Tag: foochows

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik: Part 11 – education

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik: Part 11- education

Standing tall:  Tunku Abdul Rahman College main campus in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur is synonymous with MCA and the Chinese community’s journey together. The college was upgraded to Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) in 2013 and elevated to Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology ( TAR UMT) in 2022.

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik as told to journalist Foong  Pek Yee shortly after his retirement from active politics in 2003.

Dr Ling was the fourth generation of the Ling family, with a history dated back to Sitiawan,Perak in then Malaya in 1903.

A medical doctor by training, he went on to become the longest serving Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president and the longest serving Transport Minister (1986-2003) in Malaysian history.

By Foong Pek Yee

foongpekyee@gmail.com

Sept 18, 2026

Gift of love: Dr Ling with his mother Tan Jin Choo. He graduated as a medical doctor from University of Singapore in 1966.

The Chinese saying – Zai qiong,bu neng qiong jiao yu, Zai ku, bu neng ku hai zi  (No matter how poor we are, we cannot be poor in education, no matter how hard life is, we cannot let our children suffer)- is the mantra of the Chinese community and MCA.

While the only thing constant is change, the knowledge economy is here to stay.

We need  the courage, confidence and perseverance in navigating our life for a better tomorrow.

It was in 1975 when we ((MCA) put in a memorandum on education to abolish  clause 21(2) of the 1961 Education Act to make sure no changes be made to alter the characteristics of Chinese schools.

And it was only in 1996 when the government repealed the clause  that empowers the Minister to close down vernacular schools  ( Chinese and Tamil  schools) or convert the schools to other types of schools.

The government’s approval for MCA to set up Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TAR College) in July 1968 saw the college’s  pioneer intake of 764 student starting class in rented premises in Kuala Lumpur the following year.

A day in history:  It was July 11, 1968 when MCA deputy president Tan Sri  Khaw Kai Boh ( facing microphone) and Education Minister Tan Sri Khir Johari  ( on his left) announced the establishment of TAR College in Kuala Lumpur.

Our students studied in rented premises with just a ceiling fan,  but we learned perseverance the same time.

Grit: TAR College students started to study in rented premises in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 and did so for the next seven years.

We only got our TAR College main campus in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur in 1976.

A heart for the people: Malaysia’ s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al- Haj (second from right )with MCA leaders at the ground breaking ceremony for TAR College main campus  in 1973.

A visionary:  Sept,  1976 : Tun Tan Siew Sin planted a tree in conjunction with his visit to TAR College main campus. He was instrumental in setting up the college by getting the approval from the government in 1968 and continued to soldier on with party comrades and the Chinese community to turn it into a reality. Siew Sin was MCA president (1961 -1974) and relinguished  his party post in April 1974 for health reasons.  He passed away on March 17, 1988.

I am proud to note that the graduates were equipped with knowledge and purpose to make a difference to their own life and that of their families, and contribute to nation building.

Some 150,000 graduates walked through the doors of  TAR College  since its inception some 30 years ago.

Dr Ling was conferred the title Father of Tunku Abdul Rahman College  by MCA in 2003.

Under his leadership, the college had expanded  in the 1990s to add in five branch campuses; in Penang, Perak, Johor , Sabah and Pahang.

We are always grateful to the government, MCA comrades and the people from all walks of life  in  helping us to provide quality and affordable education to the people irrespective of ethnic and social economic background.

I witnessed how the poor and needy struggled to make ends meet, first as a  doctor with the Penang General Hospital, Butterworth Hospital and as a  doctor running my own clinic in Butterworth and then a politician.

I was the Member of Parliament for Mata Kuching in Butterworth, Penang between 1974 and 1986.

People  don’t have money to see a doctor when they fell sick. Daily wage earners or those self- employed like odd job workers and fishermen lost their income when they are too sick to work.

Many are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty, and a good and affordable education for the young will help make life better for them, their family and future generations.

