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Marshall Cavendish International - Ruth Chia

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177 pages

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Chia Ann Siang was once one of Singapore's wealthiest landowners and merchants. His name lives on today in Ann Siang Hill in Chinatown, but little else is known about him, particularly his private life. This illuminating new book paints the most detailed portrait to date of his life and times in colonial Singapore and traces the changing fortunes of the Chia clan through the years. Born in Malacca in 1834, Chia joined Boustead and Co., an English trading company in Singapore, as a storekeeper at the age of 16. In just six years, he was made Chief Storekeeper, and was able to buy himself a house at 58 Telok Ayer Street (and another one on Amoy Street for good measure). An astute property inAvestor, Chia continued to acquire much real estate in the course of his life; by 1919, he owned more than 70 houses in Chinatown. In 1873, he purchased a large piece of land from John Gemmill, which soon became known officially as Ann Siang Hill. Chia Ann Siang died in 1892, leaving a fortune that supported two generations and educated a third. This book looks at the disparate fortunes of his descendants, including a son he disinherited for marrying against his wishes, and a daughter whose marriage brought two wealthy families together. Far more than a biography, this book tells the fascinating story of more than seven generations of Straits Chinese, from Chia's grandfather's emigration from Fujian to Malacca in 1774, right up to the present day.

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Singapour

Singapore

Lettres et linguistique

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Publié par	Marshall Cavendish International
Date de parution	20 septembre 2019
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789814868693
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	8 Mo

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Extrait

Chia ann Siang and Family
The Tides of Fortune
Ruth Chia
Linda Kow
Soh Tiang Keng
Supported by

The views expressed here are solely those of the authors in their private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the National Heritage
Board and/or any government agencies.

2019 CAS Project
Published in 2019 by Marshall Cavendish Editions An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: (65) 6213 9300. E-mail: genref@sg.marshallcavendish.com Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd, 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Marshall Cavendish is a registered trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Names: Chia, Ruth. | Kow, Linda. | Soh, Tiang Keng. Title: Chia Ann Siang and Family: The Tides of Fortune / Ruth Chia, Linda Kow, Soh Tiang Keng. Description: Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2019. Identifiers: OCN 1112375173 | eISBN 978 981 4868 69 3 Subjects: LCSH: Chia, Ann Siang. | Chia, Ann Siang-Family. | Chinese-Singapore-Biography. Classification: DDC 305.895105957-dc23
Contents

Foreword by Dr Charlie Teo 5
Foreword by Freddy Lam 7
Acknowledgements 11
Introduction 13

Part I: Chia Ann Siang
by Ruth Chia

The Story of the Portraits 20
Where in China Did the Family Come From? 27
Chia Poh Eng s Business Acumen - A Fortune Is Made 36
The Will of Chia Ann Siang 45
Discovery of the Tomb 48
Wealth Will Not Last Three Generations 52
A Short History of Ann Siang Hill 57
The Other Ann Siang Hill 73
The Watershed of the 20th Century 75

Part II: The Third Son
by Linda Kow

Chia Ann Siang s Third Son, Chia Keng Chiang 84
Death of Chia Keng Chiang 94
Keng Chiang s Career 97
A Loveless First Marriage 103
The Forbidden Wedding 109
The Curse 111
The Children from the Forbidden Union 113
Where There Is a Will, There Is a Way - Or a War? 117
The Untangled Knots 121

Part III: A Union of
Two Wealthy Families
by Soh Tiang Keng

The Families of Chia Ann Siang and See Ewe Lay 124
Family Traditions 132
Singapore in the 1950s 138
Soh Chye Hin, Centenarian 142
An Illustrious Family Tree 144
Appendix: Low Kway Song, Artist 149
Genealogy of the Chia Family in Nanyang 159
Genealogy of the Chia Clan of Shitang (in Chinese) 167
Notes 170
About the Authors 174
Foreword
by Professor Charlie Teo

I was approached by the producer of a reality TV show - Who
Do You Think You Are? - to be the celebrity subject of
an exploration into my ancestry. Apparently, they had been
trying to make contact with me for several months and my office
had brickwalled them. Had they approached me personally, I
would have done the same. I had no knowledge nor interest in
my heritage, and furthermore, why would I assume it would be
interesting enough to engage the general public? Indeed, the first
question the producer asked of me was, What do you expect to
get out of the show? I had no answer. When pushed, I blurted out
some juvenile desire to have been a direct descendant of Genghis
Khan. By reading this book you will come to understand that my
spontaneous response was not as unrealistic as you might imagine!
After six months of laborious investigating, interviewing,
probing and travelling to far-off places and two weeks of filming,
my whole attitude to the subject of ancestry did an about-turn.
Although I had always thought of myself as a present and future
type of person, I came to realise that the past serves some very
important purposes. It might explain many of those lifelong
questions: Why do I have this innate desire to help those in
need? Why am I good with my hands when I have never been
taught to be a handyman? It may give you a feeling of pride and
5
6
Chia Ann Siang and Family

