tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188949782024-03-14T11:52:16.263+08:00i came i saw i come i seekinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-52056915047480375972019-05-20T15:52:00.000+08:002019-05-20T15:52:00.802+08:00上村岌江坪永契休旷 - 1940 land deal<br />
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As the grave was located far away and inconvenient to visit for
prayers, the descendants of the 14<sup>th</sup> generation matriarch of the
Tang family, decided to move her remains back to Yongqing village in Dapu
district.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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The Tang matriarch graveyard was located at the upper
village in Songnan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was sold to Mr Liang
of Songkou, Meixian for two thousand five hundred republican dollars. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The piece of land was then transferred by Mr Liang to Gu
Yongzhen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This transaction was recorded on <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>12Jan 1940.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">上村岌江坪永契休旷</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> 立永杜断大卖休旷契大埔县第一区永青乡唐姓十四世福德公德配</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">清得赠淑人克贞唐母黄孺人裔孙全体代表黄赞榜今有承先祖</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">遗下地坟一穴坐落松南乡上俊头地方土各岌岗坪晶各唐家处</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">形坐北朝南上与大路为界下与古姓桥会之田产墈为界左与古</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">仁榜公坟相连右与古姓祖批族孺人地坟相连左右前后悉依本日</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">公亲当众坚立之界址为界四址分明此业原系唐姓祖批克贞</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">黄孺人坟墓即系唐姓黄淑人裔孙所有之业今因该坟远隔每</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">逢祭祀<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">挨</span>得为艰由唐姓福德公德配黄孺人裔孙共同议决将黄</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">淑人移回原籍安<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">壅</span>即得原日克贞唐母在岌岗坪之休</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">旷四界内地基出卖与人侭问房亲人芳等俱各不愿承领托中</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">刘季鎔送与梅县松口梁特峰先生出首承买当日凭中三面言</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">宝依时值杜断卖价国币两千伍佰元正即日银契两交明白中</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">间<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">并</span>无债货准折短少等</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">情安无重复典当及包卖他人物业</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">等契</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">自卖之后即交手与梁特峰先生永远管业任从展筑</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">建造任何使用出卖人至亲人等永不得异言生端阻抗此委</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">系唐姓克贞黄淑人裔孙所有之有业倘有上手来历不明及包卖他</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">人物业等契不干承买人之乃系出卖人及中见人力抵当此系之比<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">日</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">愿两无迫勒<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">颓</span></span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">后有凭立永远杜断大卖休旷契付执为据</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">批明即日实领到契内国两千伍佰元正立批</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">批明付有嘉庆十六年</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(</span>1822<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">)四月十六日于古姓所订立合同一<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">所</span>立批</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">批明上手老契来曽寻护倘日后发现作为废纸立批</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">批明中<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">金</span>在外花押在内</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">批明此休旷及相连地段有本人赠与<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">古永珍永</span>远管业立批</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">赠与人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梁特峰</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">在见人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梁招抠</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">代笔人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梁</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="background: yellow; font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-highlight: yellow;">悟</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">说合中人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">刘衍彬</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">刘季镕</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">现场公亲</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">唐赞则</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">刘友南</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古一帆</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古梓华</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古玉偕</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古节文</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古荣华</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">领银人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">唐赞榜</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">执笔人</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">刘季镕</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">民国二十九年</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">完月十二日永远社断卖休旷契人</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">大埔县唐福德公德配</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">黄孺人裔孙全权代表</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">唐赞榜</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-76265462739010326342019-05-18T11:33:00.000+08:002019-05-20T10:49:05.361+08:00Of Wind and Water – 风水 - Spring of 1951<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N930OmQkRy4/XN98XmhQ7gI/AAAAAAAABx0/MqBxWx4csIobvfK_sZIkl2yX6AqfqKEIgCLcBGAs/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N930OmQkRy4/XN98XmhQ7gI/AAAAAAAABx0/MqBxWx4csIobvfK_sZIkl2yX6AqfqKEIgCLcBGAs/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a fengshui divination by a geomancer in Mexian, on the date and timing to start construction work on grandfather’s grave, in the village of Songkou. </div>
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The auspicious time to </div>
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<ul>
<li>Start construction work on the grave : 13May, 7-8am (1951)</li>
<li>Lay the grave stone : 20May, 7-8am</li>
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As was the custom, the year of birth of the surviving sons organizing the work was stated in the document, though their names were not mentioned.</div>
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The original document was interpreted by a Mr Li Zijun for grandmother. The detail is in the 2nd document. </div>
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Grandfather passed away in the spring of 1948 and was buried in the autumn of that year. It makes to wonder why the construction of the grave started only in spring of 1951, two and a half years later. </div>
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1949 was a perhaps a busy year to continue to settle the inheritance matters. </div>
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1950 as it was the year of the tiger, and perhaps a year to avoid. </div>
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And thus 1951. New China was a year and half old, and the land reform movement had not yet reached the village of Songkou. </div>
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For 1st uncle was on the top of the list of the 6 living sons. </div>
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During the land reform movement, 1st uncle who was born in 1905, was branded a land lord and executed during the movement. As a child, had heard from elders that his body was wrapped in a straw mat and buried in an unmarked grave.</div>
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2019 May, 68 years hence, </div>
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<li>In Songkou village, hair dressing saloon offers free wifi service to customers</li>
<li>The villagers has been going cashless for some years, using their hand phone QR code to pay for street food. </li>
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And, while the trade war has just started in earnest, the <i>Wind and Water</i> in the mountain village continues in its endless cycle.<br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">权中堂</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">涂日初世传日课</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">授男敬溪孙</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "Yu Mincho", serif;">(</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">日蓀</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">少敬)精明历算推造通书出售</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">馆在</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">(广东梅县</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">)凌东路石牌楼巷上第七间坐北</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">吉地癸山兼丑一缘</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span> <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">兹</span>(<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">欲起工造坟柩葬事</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">主事人</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">乙已生</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">甲子生</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">乙丑生</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">癸酉生</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">丁卯</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">庚午</span><span lang="ZH-CN"></span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">原楝四月初八癸丑日申时三刻空山起工造坟吉</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">详查此课山家大利日修造动土主事各均合凡忌</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">无干以之空山起</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">工</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">主用叶吉</span> <span> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">凡未寅生人无近</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">原楝四月十五日庚申日申时三刻柩<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk5442854">葬</a>吉</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">辛卯</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">癸已</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">庚申</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">甲申</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">详查此课同在已月家大利日宜安葬主事</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">各造<span style="background: yellow;">亦</span>合但原帖无仙命此乃欵式不全<span style="background: yellow;">若</span>仙命</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">合诸空无犯乃主叶吉</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">如仙命有相冲则不合主用或犯六空<span style="background: yellow;">亦</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;"><span style="background: yellow;"></span></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">不宜用</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: DengXian;">凡寅生人勿近</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Reference<br />
<br />
2nd document - an interpretation<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XkVK74nG8TQ/XN98cnvFUBI/AAAAAAAABx4/ZHBimizRS2cOAbDQbl7eJaA7EvJFOWttgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XkVK74nG8TQ/XN98cnvFUBI/AAAAAAAABx4/ZHBimizRS2cOAbDQbl7eJaA7EvJFOWttgCEwYBhgL/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-33376240598719904772019-01-01T14:33:00.000+08:002019-01-01T14:38:04.688+08:00Home in Menglembu <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnlwAppLkSU/XCsHbpjMN1I/AAAAAAAABLc/TVjJ6WsKtAk596A0N6y_WwGbCJsQ9RlQACLcBGAs/s1600/1A%25E5%259B%25BD%25E5%25AE%259D_1920-80_190101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnlwAppLkSU/XCsHbpjMN1I/AAAAAAAABLc/TVjJ6WsKtAk596A0N6y_WwGbCJsQ9RlQACLcBGAs/s400/1A%25E5%259B%25BD%25E5%25AE%259D_1920-80_190101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plan of the immediate neighborhood 1960’s and early 1970’s</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a sketch of my neighborhood in Menglembu.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It also indicates where the family house has
moved from the early 1900’s to 1984. Within the span of 80 odd years the family
home has moved 3 times from (A) to (C).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grandpa should have been one of the earlier settlers to come to Menglembu. He arrived in Malaya probably in 1900, when he was 17 years
old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He married a Peranakan (<span lang="ZH-CN">谢氏</span>)
in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1904 at 21 years old, and had his
first son (<span lang="ZH-CN">锦荣</span>) in 1905. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Location ( A ) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After his first wife passed away (from childbirth as heard
from elders) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and he married his 2<sup>nd</sup>
wife(<span lang="ZH-CN">鄒氏</span>) in 1916.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He his first
daughter was born in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>June1917 (<span lang="ZH-CN">莲英</span>).
By then, he would have settled in his home in Kampung King (A). ( East Regrouping Area)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The eldest son married in June 1926 at age 21 to a maiden <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the Leong family (<span lang="ZH-CN">梁氏</span>). The
wedding photograph was taken in June 1926.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the 1970’s heard from Dad (<span lang="ZH-CN">锦宏</span>) that
he was born in the old house across the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The house in the 1926 wedding photograph would probably had been the
house<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By then, Dad was close to 2 years old, born
July 1924<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Location ( B ) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The family probably moved to location (B) in the 1930’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house was located across the railway line
between the police station and the surau. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The house included a big yard and an office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandpa
was in the timber business. The company’s name was Weng Cheong – <span lang="ZH-CN">荣昌</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expanding business probably required him
to look for a bigger plot of land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The yard was for storing logs, timber and planks and to park
the trailer lorries. The lorries were for carrying logs from the forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The timber and planks were for the tin mining
industry to build palongs (wooden sluices), quarters and offices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the war (1941-25) when the tin mining & timber
business was disrupted, Grandpa diversified into <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cheroot
cigarettes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The office and yard were
converted into makeshift factory for making cigarettes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Location ( C ) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The family moved here in 1954, when the police station
expanded to build staff family quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The original land size occupied three lots which<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandpa bought from an Indian owner. The area
was planted with coconut trees and there was a fish pond in the middle
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The double story bungalow was originally located in Lahat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ground floor was cement, and the upper
floor wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owner used it to settle
the debts owe to the timber business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1984 the family
moved to Taman Sentosa near to the foot hill of Kledang when the new housing
estate was developed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-//--</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-18275464204056421432018-03-09T10:26:00.000+08:002018-03-09T10:26:12.927+08:00Journey to Nanyang <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the year 1909, soon after the lantern festival 元宵 a young girl of 17 left her village in Mexian 梅县, China for Nanyang 南洋.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She travelled down the Meijiang river 梅江 and to the coastal port of Shantou 汕头. From there the sail went up to catch the north-easterly winds and the boat set forth along the ancient trade routes of the sea heading south. She </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">landed in Malaya in March that year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Around 1916, this daughter of the Chew family (邹), name See Moi 泗妹 married Kwet Chin 国祯, a widower aged 33 years old. Their matrimonial home was in Menglembu, an outpost that supported the many tin mines around the Kinta Lahat district. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The couple went on to have 6 sons and 6 daughters, over a span of 15 years. </span></div>
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-30180812052679721612017-01-03T18:04:00.002+08:002017-01-03T18:17:34.066+08:00the journey from Yuankui Pagoda - 元魁塔<div style="border-image: none;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvPYCfVfX8s/WGtqXm4ZeeI/AAAAAAAABFY/1_z-6TQTow8ZBJ026DYpgiLdghiBLvpRACEw/s1600/2016_Songkou_YK%2BPagoda_161215_DSC_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvPYCfVfX8s/WGtqXm4ZeeI/AAAAAAAABFY/1_z-6TQTow8ZBJ026DYpgiLdghiBLvpRACEw/s320/2016_Songkou_YK%2BPagoda_161215_DSC_0085.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Completed in 1619, towards the end of the Ming Dynasty it was a landmark for the migrants from this region of the Hakka heartland on their treacherous journey to Nanyang in mid-19th to the 20th century.</div>
The pagoda is located at about 3.5km from Songkou 松口on the middle reaches of Mei Jiang 梅江. <br />
Centuries earlier the pagoda could have guided the Ming princes and their courtiers as they escaped south from the Manchus. Legend had it that the Shide Mansion 世德堂 in Tongpa village 铜琶村 about 1.2km, was purposefully build to host the fleeing court.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qe1dz_HttFQ/WGtqXhvd_SI/AAAAAAAABFY/A-H6bbjUqToP0fVKff5L5w-suNd3nMwpgCEw/s1600/2016_Chaozhou_Fenghuang%2BPagoda_161220_DSC_0540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qe1dz_HttFQ/WGtqXhvd_SI/AAAAAAAABFY/A-H6bbjUqToP0fVKff5L5w-suNd3nMwpgCEw/s320/2016_Chaozhou_Fenghuang%2BPagoda_161220_DSC_0540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As the Meijiang flows down the mountains towards the lower reaches, another pagoda came into view.<br />
The Pheonix Pagoda 凤凰塔 is located in Chaozhou 潮州. It was build thirty odd years earlier in 1585. This section of the river is named Hanjiang, 韩江.<br />
It was named in honor of Han Yu 韩愈 the Tang Dynasty official and great poet who was banished to Chaozhou, because he was against the ceremony of the Emperor receiving the Buddha's tooth relic. In the 8 months that he was there, he did much to improve education, agriculture, pacify the crocodiles threating the local folks and free slavery. <br />
He left his indelible mark in the city, woods and rivers, that continued to flourish to this day 1,350years later.<br />
赢得江山都姓韩<br />
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-679914177082488782015-07-26T10:14:00.000+08:002015-07-26T10:14:20.284+08:001965 - journey south - lion city <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgh05-A9Q4s/VbRBzG0DTpI/AAAAAAAABEA/VuRex4_GCrc/s1600/haw%2BPar_1965_DSC00579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgh05-A9Q4s/VbRBzG0DTpI/AAAAAAAABEA/VuRex4_GCrc/s320/haw%2BPar_1965_DSC00579.JPG" width="241" /></a></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Journey </span></span></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
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</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the first travel to Singapore, it was in standard two. </span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As it was a big event for a boy of eight, after
50 years has gone by, glimpses of the events on trip were still vivid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The date
written at the back of the photographs helped pinpoint the trip to the month of
May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though it would be 3 months before Singapore separated from
the Federation of Malaysia, when we reached the Johor-Singapore causeway that
morning, I remember Dad and Uncle Hia talking and if they needed documents to
enter the island state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I recalled
this conversation of the adults, I had thought that the trip was made post
August 1965.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the date at the
back of the photo, help to clear the doubt and point to May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The journey started the evening before by car from our
hometown in Menglembu. We travelled in a Toyota owned by 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The event for the trip was that 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle’s second
child, a son of a few months old was found to have medical problem and was
recommended for treatment at the Singapore General Hospital. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He married in May27, 1962, and the first child
was a baby girl. The mother would be flying from Ipoh to Singapore in a day or
two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our contingent would travel down
early so asto meet mother with baby when they arrived in the city state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As dad was familiar with Singapore <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as he had visited the city a number of times,
