetery, Kampng Tengah.
Sew Bin spent his final years in Segamat when he died in 1939 at the age of 57. He was buried in Hong San Tien Cemetery, Kampung Tengah. He did not have any biological children, his children were all adopted, including my grandfather, Tan Leong Tham. The eldest adopted son, Leong Fei had died at a very young age of 9 when still in China.
Tan Leong Tham (1902 - 1989) - My Grandfather
The Primogenitor for the Malaysian Chapter.
My grandfather Tan Leong Tham and Grandmother Lee Liew.
My Grandfather Tan Leong Tham was the target of a kidnapping plan by some bandits. In the lawlessness environment, this was a dangerous situation. Upon hearing the news, my Great Grandmother Khoo Swee Neo acted immediately and left the village in a hurry with her sons, Leong Seng and Leong Tham and her nephews Gen Ker and Gen Leong.
They traveled by boat to Quanzhou and from there took the long journey to Malaya sailing by junk. Upon reaching Muar, they switched to another boat that takes them upriver, until finally arriving at Segamat. The entire trip would take at least two weeks. They settled into the stand alone wooden house that was built within the rubber plantation at Kampung Tengah. That was in 1920.
Some years later, my Grandfather Leong Tham was married to a local Chinese girl called Lee Liew. through match making. They had a peaceful life, and their first four children were born there, and one of them is my father, Tan Boon Kwi. That serene and peaceful life in the village was soon shattered by events happening around the world, the spread of Communism and World War 2.
In faraway Russia, The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 had overthrown the Tzar's rule and that marked the beginning of Communism when Lenin took power. Comintern was formed in 1919 to spread communist ideology as an affront to the bourgeoisie of Capitalist society promoted by the West under the veneer of democracy. The Communist Party of China was formed in 1921. Communism began to spread to Thailand, Burma, and Indonesia. In Malaya, the Malayan Communist Party ( MCP ) was formed in 1930. It found easy acceptance in the underclass societies particularly the rural areas like Kampung Tengah. And when the Japanese came in 1942, my grandfather's world was turned upside down again.
World War 2 had begun, the Japanese had taken major cities in China and overran Hong Kong, Burma, Malaya and Singapore in 1942. In the face of a common foe, the MCP had allied themselves with the British to counter the Japanese invasion. They formed the Malayan's People Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA) a guerrilla unit while the British supply them with arms and trained them on jungle warfare.
My grandfather, Leong Tham was a leader in that small community of settlers that lived in their rubber plantations at Kampung Tengah. The MPAJA had sought him out for two things,
i. to provide the villagers with protection
ii. in return, my grandfather was expected to provide information of the Japanese movements in that area.
The problem was when the Japanese also sought him out and instructed him to provide same intel of the MPAJA in his area. This puts him in an untenable position, but the real danger was if either party finds out that he was being accosted by the other, it could cost him his life and endanger the family too. And so for the second time in his life, he had to abandon his home and flee for safety.
Again, Leong Tham had to act fast and the plan was to leave for Port Dickson immediately where the siblings of his wife resides. The rest of the family comprising my Grandmother Lee Liew, my father, Boon Kwi and his 3 sisters, joined him within a few days. My great grandmother Khoo Swee Neo had already passed away a few months earlier after the Japanese swept through the country at the beginning of 1942. At Port Dickson, Leong Tham and his family stayed at Kampung Chokra, in a kampung house where the families of Lee Liew's siblings lived. They lay low in Port Dickson for three years and only returned to Segamat after the war. Upon their return, they moved to a rented house in Jalan Hassan. It was across the road from today's Jalan Arshad's junction. The move nearer to town was for the convenience of my father's education, which was interrupted by the war. It was here that three more children were born making it a total of seven.
During this period, the struggle for Malaya's independence saw the British banning MCP, their partner in the war against the Japanese. This led to a period of Emergence being declared in 1948 and ended only 12 years later in 1960. In the interim, the British under the Briggs Plan had in 1950 relocated all settlers living in the fringe of the forest to guarded concentration camps but euphemistically called new villages. These were mostly Chinese settlers and throughout the country, 500,000 Chinese settlers were resettled into 450 new settlements. One of the settlement is in Kampung Tengah called "Gor Chap Kek", which in Hokkien lingo means "50 Acres". This is because the new settlement occupies exactly 50 acres of land in Kampung Tengah. Because of this settlement, the family owned rubber plantation now lies outside the perimeter, the family had begun calling that piece "Gua Kau". My grandfather briefly occupied a shop at the entrance of that village but his two cousins Gen Ker and Gen Leong stayed in the village. Up to this day, some of their grandchildren families continue to stay there.
Life for the family since their return centers around rubber tapping and processing it to dry ribbed sheets. Despite the dropped in rubber price, it was the main source of revenue that supported the family.
My grandmother, Lee Liew soon passed away in 1983 at age 71. Leong Tham lived a few years longer, up to 87 years old when he too passed away in 1989. In his last 10 years, China had opened it's doors to the outside world, yet my grandfather never went back. But he left behind enough stories and information about "Eng Chin Tong", the house in Eng Choon.
