Tan Tock Seng Hospital
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
National Healthcare Group
The new 15-story Tan Tock Seng Hospital was marked as a historic institution on 25 July 2001.
Geography
Location Novena, Singapore
Coordinates 1°19′17.8″N 103°50′45.4″ECoordinates: 1°19′17.8″N 103°50′45.4″E
Organisation
Hospital type District General
Services
Emergency department Yes Accident & Emergency
Links
Website http://www.ttsh.com.sg
Lists Hospitals in Singapore
The Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Abbreviation: TTSH; Chinese: 陈笃生医院; Malay: Hospital Tan Tock Seng) is the second-largest hospital in Singapore after the Singapore General Hospital, but its accident and emergency department is the busiest in the country largely due to its geographically centralised location.[1] Set up in 1844 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tan Tock Seng, the hospital came under the international spotlight when it was designated as the sole treatment centre for the SARS epidemic which struck the country in 2003.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Location of Services
3 Clinical and Allied Health Services
4 TTSH Heritage Museum
5 The Art of Healing Programme
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links
[edit]History
Singapore was a successful trading centre. Large numbers of immigrants came, hoping to make their fortune here. The majority of immigrants were poor and destitute. Malnutrition was common and it was estimated that about 100 immigrants died each year from starvation.
The British government set up a pauper's hospital in the 1820s but it closed in the 1830s because of insufficient funds. The government then suggested that the better-off members of each community take care of their own poor. Subsequently, some of the more benevolent members of the community responded. One such person was Tan Tock Seng, a successful businessman, philanthropist and the first Asian Justice of Peace. In 1843, Tan offered funds for the construction of a hospital.
The foundation stone of the Chinese Paupers' Hospital, Singapore's first privately funded hospital, was laid on 25 July 1844, on Pearl's Hill. Construction took three years and a shortage of funds saw the hospital stand empty for two more years. Finally, the first batch of patients was admitted in 1849. About 100 sick and destitute people had been housed in an attap shed at the foot of Pearl's Hill when a fierce storm destroyed the shed, leaving them homeless. Rather than have them wander the streets, the government decided to place them in the hospital. In the hospital's early years, money was a constant problem, alleviated from time to time by donations from kind benefactors. A shortage of staff and no reliable water supply also made things difficult.
Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52. The hospital's name was changed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and, in 1861, it relocated to new premises on the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road. A lepers' ward was also added. In 1903, the land on Moulmein Road, where the present hospital stands, was bought.
By the 1980s, the hospital's services and patient intake were beginning to outgrow the 1950s hospital building. A new 15-storey building was constructed and officially opened on 1 April 2000.
As a result of a restructuring exercise in the local health-care scene, the hospital became a member of the National Healthcare Group in 2000.
The hospital prides itself as a pioneer in the development of Geriatric Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Rehabilitation Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. It is also a major referral centre for Geriatric Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gastroenterology, Otorhinolaryngology and Orthopedic surgery. In 2003, the hospital was declared the designated hospital for SARS screening and treatment by the Ministry of Health.
[edit]Location of Services
The Hospital Complex
Completed in 1999, the complex is specially designed to provide comprehensive in-patient and out-patient services under one roof. Most services are provided in the modern complex, comprising the Hospital Block, the TTSH Medical Centre and the Podium Block. On average, specialist clinics receive 1,500 patients daily, while the Emergency Department attends to a daily 400, making it Singapore's busiest emergency department.
Communicable Disease Centre (CDC)
The Communicable Disease Centre is the national referral centre for the diagnosis and management of communicable diseases that include HIV and SARS. The CDC is made up of 2 campuses, equipped with in-patient and out-patient facilities to handle disease outbreak as well as laboratory facilities to conduct research for better disease management and patient care.
TTSH Rehabilitation Centre
The TTSH Rehabilitation Centre located at Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital offers the largest in-patient rehabilitation services in Singapore. Managed by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, it also conducts therapy programmes and out-patient rehabilitation services.
Specialist Clinics
Closer to the community, TTSH operates specialist clinics at Hougang Polyclinic and Yew Tee MRT Station.
[edit]Clinical and Allied Health Services
Division of Ambulatory & Diagnostic Medicine
Diagnostic Radiology
Emergency Medicine
Oncology Services
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Division of Medicine
Cardiology
Clinical Epidemiology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
General Medicine
Geriatric Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Psychological Medicine
Rehabilitation Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology
Division of Surgery
Anaesthesiology
General Surgery
Ophthalmology
Orthopaedic Surgery
Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
Urology
Clinical Support Services
Complementary Integrative Medicine
Nutrition & Dietetics
Occupational Therapy
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (Blood Transfusion, Haematology, Clinical chemistry, Anatomical pathology & Clinical microbiology)
Pharmacies (Outpatient, Inpatient & Retail)
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Prosthetics & Orthotics
Psychological Services
Respiratory Therapy
Speech Therapy
Travellers' Health & Vaccination Centre
Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory
[edit]TTSH Heritage Museum
The Tan Tock Seng Hospital Heritage Museum opened its doors on July 25, 2001. Honouring the legacy of its founder Mr Tan Tock Seng, the museum features a collection of Peranakan items from the mid-19th century, during Mr Tan's time.
Medical equipment and hospital artefacts of yore capture the enduring spirit of Singapore's first community hospital dedicated "to care for the sick poor of all nations". The hospital's development and achievements - in particular, its pioneering role in the treatment of tuberculosis (1940s) and its monumental leadership in the fight against SARS - are presented through narrative displays, salvaged historical objects and a time capsule.
The TTSH Heritage Museum is a member of the National Heritage Board's Museum Roundtable.
[edit]The Art of Healing Programme
Tan Tock Seng Hospital's The Art of Healing programme, an initiative that aims to use the arts as a form of therapy to soothe patients’ mind and body and help them on their path to recovery, was launched on February 6, 2006. Through the arts, the hospital is transformed to a warm, welcoming and enriching environment for patients, families, staff and visitors, and helps to distract patients from their ailments, express their feelings and reduce anxiety. By this, the hospital hopes that there will be an improvement in patients' blood pressure and intake of pain medication, which in turn should lead to faster recovery and a shorter length of hospital stay.
The programme is an on-going project where activities such as exhibitions (paintings, pottery, wire sculptures, etc.) and performances (orchestras, big bands, string quartets, plays, dances, etc.) are unveiled regularly. This helps to promote the hospital as a centre of holistic healing of mind and body, and transforms the hospital environment from a traditionally sterile, cold and fearful one to a warm, non-threatening and welcoming place of healing. The programme provides an enriching multi-cultural experience for patients and staff and welcomes artists of all art forms to be a part of these performances.