5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle had probably asked him to help on the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The members travelling by car were Dad and Uncle Hia, mum
and 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> aunt, 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> brother and myself – 4 adults and two
young boys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As dad was managing the Shell petrol station business then,
the car was checked and filled full tank at the petrol station early that
evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left after dinner and the
journey took us 12 hours or so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I slept most of the journey as we were travelling by
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we headed south, we had to
cross the Muar river on a car ferry, as there was no bridge then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are travelling in the dark most thro the night, and I
recall on reaching Ayer Itam we came to a lighted multistory building, a sort
of a land mark of sort at a turning where we turn right on our south bound ourney.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in Johor Bharu at dawn, and headed to the
causeway to clear the checkpoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
there where the conversation if a pass or paperwork was need to enter the city
state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lion city</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Among the places -</span></div>
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<li style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
Hotel at Tanjong Pagar</div>
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We stayed at the 4 storey Tian Yi Jing
Hotel<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">天</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">一</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">景酒</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: "MS Mincho";">店</span>at Peck Seah Street. The escalator
had the double layer fence type gate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rooms had ceiling fans, and windows with half-curtain. </div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
I remember we left<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>piece of clothing behind at the hotel. It was
my home made jacket by mum (<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">冷衫</span>).</div>
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Kereta Ayer</div>
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Recall that we had dinner at the open air
food center at the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>busy Peal Center area
–<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">珍珠坊</span>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A vagabond unkempt beggar with long hair
was grabbing the leftover food in the next table with his bare hands.</div>
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Haw Par Villa</div>
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Among the many legendary and mythical
figures from Chinese history and folklore that dad narrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
learnt of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sumu tending to flock of sheep
while in exile in Siberia, <span lang="ZH" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">蘇武牧</span><span style="mso-fareast-language: ZH;">, </span>of Jiang Taigong fishing with the bait above water, <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">姜太公钓鱼。</span>There
was the infamous 18 levels of hell, punishment meted out according to the degree
of severity of sins and immorality committed while in mortal life. </div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
The visit to Haw Par Villa perhaps planted
the latent interest in Chinese history and culture in this young mind.</div>
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Singapore General Hospital </div>
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While the elders we at the medical center,
we wandered outside the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
recall next to the ward was a steep grassy slope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was probably the next facing the sid of
Outram-Tiong Baru. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, that was the first trip to Singapore 50 years ago in 1965. The next trip to the Lion City was eight years later in 1973.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a vacation trip organized by the school. This time around we needed a passport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><strong>Postscript </strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">i) - Dad’s early travel to/thro Singapore </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In June 1940, as a member of the Ipoh Yuke Choy School high
school graduation class he visited Singapore and stayed at the YinWo Hakka
Association.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Oct 1948, on his journey with grandmother to Meixian,
Songkou in 1948<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to attend to
grandfather’s late estate he would have transited in Singapore. A few years
later and probably in 1951-52, he accompanied 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle in transit
at Singapore on his way to New China.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps his first trip was around 1928, when he was 4 years
old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He probably transited in Singapore
while on his journey to the home village in China, with 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> grandaunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ii) Hotels in Tanjong Pagar</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Chinese hotels in Tanjong Pagar - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">新亚旅店</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">天</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">一</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">景</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">were<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trusted hotels the family stayed when they transit
in Singapore on their way to China home village before the War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A record in granddad’s accounting booklet noted - </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>EuYanSang Ipoh, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oct
1946 wired $750 Straits dollars Mr Huang Zhaomin of Xin Ya hotel in Peck Seah
Street, Kerea Ayer, Selat for preparation of boat fare and other use.</em></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Singapore was written as Selat </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">石叻</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> in
Chinese then.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was probably for the final journey of grandpa to China,
after a sojourn of close to 50 years in Nanyang. Among the members of this trip
were sons, 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle, 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> uncle , and grandson – Brother Pang </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">鑫权.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_a1YPjPGPwI/VbRCEQ_aKNI/AAAAAAAABEI/tGXk794cFz4/s1600/hotel_1946_kereta%2Bayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_a1YPjPGPwI/VbRCEQ_aKNI/AAAAAAAABEI/tGXk794cFz4/s320/hotel_1946_kereta%2Bayer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em>Reference </em></strong></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<a href="http://blog.omy.sg/sgstory/archives/489"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://blog.omy.sg/sgstory/archives/489</span></a></div>
</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<a href="http://blog.omy.sg/sgstory/archives/489"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">http://blog.omy.sg/sgstory/archives/489</span></a></div>
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-65888499347363238422015-06-23T20:05:00.002+08:002015-06-23T20:17:48.135+08:00the menglembu football team <br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rAzaJDqVHQs/VYlKF-CEe-I/AAAAAAAABDs/1SuFI4K3C94/s1600/phpbM46IRAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rAzaJDqVHQs/VYlKF-CEe-I/AAAAAAAABDs/1SuFI4K3C94/s320/phpbM46IRAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This photograph of the </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Menglembu football team was taken on
12September 1967.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As to the venue, it was most probably in an out-of-town
match at the Coronation Park padang in Ipoh <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-the current Taman Dr Seenivasagam. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Standing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- left to
right: Sei-ngang-chai, Bat Zee, Ah Fai, For-che-tau, Ku-li (eldest), Fei-lou Zhong
(the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>brother), Ah-Boot (the
3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> brother), Fei-lou Keong, Ah Ket (cousin of Ah Fei) , Lau Zhong, Samy</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Squatting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– left to
right :Dai-gor Seng, Ah Chow, Hon-da-sport, Dai-nan Choy (younger brother of
Dai-gor-Seng), Ah Hoi, Yee Chai, Ah Bai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the 1960’s and 70’s, the padang in Menglembu, adjacent to
the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wan Hua Primary School, would be a
hive of activities in the early evening from 5 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Youngsters from around town, the re-grouping area and as far away as Bukit Merah would gather there for evening of soccer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Among this cohort, there were three brothers, namely <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ku Li, Fei Lou Zhong, Ah Boot. The eldest Ku-li was 20 years old, the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> brother Fei-lou
Zhong was 18 and the 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>, Ah-Boot was 16 years old then. The soccer kaki's would visit the home of the brothers and they were good buddies. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ku-Li and Ah-Boot went on to play for the Perak team. Both
of them were in the Perak team that won the FAM cup in 1970, beating Kelantan
2-0.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ah-Boot made it to the national team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1969, he played for the Malaysian team in
the Asian Youth Football Tournament in Bangkok. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The AYFT was the beginning of the many travels
that his football career would bring him to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was Tokyo in 1970 and Manila in 1971.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1972 he was a member of the Malaysian football team to the
Munich Olympic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On his return from the
Olympics, he proceeded to Hong Kong and started his professional soccer, first with
the Caroline Hill Football Club .</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fast forward, 2015 – </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The afternoon heat has mellowed. The padang is as verdant.
The single story assembly hall is still there in the same location at the far
end of the padang beside the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the garden houses </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">菜园屋</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>, next
to the padang, ( wooden house with zinc roof surrounded with a small garden )
are still there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have stood there
for 60 years and more, witnessing many a generation of youngsters playing
soccer. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The goal posts are no longer around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where have all the youngsters gone? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-6408794473903711232014-10-06T11:02:00.000+08:002014-10-06T11:02:49.485+08:00the Eglish class of 1940 - <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yydMoJQ-UdQ/VDIFjLYcrgI/AAAAAAAAA74/pC6-YcSJReE/s1600/SCAN0024.JPG" height="202" width="320" /><span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">The class of 1940 – </span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">This class photograph was printed on a photo card format, with
a pencil marking ‘1940’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With traces of autographs
on it – it was probably the graduating class of 1940.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">Dad <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was standing in
the middle row- seventh from right. He looked a smart and handsome 16 years
old.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">This class photograph was probably the remedial English school
that he attended. He mentioned before that he attended English lessons on the
top floor of the Foong Seong Building – in front of IPOH new town – wet market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As to the school that organized the classes,
if I recall well what he said, it was probably the Anglo-Chinese School,
Ipoh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if someone could
recognize the teachers in the photographs.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">PS - In the same year 1940 dad graduated from the Yuk Choy
School. The graduating class from the Chinese school went on an excursion to
Singapore, and he had left behind a number of photographs from that trip. </span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
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<br />kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-8525824573368577932014-09-28T20:36:00.000+08:002015-02-03T20:45:33.270+08:00 - 萬華百年校慶 - Wan Hua School Centennial -<br />
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萬里望 - Menglembu-1958年<br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">老照片背后的故事</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">照片后面有铅笔留下的日期 </span><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">22.8.58</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">这些青春姑娘们是万华小学第十四届高小毕业生。照片里有姐姐和她同班同学们在校园内五十七年前拍下的留念照。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">剧台上打着布条‘ 第十四届高小毕业典礼’,那位穿着白色长袖衬衫女扮男生是大姐。和她同年一起在万华小学读书有位表姐。她站在舞台剧照片下面张照片的左二,咱们叫她丽姐,是三姑母的第二女儿。在这张照片大姐是站在左三,笑嘻嘻的面向着右边。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">念小学一年级时有一天家人急着来到学校带大姐和丽姐赶回家去, 因为二伯婆去世了。那个年头因该是一九五三年。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">万华小学培育了咱们这一代多位表哥表姐堂哥堂姐大姐哥哥们。万华小学同样的也是万里望市镇居民的启蒙首选。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">矩形的学校位置于市镇北区,正门面对着戏院街头,后院一直延展到已近一百二十多年的观音庙的后方。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">咱们老家靠近校园的后院。越过大马路靠着观音庙旁边的一条小径路,两三步脚就是校园右边的后门。这个门很方便居住在南区的学生,早晚上下班。他们从南区居住的家园过了马路,路过咱们的老宅就可通过着个后门往进校园。</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">万华校园内在初建有教师们的宿舍。宿舍建在校园的后院,向着咱们家的后门进去就是校宿了。宿舍是排屋式单位,租给教师家庭居住,约有十五六间,分成两行四排。
记得玉玲表姐庆文哥和他们两个小孩六十年代后期在宿舍住过一短暂时间。过后不久宿舍就拆了。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">玉玲表姐是大姑母的长女,庆文哥是万华校学老师。他们结婚于一九六O</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">年。庆文哥的老师是大姐郑家的二叔公。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">回想起来万华校学和咱们家族是在万里望开埠一起成长的。妈妈的小学,如果没记错是<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">民德学堂</i> (或<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">明德</i>),地址位于街场未,堂姑母树料棚的对面。后来那里办了教会。<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">民德学堂</i>应该是万华小学的前身。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">万华学校建校于一九一四年。祖辈们最早来到万里望时,应该是在一九OO</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">年初。母亲生于一九二二年,她进学的三O</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">年代,学校已开办了十五年多。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">从咱们老家可听到学校的上下班的钟声,下午班的朗读声音。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">放学下班时知道那位穿着旗袍,稍微肥胖的女士是四哥一年级班主任。听大人说四哥开学时常常见不到亲人在旁就会哭。哭起来了赖老师会很有耐心,细声细语劝他不要哭。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">平时校园的后门到六点多。饭后姐姐过来时就会带着不到一两岁的侄儿侄女们到校园去散步。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">‘草原之夜’, 那‘来来来</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- <span lang="ZH-CN">’的歌声像似昨夜刚从耳边飘过。</span></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">学校的礼堂在六O</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">年代举办了歌唱比赛。达人歌手们最常选唱的是类似‘草原之夜’难度比较高的歌。时而在周六晚上礼堂也有播放电影。那入场票比对面的电影院来的便宜。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">群体的‘饮胜’声音随着随而着来。 </span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">在礼堂出席过好几次喜宴,一九七五年二哥的婚宴,之前堂兄的婚宴也在校园礼堂摆了几十台酒席。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">虽然自己不成念过万华小学,但是校园的故事,声音陪伴着自己在家乡的成长。</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">祝愿 </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">万华学校</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">万里常青 ,学业前进,未来的下个百年继续培育万里望年轻一代。</span><br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Wan Hua Primary School in Menglembu celebrated the centennial in October 2014. The Chinese medium school is an integral part of the memory of the residents of Menglembu. This article recorded the events connected with the school in the 1960's and 70's. As it's a Chinese medium school, the article is written in Chinese, however broken it is.</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"></span></span><br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">The photographs were taken in 1958. They were of my sister and her classmates. </span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Sister acted in the stage drama in the 14th primary graduating class that year<span lang="ZH-CN">。She was in a long white sleeve shirt, make-up as a young guy.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">In the photographs taken at the school garden, was cousin Li, the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> daughter of 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> aunt. She is of same age as sister, and they were together in same class. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Many of our cousins, and my siblings had their primary education in this school. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">The hubby of a cousin Yoke Lin was a teacher in the school, and they stayed at the school quarters for a while with their two young kids in the late sixties.</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">There were talent time contests, weekend cinemas and wedding dinners at the school hall. There were remedial Malay lessons in the evening which I attended, and these were some of the memories of the school.</span></span></div>
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Our old house was located close to the school. There was a side gate at the backyard. </span><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Many of the school children who lived in the south Regrouping Area would pass by our house on their way to and from school, using this back gate...</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></span></span>
<i>15.02.03_tue</i><br />
<i>payalebar</i><br />
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-73016000491790774572014-05-04T07:30:00.000+08:002014-05-04T07:42:49.752+08:00- shell petrol filling station - 1965<span style="color: black;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REcXhmyHpCU/U2V4RJUk8WI/AAAAAAAAA7I/WKrhHT9gLeI/s1600/HPIM1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REcXhmyHpCU/U2V4RJUk8WI/AAAAAAAAA7I/WKrhHT9gLeI/s1600/HPIM1141.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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1. <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shell petrol station <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- first lesson in Chinese </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">順發合記蛽標添油站新張致慶</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soon Fatt Hupkee hambiao tiamyouzham xinzhongzikin (in Hakka dialect)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>(Congratulations on the opening of the Soon Fatt Hup Kee, Shell Petrol Filling Station ) </em></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other than my name in Chinese, these were some of the earliest Chinese
words that I learnt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two photographs
were taken in Menglembu in 1965.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Shell petrol station was newly into operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was located next to our house in Menglembu
and build on the northern third of an original big piece of land planted with many
coconut trees. A plot of the land consisting of the fish pond was later sold to
the Shell Petrol Company to start the retail business. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recall these photographs were taken on a very basic plastic box shaped
camera (approximately 5x3x2.5in).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a retail gift to customers who purchased above a certain amount of petrol. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Chinese characters were written on a big granite stone bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a pair of these benches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were present from relatives and friends
with the congratulatory message and their names casted forever in stone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite an in thing for a group
of person to send their congratulations in these stone granite, be they benches,
table set with stools, flower pots, etc then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They symbolized the business would prosper and grow as solid as stone.