A smooth progression from primary school to secondary school and access to tertiary education goes a long way.

In Butterworth for instance, there was no Chinese secondary school until the mid 1980s.

Pupils from Chinese primary schools found it hard to gain access to Chinese secondary schools in Penang and Bukit Mertajam.

Besides limited places, it was expensive and time consuming for children to  travel from Butterworth to Penang and return daily. One way takes more than an hour -go to the jetty to take a ferry to Penang and take a bus to the school.

Many children drop out after primary school or half way secondary school because of the hurdles.

Because of that we managed to get the government to approve to build Chung Ling High School  Butterworth in the 1980s.

Again Chinese philanthropists and people from all walks of life donated to build the school.

The people’s dream to have a Chinese secondary school in Butterworth came true when Chung Ling High School Butterworth officially opened in 1986 with its first intake of 350 students.

A historical moment: July 8, 2001 in Ipoh, Perak. Dr Ling (centre) announced the government’s approval for MCA to set up a university named Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) . Flanking him  were then  MCA secretary- general Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh (right) and then deputy education minister  Datuk Hon Choon Kim (left).

Like TAR College, UTAR (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) started in rented premises in Petaling Jaya with its pioneer batch of 411 students starting class on June, 10, 2002.

That was less than a year after MCA got government’s approval dated July 5, 2001 to set up the university.

A good future:  The pioneer batch of UTAR students at the university’s temporary premises in Petaling Jaya in 2002.

I am confident that UTAR will grow and evolve into a premier university .

Making the mark: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad signed a plaque accompanied by Dr Ling  (on his right) at the ground breaking ceremony for UTAR main campus in Kampar on Jan 12, 2003.

Education is close at heart for the Chinese community.

Dr Ling’s grandfather Ling Ti Kong was instrumental in setting up a Chinese primary school in Sitiawan, Perak in January, 1904.

With just an attap roof over their heads,  the pioneer intake of  22 pupils studied under a teacher and  the medium of instruction was Foochow, a Chinese dialect.

The young Ti Kong were among the first batch of 363  Foochows from China recruited by the  colonial government to do rice cultivation in Sitiawan.

They arrived in Sitiawan on Sept 9, 1903.

Set up on Feb 27, 1949 as a welfare body, MCA  became a political party to represent and take care of the Chinese on Oct 29, 1951.

People first : The first MCA president Tun Tan Cheng Lock , during his presidential tenure between 1949 and 1958, had braved a very turbulent era to help the Chinese community rebuild their lives in then Malaya. Tun Tan (center) was speaking at the Malayan Chinese Education Central Committee meeting in 1953.

In 1952, MCA started adult education classes for the Chinese in new villages .

In 1953, Tun Tan Cheng Lock teamed up with  Chinese educationists and set up the  Malayan Chinese Education Central Committee to address some of the provisions under the 1952 Education Act which were considered detrimental to Chinese education.

Knowledge is power : MCA organized adult classes for  Chinese villagers in the 1950s.

New villages (1948-1960) were set up to house some 500,000 Chinese after the MCA succeeded in stopping the colonial government from deporting them.

There are 452 new villages in the country.

MCA built Chinese primary schools in these villages in its bid to help the villagers rebuild their lives.

MCA , education and the Chinese community are inseparable.

Good fortune: MCA operated welfare lottery to raise funds to help Chinese rebuild their lives in new villages.  The colonial government  banned political parties from operating welfare lottery starting 1953.

United for a good cause:  MCA secretary- general Tan Sri Dr Ting  Chew Peh ( third from right) with Chinese educationists in his office in Kuala Lumpur in the 1990s.

I must say fund raising for Chinese education is a good cause and  synonymous with MCA.

An exemplary student:  Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy (right) studied in TAR College and then Universiti Malaya. He was with Dr Ling officiating the opening ceremony for a walkathon to raise funds for TAR College in 1992.