Under the arm of "The Art of Healing" programme, the hospital's Healing Sky Garden and Orchid Botanica were launched in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
[edit]Notes
^ "TTSH's Emergency Dept has longest waiting time". Channel NewsAsia. 2005-03-01. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
[edit]References
National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tan Tock Seng Hospital
[edit]External links
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
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Categories: Hospitals established in 1884 | Hospitals in Singapore | Novena
Monday, August 29, 2011
TAN TOCK SENG
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tan.
Tan Tock Seng (simplified Chinese: 陈笃生; traditional Chinese: 陳篤生; pinyin: Chén Dǔshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-sing; 1798–1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 [1] to an immigrant Fukien (Hokkien) father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.
Most of his wealth came from the results of his speculations with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. Horrocks Whitehead died in September 1846 at the age of 36. His tombstone at the old cemetery on Fort Canning was erected, "as a token of affection on the part of a Chinese friend, Tan Tock Seng."
Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.
Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed $36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.
References
^ One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore
External links
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Genealogy of Tan Tock Seng
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Categories: 1798 births | 1850 deaths | Singaporean people of Chinese descent | Singaporean people of Hokkien descent | Singaporean businesspeople | Singaporean philanthropists
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tan.
Tan Tock Seng (simplified Chinese: 陈笃生; traditional Chinese: 陳篤生; pinyin: Chén Dǔshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-sing; 1798–1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 [1] to an immigrant Fukien (Hokkien) father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.
Most of his wealth came from the results of his speculations with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. Horrocks Whitehead died in September 1846 at the age of 36. His tombstone at the old cemetery on Fort Canning was erected, "as a token of affection on the part of a Chinese friend, Tan Tock Seng."
Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.
Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed $36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.
References
^ One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore
External links
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Genealogy of Tan Tock Seng
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Categories: 1798 births | 1850 deaths | Singaporean people of Chinese descent | Singaporean people of Hokkien descent | Singaporean businesspeople | Singaporean philanthropists
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The New Paper
21 March 2010
S’pore’s oldest grave?
The grave of Fang Shan, which dates
back to 1833.
Story by BRYNA SIM
Photos by CHOO CHWEE HUA, BRYNA SIM
TUCKED away in Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery off Kheam Hock Road, is a long-forgotten grave with a 60cm-high granite headstone. Two empty drink cans that held joss sticks indicate that someone still remembers the final resting place of a man known as Fang Shan. It is on a small hill, amid creeper plants and weeds, one of about a hundred graves in the western section of the cemetery. The red Chinese characters on the weather-worn headstone says Fang Shan died in 1833, some 14 years after Sir Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore. Historians and history buffs believe this may be the oldest grave in Singapore.
According to the National Archives of Singapore, which keeps burial records, the oldest grave here dates back to 2 Apr 1865, and was at the Bukit Timah Road Old Cemetery, also known as the Kampong Java Cemetery. The National Environment Agency said it was exhumed, together with the other 8,461 graves in the cemetery and the remains reburied at Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery in 1970.
There is one other contender for the oldest grave title. In 2006, The Straits Times reported that a tomb dating back to 1842 had been found near the current National University of Singapore law school campus. It contained the remains of Chinese settler Qiu Zheng Zhi. It was then believed to be the "oldest in situ Chinese tomb in Singapore", meaning that it remained at the site where it was first built.
Now, cemetery explorer Raymond Goh, 46, believes the title should go to the grave of Fang Shan. Mr Goh, who stumbled upon the grave in late 2008, said: "Although the Fang tomb is not the oldest in situ tomb here, its dating back to 1833 trumps the 1842 record".
Cemetery explorer Raymond Goh posing by a tomb.
Preserve past
Mr Goh, a pharmacist by day, spends much of his free time researching tombs and cemeteries. The interest began in 2006 after he felt the importance of "preserving the past". He has since found more than 10 graves of Singapore's pioneers. (See infographic.)
Fang Shan's grave is looked after by the Fang Shee Association, a local clan association for those with the surname Fang. According to association secretary Akita Chua, 67, there are no known living descendants of Fang Shan. On the left side of the headstone, it says that the tomb was relocated in 1941. Mr Goh believes that the original location of the grave was at Heng Shan Teng, a cemetery for the Hokkien community around Silat Road in Bukit Merah. However, the association says the grave was moved from a cemetery around the Fort Canning area.
Mr Chua said that since 1962, clan members have been paying their respects to Fang Shan and
other ancestors annually during the Qing Ming festival. "In the past, we used to have to charter a bus during Qing Ming. But fewer than 10 people go these days."
The inscriptions on the tomb don't mention his hometown or year of birth, but state he had a son called Fang Li Eng. Mr Chua said Fang Shan, a government official in China, moved here to be a businessman.
His grave is among many other historically significant ones in the Bukit Brown cemetery, which was officially opened on 1 Jan 1922. It stretches across more than 80 hectares and there are about 80,000 graves there now. They were unaffected by the 800 or so exhumations carried out by the Public Works Department in 1965 and 1993.
For now, they remain largely untouched by development. Over the next few weeks, they may get some visitors, who come by to perform the annual Qing Ming rites for their ancestors. After that, all will be quiet again.
'Protect cemetery as it's a historic gem'
PRESERVE the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery, say local heritage enthusiasts and cemetery conservationists. This comes after fears that graves at the cemetery would be affected by the construction of the nearby Bukit Brown MRT station at Jalan Mashor. The station is due to be completed this year. A Land Transport Authority spokesman has said that Circle Line work would not affect "any of the graves", although there is some work for the station going on around the cemetery.
An Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesman said that while there are "longer-term plans to develop the Bukit Brown cemetery", including the reserve area next to the cemetery for residential uses, there are no plans to redevelop the place at present. As its fate is hanging in the balance, individuals and groups have expressed the desire for the cemetery to be protected and enhanced permanently.
Dilemma
Dr Kevin Tan, president of the Singapore Heritage Society, hopes it will not end up like the
Bidadari Cemetery. The entire Bidadari cemetery grounds were cleared in January 2006, and while it was initially planned to be a residential estate, the area is now used for recreational and leisure purposes.
Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore's Department of History, Mr Kwa Chong Guan, said that there is a constant "dilemma between land use needs and preservation". However, he thinks that the Bukit Brown cemetery has a valid case for preservation. "It's a repository for social memories and a green space. I believe these reasons outweigh urban planning needs," he said.