Nonetheless, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they were very practical
and useful presents. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was in Standard 2, a skinny eight years old, which was the standard physique
of kids of that age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, Japanese
slippers were the footwear de rigueur, before it became the fashionista
flip-flop decades later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dinner was early at about 5pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After which we would walked over to the
station to play on the cool granite benches. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some elder folks taught me to read those
words in the Hakka dialect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also learnt
a thing a or two what a joint venture business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was explained to me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hupkee</i> - </span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">合記</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – was specific for a joint venture company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dad invested in the franchise petrol filling station business,, with a
joint venture stake from his cousin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cousin aunt was a relatively well-off matriarch who inherited her wealth from
her late husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her family lived in
Menglembu town center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her dad was the
elder brother of grandpa and they migrated together to Malaya in the early 1900’s.
</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This cousin aunt was quite a well-know personality in the small town of
Menglembu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her generously spendthrift
& <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>charitable trait , but with a fearsome
character had earned her the nickname : Orr-Dell-Por<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(in dialect).</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(<em>Orr-Dell</em> : someone who is generous, willing and with the capacity to
splurge; <em>Por</em> : address a female elder, grandma) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Due to poor cash flow management, the petrol station business went into a
batch patch after three to four years. Dad had to gave up his stake in the joint
venture in 1968. His cousin sister took over the company, and it was re-named Shin
Soon Fatt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The petrol station<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is still in
business after 50 years.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Hia Bak</em> – Uncle Hia </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The man in the picture who was in his early forties, with curly hairs and
sleeves rolled was Hia Bak or Uncle Hia ( Bak – uncle in dialect).</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uncle Hia was a family friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
mother was a close friend of grandma. Her name was <em>Zhu-Bak-Por,</em> Granda
Zhu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were the first generation of
migrant to Menglembu. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n32uiUefs-I/U2V4XzRb-_I/AAAAAAAAA7U/TRgc2Gv1goE/s1600/HPIM1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n32uiUefs-I/U2V4XzRb-_I/AAAAAAAAA7U/TRgc2Gv1goE/s1600/HPIM1139.JPG" height="320" width="234" /></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unlce Hia family name is Wong, name Shao Kim ( dialect pronunciation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was intimately addressed by us as Uncle
Hia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pet name given him was derived
from his facial feature, as his thick upper lips seemed slightly protruding, which
in the Hakka dialect is <em>hia zhoi</em> – a slight
protruding mouth. Uncle Hia closely resembled her mum.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uncle Hia was an electrician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The car
AB950 – an Austin of England was his. In the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1950’s and 60’s, he was one of the hunting
buddies with dad and the uncles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
would hunt for wild boars, squirrels, flying foxes in the out skirt of Batu
Gajah, Tronoh area. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In our first trip to Singapore in 1965, Uncle Hia came along with us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His shop was in Ipoh Old town – Ma Fa electrical, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which has since been managed by his son. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wiring work of the old house 1A, was done
by his company in the 1950.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uncle Hia passed away a few years back in his eighties.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">----140504/Sun/0728am---gls---guillemard-----</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-REcXhmyHpCU%2FU2V4RJUk8WI%2FAAAAAAAAA7I%2FWKrhHT9gLeI%2Fs1600%2FHPIM1141.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REcXhmyHpCU/U2V4RJUk8WI/AAAAAAAAA7I/WKrhHT9gLeI/s1600/HPIM1141.JPG" -->kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-80701780170247945902012-12-20T17:21:00.000+08:002014-11-09T07:31:03.314+08:00 - the maternal grandpa grandma - 外公外婆家<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These old photographs were salvaged from the old house – 1A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were left in the drawer of the main cupboard when moving house in 1983.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This by then the photographs had been left in the cupboard for close to 37 years odd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These photographs are probably close to 90years old now.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tKZZCLnKkxU/UOKlRRighHI/AAAAAAAAA50/-OD98W4uwfg/s1600/lim+fook_DSC00562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tKZZCLnKkxU/UOKlRRighHI/AAAAAAAAA50/-OD98W4uwfg/s1600/lim+fook_DSC00562.JPG" eea="true" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These photographs were probably some of the few mementos that mum brought along with her from her maiden home when she married into the Koo Family on 09 Feb 1945.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These photographs were not kept in a proper album. They were in individual envelops and stacked in a corner of the drawer, together with our birth certificates, and other official documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the curious kid, I would spend many a time rummaging thru these old photographs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I had browsed thru them many times, there was never a time where I would take these photographs to mum and ask her who those in the pictures were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking at these old photographs now inadvertently brings back those childhood memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although mum never had a chance to share the memories of those photographs directly with us and pointing out who they were, she would nevertheless during dinner time told to us stories from the maternal family. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal Grandpa Lim Fook @ </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">阉鸡</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">福</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mum used to tell us that her dad’s trade was to caponize chicken, and he was probably very skillful and much sought after then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a trade that he learn in his youth, and he probably caponized domestic animals too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandpa Lim Fook would practice his skills in the Menglembu market, and traveled to markets in the surrounding township.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was common for families to rear their own fowls in the old days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caponized chicken was a special treat during festive season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The folks would time when the chicken would be caponized such that it would grow to the right maturity and size came the big festivals such as Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn or Winter solstice. The young chicken </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">生鸡</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – young rooster - would be caponized at a tender age and would be ready for the table after 6 months or more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the pre-war years cost one cent or so to caponize a chicken, and Grandpa Lim could make a decent living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He supported the family with his trade, and able to sent her two elder daughters to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mum was always grateful to mention that hat she had a few years of primary education and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>could read and write in Chinese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would sign my report card in Chinese, when I had poor results from school & <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dad would refused to sign the card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She also said that her dad used to own a shop in Menglembu. The shop had a signboard in bold characters hanging above the entrance -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">福林</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Fook Lim -and coined from Grandpa Lim’s name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This single storey wooden building right in the middle of town used to be a bicycle repair cum barber shop as early as from the 1960’s. It was gutted by fire in the mid-2000.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandpa Lim Fook’s house was in the north-western area of Menglembu-</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">北区</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mum used to say that her maiden home was before the railway gate in the direction of a Chinese temple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To folks of mum’s generation – the railway gate was a landmark of Menglembu in the pre-war years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was located at where the round-about with the groundnut monument is now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(A railway line used to run from Ipoh to Tronoh, passing thro Menglembu town – which is now Jalan Lee Man Hin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However during the Japanese occupation, it was dismantled by the Japanese military and the rail removed to build the Burma – Thai rail link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This railway was made into the popular movie - Bridge over River Kwai - in 1957).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandpa Lim Fook was the eldest son & he had at least two other younger brothers and a younger sister. The 2<sup>nd</sup> younger brother who lived to the 1970’s & whom we called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sookgong</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">叔公</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">– moved to the western part of Menglembu<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">choo kai pang</i>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>probably during the resettlement of the rural household during the emergency period in the early part of 1950’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was not clear which year Grandpa Lim Fook passed away- probably in the pre-war years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However what we heard from mum was that he passed away on the eve of Chinese New Year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was a festive occasion, there was minimum ceremony, and was sent for burial on an on an ox-drawn carriage.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal Grandma Lim-Chong – </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As to the photograph of this lady of good stature, who looked relatively tall, the fashion and era of the photograph pointed to one taken in the 1920’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My only guess now was that she could be maternal grandmother whose family name was Chong -</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">张</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. In the 1960’, mum would visit her maternal grandmother who lived in Pasir Pinji, </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">兵如港怡保</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ipoh. She would bring me along.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0y44YZEydQw/UOKljx-J92I/AAAAAAAAA58/Zk3o9mBryVA/s1600/lim+chong_DSC00583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0y44YZEydQw/UOKljx-J92I/AAAAAAAAA58/Zk3o9mBryVA/s1600/lim+chong_DSC00583.JPG" eea="true" height="320" width="210" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember this grand old lady – whom we called maternal great grandmother. </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">姐婆太</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>– <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jia po tai</i> – in Hakka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was of a tall stature, which this lady in this photograph reminded me of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attired in traditional <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sam-foo</i>, she looked resplendent in her finery's. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She had a gold chain with a jade pendant around the neck, dangling gold ear rings and wearing bracelets and a gold ring on her left hand. These pieces of gems were painted in gold and the jade pendant in green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This type of decorative photography was in vogue from the early 1900’s/ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She had on her left hand a watch, and was holding a handbag on her right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wore a pair of matching medium heeled cover strap shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her hair was neatly combed back into a bun with a decorative gold hair pin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She complemented her dressing with pieces of western fashion article. This blend of east and west was the fashion of that period. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She was probably in her early 30’s then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I recall well, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandma Lim-Chong <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>together with her mum was probably a dulang washer in her maiden years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They lived in the Pasir Pinji village.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They would venture out to the tin mines early in the morning together will the village women folks to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wash the tin tailing's from the open cast mines or palong, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for tin ore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a good day their labor could fetch a good return. By early evening they would troop home with a small tin of tin ore and dulang (wooden pan for panning tin ore) in hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandma Lim-Chong first two eldest children were girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to wish for a boy, mum told us that she, the 2<sup>nd</sup> girl was given the name - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">锦娣</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>– <em>Kim Thye</em> . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The character </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">娣</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>means - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>younger brother - in Chinese. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True to the word – Grandma Lim-Chong next two surviving children were males.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mum told us that the year her mother <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>passed away, the family broke a porcelain bowl during the Chinese New Year festive period. This <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was supposed to portend bad luck for the coming year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As such it was a custom to wrap the broken pieces in red papers and to dispose them off after the auspicious day - so as to ward off bad luck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the family structure, it seemed that the relations from the maternal side settled in Malaya a generation earlier than from the paternal side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had Grandpa Koo came to Malaya in the 1900’s then, Grandpa Lim and Grandma Lim-Chong who were born in Malaya, their parents would have migrated to Malaya in the 1890’s or earlier.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Postscript: <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>1) Maternal grandpa and grandma</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal grandfather was the eldest son of the Lim family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He married a maiden from the Chong family, and had four surviving children to adulthood – two daughters and two younger sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mum was the 2<sup>nd</sup> daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two sons though born and bred in Malaya, left for New China in the early 1950’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As such,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>each year in early April during<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Qing Ming, </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">清明</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">- tomb-sweeping festival, it was left to mum who dutifully performed the ceremony at her dad and mum’s graves, until she passed away in the 1980’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandpa Lim’s ancestral roots was supposed to be : </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">赤</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">溪,广东省</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal Grandma Lim-Chong was the eldest daughter of the Chong family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a younger sister whom we called – <em>yee-por</em> - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">姨婆</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard that she lived to 100years old. She had a brother who died early and survived by his wife who we called –<em>kiu por</em> - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">舅婆</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. There often were visits by Mum to her relations in the 1960’s, during the Chinese New Year festive season..