Unity is power:  Dr Ling (front row, second from right) leading party  comrades at a walkathon to raise funds for TAR College in 1992. With him were (front row, from right) then  deputy president Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek,  vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng,  vice president Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy and secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh.

Photos: Credit to MCA’s publication titled MCA 50th anniversary (1949-1999).

All rights reserved. No part of this  publication titled the life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission from the journalist Foong Pek Yee.

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik: Part 12

Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik (Sept 18, 1943 – April 4, 2026) 

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik as told to journalist Foong Pek Yee shortly after his retirement from active politics in 2003.

Dr Ling was the fourth generation of the Ling family, with a history dated back to Sitiawan, Perak in then Malaya in 1903.

A medical doctor by training, he went on to become the longest serving Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president and  the longest serving Transport Minister (1986-2003) in Malaysian history.

By Foong Pek Yee

foongpekyee@gmail.com

1903 – Great grandfather Ling Kwong Mi and grandfather Ling TI Kong arrived in Sitiawan, Perak, Malaya . They were among the pioneer batch of 363 Foochows from China recruited to do rice cultivation in Sitiawan.  Dr Ling’s great grand uncle Ling  Ching  Mi and Dr HLE Luering, both missionaries, were tasked by the colonial government to undertake the recruitment drive dubbed “population transplant” to produce rice to feed labourers from China who arrived in droves to work in the tin mines in Kinta Valley, Perak.

1943 -Ling Liong Sik born to parents Ling Tung Jung and Tan Jin Choo on Sept 18, 1943.  His father died three months after his birth.

1948 – Started kindergarten classes at Lady Treacher’s School in Taiping.

1949- Enrolled for primary one at King Edward VII School in Taiping.

1958-Enterd Royal Military College in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.

1961 – Entered University of Malaya in Singapore to do medicine.

1966- Graduated as a doctor in University of Singapore (University of Malaya in Singapore renamed University of Singapore in Singapore).

1967- Started housemanship in Penang General Hospital.

1967- Met the love of his life -Ong Ee Nah –  a nurse in Penang General Hospital.

1968- Married Ong Ee Nah on Jan 22. She later became Toh Puan Ena Ling.

1969- Became proud parents for the first time. Their son, Ling Hee Leong was born on May 12 on the eve of the  May 13 racial riots.  He had to get a special permit to bring his wife and baby home.

1969 – Set up private clinic in Butterworth.

1971 – Joined Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).

1971- Appointed as a  member of the MCA central committee – the party’s highest decision making body.

1972 – Became proud parents for the second time with the birth of their son Ling Hee Keat.

1974 – Contested and won the Mata Kuching parliamentary seat in the general election.

1976 Appointed Parliamentary secretary to the Local Government and Federal Territory Ministry.

1976- Became full time politician. Together with family, moved to Kuala Lumpur.

1978 – Lost his beloved mother to cancer.  Retained his Mata Kuching parliamentary seat in the general election. His mother’s funeral was held three days before polling day.

1982- Retained his Mata Kuching parliamentary seat  in the general election.

1983- Appointed deputy information minister and then deputy finance minister.

1984 – At the height of an MCA crisis and among the 14 MCA central committee members who got sacked in September. Stepped down as deputy finance minister.

1985 – Contested and won the MCA deputy president post.

1986- Appointed transport minister in January.

1986- Contested and won the Labis parliamentary seat in the general election.

1986 – Elevated to become MCA president on Sept 3 following the resignation of party president Tan Koon Swan.  The MCA constitution states that the deputy president will be automatically made president in the event of a vacancy.

1987- Secured a ringgit-to-ringgit refund for 500,000 depositors under KSM (Koperasi Serbaguna Malaysia ) that was started by MCA leaders.

1987- Tan Koon Swan resigned his Gopeng Member of Parliament post and paved the way for a by-election.  MCA fielded Dr Ting Chew Peh in the by- election. Dr Ting, an associate professor with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, won the seat.