Mr Kwa is also currently chairman of the National Archives and was formerly the director of the Oral History Centre and the National Museum. He and Dr Ho Hua Chew, chairman of the Nature Society's conservation committee, feel that the cemetery is rich in flora and fauna and is a good exercise location. "If you don't have the traditional 'pantang' (superstitious) inhibitions, the roads in the cemetery are pleasant for strolling and watching birds and butterflies," said Dr Ho.
During The New Paper's visits there, people could be seen walking their dogs, jogging and even taking driving lessons around the cemetery grounds. Dr Ho said that at least 84 species of birds have made the cemetery their home, which makes "the ecological importance of this place immense".
The Singapore Polo Club also uses designated trails at the cemetery for their members to ride their horses. This was permitted by the then Ministry of the Environment in the 1980s. According to the NEA, which now oversees this partnership, this activity does not adversely affect the cemetery grounds as it does not encroach into areas where there are graves.
The presence of many graves of Singapore pioneers also explain why many are so eager for it to be preserved. Dr Tan called the cemetery a "historic gem", where "people can go to learn lessons about the past".
Others such as Miss Tan Beng Luan, who worked at the National Archives for 11 years in its
Oral History Centre, also felt that the graves could teach people about Chinese customs and
culture. "The graves have different styles across the decades, and some show a mixture of culture and religion: Chinese-style graves have Christian crosses on them," she said.
Miss Tan, the principal of Creative O Preschoolers' Bay, considers the cemetery an "interesting open-aired museum". She, Dr Tan, Mr Kwa and Dr Ho are confident that enhancements to the cemetery can come in a variety of ways. Dr Tan felt that proper documentation of the cemetery could be done along with informative booklets or pamphlets, so as to "flesh out" the pioneers' stories. Miss Tan and Mr Kwa also think that signposts to certain prominent graves, as well as maps of the area would help visitors to navigate. Dr Ho even felt that the place could be designated as a cemetery-cum-park.
The Preservation of Monuments Board, which comes under the National Heritage Board, has said that it is possible for the latter "to commemorate the contributions of significant individuals and pioneers through heritage markers and memorials".
(Taken from The New Paper, 23 March 2010)
21 March 2010
S’pore’s oldest grave?
The grave of Fang Shan, which dates
back to 1833.
Story by BRYNA SIM
Photos by CHOO CHWEE HUA, BRYNA SIM
TUCKED away in Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery off Kheam Hock Road, is a long-forgotten grave with a 60cm-high granite headstone. Two empty drink cans that held joss sticks indicate that someone still remembers the final resting place of a man known as Fang Shan. It is on a small hill, amid creeper plants and weeds, one of about a hundred graves in the western section of the cemetery. The red Chinese characters on the weather-worn headstone says Fang Shan died in 1833, some 14 years after Sir Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore. Historians and history buffs believe this may be the oldest grave in Singapore.
According to the National Archives of Singapore, which keeps burial records, the oldest grave here dates back to 2 Apr 1865, and was at the Bukit Timah Road Old Cemetery, also known as the Kampong Java Cemetery. The National Environment Agency said it was exhumed, together with the other 8,461 graves in the cemetery and the remains reburied at Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery in 1970.
There is one other contender for the oldest grave title. In 2006, The Straits Times reported that a tomb dating back to 1842 had been found near the current National University of Singapore law school campus. It contained the remains of Chinese settler Qiu Zheng Zhi. It was then believed to be the "oldest in situ Chinese tomb in Singapore", meaning that it remained at the site where it was first built.
Now, cemetery explorer Raymond Goh, 46, believes the title should go to the grave of Fang Shan. Mr Goh, who stumbled upon the grave in late 2008, said: "Although the Fang tomb is not the oldest in situ tomb here, its dating back to 1833 trumps the 1842 record".
Cemetery explorer Raymond Goh posing by a tomb.
Preserve past
Mr Goh, a pharmacist by day, spends much of his free time researching tombs and cemeteries. The interest began in 2006 after he felt the importance of "preserving the past". He has since found more than 10 graves of Singapore's pioneers. (See infographic.)
Fang Shan's grave is looked after by the Fang Shee Association, a local clan association for those with the surname Fang. According to association secretary Akita Chua, 67, there are no known living descendants of Fang Shan. On the left side of the headstone, it says that the tomb was relocated in 1941. Mr Goh believes that the original location of the grave was at Heng Shan Teng, a cemetery for the Hokkien community around Silat Road in Bukit Merah. However, the association says the grave was moved from a cemetery around the Fort Canning area.
Mr Chua said that since 1962, clan members have been paying their respects to Fang Shan and
other ancestors annually during the Qing Ming festival. "In the past, we used to have to charter a bus during Qing Ming. But fewer than 10 people go these days."
The inscriptions on the tomb don't mention his hometown or year of birth, but state he had a son called Fang Li Eng. Mr Chua said Fang Shan, a government official in China, moved here to be a businessman.
His grave is among many other historically significant ones in the Bukit Brown cemetery, which was officially opened on 1 Jan 1922. It stretches across more than 80 hectares and there are about 80,000 graves there now. They were unaffected by the 800 or so exhumations carried out by the Public Works Department in 1965 and 1993.
For now, they remain largely untouched by development. Over the next few weeks, they may get some visitors, who come by to perform the annual Qing Ming rites for their ancestors. After that, all will be quiet again.
'Protect cemetery as it's a historic gem'
PRESERVE the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery, say local heritage enthusiasts and cemetery conservationists. This comes after fears that graves at the cemetery would be affected by the construction of the nearby Bukit Brown MRT station at Jalan Mashor. The station is due to be completed this year. A Land Transport Authority spokesman has said that Circle Line work would not affect "any of the graves", although there is some work for the station going on around the cemetery.
An Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesman said that while there are "longer-term plans to develop the Bukit Brown cemetery", including the reserve area next to the cemetery for residential uses, there are no plans to redevelop the place at present. As its fate is hanging in the balance, individuals and groups have expressed the desire for the cemetery to be protected and enhanced permanently.
Dilemma
Dr Kevin Tan, president of the Singapore Heritage Society, hopes it will not end up like the
Bidadari Cemetery. The entire Bidadari cemetery grounds were cleared in January 2006, and while it was initially planned to be a residential estate, the area is now used for recreational and leisure purposes.
Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore's Department of History, Mr Kwa Chong Guan, said that there is a constant "dilemma between land use needs and preservation". However, he thinks that the Bukit Brown cemetery has a valid case for preservation. "It's a repository for social memories and a green space. I believe these reasons outweigh urban planning needs," he said.
Mr Kwa is also currently chairman of the National Archives and was formerly the director of the Oral History Centre and the National Museum. He and Dr Ho Hua Chew, chairman of the Nature Society's conservation committee, feel that the cemetery is rich in flora and fauna and is a good exercise location. "If you don't have the traditional 'pantang' (superstitious) inhibitions, the roads in the cemetery are pleasant for strolling and watching birds and butterflies," said Dr Ho.
During The New Paper's visits there, people could be seen walking their dogs, jogging and even taking driving lessons around the cemetery grounds. Dr Ho said that at least 84 species of birds have made the cemetery their home, which makes "the ecological importance of this place immense".
The Singapore Polo Club also uses designated trails at the cemetery for their members to ride their horses. This was permitted by the then Ministry of the Environment in the 1980s. According to the NEA, which now oversees this partnership, this activity does not adversely affect the cemetery grounds as it does not encroach into areas where there are graves.
The presence of many graves of Singapore pioneers also explain why many are so eager for it to be preserved. Dr Tan called the cemetery a "historic gem", where "people can go to learn lessons about the past".
Others such as Miss Tan Beng Luan, who worked at the National Archives for 11 years in its
Oral History Centre, also felt that the graves could teach people about Chinese customs and
culture. "The graves have different styles across the decades, and some show a mixture of culture and religion: Chinese-style graves have Christian crosses on them," she said.
Miss Tan, the principal of Creative O Preschoolers' Bay, considers the cemetery an "interesting open-aired museum". She, Dr Tan, Mr Kwa and Dr Ho are confident that enhancements to the cemetery can come in a variety of ways. Dr Tan felt that proper documentation of the cemetery could be done along with informative booklets or pamphlets, so as to "flesh out" the pioneers' stories. Miss Tan and Mr Kwa also think that signposts to certain prominent graves, as well as maps of the area would help visitors to navigate. Dr Ho even felt that the place could be designated as a cemetery-cum-park.
The Preservation of Monuments Board, which comes under the National Heritage Board, has said that it is possible for the latter "to commemorate the contributions of significant individuals and pioneers through heritage markers and memorials".
(Taken from The New Paper, 23 March 2010)
published on Aug 19 2009 - 14:29
#1: Oldest skyscraper
Depends who you’re talking to. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary helpfully describes a skyscraper as ‘a very tall building’; in 1939, our first very tall building, The Cathay, was only eight floors high. In 2006, it was sexed up into a modern glass-and-metal beast but retained its original art-deco façade. Our oldest un-renovated skyscraper is technically the old block of the Bank of China Building, built in 1954 with a whopping 18 floors (the new block has 36).
Where: The Cathay (2 Handy Road) & Bank of China Building (4 Battery Road)
#2: Oldest man-made Structure
A wooden bridge marks what’s left of Parit Singapura, the ‘Moat of Singapore’. The moat was mentioned in The Malay Annals (a literary work that traces the origins and descent of Malay royalty), and its existence corroborated by a British map of 1825, which shows along modern Stamford Road an ‘earthen rampart…on the north side of this rampart was a stream’.
Where: Wooden bridge next to Raffles House (Fort Canning Park)
#3: Oldest mall
Founded in 1932, C.K. Tang is the oldest surviving retail business and development in Singapore, although the original establishment was demolished in 1975 to construct the Dynasty Hotel (now the Singapore Marriott Hotel) and shopping complex in its place. It’s hard to imagine this household name began with enterprising hawker Tang Choon Kheng from Swatow, China – popularly known as ‘Curio King’ – peddling his embroidered linen wares all over Singapore. Tang built his business on the humble principles of honesty and integrity.
Where: Tangs (310 & 320 Orchard Road)
C.K. Tang
#4: Oldest example of our State motto
When you enter Victoria Theatre, on the left-hand stairwell landing, our state motto – otherwise known as Majulah Singapura (or ‘Onward Singapore’) – shines through the dust. Zubir Said (who also wrote songs for the 1958 Malay film Blood of Pontianak) used these words as a starting point to compose an anthem that would celebrate Singapore’s conferred city status by King George VI and replace ‘God Save the Queen’.
Where: Victoria Theatre (9 Empress Place)
#5: Oldest Chinese Chamber of Commerce in South-East Asia
The attempt to fuse architectural details like the red colonnades and stone lions with a regular Western edifice renders this building a Far Eastern confusion. However, pay attention to the dragon mural flanking the gateway – the first replica porcelain nine-dragon wall in Singapore. While the original two-storey building was replaced in 1963, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry stands as a timeless guardian of Chinese customs and business values. During one visit, it even played host to a Sikh wedding ceremony.
Where: Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (47 Hill Street; MRT: City Hall)
#6: Oldest painted façade
The faded Peranakan shophouse at 66 Spottiswoode Park is a quaint anomaly in a row of better-restored neighbours. Though in lacklustre condition, its façade is the oldest surviving one and an original (still intact) to boot – a rarity in these parts. This gem in the rough was only discovered last year when the coat of whitewash that was stupidly painted over it (for reasons unknown) began to chip, hence its excellent preservation. Not much is known about the origin of this piece of history, apart from the fact that it dates back to approximately the 1880s. But the images of three magpies in terracotta red and blue, symbolising love, joy and good fortune, are truly a sight and unexpected treasure to behold.
Where: 66 Spottiswoode Park (MRT: Outram Park)
National Museum of Singapore
#7: Oldest kramat
Bite your tongue and swallow your Kermit jokes – a kramat is a holy Islamic tomb (the word is derived from ‘keramat’, which denotes a kind of miracle-working ability) of a holy Islamic saint. The oldest kramat belongs to Radin Ayu Mas, which translates as the Princess of Golden Beauty. Buried at the foot of Mount Faber, the legend tells the sad story of the brother of a sultan and his marriage to a common palace dancer. When the Sultan finds out, he sets Pangeran’s house on fire in his absence. The mother perishes in the flames, but a child named Radin Mas is rescued. The little princess and her father leave Java for Singapore only to be torn apart once again – in the final chapter of the tragedy, Radin Mas dies in her father’s arms after being accidentally stabbed with a kris (a dagger indigenous to Indonesia) by an evil Tengku (prince).