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>2) The maternal great grandma’s</em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal Great grandmother Chong . </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">姐婆太</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>– <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">jia po tai</i> was in her nineties, then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was mentally alert and clear, and when mum would chit chat with her and she would reply with a soft gentle voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember her calling us young boys – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ah moi</i> –</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">阿妹</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- which is a term for girls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a perhaps a tradition of her generation to call young boys – in the female term. It was a belief that, addressing a male child as the female gender,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>would avoid unwarranted calamity to the child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The female gender was considered a lesser treasure that would not attract undue envy in the greater realm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mum often narrated that maternal great grandmother Chong was a kind lady and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- <em>Zhu bak</em> <em>por</em> – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">朱伯婆</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - a dear family friend<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of paternal grandmother – remembered this kind neighbor giving her food when she went hunger in the young days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal Great grandma Lim, Grandpa Lim Fook’s mother, whom we called- <em>AhTai </em>– </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">阿太</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-survived their elder children and lived into the 1960’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great grandma Lim however was inflicted with eye problem in her later years and she became blind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These hardy great-grand mothers probably came to Malaya in the 1890’s or even earlier, and they would probably be the early wave of female migrants that left their villages to venture to Nanyang. Their children were born in Malaya.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the maternal lineage, ours would be the 4<sup>th</sup> generation in this land.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>3) Mother’s marriage<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mum married in to the Koo Family in the Feb of 1945, six months before the end of the Japanese occupation of Malaya and Singapore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over dinner, mum used to tell us that during the war years, she was working in paternal grandpa’s timber yard - <em>soo liao chong</em> - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">树料厂 - </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">making cigarettes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Probably cos of the deteriorating situation of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the economy in the later part of the war years, Grandpa Koo diversified from supplying timber to the mining industry to making cigarettes – the end process of rolling the tobacco into cigarettes, and most probably they were making cigars -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or <em>chee-root yan</em>, as they use to call locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mum was one of the young girls working there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Paternal grandmother was seeking a marriageable partner for her eldest son. Dad was then 21 years old and mum was 22. And, as they said the rest was history ..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>4) Photograph cum post card</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The back of the photograph were printed the following words: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Post card, Carte postale (French), </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cartolina postale (Italian), Tarjeta postal (Spanish)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>5) Menglembu -</em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Choo kai pang</i> – (in Hakka dialect) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A notorious area in the 1960's<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> - </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To the local residents this regrouping area to the western part of the town had seldom been called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sai-khoi</i>, </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">西区</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">but always as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chowgai pang</i> – in Cantonese dialect. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other three areas to the eastern, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>southern <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and northern sectors of the town <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are known as: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doong-khoi</i>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">东区,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lam-khoi</i>, </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">南区</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Buk-Khoi -</i></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">北区</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How did the term <em>chou-gai pang</em> came about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A possibility was that it came from a combination of Chinese and Malay word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chou-gai</i> – meaning to extract taxation. Chukai is the Malay word for taxation, and <em>chou </em>– is the Chinese word for extract – </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">抽</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pang</i> – meaning<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a shed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">棚</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bordering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chou-kaipang </i>– is Bukit Merah new Village – <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">红泥山新村.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1.1.13</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">---/--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2014.10.02<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the grave of maternal
grandp and grandma in Menglembu, old hill. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s stated that the grave
was erected<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in 1946, 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> day
of the 12 moon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(the 35year of the
Republican Year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That year of 1946 was
most probably <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the reburial date, a Hakka
traditional of exhuming the bones and reburying them again in an urn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tradition came about from the migratory
trend of the Hakka's over a thousand to escape war from northern to southern China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their migration, they brought along with
them the remains of their ancestors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maternal grandpa’s name was :
</span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">林福养</span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and grandma’s name
was </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">张鸿娇。</span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Their ancestral district was
</span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">赤溪,广东.Chixi, Guangdong.</span></div>
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-25368669697233077912012-06-14T16:33:00.000+08:002012-06-15T16:36:25.908+08:00俊頭 1929<div style="border: currentColor;">
While listening to the live web broadcast of RTHK Radio 3 early this morning, I came to know that today, 14Jun is Family History Day. </div>
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Well, to celebrate this day - here's another one to share with the folks- </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rPn0_g7HsvM/T9mgQ8TQ51I/AAAAAAAAA5k/ETR628I4Czw/s1600/DSC07970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>俊頭下村方向風景攝影民國十八年正月</div>
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<strong>1929 - January</strong> </div>
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The caption to the panoramic photograph reads : </div>
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<em>A scenic view in the direction of Zhentou lower village - taken in January, the 18th year of the Republic. </em></div>
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As such there is no need to second guess the date of this photo as it was clearly written that it was taken in January 1929, the 18th year of the Republic. </div>
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Zhentou village - 俊頭村 - is our ancestral village, in Songkou, Meixian, Guandong province - 廣東省梅懸松口填. </div>
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This photo was recently re-developed from a negative which was found among the old photographs. The original print used to hang on the wall of the old house, and the negative was probably made from this print. </div>
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The photograph was taken from a higher elevation - the overlooking the lower part of the village in the direction towards the Mei River - 梅江. </div>
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The vegetation in the background were bamboo bushes along the river's edge. Our ancestral home - I made was - the 1st house from the right - with the main door and open court yard facing the camera.</div>
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When I was in my teens - in the 1970's I used to pour over the original photograph to find where the ancestral home was. I had it viewed together with another photograph -of Grand father's funeral - where the assembly of the clan was kneeling in front of the ancestral home. The form of the house was clearly visible in that photo, and I had matched it that the ancestral home was located towards the right. (However, this photograph was lost when we moved house in the early 1980's).</div>
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In an earlier post, it was postulated that dad visited the ancestral village when he was 4-5years old, and that the photographs of him taken with 2nd grand aunt and Great-grand mother were taken in winter. The time and season matched with this scenic shot of the ancestral village. </div>
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Most probably - a photographer was invited to take this scenic short during that trip - and this memory of the ancestral home was then taken to Nanyang.</div>
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Songkou - 松口填 - the busy river port where many a Hakka would begin their journey to new world - is located on the opposite side of the river. There was no bridge linking the two areas then. It would take about a 5-10 minute ferry to cross the river to Songkou from Zhentou -圳头.</div>
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<strong>2011 - December</strong> </div>
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The bamboo bushes along the river banks is still there</div>
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However, concrete alien looking boxes have been sprouting haphazardly all over the village, since the 1980's, scarring scenic scape. Seasonal flooding has further dealt a deadly blow to the lower village, and not much is left of the old world charm...</div>
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<em>Reference : </em></div>
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1. 俊頭 vs 圳头 - Zhentou <br />
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Zhentou in traditional Chinese script was written as : 俊頭 (talented, smart head) </div>
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In simplified Chinese script - it is : 圳头 (head of furrow in a field)</div>
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This change of the village name - with a proletariat nuance could be from 1950's with the establishment of New China. </div>
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2. Family History Day - BrookstonAlmanac - </div>
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<a href="http://www.brookston.org/almanac/?m=20060614">http://www.brookston.org/almanac/?m=20060614</a></div>
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----------//------------</div>kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-73212050740044049962012-06-03T19:05:00.000+08:002012-06-03T19:14:25.902+08:00life in the little old things yet –<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While digging thro the shelves during March <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">balek kampong</i>, I found this mini post card calendar tucked away among the many old stuff from the university days in Japan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>May 1982</strong></span></span></div>
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This mini-calendar used to hang on the wall on my room at the dormitory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had chosen this series on the images of Buddha perhaps because – one of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he earliest encounter with Japan was that of Buddhist images and images. </div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a tourism booklet of Japan that I saw when I was in primary school, in the 1960’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cover page of the elongated booklet page, was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a photograph of the statues of the <em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kanon bodhisttavata </em>- </span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">観音菩薩</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - images from the <em>Sanjyusan-gendo</em> (</span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">三十三間堂</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">), Kyoto. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not recall how the brochure came about as in the 1960’s tourism was a a luxury that not many of us could imagine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A rich aunt though, went on a tour of Japan, and it was a big event then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recall a big group of us, bigger than the entourage, were there at the Ipoh airport to see her & her travel companions off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She was a devout Buddhist with a richly decorated altar at her home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As souvenirs, she gave us a pair of pointed Japanese chopsticks, and a few small black colored trays for holding tea cups. I did not recall we ever used them as they were too exotic, and we kept away in the meat-safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that was close to 50years ago. Perhaps the brochure could have been from her travel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While travelling to Japan as a student years later in 1981, on the first visit to Kyoto, the first temple I visited was the <em>Sanjyusan-gendo</em>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And before that, in that Spring, our first outing was to the Nara Deer Park - </span></span><span class="tnihongokanji"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">奈良公園<span style="font-family: Calibri;">, - <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and we visited the <em>Todaiji-daibutsu</em> - </span></span><span class="tnihongokanji"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">東大寺</span></span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">大</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";">仏 .</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Naturally, perhaps it was this aspect of cultural Japan that consciously or unconsciously guided the choice of this calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>June 2012</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A google of <em>Seitaka-dooji</em> - </span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">制多迦童子</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">- brought up interesting notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The main Buddhist deity associated with this attendant is <em>Fudo-myo-o</em> - -</span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">不動明王</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Together with the another attendant <em>Kongara dooji</em> - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">矜羯羅童子</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, they form the trinity – Fudo-sanzon - </span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">不動三尊</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Fudo-myo-o</em> -</span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">不動明王</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">- is venerated in Esoteric Buddhism, and not usually found in local Chinese Buddhist temples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, we could find a statue of this deity at the temple in Chinatown, without the attendants. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interestingly, <em>Fudo-myo-o</em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is supposedly to be the guardian of people born in the zodiac year of the rooster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, it’s a re-connection after a lapse of thirty years-</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time, how you have flown .. Leaving behind the little old things where there is life yet – </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reference :</span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seitaka doji</span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">制多迦童子</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><a href="http://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/dm/31prome/3102hozanji/3102hozanji.php"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/dm/31prome/3102hozanji/3102hozanji.php</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span><a href="http://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/dm/14/1402hozanji/140238seitakadouji/140238seitakadouji.php"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/dm/14/1402hozanji/140238seitakadouji/140238seitakadouji.php</span></span></a><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/seitakadouji.htm"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/seitakadouji.htm</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taking a leaf from the article in today’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday Times, Sundaylfe – Reflect page – Giving Life to old stuff - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it finally give me the inspiration to sit down to reflect on this - 30 year old calendar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A memory to Brother-in-law, who passed away peacefully this morning in hometown, after a 6-month struggle with colon cancer. May be rest in peace - omtf.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">仏像<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">山溪ミニカレダー</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">昭和57年1月1日発行</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">470円</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">28.10.1981買う</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">東京、日本</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">ISBN4-635-85482-5</span></span></span> </div>