1987- Mass protests by the Chinese community over the government’s directive to have non Chinese educated teachers to hold senior positions in Chinese schools. Several MCA leaders were among some 100 people detained under ISA (Internal Security Act)  on Oct 27, code Operations Lallang 1987.

1988- Quit smoking on Dec 31, a habit he picked up when he was 12 years old.

1989-  Economic recession. Managed to save Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur from being taken over by a bank.

1990 – Retained the Labis parliamentary seat in the general election.

1992- Received approval from the Government to expand MCA’s  Tunku Abdul Rahman College.

1993- Launched MCA’s Langkawi Project – a project to encourage parents in rural areas to help their children in their studies.

1995- Led MCA to achieve the biggest ever win in the general election,  winning 30 parliamentary seats and 70 state seats.

1997- Rallied the Chinese community nationwide to support MCA’s Love Malaysia, Buy Malaysia campaign to help the country weather the Asia financial crisis.

1999- An MCA crisis erupted. A unity plan between the two feuding factions was adopted.

1999- Retained the Labis parliamentary seat in the general election.

2001 – Government invited MCA to set up a private university which was named Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

2001 – Became UTAR council chairman .

2002 – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the ground breaking ceremony for UTAR’s main campus in Kampar, Perak on January 12.

2003 – Stepped down as MCA president and Transport Minister in May.

2003 – MCA membership stood at one million against 400,000 when he took over the party helm in 1986.

2004 – Did not defend the Labis parliamentary seat in the general election after four terms (1986 – 2004).

2017 – Became UTAR chancellor.

2026- Passed away peacefully in Kuala Lumpur on April 4.

 

 

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik : Part I

Destined for greatness: Dr Ling with his mother Tan Jin Choo

The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik as told to journalist Foong Pek Yee shortly after his retirement from active politics in 2003.

Dr Ling was the fourth generation of the Ling family, with a history dated back to Sitiawan, Perak in then Malaya in 1903.

A medical doctor by training,  he went on to become the longest serving Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president and the longest serving Transport Minister (1986 – 2003) in Malaysian history.

By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com

Sept 18, 2026

Dr Ling (Sept 18, 1943 – April 4, 2026) was born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaya on Sept 18, 1943 in the midst of World War 2.

The then Malaya was under Japanese Occupation ( 1941 -1945)

It was a turbulent era and my world then was just my mother Tan Jin Choo and I.

My father Ling Tung Jung died when I was three months old.

Mother and I stayed in a house on stilts by the riverside in Parit Buntar, Perak.

Actually I do not have any memory of this place.

It was an elderly MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association ) member who told me about this place many years later.

But I somehow remember our second house in Kampong Boyan, Taiping, Perak.

It was also a house on stilts where mother and I stayed in a rented room.

One of my early childhood memories is that I got to eat cakes in this house.

The cakes were from a bakery in town, a corner-unit shop owned by our landlord.

We shifted house not long after, and this time around to a bungalow in Taiping.

It was a colourful bungalow, No. 17, off Swettenham Road (renamed to Jalan Istana Larut).

But mother and I occupied the garage in order for her to rent out all the rooms.

Our tenants were an interesting mix, including an Indian family, a European family, army officers and teachers.

Mother was a teacher, and she got somebody to take care of me when she was at work.

I grew up surrounded by many teachers.

I am the fourth generation of the Ling family in Malaya and Malaysia ( since the country’s independence on Aug 31, 1957)

My great grandfather Ling Kwong Mi and my grandfather Ling Ti Kong were among the pioneer batch of Foochows (a dialect group) from China who arrived in Sitiawan, Perak, about 80 km from Ipoh on Sept 9, 1903.

The batch came under a “population transplant” mission by the then colonial government to do rice planting in Perak.

The mission was to feed the labourers who arrived in droves, predominantly from China, to work in the tin mines in Kinta Valley, Perak.