responsibility to do the right thing by your ancestors, as they
did for their forefathers. Finally, it puts you in touch with true
family . These are complete strangers who oddly enough share
both physical and emotional traits. When you meet these long-
lost relatives, there is an instant bond and a sincere warmth and
love that is immediately captivating. My meeting with Aunty
Ruth was one such moment.
Aunty Ruth is one of those colourful characters you only
encounter a handful of times in an entire lifetime. We enjoyed
an instant rapport. She reminded me so much of my mother it
was uncanny. Her accent, mannerisms, style, the way she ordered
food for everyone, the food she ordered, the way she insisted on
paying - everything about her reminded me of my mum, Chia
Kim Fook. It only seems right that our family story should be
told through her eyes and with her passion and love of history.
I commend this book to anyone with a love of the past, with an
interest in the history of Singapore, Malacca, Peranakan culture
and China. Indeed, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good
story told by a colourful and extremely knowledgeable character.

D R C HARLIE T EO is a world-renowned neurosurgeon residing in
Sydney. He is known for taking on high-risk patients that other sur-
geons deem inoperable, and as a result he has saved the lives of many.
Charlie hails from the line of Chia Ann Lim, brother of Chia Ann
Siang. His mother, Chia Kim Fook, would be a 21st-generation Chia
(the 6th generation in Nanyang), making Charlie nephew to Ruth Chia.
Foreword
by Freddy Lam

It never ceases to surprise me, whenever we meet, to learn
that my good friend Ruth is busying herself with yet another
new project. This year, with Singapore commemorating the
bicentennial of Sir Stamford Raffles s arrival and paying tribute to
its founding fathers, I find her writing a book about her illustrious
ancestors. I heartily congratulate Ruth and her co-authors Linda
and Tiang Keng on this most timely and honourable endeavour.
In my two decades of active participation at the Singapore
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including 14
years as Vice-President, I have met countless successful self-made
businessmen. But as history attests, few can rival the gumption,
ambition and foresight of the early pioneers like Chia Ann Siang
and his contemporaries, whose legacies continue to shape modern
Singapore.
Ruth is indefatigable, and her wide circle of friends speaks
volumes about her character. Her days are filled hosting overseas
friends, helping the less fortunate, and conducting chess sessions
for the young. She is a true friend for all seasons, generous to a
fault. She enjoys a good challenge, pushes boundaries, and is
highly adaptable. These are strong, indelible traits inherited from
her ancestors who, in the 18th century, journeyed from China to
Malacca, and then to Singapore. It comes as no surprise that Ruth s
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Chia Ann Siang and Family

family were close friends with some members of the Al-Junied
family, as both were trading families wooed to Singapore by Raffles
and Farquhar in the 1820s. The Chia family s history is richly
interwoven with Singapore s history. Their collective memories in
this book open a uniquely colourful window to our country s past,
which I believe readers will enjoy greatly.
My friendship with Ruth reads like a history book. Our
families have known each other for a very long time. We met as
8-year-olds, back in early post-war Singapore, as neighbours in
our beachfront houses along Pasir Panjang Road, or what was
then known as Pasir Panjang fifth-mile . We share many happy
memories of climbing the 10-foot-tall starfruit tree in her family s
garden, beach-combing, swimming and fishing from the private
jetty. The sea was just a leap away when the tide ran high.
There was once I found an abandoned sampan near the
water s edge and hopped in without hesitation. As I drifted
happily out to sea, I was lulled to sleep and awoke some time later
to discover that I was dangerously far from the shore. Fortunately,
I found a long wooden pole in the sampan and many hours later,
after much effort, I managed to row my way back to land - very
tired but extremely relieved!
Another favourite playground for the children in our
neighbourhood was Tiger Balm Gardens, now renamed Haw
Par Villa. Imagine having over a thousand statues and colourful
dioramas of Chinese mythological characters in one s backyard. It
truly was the Universal Studios and Disneyland of our generation!
We explored its every nook and cranny, played hide-and-go-seek
and even discovered secret entrances. Nearby, Pasir Panjang
sixth-mile was populated with provision shops, a bakery and
Foreword
9

kopitiams. For us young ones, ice-cream and ice-kacang beckoned
as after-school treats. Life was good in the carefree days of early
Singapore.
As with many Singaporeans of our time, our families
relocated due to urban redeve