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kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-78731022178190797592012-04-26T11:33:00.000+08:002014-10-12T09:20:10.761+08:00our grandma - born in the dragon year<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was small, we used to hear that Granda was born in the year of the dragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And being a dragon lady, she had a relatively blessed life compared with her peers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this perhaps further reinforced the myth of mystical blessing of those born in the dragon year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be the 120<sup>th</sup> anniversary of her birth in 1892. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Grandma passed away in April of 1961, I was close to 4 years/ I could barely remember much of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, from the photographs taken during the whole incident they had left quite a bit of a memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those photographs were taken over a number of days, recording her passing with all her children grandchildren and kin’s were gathered, of the many customary services, the procession to the cemetery at the foot of Kledang hill, to the final burial ceremony. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The photographs were framed, and hung in the middle hall of the old bungalow for some years, and they were later taken down and kept away and subsequently were lost when we moved house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those photographs would have been quite a valuable part of the family history –as there a large gathering of the clan in Menglembu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was being one of the earliest migrant to this town. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Similarly, the earlier passing of Granpa’s in 1948, was also recorded in photographs, which had since been lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were two photographs of grandpa’s funeral in Songkou, China – on of the clan gathered in the funeral hall in the village home, and another with members kneeling outside the ancestral home in front of the pond, on the day of the funeral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s 51 years to the lunar calendar month, since Grandma passed away in 1961. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The incident had left a deep memory on the 4 year old kid. Perhaps, those were impressionable year when a kid started to get to remember his environment and these impactful incidents had left a deep impression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Come to think of it – these bytes in the memory bank - while other more recent memories were transiently stored in the random access, those from our childhood seemed to be burnt permanently into the hardware. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An incident I recalled was a cousin sister – <em>Moi Zee</em> - asking this kid if he saw any lucky numbers forming on the white paper tape that sealed the coffin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a jovial & friendly cousin sister, and she was already married then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps in the midst of all the mourning and gloom, perhaps grandma could bring some distractive luck to her brood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The incident perhaps had also unconscious taught this little boy - what a down to tradition we had! </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All in Grandma gave birth to 12 children – 6 daughters and 6 boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All survived to adulthood and got married and had families of their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All her children had passed away. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dad was her fist male child after 4 daughters. Mom used to tell us over dinner, that the 2<sup>nd</sup> daughter was given away to another family as – Sim-Q-Zai – i/e<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a hakka term to mean – young daughter-in-law. That is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- the baby girl was adopted by another family, with the intent of she becoming the wife on marriage age, to the son of the family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grandma in turn, adopted another daughter – though she had already had five in the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We called her – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Xie-Moi-Gu</i> – </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">细妹姑</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would be the one who would help grandma in the household chores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandma though, did not pair her with any of her sons, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Xie-Moi-Gu</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> married to another family and used to live in Gunong Rapat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She used to visit us during festive seasons with her kids in the 1960/s and early 1970/s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mentioning Gunong Rapat, grandma had a younger sister – whom we called –</span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">姨婆</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">-</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <em>Yee-por</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recall her a old toothless lady, and occasionally would come visit us in Menglembu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would help to sweep the compound clean of leaves, and heard that sometimes she would walked all the way from Gunong Rapat to Menglembu – a distance of 6-7miles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, so much of Grandma – and the great grand-mother, and great great grand-mother to the many of us here, in China, and the US. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This photograph of her used to hang on the left side of wall of the old house, while that of grandpa was on the right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the pre-war documents were kept in the Germany made safe that she kept in her room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are an invaluable record of an earlier part of the family history.. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ref – </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The date and time of Granda's birth and death were clearly written on the back of the Granda’s portrait -prepared for her funeral service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The record were in </span>– in Chinese lunar and the Gregorian<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>year - </span></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古母</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">邹</span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">鄒</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">太君</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">生</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">於</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">光绪壬辰年</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">舊暦</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">八月二十日丑时</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">公元一八九二</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">年西</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">暦</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">九月十</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">日</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">终</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">於</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">民国辛丑年</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">舊暦</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">三月十二日未时</span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">公元一九六一年西</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">暦</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">一九六一年四月</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">廿</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">六日下午二时</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "MS Mincho";">廾</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">分</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Born: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GuangXu – Renchen year, Lunar 8<sup>th</sup> moon 20<sup>th</sup> day, Chou hour; 10 September 1892</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Died : Republican Xinchou year, Lunar 3<sup>rd</sup> moon 12<sup>th</sup> day, Wei hour; 26April 1961l 2:20PM</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Tablecloth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The red tablecloth – if not a 100 years old is close to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dad mentioned that as long as he could remember this table cloth have been in the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a square piece of European looking tapestry of flora design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every Chinese New Year – it will be laid out over the round marble – which could be as old. It could possibly have moved house – 4 times in Menglembuu - over the century or so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">------------//---------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">2014 Oct02 - </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Traditionally, other than
Qingming in April, the Autumn day of double nine - Chongyang is also a day for
outing to the hills and paying respect to the ancestors. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Here's the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>photograph of grandfather’s grave taken in
Songkou in December 2011, and grandmother’s grave in Menglembu, Perak, taken in
September 2014.</span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDuxfnEnNA/VDnJhPlmaUI/AAAAAAAAA8o/-1bx2IX8Dig/s1600/DSC08110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDuxfnEnNA/VDnJhPlmaUI/AAAAAAAAA8o/-1bx2IX8Dig/s1600/DSC08110.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA;">古</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">公</span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">國禎</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">之</span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">墓</span><br />
<span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span>1883 - 1948<br />
梅县,松口<br />
Songkou, Dec 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y047onztXjE/VDnJb7HpX9I/AAAAAAAAA8g/8_inJ_nm3os/s1600/koo_grandma_141002_menglembu_DSC_0743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y047onztXjE/VDnJb7HpX9I/AAAAAAAAA8g/8_inJ_nm3os/s1600/koo_grandma_141002_menglembu_DSC_0743.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA;">古毋鄒太孺人</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">之</span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">墓</span><br />
<span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span>1892-1961<br />
万里望<br />
Menglembu, Sep 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
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</div>
kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-85418317221875341972012-04-10T17:13:00.001+08:002012-04-12T13:20:14.339+08:00what’s in a receipt – 36.11.21<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>1. Money home</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-si33HRIl4Bs/T4P3EEKhM1I/AAAAAAAAA3A/Nucu80D8gaw/s1600/DSC00672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PIkM85T-p1M/T4PzxCuiKUI/AAAAAAAAA2o/7hl4YRsOIy0/s1600/R12_194712_SCAN0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">松口</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">圳头</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Though it is a small piece of paper not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more than 14X7cm, what is printed and written on it tells a story of a different era, a different time.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fC6YJqG9Ifs/T4Zl21LAMHI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/DXYS6WCAXuI/s1600/Songkou_19471121_receipt_DSC00672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" qda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fC6YJqG9Ifs/T4Zl21LAMHI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/DXYS6WCAXuI/s320/Songkou_19471121_receipt_DSC00672.JPG" width="320" /></a> Whenever I walked past the ICBC Bank in People’s Park, Chinatown, and seeing the foreign labors from China lining up to send money home, I would visualize<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a century and more ago, grandfather<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>would have been doing a similar thing –i.e. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remitting his hard earn money to his family in Songkou - </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps with this thought in mind – it makes me feels a sense of connectedness & affinity to these folks. Our family too started off like them – albeit a hundred odd years earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, by the time of this receipt dated 36.11.21 – that is, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the 36<sup>th</sup> year of the Republican era </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(民国)</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in 1947 November 26<sup>th</sup>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grandpa was 64 years old, and had returned to his village for good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came to Nanyang – </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">南洋</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">- and ventured to the tin mining outpost of Menglembu in is his early twenties, together with his 2<sup>nd</sup> brother. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the greater part of the next forty odd years and more – he was engaged in th timber industry – a service industry to the tin mines, supplying logs and planks for the palong ( in open cast mines) and the mining kongsi (dwellings for workers, operations headquarters, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>depot <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- all rolled into one) in the vicinity of Lahat, Papan and Menglembu. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His circle of business partners were mostly fellow Hakka tin miners<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who hailed from the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>neighboring<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hakka districts of South China. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remittance to the home village was similarly sent thro the Hakka business network, in Ipoh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On this <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>receipt, one can find two English words <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– a) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LEEBROS –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which was the telegraphic code of the remitting company – Li Sanmao - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">李三茂</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - and b) Koo Kwat Chin – </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古国祯</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - in the red stamp <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the right bottom corner – grandpa’s chop which was a modernized version of the seal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">LEEBROS located at 39, Leech Street, was the main agent used by grandpa to remit money to the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other agents were Eu Yang Sang, and thro Charted Bank. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This receipt was an acknowledgement that the sum of 5 million Republican yuan - </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">圓</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">- </span>was duly received by the countersigned– on 21Nov1947, and stamped with the grandpa’s chop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The person countersigned on the receipt was not grandpa, but was 4<sup>th</sup> uncle – with his nicely written namely as </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古锦琳</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gu Jinlin </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(pinyin) . The person who remitted this sum from Ipoh – was dad -</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">古锦宏</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>– <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gu Jinhong.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The establishment where this sum was remitted to, was located in the upper main street of Songkou town – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Xinhe Zhuang</i> - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">信和庄松口上大街</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – marked by the dark colored chop in the center of the receipt. </span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exchange rate 121 - Straits $ to Republican </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">圆</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1945 – 1947 </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How much was this princely sounding sum of 5million Republican yuan <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>equivalent to? </span></div>
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<span style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, luckily the sum could be traced to accounting record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the handwriting it further confirmed that it was dad’s entry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It stated : On Nov 06, a remittance of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$5million republican yuan</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span>was made thro Li SanMao to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- to be received by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daren</i> – </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">大人手收</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<em>Daren</em> - an honorific old school address for one’s superior - grandpa) .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following was a note in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suzhou</i> character for a sum of $190.00 Straits dollars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would make it at an exchange rate of $1= <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>26,315</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interestingly from the first record entry made just after the end of WW2 in Dec 1945 to the last entry made two years later in Dec 1947, the Republican yuan would have depreciated by close to 140 times against the Straits dollar!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The slide was especially drastic starting from 1947 - </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s a sample the exchange rate on remittance sent thro Li Sanmao, Ipoh, to Songkou, China. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PIkM85T-p1M/T4PzxCuiKUI/AAAAAAAAA2o/7hl4YRsOIy0/s1600/R12_194712_SCAN0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PIkM85T-p1M/T4PzxCuiKUI/AAAAAAAAA2o/7hl4YRsOIy0/s200/R12_194712_SCAN0081.JPG" width="152" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">10Dec1945<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>256</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">16Mar1946<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>625</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">27Jan1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>2,040</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">26May1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>10,000</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">26Aug1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>11,674</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">23Sep1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>Y14,705</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">06Nov1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>26,315</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">09Dec1947<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$1=<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥</span>35,714</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, this is an unexpected lesson in economics coming out of the family history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a period of turbulent upheaval in China. Perhaps we have a pretty good hindsight now, to come to think of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To grandpa who longed for his homeland – come what may home was where the heart was. In the hills lie his ancestors, and it would be there he would return. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, the mountainous terrain of the Hakka highlands had nullified the impact from the hyperinflation, and dulled the distant din of the gunshots raging south. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PS – </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Republican Yuan <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-indicated <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;">¥<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>/<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">圓</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here to mean the existent currency in circulation at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be called by different notation</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">。</span><span lang="ZH-CN"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, a google on the republican yuan <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- leading to Chinese currency indicated that there were two period of hyperinflation in China that brought about the downfall of the regime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was towards the end of the Yuan dynasty - </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">元 -</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> (1271–1368 ) and the next was during the end of the republican rule in mainland China <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- </span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">民國</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="JA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> - (</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">1911-1949) </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chinese currency – </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_currency#1945.E2.80.931948"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_currency#1945.E2.80.931948</span></a></div>