Where: Mount Faber Road (Tel: 6270 8855 MRT: HarbourFront)
#8: Oldest theatre
While most would assume the Yangtze Theatre – known for its racy and exotic XXX-rated movies – to be the oldest, the Capitol Theatre was erected way before the Yangtze hit puberty (for the record, it was opened in 1977). Built in 1929, the Capitol Theatre, a neo-classical curio, was previously a theatre for rambunctious cabaret performances until the Shaw Brothers turned it into its flagship cinema in 1946. Besides catering to the appetites of cinemagoers, there was also the Capitol Restaurant located in the Blue Room – not a hall for sexual content, but a beautiful function room with high ceilings and a zodiac mosaic that decorated the interior of its dome. The cinema, with its 1,686 seats, gave patrons the choice of gallery, stalls and circle seats. Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s list of heritage buildings, the cinema lowered its curtains in 1998 after screening the futuristic thriller Soldier, which starred Kurt Russell.
Where: Junction of North Bridge Road and Stamford Road (MRT: City Hall)
#9: Oldest museum
In colonial days, the National Museum of Singapore was known as the Raffles Library and Museum, a repository for prized zoological, ethnographical and archaeological collections (or conquests) of South-East Asia, most of which have been forwarded on to NUS and other museums abroad. Today, the building, redeveloped at a cost of $132.6 million, includes a stunning glass-clad extension that pays tribute to the island’s nation-building history without neglecting modern art and culture. Do look out for one of its oldest artefacts, the Singapore Stone (currently on display at the Singapore History Gallery). This originally stood as part of a larger boulder at the entrance of the Singapore River and bears the earliest inscription (a variant of an old Sumatran script) found here – a significant relic of this island’s pre-colonial history, which has been variously dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.
Where: National Museum of Singapore (93 Stamford Road)
Capitol Theatre
published on Aug 19 2009 - 14:29
#1: Oldest skyscraper
Depends who you’re talking to. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary helpfully describes a skyscraper as ‘a very tall building’; in 1939, our first very tall building, The Cathay, was only eight floors high. In 2006, it was sexed up into a modern glass-and-metal beast but retained its original art-deco façade. Our oldest un-renovated skyscraper is technically the old block of the Bank of China Building, built in 1954 with a whopping 18 floors (the new block has 36).
Where: The Cathay (2 Handy Road) & Bank of China Building (4 Battery Road)
#2: Oldest man-made Structure
A wooden bridge marks what’s left of Parit Singapura, the ‘Moat of Singapore’. The moat was mentioned in The Malay Annals (a literary work that traces the origins and descent of Malay royalty), and its existence corroborated by a British map of 1825, which shows along modern Stamford Road an ‘earthen rampart…on the north side of this rampart was a stream’.
Where: Wooden bridge next to Raffles House (Fort Canning Park)
#3: Oldest mall
Founded in 1932, C.K. Tang is the oldest surviving retail business and development in Singapore, although the original establishment was demolished in 1975 to construct the Dynasty Hotel (now the Singapore Marriott Hotel) and shopping complex in its place. It’s hard to imagine this household name began with enterprising hawker Tang Choon Kheng from Swatow, China – popularly known as ‘Curio King’ – peddling his embroidered linen wares all over Singapore. Tang built his business on the humble principles of honesty and integrity.
Where: Tangs (310 & 320 Orchard Road)
C.K. Tang
#4: Oldest example of our State motto
When you enter Victoria Theatre, on the left-hand stairwell landing, our state motto – otherwise known as Majulah Singapura (or ‘Onward Singapore’) – shines through the dust. Zubir Said (who also wrote songs for the 1958 Malay film Blood of Pontianak) used these words as a starting point to compose an anthem that would celebrate Singapore’s conferred city status by King George VI and replace ‘God Save the Queen’.
Where: Victoria Theatre (9 Empress Place)
#5: Oldest Chinese Chamber of Commerce in South-East Asia
The attempt to fuse architectural details like the red colonnades and stone lions with a regular Western edifice renders this building a Far Eastern confusion. However, pay attention to the dragon mural flanking the gateway – the first replica porcelain nine-dragon wall in Singapore. While the original two-storey building was replaced in 1963, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry stands as a timeless guardian of Chinese customs and business values. During one visit, it even played host to a Sikh wedding ceremony.
Where: Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (47 Hill Street; MRT: City Hall)
#6: Oldest painted façade
The faded Peranakan shophouse at 66 Spottiswoode Park is a quaint anomaly in a row of better-restored neighbours. Though in lacklustre condition, its façade is the oldest surviving one and an original (still intact) to boot – a rarity in these parts. This gem in the rough was only discovered last year when the coat of whitewash that was stupidly painted over it (for reasons unknown) began to chip, hence its excellent preservation. Not much is known about the origin of this piece of history, apart from the fact that it dates back to approximately the 1880s. But the images of three magpies in terracotta red and blue, symbolising love, joy and good fortune, are truly a sight and unexpected treasure to behold.
Where: 66 Spottiswoode Park (MRT: Outram Park)
National Museum of Singapore
#7: Oldest kramat
Bite your tongue and swallow your Kermit jokes – a kramat is a holy Islamic tomb (the word is derived from ‘keramat’, which denotes a kind of miracle-working ability) of a holy Islamic saint. The oldest kramat belongs to Radin Ayu Mas, which translates as the Princess of Golden Beauty. Buried at the foot of Mount Faber, the legend tells the sad story of the brother of a sultan and his marriage to a common palace dancer. When the Sultan finds out, he sets Pangeran’s house on fire in his absence. The mother perishes in the flames, but a child named Radin Mas is rescued. The little princess and her father leave Java for Singapore only to be torn apart once again – in the final chapter of the tragedy, Radin Mas dies in her father’s arms after being accidentally stabbed with a kris (a dagger indigenous to Indonesia) by an evil Tengku (prince).
Where: Mount Faber Road (Tel: 6270 8855 MRT: HarbourFront)
#8: Oldest theatre
While most would assume the Yangtze Theatre – known for its racy and exotic XXX-rated movies – to be the oldest, the Capitol Theatre was erected way before the Yangtze hit puberty (for the record, it was opened in 1977). Built in 1929, the Capitol Theatre, a neo-classical curio, was previously a theatre for rambunctious cabaret performances until the Shaw Brothers turned it into its flagship cinema in 1946. Besides catering to the appetites of cinemagoers, there was also the Capitol Restaurant located in the Blue Room – not a hall for sexual content, but a beautiful function room with high ceilings and a zodiac mosaic that decorated the interior of its dome. The cinema, with its 1,686 seats, gave patrons the choice of gallery, stalls and circle seats. Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s list of heritage buildings, the cinema lowered its curtains in 1998 after screening the futuristic thriller Soldier, which starred Kurt Russell.