Eng Chin Tong - our ancestor's house at Hong Sua village, Eng Choon, China.
In his family book ( Jiapu ), my grandfather had described the location of Eng Chin Tong as follows:
House Name : Eng Chin Tong,
Village : Pang Sua Tao ( Chu Lim ) - Old Name
Hong Sua ( Feng Shan ) - New Name
Location : Ber Sua ( meaning last hill )
Sitting direction : North East,
Facing direction : South West.
This was Eng Chin Tong, picture taken in 2015 during one of our visit.
Two and a half years after Tan Leong Tham's passing, Tan Boon Kwi made his first trip to the village of his father at Hong Sua in Eng Choon, China. That was in 1992 and the house caretaker Hong Joo Chim had since passed away leaving the house to the care of her son Tan Geok Hau. It was already 72 years since Leong Tham left but the house was still standing, but being vacant all these years it had fallen into disrepair. However, the name Eng Chin Tong was still prominently displayed on the main building facing the front courtyard.
In the years thereafter, there were many trips back to Eng Choon by Leong Tham's children and grandchildren. Each trip back was to satisfy the soul within, and Eng Chin Tong was our only connection to the land of our forebears.
This picture was taken by Tan Boon Kwi during his visit in 2002. It shows the main building inside the house with the name Eng Chin Tong still prominently displayed. The caretaker had preserved the name all these years despite not knowing if anyone will return.
Tan Boon Kwi outside the house at a well that was there since his father's time.
Picture taken in 2006. My father, Boon Kwi with my son Sherman and Tan Eng Hian. Eng Hian is the great grandson of Hong Joo Chim.
View from the courtyard facing the main door. There were rooms flanking the left and right hand side of the house. It's a typical ancient Chinese design, a "Siheyuan" house layout.
This was the most prominent house in the village during it's time. The house was owned by Tan Lian Ting who was the uncle of my great grandfather, Tan Sew Bin.
A photo taken outside Eng Hian's house in 2006 during my first visit with my father, Boon Kwi and son, Sherman.
The whole chink gang came in 2015. They were my uncles, aunties and cousins.
In 2016, the government made plans to build a highway bypassing Hong Sua village and Eng Chin Tong was located on the path of that planned highway. That land where Eng Chin Tong stood was acquired by the government together with many other houses in Hong Sua. All affected villagers were relocated to the newly build apartments in town.
China's rapid transition from peasant economy to modern society is felt all over the country today. At the blink of an eye, our sentimental connection to China as represented in Eng Chin Tong is being replaced with a modern apartment in town in fast growing China.
I don't know how Eng Choon county looks like during my grandfather's time, but what I see today is a beautiful modern city with a country charm.
All the above three pictures were taken in 2019. It was our last visit there before China's lockdown on 23rd January 2020 due to the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic.
Legacy of Tan Leong Tham.
The Malaysian chapter of my grandfather's descendants have now spawned into five generations. Eng Chin Tong have created a stronger sense of family kinship that led to the first clan gathering on the first day of Chinese New Year in 2014. It has since been an annual affair during our CNY home trips back to Segamat.
Descendants of Tan Leong Tham.
Epilogue
Since ancient times, human migration have always taken place in waves. The exodus from the Central plains of Henan to Fujian and Guangdong province in the South took place over a long period of time, lasting a few hundred years.
Many centuries thereafter, large waves of migration picked up momentum again, this time from the South to the land of opportunities by sea. Some had ventured as far as San Francisco to look for gold at "Kam San", but the el dorado was the South East Asian countries.
Today, the Chinese continue to migrate not to escape any hardship but in search of better prospects. And like their forefathers before them, some of Tan Leong Tham's descendants have since migrated to the USA and the pacific countries. While economic is the key driver, it is perhaps the wondering spirit within and soul that keeps us moving from place to place.
My China Roots will continue to document the saga of Tan Leong Tham's descendants which will be added as a sequel when all the information are compiled.
THE END
First written and published on 9.7.15
Version updated as at 30.6.21
Author: Tan Kang Han.
Footnote :
The story of Tan Sew Bin and Tan Leong Tham are pieced together from conversations with my father, uncles and aunties. They each had memories of what went through during their time and the stories in China as narrated to them by Leong Tham and my grandmother.
However, it was the result of the painstaking work of my brother KC who researches the Zupu thoroughly that bear results. He, like me, did not understand the Mandarin language but it is his passion that overcome that obstacle. The heavy lifting was done by KC while I only transcribed it here for posterity.
The publication of Tan Kim Seng's Biography by Vivienne Tan sheds some light on Tan Sin Liew and Tan Swee Poh. Relevant information, explanation and passages from that book are paraphrased while others are written ad verbatim, including the insights of Tan Kim Seng.
After the first version was hastily published in 2015, the new discovery and information including the discovery of Swee Poh's grave are added in this updated Version as at 30.6.2021.
Quote from Madeleine L'Engle:
"If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost.
Honour your own stories and tell them too.
The tales may not be very important,
but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are."
"Genealogy without documentation is mythology."