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--//-kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-24881015263796903652011-12-30T18:27:00.000+08:002012-02-13T12:11:25.646+08:00松口 - tsungkeau where the heart was -<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps because it is deeply imprinted in the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>psyche – there is a constant draw to this ancestral land. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grandpa ventured forth to the new world, starting his journey from this river in the early 1900’s. He was probably in his late teens. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On his final journey <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to his homeland - he was already in his mid 60’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By then <em>Tsungkeau</em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was already a bustling river port that rivaled<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meizhou -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梅州</span>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the capital town of <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">嘉应州</span> – the Jiaying District - in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>business activities . </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnT2sqw3vjY/TzTu97vbcPI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/Yp_RKhk7gwc/s1600/DSC08084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnT2sqw3vjY/TzTu97vbcPI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/Yp_RKhk7gwc/s320/DSC08084.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnT2sqw3vjY/TzTu97vbcPI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/Yp_RKhk7gwc/s1600/DSC08084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This view from the Meidong Bridge - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梅东桥</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- which has </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">practically remained unchange since the 1940/s- attest to her past glory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The calm water of the Meijing River belies a past era of a bustling river town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interspersed between these rows of Republican era buildings were piers where an un-ending stream of travelers come and go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Located in middle reaches of Meijiang<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梅江</span> -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Tsungkeau</em> served as a strategic river port in this Hakka heartland located in the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>mountainous<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NE Guangdong .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those venturing out to the new world – many a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>last night was probably spent in one of the hotels before going -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">过番</span> -<em> guo fan</em> – or heading to a foreign land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those that came back from afar – brought along with them new ideas from the new world as well as their foreign born children and wives. Such a legacy from the past era could still be found in the old building – as well as in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the old folks – </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An old building – with the name Tsungking Hotel –written in English <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>engraved on its facade </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 75 year old relation – who was born in Indonesia and returned when she was 13 years old could still speak a sprinkling of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malay words. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At her height of activities -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there were over a thousand shop houses - with hotels, banking facilities, a post office and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>regular steam ship service plying<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>between Tseungkeau and Shantou – Swatow – on the eastern seaboard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Grandpa <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>finally bid farewell to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Menglembu<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> in August 1946</span> he was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>63year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking back to that period in history -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what was it that made Grandpa to return to his <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>homeland for good after close to a 40 year stay in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nanyang - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">南洋</span>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The political situation in China was very unstable then to say the least, and he was headed right into the civil war. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the unrest and fluid political situation the republican dollar was headed into rapid decline and depreciation in value. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probably it was the heart that ruled the mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Home is where the heart was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& the land of his childhood beckoned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the December of 1945, soon after the end of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, & over a period of close to a period of two years he started a regular remittance from Ipoh to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>Tsungkeau</em>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had plan to bring his entire family home, and a greater part of his fortune went in advance to prepare for the uplift of the family members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps Menglembu – <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">万里望</span>-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the mining town located in the outskirt of Ipoh in the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>then Malaya<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- had <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>always been the distant land. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though he had toiled there for many decades and where he had all his associates, friends and relations – <em>Tsungkeau</em> was still where the heart was. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However less than two years or so after he returned home – he passed away<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of a stroke <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>age 65 in the Autumn of 1948.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As they say, the rest was history, and the rest of the family was left in Malaya - </span></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Postscript – </span></strong></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a) </span></span>The assumption that Grandpa returned to China possibly in the months of Aug 1946 was derived from the entry made in the record of remittance –</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">汇款暂记扎,</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">卅五年份</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">十月〧号 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">李三茂</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">大号汇贰百万元</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">正由</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">广通庄交</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">大号(叻币〡〢</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">二</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";">〇</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">千元)</span><span style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">大人亲手收款</span><span style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>-</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remittance record – 1946 copy </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1946 Oct 07)</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chop Li Sanmao remit Republican Dollar 2 million<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delivered thro </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chop Guangtong Zhuang<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Straits Dollars $1,220.00</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be received personally by the respected Father <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">。</span></span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(This entry in the account book was probably made by Dad – as the writing resembled his) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The remittance entry prior to this entry - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dated Aug23 1946</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Asum of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republican dollar 100,000 to be hand carried by Brother Lim ( <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">锦琳兄</span>- 4<sup>th</sup> son) who is returning to hometown (Tsungkeau ) to be handed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in person to <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">锦荣 </span>(eldest son)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> -</span></span></em><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">equivalent to Straits dollar $79.00 & remitted thro Chop Li Sanmao.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chop Li Sanmao was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- a merchant shop in Ipoh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b) </span></span><em>Tseungkeau </em>– Hakka pronunciation for Song kou <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">松口镇</span>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meizhou<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>County – <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">梅州市,</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span>Guangdong Province - <span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">广东省</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c) </span></span>Grandpa’s last day -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>during this trip over dimsum<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>conversation in HKG <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with relation – age 76years - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>got a glimpse of Grandpa’s last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that on the night of his stroke,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandpa loving touched her head –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a teenage girl of 13years, then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he was struck with stroke,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he aunt who was living next door was called over to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that Grandpa<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& her aunt were –bosom friends - sworn fellow mates - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">死党</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would often meet to chat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">d) </span></span>To Songkou : 23-24Dec 2012 – went on a 2<sup>nd</sup> visit to Songkou,a day after the winter solstice - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>exactly to the day 14 years ago, first visit was in 1997, when the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asian financial crisis was rising storm. The town is in a desolate condition. Due to season flood the occupants have moved to upper grounds and almost abandoned the old buildings.</span></div>
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dd 10Feb2012/</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">/--</span></div>kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-50024172544412371942011-10-10T13:34:00.007+08:002012-02-13T12:36:28.847+08:00- a hundred years hence - once a ROCer<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This passport was issued by the Republic of China consulate in Ipoh dated 20Oct 1948. It was the 37th year of the Republic of China. The in-country consul was Ibrahim TY Ma.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">中華民國蘐照外交部駐怡保領事館,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">民國三十七年十月廿日</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As could be known from his name, the consul was a Muslim from China. Perhaps it was along this practice of sending emissary that was familiar with the Islamic faith, that Ibrahmin Ma was chosen to Malaya. The best know of which was Admiral Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644CE) – a Muslim from Yunnan province.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact that there was a ROC consulate in town was perhaps another testimony of the importance of Ipoh in the then British Malaya. With the opening of tin mining industry and there came huge migrant Chinese population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was well-known fact that Sun Yat-sen, had his revolutionary base in in Penang, while planning the Canton uprising. As to Ipoh, I was curious -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Googling</em> thro the web –I was surprised to learn that Sun Yat-sen, while on a visit in 1906 to the Kinta Valley was hurled stones and cow dung in Menglembu, by supporters of a different political affiliation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From citizens of ROC – or<em> hua qiao</em> – 華僑 - the folks have moved on to become - <em>hai wai huaren</em> – 海外華人- ethnic Chinese residing overseas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From being a citizen of the ROC of China, when Malaya became Independent – dad being born in Malaya, got his citizenship as a citizen of Malaya. And when Malaysia was established – he naturally became a citizen of Malaysia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At one time – in the early 1960/s – citizenship was a sensitive and hot topic. I recall being told by dad that cos he was a citizen, and being an offspring of a citizen, - by operation of law I was naturally a citizen of the land.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <em>Xinhai</em> Revolution -辛亥革命 – or the Double-ten celebration to the ROC-er then, used to be celebrated with pomp in Ipoh, and I remember seeing an old photograph of a arch being built for the occasion in Hugh Low Street near the bridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To our ancestors – who left <em>Qing </em>China - 清朝 代 -( 1644-1911) - there was ever the yearning to make it rich in <em>Nanyang</em> ( 南洋) to return to their poor beloved <em>Tangshan</em> (唐山)that they came from, to us there was the cultural China we hope to see prosperous & strong, and to our young ones China is an awakened dragon - counting in superlatives.</span></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Postscript - </span></strong></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <em>Xinhai </em>Revolution - 辛亥革命</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today 10Oct marks the 100th anniversary of the <em>Xinhai </em>Revolution. 辛亥革命</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It brought to an end a centralized dynastic system that lasted for 2,133 year, (from 221BC to 1911CE).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Measured in the time frame of the Chinese world view – with a continuous civilization of 5,000years, a century is perhaps, just a bleep in their historical clock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike the End of History by Fukuyama – to the Chinese history is an unending cycle – measured in cycles of ‘glorious ages’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wonder if they still call it the Double-ten Festival - 雙十節 - <em>Shuangshi Jie</em> - in Taiwan .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. In 1948, dad returned to China with her mum – to attend to the burial, and family and matters of his late father who died in summer that year. This was perhaps his second visit back to the ancestral home since he was a child of 4-5years old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. The Star –</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>‘ Perak's former tin mining towns linked to Sun Yat-sen ‘</em> </span><a href="http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?sec=lifefocus&file=/2010/11/15/lifefocus/7366426"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?sec=lifefocus&file=/2010/11/15/lifefocus/7366426</span></a></div>
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</div>kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-43281726033167735672011-07-09T11:37:00.000+08:002011-09-20T16:30:38.148+08:00老照片 –arabian garden – 星洲阿拉伯花园<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LuoEAo4kIVA/Tnb93ElyioI/AAAAAAAAA04/KBOjaE9CNcg/s1600/HPIM4901.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653985504777112194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LuoEAo4kIVA/Tnb93ElyioI/AAAAAAAAA04/KBOjaE9CNcg/s320/HPIM4901.JPG" style="float: left; height: 166px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 241px;" /></a><br />
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<br />For a while I was wondering where this garden was.<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><br /></span>It was taken in Jun/Jul 1940 – while dad was on a school excursion to Singapore with the Yuk Middle School graduation class -育才初级中学. Dad was 16years old then.<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"></span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br /></span>Written on the back of the photograph in Chinese was -星洲阿拉伯花园 - <em>Arabian Garden, Singapore</em>. A google on – Arabian Garden Singapore - did not throw up a meaningful link.<br />
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In the July issue of Biblioasia (Vol 7 Issue 2) published by NLB – there was a familiar looking photograph of the garden in the article on Serangoon, and it dawn on me that this garden was the Alkaff Lake Garden – located close to McPherson Road.<br />
From the photographs - the scale of the garden looked grand, with the big lake and the small hill in the background. It must had been one of the must see – tourist spot in pre-war Singapore. Located – in the northern outskirt of the city – it brought to mind another privately developed garden in the vicinity that was lost in history. The garden build by Hoo Ah Kay located at Bendeemer Road.<br />
