CC FAMILY TREE: October 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Cheah Siew Yin's Family

Siew Yin & his family (Hilde, Christopher & Katerina)

Cheah Wai Teng's Family

Cheah Wai Teng & Chan Sow Peng eldest son -- Cheah Siew Yin

Second son -- Cheah Sek Yin

Their daughter -- Cheah Hooi Ming

Their younger son -- Cheah Kam Yin

Cheah Wai Teng in New Zealand

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Cheah Wai Poh's Family Photos　谢惠宝的家庭照

Lian Tang 莲塘，Kai Ping 开平　(Cheah Chit Toh's home town)

From Sweden, Siew Yin went to China to look for his roots.

Many Cheahs in front of Cheah Chit Toh's mansion in Lin Tong, Kai Ping. The one to the left is the neighbour, the one beside me is Ah Ngau ( the key holder to the mansion ), beside Ah Ngau is Ngau ma, then Ngau's wife.

KaiPing, The Mansion - Lin Tong village

Kai Ping, The Second House - Lin Tong Village

Kai Ping, The Third House - Lin Tong Village

View from the roof top of the Mansion

View of Lin Tong from the roof top

Lin Tong village

The Watch Tower - Lin Tong village

The Assembly Hall - LinTong village

Playing with the village armoury

Side alley in Lin Tong village

A Cheah woman in Lin Tong

A Cheah couple

Ex village chief - another Cheah of course

Cheah with golden teeth

The Entrance to Lin Tong

The Forth House - Chong Sin town

Monday, October 19, 2009

Cheah Chit Toh　谢植桃 and my Mother

My mother, Cheah Soo　谢苏, was born around 1932 /33 in Guangzhou, China. Barely had she started her primary schooling, the Japanese attacked China and plunged the country into the Second World War.

She spent many of her childhood years running from the Japanese soldiers. Her parents were separated during the war, and later her mother died of some disease of the stomach, probably brought on my malnutrition. My mother often tells us about how there was no rice to eat during the war, and most people survived on boiled sweet potatoes. Hence for a long time in her later years, she could not eat sweet potatoes, as they brought back memories of her days during the war.

After the war, she become a helper in the household of Cheah Wai Poh 谢惠宝　and Loo Siew Wah　卢少华. Cheah Wai Poh 谢惠宝　was the second son of Cheah Chit Toh　谢植桃, and was married to Loo Siew Wah who came from a wealthy family living in the richer quarters of Guangzhou 广州　known as Sai Kwan.

She helped the family with their young children and grew up together with them, and so became best friends with their eldest daughter, Cheah Yit Yoong　谢月蓉. Cheah Wai Poh had 5 other children besides Yit Yoong 月蓉- 3 boys and 2 other girls.

Cheah Chit Toh　谢植桃, of course was somewhat of a tycoon himself, having built a family home in the village of Kai Peng　开平, amidst vast acres of paddy fields. It was late 1940's and rich land owners were slowly becoming the target of attacks by those who were pro-Communists. Mao Zedong and his followers were on their way towards taking over the Beijing government from the corrupt Kuomintang warlords. All his followers were staunch believers of Marxism and were ever ready to persecute anyone believed to belong to the bourgeoisie.

Fearing for the safety of his family, Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　slowly moved them to Malaya. Soon after that, in October 1949, the communists under Mao took over the country, and that was the start of the People's Republic of China.

In order for my mother to leave China and come to Malaya, Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　"adopted" her and got her official papers stating that she was a member of the Cheah family. She travelled with Cheah Wai Poh's family to Hong Kong before coming to Malaya.

In later years, my brother and I would call Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　"Ah Kong", that is our maternal grandfather, and all his sons our "Ah Fu", which is short for "kow fu".

Sometime in the mid 1950's my mother was introduced to the brother of Cheah Wai Teng's 谢惠廷　wife (Chan Sow Peng　陈秀萍) - Chan Sek Kee　陈锡玑. They married in 1957.

And that is how the families of Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　and Chan Chi Pang 陈梓朋　became intertwined and resulted in our many generations of blood relatives.

In 1973, at the age of almost 80, Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　moved in to our house, and my mother was his care-taker. By then he was suffering from dementia and could not even recognise his own sons.

In 1975, when I was away at the boarding school in Kuantan, Pahang, Cheah Chit Toh 谢植桃　passed away at a ripe old age of 80++.

posted by CHAN WAI KIN　陈伟坚

Family photo of Cheah Wai Poh　谢惠宝 & Loo Siew Wah　卢少华, with their 6 children and my mother 谢苏
dated 28 November 1955

Sunday, October 18, 2009

How Great-Grandfather came to Malaysia?

Photo of Chan Chi Pang's 陈梓朋　family. Chan Sek Yee 陈锡瑜　was not born at the time of this photo

From left:
Chan Sek Kee　陈锡玑, Chan Sow Fong　陈秀芳, Chan Sow Peng　陈秀萍, Chan Sek Yee　陈锡瑜

My great-great-grandmother (Madam Sum), came to Malaya around 1880s to 1890s, pregnant with my great-grandfather, Chan Chi Pang　陈梓朋. Later Chi Pang married a village woman who came from China. His first wife disliked coming to Malaya but was forced to come over. She gave birth to two daughters, Chan Sau Ying 陈秀英　and Chan Sau Chee　陈秀芝.

His first wife was not happy living in Malaya, and often fell sick and refused to take medications which lead to her death.

Following the death of his first wife, Chi Pang re-married a local woman (from Malaya), Lai Chung Yau　黎种有. His second wife gave birth to six children (Eldest - Chan Sek Soo　陈锡苏, 2nd - Chan Sek Cheung　陈锡璋, 3rd - Chan Sek Kee　陈锡玑, 4th - Chan Sow Fong　陈秀芳, 5th - Chan Sow Peng　陈秀萍, 6th - Chan Sek Yee　陈锡瑜).

Chi Pang and his family lived in Tanjung (now known as Penang) for a period of time, dealing with several businesses such as goldsmith, restaurant and a tailor shop. He failed in many of his businesses and later moved to Penang to stay. Chi Pang passed away in Penang.

Posted by Chan Jin Feng, Cheah Soo, Chan Wai Kin

*This post is based on stories told to Cheah Soo by Chan Chi Pang's cousin sister (Tai Chooi) who used to lived in an old wooden house on the banks' of Kinta River in Ipoh