Where: Junction of North Bridge Road and Stamford Road (MRT: City Hall)
#9: Oldest museum
In colonial days, the National Museum of Singapore was known as the Raffles Library and Museum, a repository for prized zoological, ethnographical and archaeological collections (or conquests) of South-East Asia, most of which have been forwarded on to NUS and other museums abroad. Today, the building, redeveloped at a cost of $132.6 million, includes a stunning glass-clad extension that pays tribute to the island’s nation-building history without neglecting modern art and culture. Do look out for one of its oldest artefacts, the Singapore Stone (currently on display at the Singapore History Gallery). This originally stood as part of a larger boulder at the entrance of the Singapore River and bears the earliest inscription (a variant of an old Sumatran script) found here – a significant relic of this island’s pre-colonial history, which has been variously dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.
Where: National Museum of Singapore (93 Stamford Road)
Capitol Theatre
#1: Oldest skyscraper
Depends who you’re talking to. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary helpfully describes a skyscraper as ‘a very tall building’; in 1939, our first very tall building, The Cathay, was only eight floors high. In 2006, it was sexed up into a modern glass-and-metal beast but retained its original art-deco façade. Our oldest un-renovated skyscraper is technically the old block of the Bank of China Building, built in 1954 with a whopping 18 floors (the new block has 36).
Where: The Cathay (2 Handy Road) & Bank of China Building (4 Battery Road)
#2: Oldest man-made Structure
A wooden bridge marks what’s left of Parit Singapura, the ‘Moat of Singapore’. The moat was mentioned in The Malay Annals (a literary work that traces the origins and descent of Malay royalty), and its existence corroborated by a British map of 1825, which shows along modern Stamford Road an ‘earthen rampart…on the north side of this rampart was a stream’.
Where: Wooden bridge next to Raffles House (Fort Canning Park)
#3: Oldest mall
Founded in 1932, C.K. Tang is the oldest surviving retail business and development in Singapore, although the original establishment was demolished in 1975 to construct the Dynasty Hotel (now the Singapore Marriott Hotel) and shopping complex in its place. It’s hard to imagine this household name began with enterprising hawker Tang Choon Kheng from Swatow, China – popularly known as ‘Curio King’ – peddling his embroidered linen wares all over Singapore. Tang built his business on the humble principles of honesty and integrity.
Where: Tangs (310 & 320 Orchard Road)
C.K. Tang
#4: Oldest example of our State motto
When you enter Victoria Theatre, on the left-hand stairwell landing, our state motto – otherwise known as Majulah Singapura (or ‘Onward Singapore’) – shines through the dust. Zubir Said (who also wrote songs for the 1958 Malay film Blood of Pontianak) used these words as a starting point to compose an anthem that would celebrate Singapore’s conferred city status by King George VI and replace ‘God Save the Queen’.
Where: Victoria Theatre (9 Empress Place)
#5: Oldest Chinese Chamber of Commerce in South-East Asia
The attempt to fuse architectural details like the red colonnades and stone lions with a regular Western edifice renders this building a Far Eastern confusion. However, pay attention to the dragon mural flanking the gateway – the first replica porcelain nine-dragon wall in Singapore. While the original two-storey building was replaced in 1963, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry stands as a timeless guardian of Chinese customs and business values. During one visit, it even played host to a Sikh wedding ceremony.
Where: Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (47 Hill Street; MRT: City Hall)
#6: Oldest painted façade
The faded Peranakan shophouse at 66 Spottiswoode Park is a quaint anomaly in a row of better-restored neighbours. Though in lacklustre condition, its façade is the oldest surviving one and an original (still intact) to boot – a rarity in these parts. This gem in the rough was only discovered last year when the coat of whitewash that was stupidly painted over it (for reasons unknown) began to chip, hence its excellent preservation. Not much is known about the origin of this piece of history, apart from the fact that it dates back to approximately the 1880s. But the images of three magpies in terracotta red and blue, symbolising love, joy and good fortune, are truly a sight and unexpected treasure to behold.
Where: 66 Spottiswoode Park (MRT: Outram Park)
National Museum of Singapore
#7: Oldest kramat
Bite your tongue and swallow your Kermit jokes – a kramat is a holy Islamic tomb (the word is derived from ‘keramat’, which denotes a kind of miracle-working ability) of a holy Islamic saint. The oldest kramat belongs to Radin Ayu Mas, which translates as the Princess of Golden Beauty. Buried at the foot of Mount Faber, the legend tells the sad story of the brother of a sultan and his marriage to a common palace dancer. When the Sultan finds out, he sets Pangeran’s house on fire in his absence. The mother perishes in the flames, but a child named Radin Mas is rescued. The little princess and her father leave Java for Singapore only to be torn apart once again – in the final chapter of the tragedy, Radin Mas dies in her father’s arms after being accidentally stabbed with a kris (a dagger indigenous to Indonesia) by an evil Tengku (prince).
Where: Mount Faber Road (Tel: 6270 8855 MRT: HarbourFront)
#8: Oldest theatre
While most would assume the Yangtze Theatre – known for its racy and exotic XXX-rated movies – to be the oldest, the Capitol Theatre was erected way before the Yangtze hit puberty (for the record, it was opened in 1977). Built in 1929, the Capitol Theatre, a neo-classical curio, was previously a theatre for rambunctious cabaret performances until the Shaw Brothers turned it into its flagship cinema in 1946. Besides catering to the appetites of cinemagoers, there was also the Capitol Restaurant located in the Blue Room – not a hall for sexual content, but a beautiful function room with high ceilings and a zodiac mosaic that decorated the interior of its dome. The cinema, with its 1,686 seats, gave patrons the choice of gallery, stalls and circle seats. Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s list of heritage buildings, the cinema lowered its curtains in 1998 after screening the futuristic thriller Soldier, which starred Kurt Russell.
Where: Junction of North Bridge Road and Stamford Road (MRT: City Hall)
#9: Oldest museum
In colonial days, the National Museum of Singapore was known as the Raffles Library and Museum, a repository for prized zoological, ethnographical and archaeological collections (or conquests) of South-East Asia, most of which have been forwarded on to NUS and other museums abroad. Today, the building, redeveloped at a cost of $132.6 million, includes a stunning glass-clad extension that pays tribute to the island’s nation-building history without neglecting modern art and culture. Do look out for one of its oldest artefacts, the Singapore Stone (currently on display at the Singapore History Gallery). This originally stood as part of a larger boulder at the entrance of the Singapore River and bears the earliest inscription (a variant of an old Sumatran script) found here – a significant relic of this island’s pre-colonial history, which has been variously dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.