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The arch bridge provided an oriental landscape – and for a while I thought it was a early rendition of the Japanese garden on the Island.<br />
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<em>References: </em><br />
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1. Alkaff Lake Garden<br />
<a href="http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_604_2005-01-24.html">http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_604_2005-01-24.html</a><br />
2. Bibioasia - NLB<br />
<a href="http://www.nl.sg/NLWEB.portal?_cn_nodePath=NL/Publications/BiblioAsia&_nfpb=true&_cn_bookLevel=1&_cn_bookTitle1=Publications&_pageLabel=NL_CMSPage1&_cn_pageTitle=Biblio+Asia">http://www.nl.sg/NLWEB.portal?_cn_nodePath=NL/Publications/BiblioAsia&_nfpb=true&_cn_bookLevel=1&_cn_bookTitle1=Publications&_pageLabel=NL_CMSPage1&_cn_pageTitle=Biblio+Asia</a><br />
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3. Graduation class of 1940 – Yuk Choy Junior High, IPOH<br />
<a href="http://kinkonkid.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#1612674893254254403">http://kinkonkid.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#1612674893254254403</a><br />
<br />4. Yuk Choy school<br />
<a href="http://www.smjkyukchoyipoh.org/XiaoShi.html">http://www.smjkyukchoyipoh.org/XiaoShi.html</a><br />
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<em>19sep/mon - 4:35pm - </em><br />
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/--/kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-27331599972286334162011-06-08T17:15:00.000+08:002012-02-13T12:42:31.362+08:00老照片 – to china 1927<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rdD5LCjRXbI/TmiMPOi8e_I/AAAAAAAAAzw/Jicxtxx8otM/s1600/HPIM4932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649919925766880242" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rdD5LCjRXbI/TmiMPOi8e_I/AAAAAAAAAzw/Jicxtxx8otM/s320/HPIM4932.JPG" style="height: 224px; margin-top: 0px; width: 164px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the folks are no longer around to tell the tale, the only means to unravel the story behind the old photographs is to postulate & from what one know and heard from the elders.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZP13-JmiHs/TmiMWx-07yI/AAAAAAAAAz4/WRPahbVtFjo/s1600/1927_trip%2Bto%2Bchina_HPIM4930.JPG"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rdD5LCjRXbI/TmiMPOi8e_I/AAAAAAAAAzw/Jicxtxx8otM/s1600/HPIM4932.JPG"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where were these two photographs taken, who were they & when?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ancestral home in China Songkou, Meixan- 松口, 梅县。The courtyard of the house was much the same from what we saw years later on a visit in 1997.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There could not be any doubt that the litte boy was dad. These two photographs were kept with dad’s other old photographs all these years. The boy was possibly 3 or 4 years old then. With that setting, the photograph would then had been taken in 1927 or 1928 – and in the deep of winter.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZP13-JmiHs/TmiMWx-07yI/AAAAAAAAAz4/WRPahbVtFjo/s1600/1927_trip%2Bto%2Bchina_HPIM4930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649920055538151202" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZP13-JmiHs/TmiMWx-07yI/AAAAAAAAAz4/WRPahbVtFjo/s320/1927_trip%2Bto%2Bchina_HPIM4930.JPG" style="height: 226px; margin-top: 0px; width: 154px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As to the woman holding the hand of the little boy – it should be 2nd grand aunt ( 二伯婆). . The facial feature of this middle age woman, with strong cheek bones look similar to that of her in another photograph taken 20 or so odd years earlier in 1906. From the elders, she was tall of stature, and this was very much borne out in the photograph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As to the grand old lady in a pair of round spectacles, she must be great grand mother. She ought to be in her seventies by then. In the genealogical record she was addressed as a 黎氏 – from the <em>Li </em>Family – though there was no mentioned of her year of birth.</span></div>
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<em><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Postscript </span></strong></em><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><em><br /></em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. For whatever reasons – dad had never told us of the family history or for that matter the folks in China. Possibility cos it was a memory of of grief and anger, that to him was better left there and be forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For when his dad returned to China in autumn of 1946 & died two years or so later –it was a sad closing chapter of a 40 odd year sojourn in Nanyang. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. In the genealogical record it was stated that dad was half-adopted as a 2nd son to 2nd Grand Uncle -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">過繼半嗣永亮為次子 <em>guojibansi yongliangweicizi</em></span><em><br /></em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gu-family (Koo) record- 古氏族譜革公派 - was completed in the 18th year of the Republic – 1929. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. This trip was possibly dad’s first trip to his ancestral home to see his grandmother - travelling with 2nd Grand Aunt.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">- 08Sep11/5:15pm/depot road</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Visited Songkou a 2nd time on 23-34Dec2011. In transit in HKG - heard from aunt Nyukmoi - that dad had a scare on his forehead close to his eyebrow. She had previously tried look out for this scar - but it was not visible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- recall a tale that while on a visit to the ancestral village when he was a kid, dad had a deep cut while going up the steps visiting a temple. Possibly this tale had lived on in the village, and the trip could be this one when he was a boy of 3-4years of age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">updated 13Feb2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-74870825146552532882011-05-21T18:00:00.003+08:002011-05-21T18:16:28.461+08:002555<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E78jKawDsYQ/TdeGO3JrLhI/AAAAAAAAAzc/9nmJDFVapFU/s1600/SCAN0022.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 197px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609099450794061330" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E78jKawDsYQ/TdeGO3JrLhI/AAAAAAAAAzc/9nmJDFVapFU/s320/SCAN0022.JPG" /></a>Year 2532<br /><br />27Aug /18:55<br />Kinokuniya<br />Liang Court<br /><br />It was the year of the Seoul Olympics. A month or so later shifted from SS2 PJ to Daisy Lane.<br /><br />..this book was one of the first on a journey of discovering - the Light of Asia.<br /><br />..<em>mahaprajna & mahakaruna</em> - knowledge & compassion..<br />..the many paths leading to the one realisation..<br /><br />Year 2555<br /><br />..the monkey mind..<br />..the universe in a grain of sand..<br /><br />Perhaps it's the <em>mind</em>..that all that matters..<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />-//-kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-27858785396890715962011-04-20T15:02:00.008+08:002011-04-30T18:11:26.064+08:00the hanami – ガンバレニッポン<em>1981 April 09 - </em><br /><br />When the JAL flight from Subang International Airport, KL touched down in Osaka, it was late eveing.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drKdMtv0cis/Ta6K4fDbcbI/AAAAAAAAAys/L4Goz8J-VQc/s1600/SCAN0019.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597564089881293234" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drKdMtv0cis/Ta6K4fDbcbI/AAAAAAAAAys/L4Goz8J-VQc/s320/SCAN0019.JPG" /></a>There were two seniors from the Osaka - University of Foreign Studies OUFS - to receive us. There was minimum conversation and after a 6-hour journey – these seniors came across as a little detached. They put us into a cab and we were on our way to the campus.<br /><br />All in there were three of us from Malaysia – another male student, and a Malay female student. It was our first trip to Japan – to further our graduate studies in the - Land of the Rising Sun. And this was our first stop – to do a six month course in the Japanese Language before we moved on to the college of our major.<br /><br />As we wound our way thro Osaka to the university campus in the North – it was already dark and we could not see much. I remember there were road works on a narrow stretch of roads, and the barriers that segregated the roads were well-lighted.<br /><br />When we arrived at the foreign students dormitory - a resident lecturer who was in the office received us, and aided our registration. As it was still holiday season and the new academic term had not begun, the campus was very quiet.<br /><br />After which an elderly caretaker guided us to our rooms. This old man was much friendlier – though we could not really make out what he said in Japanese – we found him to be helpful.<br /><br />The dormitory canteen was closing for the day and there was only one staff left. As we had not had our dinner – she was kind to stay on to prepare a light meal for us.<br /><br />Dawn broke early in spring.<br /><br />It was barely 6am and it was bright outside. The weather was cold - much colder than Cameron Highlands - our only reference then of a cold day.<br /><br />Spring came early that year.<br /><br />The Sakura trees had already gotten into full bloom a week earlier. New leaves were sprouting - and we could still see the lingering flowers and it was the tail end of the cherry blossom season.<br /><br />For a true <em>hanami</em>-花見– cherry blossom viewing, I would have to wait till the following year to experience the awe & splendor of the Sakura trees in full bloom.<br /><br />Monitoring the advance of the Sakura trees flowering as it moved from the southern to the northern part of Japan was and is as much a national activity.<br /><br />For the next two springs in Japan, I would be as eager as the locals, on the lookout in the TV forecast when the 桜前線 – <em>sakura zensen </em>- the Sakura front - would be reaching Tokyo.<br /><br /><em>Hanami</em> – was also a time for merry-making – a time for picnic and party – to drink sake, sing & dance beneath the Sakura trees. After the harsh winter, it would be the first outdoor activity to celebrate the harbinger of spring. It was also a time to renew bonds with fellow students, teachers and colleagues.<br /><br />The<em> hanami</em> was one of a list of many customs and traditions that was uniquely Japanese that I enjoyed during my stay in Japan.<br /><br /><em>2011 April 09 </em><br /><br />Due to the colder weather the Sakura season was late this year.<br /><br />It was reported that many a Japanese in the spirit of self-restrain - <em>jishu</em> - 自粛 - & in empathy and solidarity - with their fellow countrymen hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake – 東日本大震災 - had refrained from celebrating <em>hanami</em>.<br /><br />However, the 5th generation <em>sake</em> maker of <em>Nambu Bijin</em> – 南部美人酒 – traditional rice wine - located in earthquake-hit prefecture of Iwake - had loaded a plea in you-tube to fellow Japanese to put aside <em>jishu </em>& to go out to enjoy the cherry blossom viewing.<br /><br />自粛して頂くよりも。。。<br />お花見をして頂ける方が。。。有難い。。<br /><br />In addtion to all your donations in kind and spirit -which they are most thankful, the sake makers in the earthquake hit zone of Iwate prefecture would be most appreciative of your choice in drinking their sake at your <em>hanami</em> gathering … wherever you may be...<br /><br /><em>Gambare ! Nippon –</em><br /><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><br /><strong><em>References:</em></strong><br /><br />1. 被災地岩手から「お花見」のお願い②【南部美人】<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY0FtSqrMBc&feature=relmfu">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY0FtSqrMBc&feature=relmfu</a><br /><br /><br /><br />2. ガンバレニッポン, 頑張れ日本, GAMBARE NIPPON - Go! Japan <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5nGnm6gY8xs/Ta6OMHLuAmI/AAAAAAAAAy0/04fyoZ0R6vg/s1600/SCAN0020.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 130px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 93px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597567725605880418" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5nGnm6gY8xs/Ta6OMHLuAmI/AAAAAAAAAy0/04fyoZ0R6vg/s320/SCAN0020.JPG" /></a><br />- Rally to aid victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake<br /><br />3 . QSL card – Radio Japan<br />DX - verification card<br /><br /><br /><br />-//---kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-43935705874706496272011-04-08T18:08:00.015+08:002012-06-14T13:52:43.331+08:00old photographs - 老照片 - the early generations<div style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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<strong>1906</strong></div>
The photograph was taken at the Young Cheong studio - 容昌- in Ipoh.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_QuRaHZGZic/T4ZgSymFd-I/AAAAAAAAA4A/UiYvyxNGhhI/s1600/1906_gu_DSC00546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" qda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_QuRaHZGZic/T4ZgSymFd-I/AAAAAAAAA4A/UiYvyxNGhhI/s320/1906_gu_DSC00546.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ipoh was written in Chinese as 壩羅 – Balo - instead of 怡保。<br />
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Seated in the middle was great grandfather and great-grandmother & their family. Grandfather the 3rd son was seated on his far left .<br />
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As the photograph was not dated, the year 1906 was derived at from the age of the baby seated on the lap of the lady dressed in peranakan attire on the far right of great-grandmother. The nyonya lady was grandfather’s wife.<br />
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According to the record in the family genealogical record – grandfather’s son was born in the year of Emperor Guangxu - 光緒乙巳年 – in the 7th lunar month. That would be Aug 1905.<br />
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Assuming that the baby to be about 6 to 8 months’ old, that would make put the photograph to be taken between Feb – Apr 1906.<br />
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Grandpa was born in the year 1883 – and he would be 23 years old.<br />
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What a dashing scholarly figure he looked - in his traditional garb, wooden cloth shoes with thick soles and complemented with a round fan. Being the 3rd in his family – he was known as <em>Gu San</em> - 古三– to his town folks in later years.<br />
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It was common then for young men to marry local peranakan ladies. Grandfather's first wife the nyonya maiden was from the Xie Family- 謝氏.<br />
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The Gu family genealogy - 古氏族谱- recorded that she gave birth to two sons and died at an early age of 22 years old. Only the first son survived to adulthood.<br />
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Grandfather's two other brothers were in the picture. 2nd granduncle was seated next to great-grandfather, and the one next to grandfather was 4th granduncle.<br />
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2nd granduncle's wife was seated next to great-grandmother. She was from China.<br />
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As a Hakka’s it was not a custom for the womenfolk’s to have dainty bound feet – for the Hakka women folks had to work in the fields, tending to the housework bringing up kids, and attending to the elder in-laws, while the husband venture out to work in distant land.<br />
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What was the occasion for this family photograph? Why was great-grand father and great-grandmother & all the family members here in Ipoh. Grandfather and 2nd grandunlce and their families stayed on, while great-grandfather, great-grandmother and 4th granduncle returned to China. How long was their stay in Nanyang, and when did they return to China?<br />
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If I remember well, I heard from dad that great-grandfather initially went to Burma, that is Myanmar, but later made their way to Malaya. As such grandfather could have left the village for Nanyang - 南洋 - in the late 1890/s or early 1900/s.<br />
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Photographs of great-grand fathers’ and great-grandmothers’ graves in China, used to hang in the old house together with this photograph.<br />
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These questions of when the early generations left their village and what was the occasion for the gathering in Ipoh / Menglembu - were family history lost in antiquity.<br />
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Perhaps, some living elders who still have the answers, be it here or back in the village in China.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGpvLJVnSew/T4Zf4s3daGI/AAAAAAAAA34/X1mucufGdfw/s1600/1926_wedding_DSC00552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" height="268" qda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGpvLJVnSew/T4Zf4s3daGI/AAAAAAAAA34/X1mucufGdfw/s320/1926_wedding_DSC00552.JPG" width="320" /></strong></a><strong>1926</strong><br />
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This wedding photograph was badly soiled when it was salvaged from the old house 1A.<br />
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As a wedding memento - it was clearly dated and the event and date recorded in ink at the back of the photograph -<br />
映於〡〩〢〧年乃民國〡〥年 六、二六号<br />
陰暦 丙寅五月十七日<br />
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It was taken on the 26June1926, the 15th year of the Republic in the lunar year of <em>binyin </em>on the 17th day of the 5th lunar month. The bridegroom, age 21, standing in the middle of the photograph in black suit and bow tie was the baby in the 1906 photograph.<br />
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Grandfather was seated on the right of the bridge, a maiden from the Liang family -<br />
梁氏. Grandpa would be 43 years old.<br />
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Seated on this right was his 2nd wife, and our immediate grandmother. His peranakan wife – as we heard died at a young age and subsequently grandfather re-married. Grandmother was born in China and she was from the Zou family - 鄒氏.<br />
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Seated on grandmother’s lap was a baby - about six months’ old. He would be our 3rd uncle, while the groom being the eldest son of grandfather was our 1st uncle. The first of grandfathers’ sons from his 2nd wife, was dad. Dad was on the far right among the children seated on the floor in the front row. He was 2 years old then.<br />
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All in grandfather had six sons and 6 daughters that lived to adulthood - one from his firt nyonya wife, and the rest from his 2nd wife.<br />
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2nd granduncle and his wife, were seated on the right of the photograph. The adult womenfolks were his daughters, as we know that 2nd grandmother had three girls, and did not bore any male.<br />
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The house where this photograph was taken was in Menglembu. It was probably behind 1A across Jalan Lee Man Hin. That was before they moved to another house where the current police station is located. When I was small, I heard that dad was born in that house - and it was probably this house in this wedding photograph.<br />
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Interestingly, there were two big lantern's - one was written with the characters - Gu Family and the other - Welcoming the bride. It was the custom and tradition of then, and these red character lanterns were too seen in the peranakan wedding ceremony.<br />
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Grandfather returned to China in 1946 after the the Pacific War ended. By then he would have left his village close to 50 long years. His vision then was to bring his brood back to China.<br />
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However, before it could materialise, he passed away in 1948, and his wife, his children and the grandchildren remained in Nanyang...<br />
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<em>Postscript:</em><br />
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This 1926 wedding picture, together with the 1906 photograph, was left behind in 1A when the family moved house in 1983. In the late 1980/s or early 1990/s went back to 1A and found these two photographs on the floor in dad’s room, beneath the windows. The photograph frame had rotted badly after years of exposure in a dank and humid room where water would seep thru the windows during heavy rain.<br />
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The numbers written in the back of the photographs consisted of Shuzhou numerals蘇州碼子– which was the numerals for Chinese accounting then -<br />
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<em>Reference:</em><br />
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1. Chinese calendar – 万历年<br />
http://www.51baozhi.com/wannianli/<br />
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2. Shuzhou numerals蘇州碼子 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou_numerals<br />
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3. 古氏族谱- 革公派 - Gu Family Record - Ge-gong branch -<br />
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卅五世 ( 35th Generation)<br />
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顺元公之子<br />
鴻慶號雁如諡謹慈配李氏<br />
生四子永明永亮永禎永祥<br />
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卅六世 (36th Generation)<br />
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鴻慶<br />
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長子 永明<br />
幼亡係錦榮錦麟錦桂房承鼎<br />
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次子 永亮<br />
清光緒辛巳(1881)年十?月廿三丑時生配李氏光緒庚辰八月廿六日生生一子錦麟嗣半子錦宏妾孫氏現生一子錦添<br />
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(2nd granduncle died in Lahat, Perak, and 2nd grandaunt in Menglembu. They were buried in the 'old hill' cemetery, Menglembu.<br />
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三子 永禎 <br />
清光緒癸未年(1883)十月十七曰子時生配謝氏操烈廿二歳生二子錦榮錦鑫継妻鄒氏光緒壬辰(1892)八月廾日丑時生現生三子錦宏錦環錦琳 (後錦朱錦昌)<br />
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民國卅七年戊子年五月卄五日寅時去逝於梅縣松口諡慎詒公<br />
民國卅七年戊子金秋月吉曰葬<br />
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Grandfather passed away in his home village Songkou, Meixian, in 1948, and buried there. While grandmother passed away in Menglembu in 1961 and buried in 'new hill'.<br />
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All their sons and daughters have too since passed away.<br />
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四子 永祥<br />
光緒戊子崴 (1888)四月廿七自曰配李世<br />
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(4th granduncle and family remained in China. The elders from China mentioned that one of his daughters migrated to Malaya too).<br />
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Update - <br />
12.04.2012 - replace photographs re-taken on 13Mar/Menglembu<br />
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/--/kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-18651728214044727462011-04-05T17:23:00.006+08:002011-04-16T18:59:40.680+08:00clear & bright – 清明Living in the tropics where the climate is hot and humid the year round, an indicator of the passing of the seasons is the traditional festivals. <br /><br /><em>Qing Ming</em> falls on 05April this year. Variously it is translated as the Tomb-Sweepin<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S3Cnnx-vFzc/TZrkr3VExkI/AAAAAAAAAyU/zbZ52XVT0w4/s1600/DSC04285.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592033329571743298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S3Cnnx-vFzc/TZrkr3VExkI/AAAAAAAAAyU/zbZ52XVT0w4/s320/DSC04285.JPG" border="0" /></a>g festival and it is a major event in the calendar of traditional Chinese festivals. <br /><br />Its importance as one of the major traditional festivals is perhaps re-emphasized when Mainland China officially declared <em>Qing Ming</em> as a public holiday in 2008. <em>Qing Ming</em> has been a public holiday in Hong Kong and Taiwan all this while, though not a public holiday in countries in SEA with large Chinese diasporas. <em>Qing Ming</em> – in itself is one of the 24 solar nodes in the Chinese lunar calendar – as such it always falls with the first week of April each year - usual on the 4th or 5th of April. <br /><br />Another traditional Chinese festival fixed by the solar term is Winter Solstices – which usually falls on the 2nd or 3rd day before Christmas. <br /><br />The <em>Qing Ming</em> as I recall as a child: <br /><br />When we were snall mum would used to tell us that a hundred days’ after Winter Solstice it would be the <em>Qing Ming</em> festival. Truly so – to be exact – it’s 104 days after deep winter – Spring is in the air. <br /><br />However, in the tropical climate – there is nothing much to remind us of spring time, other than this festival – the big one after the Lunar New Year festivities. It’s the time again where we would have chicken for dinner. <br /><br />Days before the festival – mum would earnestly prepare the offerings that would she would take on that day to the grave of the ancestors. There were the paper offerings of gold & silver – with pieces of paper sutra that she would bundled together with candles and joss-sticks. As the number of sets to prepare was quite many – she would mark each bundle neatly with a pencil to identify the relation that she had prepared for. <br /><br />Other than the immediate members on dad’s side of the family, she would also prepare the offerings for members from her own side of the family, namely he mum, dad and her grandmother. This was because – she was the only daughter around that had the time to perform this annual filial task – as both her brothers had returned to China in the early nineteen fifties to support - the New China in construction. <br /><br />As far as I could remember, the tomb-sweeping obeisance had never been observed on the actual day of <em>Qing Ming.</em> For one – it seldom fell on a weekend – a non-workday, and even if it was on a week-end, the ceremony was observed a week or so earlier for some <em>feng-shui</em> reason. Usually it would be by word of mouth round the community to perform the prayers earlier. <br /><br />We would set off early at 8:00am where the air is till cool. It’s an extended family spring excursion of sort – with the uncles, aunt, cousins, nephews, nieces all in tow. It would take a half a day to make the rounds making the obeisance – with clearing of the weeds. <br /><br />First it was to tombs of grandma and 5th uncles, on the new hill. After which it was to the old hill where 2nd granduncle and grandaunt – the elder brother of grandfather - were buried. <br /><br />After these observances and prayers on dad’s side of the relation, mum would then make her way to offer prayers on her side of the relations. By the time all the prayers were done, it would be close to noon, and the sun is high. <br /><br />As with other traditional festivals, the <em>Qing Ming</em> tomb-sweeping observances imparted an invaluable part of the Chinese culture and tradition to the young impressionable mind. For one it passed on values of filial piet. It also promoted family kinship and it was one of the rare occasions where the extended family of the same progenitor went on outing together – albeit to the hills. <br /><br />Our elders would tell us stories that back in China then – <em>Qing Ming</em> festival would spread over many days- as they would literally had to hike to remote hills where the ancestors were buried. <br /><br />The tread to the cemetery was also a geography lesson on China of sort. In each of the gravestone was carved the province and locality of deceased. Dad would point out to where these localities were in China. <br /><br />The early migrants were mainly Cantonese and Hakka from Southern China. As such - 梅县 – Meixian, 焦岭 - Jiaoling, 五华-Wuhua, 兴宁-Xingning. 平远-Pingyuan, (the嘉应五属the five districts that make up the greater Jia-Ying district),大埔-Dapu, 三水-Sanshui,东莞-Dongguan, ,江门-Jiangmen,清远-Qingyuan – became familiar names. <br /><br />Well, so much for <em>Clear & Bright..<br /><br /><br /><br /></em> <strong><em>Postscript –</em> </strong><br /><br />1. The photograph - Menglembu cemetery view from the ‘old hill’. <br /><br />The cemetery should be more than a century old. On Qing Ming tomb-sweeping day , the first stop would be to the - <em>Dabogong</em> Shrine - 大伯公 庙 –dedicated to the God of Earth – the guardian of god of the cemetery - wooden building painted red. <br /><br />Kledang Range - west of the Kinta Valley – in Perak, is located in the background. The grave in the foreground was built by the Menglembu Jiaying Assocation - a Hakka clan association. It was a - 总坟–a symbolic master grave dedicated to fellow sojourners from the home counties. It was consecrated 1941, Oct - 民国辛巳年. <br /><br />The couplet: <br /><br />萬里青坐凝紫氣 -<em> a ten thousand li sitting on the green, the auspicious cloud gathers </em><br />五城芳草映斜陽 - <em>the fragrant grass from the five districts, reflecting in the setting su</em>n <br />澤蔭五城 – <em>Beneficence to the five districts<br /><br /></em><em><strong>References: </strong></em><br /><br />1. Qing Ming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingming_Festival <br /><br />2. Menglembu Jiaying Association 万里望嘉应五属会馆 <br />http://baike.baidu.com/view/286454.html <br /><br /><br />-//-kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-3973499555758750682011-02-22T15:56:00.002+08:002011-03-15T10:24:09.061+08:00patching a heavenly leak - 補天穿<div>The lunar new year is here and gone.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W08R4562KKg/TX3LFIFrdfI/AAAAAAAAAxU/au8Y1iRsTqg/s1600/butianquan_110311_SCAN0017.JPG"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnwOmDPJsw8/TX7NCvfqd0I/AAAAAAAAAxc/Ci5ZCczROX4/s1600/nuwa_110315_200712199151983_2%255B1%255D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584126034978699074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YnwOmDPJsw8/TX7NCvfqd0I/AAAAAAAAAxc/Ci5ZCczROX4/s320/nuwa_110315_200712199151983_2%255B1%255D.jpg" border="0" /></a>From the start of the new moon to the first full moon of the lunar first month – traditionally each of the new day’s within the fortnight was marked with a special event. The last of which is y<em>uanxiao</em> – 元宵 - or Lantern Festival.<br /><br />In between - there is the day to mark the birth of man - the 7th day of the Lunar New Year –人日- <em>renri</em> .<br /><br />On this day mum would cook a dish with seven different types of green vegetables. Some years we would have porridge cooked with slices of raw fish.<br /><br />This tradition of taking raw fish & vegetables to mark mankind’s birthday has morphed into the colorful must have LNY dish 鱼生- <em>yusheng</em> - & the rowdy joy of tossing it sky high while mumbling lucky wishes.<br /><br />Lest we may forget it all – I recall another tradition of sort in the first lunar month. The eating of fried <em>nian-gao</em> – 年糕 - which was made from slices of the sticky new year cake fried with flour batter.<br /><br />Returning from school in the afternoon, mum would have the fried <em>nian-gao</em> ready in the kitchen cabinet. A variation would have the <em>nian-gao</em> sandwiched with pieces of sweet potato and fried with batter. This would be the first time that we had a taste of the <em>nian-gao</em> since it was made about a fortnight or so before the LNY.<br /><br />The tradition of eating fried <em>nian-gao</em> fell on the 20th day of the First Lunar Month on the day known as –补天穿 - <em>butian chuan</em> - or day of patching a heavenly leak.<br /><br />Legend had it that during a clash between the Water & Fire Gods, the Water God damaged the pillar that held up heaven and created a hole in heaven causing great floods on earth.<br /><br />Nuwa –女娲 - a mythical female goddess – & the creator of mankind – seeing the suffering on earth went to patch the heavenly leak, and thus saving mankind.<br /><br />This tale is as old as antiquity.<br /><br />A <em>google</em> in the <em>www</em> has it that this day is still remembered and celebrated among the Hakka in the heartland in Southern China and in Taiwan – by preparing and eating sweet cakes made from glutinous rice.<br /><br />Come to think of it – ours would perhaps be the last in our generation that would recall that we had this tradition of remembering this day - <em>butian chuan</em> - 补天穿 - by eating fried nian-gao.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Postscript – </em></strong><br /><br /></div><p>1. Day of Patching a heavenly leak - 補天穿<strong> </strong>- falls on the 22Feb 0211.</p><p>2. Nian-gao - 年糕 - & kagami-mochi - 鏡餅 </p><div><em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKXSFb-bVQ4/TX3K2ogPFjI/AAAAAAAAAxM/g_RWzMiPH_o/s1600/DSC06447.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583842152943654450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKXSFb-bVQ4/TX3K2ogPFjI/AAAAAAAAAxM/g_RWzMiPH_o/s320/DSC06447.JPG" border="0" /></a>Nian-gao</em> - 年糕<br /><br />The <em>nian-gao</em> was home made. It’s made of glutinous rice and sugar.<br /><br />A fortnight or so before the LNY mum would buy a good quality glutinous rice from the market – and have it soaked overnight.<br /><br />The next morning she would take it to a grinder – a family house in the neighbor that offered this flour grinding service - and had the rice grounded to flour.<br /><br />The task of making the <em>nian-gao</em> would begin in the evening. The flour was kneaded with sugar.<br /><br />As the sugar melted it would get sticky and thicker in viscosity on blending with the flour. As such it was quite a energy consuming task that required a strong pairs of hand.<br /><br />Then, after an hour or so of kneading the even brownish paste would be poured into mold – of tin cans layered with banana leaves. Before dawn the next morning– the can would be steamed in a big wok for close to 10 hours.<br /><br />During the <em>nian-gao</em> making, it was narrated by the elders that grandma was particular that there were no frivolous talk or inauspicious comments around the table. As kids would tend to babble freely, grandma was particular to have the kids to keep quiet if they wanted to watch, or to shoo the children away in they talk.<br /><br />For it was believed that any inauspicious comments would affect the outcome of the <em>nian-gao</em> – and the <em>nian-gao</em> would not cook well and remain whitish, or water pock marks would form on the surface. This would be a bad omen for the New Year.<br /><br />A rich brown nian-gao with a shiny surface - would be an indication of a lucky start to the coming New Year.<br /><br />This would be the local version of <em>nian-gao</em> – with its roots from Southern China.<br /><br />Later I got to know that the Shanghai type of nian-gao – pieces of white glutinous rice – is closer to the Japanese version – plain glutinous rice without sugar.<br /><br /><em>Kagami – mochi</em> - 鏡餅<br /><br />The Japanese <em>nian-gao</em> is known as <em>kagami mochi</em>. <em>Kagami</em> means mirror. As it is round – and with similar shape of a bronze mirror – as such it is called <em>kagami mochi</em>.<br /><br />The Japanese <em>nian-gao</em> is too made of glutinous rice but without sugar added, as such retaining its white color.<br /><br />As a New Year decoration or offering is that it is often stacked in double layer – with an orange or other auspicious decorations placed at the top.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>References: </em></strong><br /><br />1. Nuwa - 女娲<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCwa">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCwa</a><br /><a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/604488.htm">http://baike.baidu.com/view/604488.htm</a> </div><div><a href="http://www.nipic.com/show/3/26/cdee3992c0e0161b.html">http://www.nipic.com/show/3/26/cdee3992c0e0161b.html</a></div><div><br /><br />2. Kagami- mochi -<br /><br /><a href="http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%8F%A1%E9%A4%85">http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%8F%A1%E9%A4%85</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />/--</div>kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18894978.post-10183722575788135972011-02-02T08:59:00.007+08:002011-02-02T09:46:47.937+08:00spring couplet - 桃符万户换新春What do a sprouting bean, young grasses, and the sun have in common? You could try a guess at the character.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tMYdz2xkuwk/TUiyibAi-nI/AAAAAAAAAwo/X7QRdqRrlvQ/s1600/DSC06413.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568897243678964338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tMYdz2xkuwk/TUiyibAi-nI/AAAAAAAAAwo/X7QRdqRrlvQ/s320/DSC06413.JPG" border="0" /></a>Well, the character is the<em> - zhuan</em> form - 蒃体– of the Chinese word for –春 - SPRING – chun , Though it has morphed into its present form - 春 - the element for sun - 日 - is recognizable in both the characters, while, the radicals for a sprouting bean and the young grass have been simplified into three horizontal bars and two left and right tops down strokes.<br /><br />With the warm sun & seeds start sprouting, with young grasses appearing on the fields – nature is signaling the arrival of spring.<br /><br />As a writing form to communicate the spring season – these elements of new life and energy – were clearly seen in the oracle bones characters of the Shang-Yin Dynasty - 商殷 - (1600-1046BCE)some thousand odd years ago.<br /><br />Subsequently the sketch was standardized to the – zhuan form - 蒃体– during the Qin Dynasty 秦朝 (221-206BCE) in the reign of the First Emperor.<br /><br />When nature awakes after a long wintry slumber, it is time to till & farm the land. As such, spring is also the season of a new beginning – of a new plan and a new starting. In the traditional agrarian Chinese society where livelihood is so closely tied to the land and the changing seasons the Spring Festival - 春节- <em>chun jie</em> – is akin to the beginning of a New Year – 新年-<em>xin nian</em>.<br /><br />One of the traditional practices during the Chinese New Year – is writing spring couplet - 春联 - <em>chunlian</em> . The couplet usually in two stanzas of five or seven-syllable – praises the arrival of Spring and convey good wishes.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tMYdz2xkuwk/TUi0Dd2XuPI/AAAAAAAAAww/nxSurojj-kw/s1600/DSC06411.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568898910888900850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 257px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tMYdz2xkuwk/TUi0Dd2XuPI/AAAAAAAAAww/nxSurojj-kw/s320/DSC06411.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here’s a seven-syllable spring couplet - adapted from a poem Wang Anshi – 王安石- (1021-1086CE) of the Song Dynasty - 宋朝 (960-1279CE).<br /><br />爆竹一声除旧岁<br />桃符万户换新春<br /><br /><em>Baozhu yisheng chu jiusui<br />Taofu wanhu huan xinchun</em><br /><br /><br /><em>-With a bang of the firecrackers - adieu the old year<br />Myriad families changing <strong>taofu </strong>– heralding spring -<br /></em><br />Here’s wishing you - in the year of 辛卯 - <em>xinmao </em>- cyle of year of rabbit -<br />Good Heath & Good Luck & May your wishes come true -<br /><br /><br />安康如意<br />心想事成<br /><br /><br /><em>Postscript:<br /></em><br />1. Wang Anshi<br /><br />元日 <em>Yuan ri</em> – Fist Day of New Year<br /><br />爆竹声中一岁除<br />春风送暖入屠苏<br />千门万户曈曈日<br />总把新桃换旧符<br /><br />屠苏 - 酒名用屠苏草浸泡而成, 据说饮了可辟瘟疫。旧时元日有饮屠苏酒的风俗<br /><br /><em>Tusu</em> - name of wine, made from tusu herb, drinking will purportedly be able to prevent plague. In the olden days it is a custom of drinking tusu wine on the first day of New Year.<br /><br />桃符 - 古时风俗,元旦用桃木板写神茶,邮垒二神名,悬挂门旁, 以为能压压邪<br /><br /><em>Taofu</em> – a mahogany board written with the name of the gods – shencha and youlei – and hung on each side of the main door during new year to ward of evil.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>Reference:</em><br /><br />1. 王安石<br /><br />诗文选评<br />高克勤撰<br />上海古书出版社,2002第一版,2004年第二次印刷<br />2007年6月30日百胜楼上海书局购 6元15新币<br /><br />2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Anshi">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Anshi</a><br /><br />3. <a href="http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/20740431">http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/20740431</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />/-------kinkonkidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573723075614020427noreply@blogger.com1