Where: National Museum of Singapore (93 Stamford Road)
Capitol Theatre
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Save Our Chinese HeritageMenushare0
The story of the oldest Chinese tombs in Singapore
by kentneo July 28, 2006
Text by Raymond Goh, 24 Sept 2006
The Tomb of Qiu Zheng Zhi (é‚±æ £ç›´) was built in 1842 (é“光壬寅). He comes from the village of Hai Teng Province Sin Aun 海澄县新安
He have 4 sons, 3 daughters and one grandson listed.
One of his sons listed in the tombstone Khoo Qin Zhan (邱ç›éœ‘) donated 5 Dollars in 1854 to rebuilt the Fuk Tak Chi (ç¦å¾·ç¥ ), which is a museum now in Telok Ayer Street.
In 1861, he also donated 12 Dollars for the Chui Eng Public School (èƒè‹±ä¹¦é™¢). Now the place is converted to a Thai Restaurant (Bamboo Court). (Source: Singapore Chinese Epigraphs Collections)
Please see the plaque found in Fuk Tak Chi regarding the donation by Khoo. The plaque was erected in 1854 to commenorate the renovation of Fuk Tek Chi temple. One plaque praises the powers of the Tai Pak Gong Diety. The other plaque list the donors to the renovation. Khoo’s name was on one of the plaques. There was also a plaque erected in 1886 which was a testimony to the dispute between the Hakka Chinese and the Cantonese Chinese.
Now Haizheng Province Sin Aun already was a properous place since the Tang Dynasty Period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, many clansmen from Sin Aun migrated to Taiwan, Dutch Batavia (now Jakarta) and Malacca with the repeal of the ban on maritime trade by the Manchu government. Since the rise of British power in the Far East, Siam, Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malacca, Kedah and Penang had been their favourite choices. Among these places, Penang saw the most Khoo immigrants in the 19th century.
(see migration chart from Khoo Kongsi website)
The Khoos of Khoo Kongsi (ä¸˜å…¬ç¥ ) from Penang also come from this village 新安 (Sin Aun).
The early pioneers of Singapore that also come from æ–°åžµ is Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ or 邱笃信). He was born in 1820 and come to singapore in 1840. He might be a relative or contempatory of é‚±æ £ç›´, as he and his brothers first two characters are é‚±æ £.
Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ ) is a famous Singapore rice merchant and was the president of Thong Chia Medial Institution. His 3rd brother Khoo Cheng Cheok é‚±æ £æœ even has a street Cheng Cheok Street (at Tanjong Pagar previously) named after him.
Khoo Cheng Tiong is also the father of Khoo Siok Guan (邱è½å› ), the famous scholar poet in Singapore, who started the Tian Nan Press in 1898, was an editor of Sin Chew Jit Poh and died in 1941
The other tomb which is of a couple, the wife of of an Eurasian. Their daughter is called “Holland”.
The daughter must have married a brother of the Khoo family or very close relative because their descandents share a common name for the first 2 characters:
邱ç›. That is why they can be buried at the same area.
————————
Please share your corrections/amendment, additions to this tomb research.
Raymond Goh
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme by Onswipe. View Standard Site
← Seek out the past, with an eye on the …Lessons from the Royal Plaques →
Comments
Back To ArticleNew Comment
The story of the oldest Chinese tombs in Singapore
by kentneo July 28, 2006
Text by Raymond Goh, 24 Sept 2006
The Tomb of Qiu Zheng Zhi (é‚±æ £ç›´) was built in 1842 (é“光壬寅). He comes from the village of Hai Teng Province Sin Aun 海澄县新安
He have 4 sons, 3 daughters and one grandson listed.
One of his sons listed in the tombstone Khoo Qin Zhan (邱ç›éœ‘) donated 5 Dollars in 1854 to rebuilt the Fuk Tak Chi (ç¦å¾·ç¥ ), which is a museum now in Telok Ayer Street.
In 1861, he also donated 12 Dollars for the Chui Eng Public School (èƒè‹±ä¹¦é™¢). Now the place is converted to a Thai Restaurant (Bamboo Court). (Source: Singapore Chinese Epigraphs Collections)
Please see the plaque found in Fuk Tak Chi regarding the donation by Khoo. The plaque was erected in 1854 to commenorate the renovation of Fuk Tek Chi temple. One plaque praises the powers of the Tai Pak Gong Diety. The other plaque list the donors to the renovation. Khoo’s name was on one of the plaques. There was also a plaque erected in 1886 which was a testimony to the dispute between the Hakka Chinese and the Cantonese Chinese.
Now Haizheng Province Sin Aun already was a properous place since the Tang Dynasty Period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, many clansmen from Sin Aun migrated to Taiwan, Dutch Batavia (now Jakarta) and Malacca with the repeal of the ban on maritime trade by the Manchu government. Since the rise of British power in the Far East, Siam, Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malacca, Kedah and Penang had been their favourite choices. Among these places, Penang saw the most Khoo immigrants in the 19th century.
(see migration chart from Khoo Kongsi website)
The Khoos of Khoo Kongsi (ä¸˜å…¬ç¥ ) from Penang also come from this village 新安 (Sin Aun).
The early pioneers of Singapore that also come from æ–°åžµ is Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ or 邱笃信). He was born in 1820 and come to singapore in 1840. He might be a relative or contempatory of é‚±æ £ç›´, as he and his brothers first two characters are é‚±æ £.
Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ ) is a famous Singapore rice merchant and was the president of Thong Chia Medial Institution. His 3rd brother Khoo Cheng Cheok é‚±æ £æœ even has a street Cheng Cheok Street (at Tanjong Pagar previously) named after him.
Khoo Cheng Tiong is also the father of Khoo Siok Guan (邱è½å› ), the famous scholar poet in Singapore, who started the Tian Nan Press in 1898, was an editor of Sin Chew Jit Poh and died in 1941
The other tomb which is of a couple, the wife of of an Eurasian. Their daughter is called “Holland”.
The daughter must have married a brother of the Khoo family or very close relative because their descandents share a common name for the first 2 characters:
邱ç›. That is why they can be buried at the same area.
————————
Please share your corrections/amendment, additions to this tomb research.
Raymond Goh
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme by Onswipe. View Standard Site
← Seek out the past, with an eye on the …Lessons from the Royal Plaques →
Comments
Back To ArticleNew Comment
Save Our Chinese HeritageMenushare0
The story of the oldest Chinese tombs in Singapore
by kentneo July 28, 2006
Text by Raymond Goh, 24 Sept 2006
The Tomb of Qiu Zheng Zhi (é‚±æ £ç›´) was built in 1842 (é“光壬寅). He comes from the village of Hai Teng Province Sin Aun 海澄县新安
He have 4 sons, 3 daughters and one grandson listed.
One of his sons listed in the tombstone Khoo Qin Zhan (邱ç›éœ‘) donated 5 Dollars in 1854 to rebuilt the Fuk Tak Chi (ç¦å¾·ç¥ ), which is a museum now in Telok Ayer Street.
In 1861, he also donated 12 Dollars for the Chui Eng Public School (èƒè‹±ä¹¦é™¢). Now the place is converted to a Thai Restaurant (Bamboo Court). (Source: Singapore Chinese Epigraphs Collections)
Please see the plaque found in Fuk Tak Chi regarding the donation by Khoo. The plaque was erected in 1854 to commenorate the renovation of Fuk Tek Chi temple. One plaque praises the powers of the Tai Pak Gong Diety. The other plaque list the donors to the renovation. Khoo’s name was on one of the plaques. There was also a plaque erected in 1886 which was a testimony to the dispute between the Hakka Chinese and the Cantonese Chinese.
Now Haizheng Province Sin Aun already was a properous place since the Tang Dynasty Period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, many clansmen from Sin Aun migrated to Taiwan, Dutch Batavia (now Jakarta) and Malacca with the repeal of the ban on maritime trade by the Manchu government. Since the rise of British power in the Far East, Siam, Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malacca, Kedah and Penang had been their favourite choices. Among these places, Penang saw the most Khoo immigrants in the 19th century.
(see migration chart from Khoo Kongsi website)
The Khoos of Khoo Kongsi (ä¸˜å…¬ç¥ ) from Penang also come from this village 新安 (Sin Aun).
The early pioneers of Singapore that also come from æ–°åžµ is Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ or 邱笃信). He was born in 1820 and come to singapore in 1840. He might be a relative or contempatory of é‚±æ £ç›´, as he and his brothers first two characters are é‚±æ £.
Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ ) is a famous Singapore rice merchant and was the president of Thong Chia Medial Institution. His 3rd brother Khoo Cheng Cheok é‚±æ £æœ even has a street Cheng Cheok Street (at Tanjong Pagar previously) named after him.
Khoo Cheng Tiong is also the father of Khoo Siok Guan (邱è½å› ), the famous scholar poet in Singapore, who started the Tian Nan Press in 1898, was an editor of Sin Chew Jit Poh and died in 1941
The other tomb which is of a couple, the wife of of an Eurasian. Their daughter is called “Holland”.
The daughter must have married a brother of the Khoo family or very close relative because their descandents share a common name for the first 2 characters:
邱ç›. That is why they can be buried at the same area.
————————
Please share your corrections/amendment, additions to this tomb research.
Raymond Goh
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme by Onswipe. View Standard Site
← Seek out the past, with an eye on the …Lessons from the Royal Plaques →
Comments
Back To ArticleNew Comment
The story of the oldest Chinese tombs in Singapore
by kentneo July 28, 2006
Text by Raymond Goh, 24 Sept 2006
The Tomb of Qiu Zheng Zhi (é‚±æ £ç›´) was built in 1842 (é“光壬寅). He comes from the village of Hai Teng Province Sin Aun 海澄县新安
He have 4 sons, 3 daughters and one grandson listed.
One of his sons listed in the tombstone Khoo Qin Zhan (邱ç›éœ‘) donated 5 Dollars in 1854 to rebuilt the Fuk Tak Chi (ç¦å¾·ç¥ ), which is a museum now in Telok Ayer Street.
In 1861, he also donated 12 Dollars for the Chui Eng Public School (èƒè‹±ä¹¦é™¢). Now the place is converted to a Thai Restaurant (Bamboo Court). (Source: Singapore Chinese Epigraphs Collections)
Please see the plaque found in Fuk Tak Chi regarding the donation by Khoo. The plaque was erected in 1854 to commenorate the renovation of Fuk Tek Chi temple. One plaque praises the powers of the Tai Pak Gong Diety. The other plaque list the donors to the renovation. Khoo’s name was on one of the plaques. There was also a plaque erected in 1886 which was a testimony to the dispute between the Hakka Chinese and the Cantonese Chinese.
Now Haizheng Province Sin Aun already was a properous place since the Tang Dynasty Period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, many clansmen from Sin Aun migrated to Taiwan, Dutch Batavia (now Jakarta) and Malacca with the repeal of the ban on maritime trade by the Manchu government. Since the rise of British power in the Far East, Siam, Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malacca, Kedah and Penang had been their favourite choices. Among these places, Penang saw the most Khoo immigrants in the 19th century.
(see migration chart from Khoo Kongsi website)
The Khoos of Khoo Kongsi (ä¸˜å…¬ç¥ ) from Penang also come from this village 新安 (Sin Aun).
The early pioneers of Singapore that also come from æ–°åžµ is Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ or 邱笃信). He was born in 1820 and come to singapore in 1840. He might be a relative or contempatory of é‚±æ £ç›´, as he and his brothers first two characters are é‚±æ £.
Khoo Cheng Tiong (é‚±æ £å¿ ) is a famous Singapore rice merchant and was the president of Thong Chia Medial Institution. His 3rd brother Khoo Cheng Cheok é‚±æ £æœ even has a street Cheng Cheok Street (at Tanjong Pagar previously) named after him.
Khoo Cheng Tiong is also the father of Khoo Siok Guan (邱è½å› ), the famous scholar poet in Singapore, who started the Tian Nan Press in 1898, was an editor of Sin Chew Jit Poh and died in 1941
The other tomb which is of a couple, the wife of of an Eurasian. Their daughter is called “Holland”.
The daughter must have married a brother of the Khoo family or very close relative because their descandents share a common name for the first 2 characters:
邱ç›. That is why they can be buried at the same area.
————————
Please share your corrections/amendment, additions to this tomb research.
Raymond Goh
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme by Onswipe. View Standard Site
← Seek out the past, with an eye on the …Lessons from the Royal Plaques →
Comments
Back To ArticleNew Comment
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