Two Methodist missionaries, Rev Ling Ching Mi (Kwong Mi’s brother) and Rev Dr LHE Luering went to Fujian in China for the recruitment drive.

They set sail for Sitiawan with 484 on board on Aug 4, 1903,

Four died on the high seas from cholera and one from heart failure.

Of the 479 who landed on St John’s Island in Singapore on Aug 22, 1903, for a 17-day- quarantine, 12 passed away from cholera while another 104 “disappeared” in the Singapore crowd.

A total of 363 (236 men, 72 women and 55 children) finally landed in Sitiawan .

The first batch of 303 on board Poh Ann arrived on Sept 9, 1903 followed by the second batch of 60 on board Ban Hin Guan a week later.

But Sitiawan was not the promised land- given land to settle down and do rice planting- as envisaged by the settlers.

To begin with, the land in Sitiawan was not suitable for rice planting.

Literally left in the wilderness, it was their resilience and the help from the Methodist mission that made the difference.

Ching Mi left for China in December 1903.

All is not lost.

A young Ti Kong and his uncle Ding Chin Seng joined forces to take charge of the settlers.

On Jan 1, 1904, barely three months upon their arrival, the settlers got their first school – an attap shed.

The first batch comprised 22 pupils.

Their teacher was Ling Ding Jug and the medium of instruction was Foochow Chinese.

Unfortunately, Chin Seng died in 1906 at the age of 41.

The church was the center when my forefathers arrived in then Malaya.

Life was a struggle for survival in a foreign land,  with harsh living conditions and uncertainties all over.

In recognition of Ti Kong’s contributions to society, he was, in 1926, the first person in then Malaya to be appointed Justice of Peace.

Ti Kong passed away in 1938.

Meanwhile, Ching Mi who died in 1915, had a road in Sitiawan named after him.

The renowned missionary  was the first Chinese pastor in Sitiawan.

He  was also the first Chinese pastor in Singapore in 1897 and the first Chinese pastor in Sibu, Sarawak in 1901 before he got posted to Sitiawan, based on Shih Toong Siong in his book titled “ The Foochows of Sitiawan: A historical perspective.

On May 12, 1969, the birth of Dr Ling’s eldest son, Ling Hee Leong marked the start of the Ling family’s fifth generation.

His second son, Hee Keat, was born in 1972.

Dr Ling also known as Sonny, and his wife Toh Puan Ong Ee Nah also known as Ena Ling, married in 1968 and they have two children.

Beautiful couple: Dr Ling and Ena Ling.

Hee Leong and Hee Keat have two and three children respectively.

Father and sons:  Dr Ling with Hee Leong (left) and Hee Keat (right).

The Ling family marked their sixth generation with the arrival of Ling Chang Yuan, also known as Sonny Jr, in 1996. Chang Yuan is the eldest son of Hee Leong and Carol Ong (divorced).

Happiness:  Dr Ling also known as Sonny with his grandson Chang Yuan who is named  Sonny Jr.

On Aug 28, 2026, the Ling family marked another major milestone – their seventh generation- with the arrival of Robyn Ling Yi Rou, the daughter of Chang Yuan and his wife Liu Jilin.

Our pride and joy:  Chang Yuan and Jilin with baby Yi Rou – Photo courtesy of the proud parents.

Photos : Credit to a  publication  titled A Tribute to…Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik from his colleagues and friends in the Alumni Association of the King Edward VII College of Medicine and the Faculties of Medicine  of the University of Malaya and the University of Singapore.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication titled The life story of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the journalist Foong Pek Yee.

The secret behind good food

Red and auspicious:  Of Chinese red wine, Foochow delicacies and fine tradition.
Feb 2, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
It is a sunny morning and people are queueing at the entrance of a corner shop in Sitiawan, Perak.
This is nothing out of the ordinary though.
The people – locals and tourists- are waiting to buy gong pian (a traditional Foochow biscuit).
All time favourite: Gong pian became an iconic item for tourism in Sitiawan today . The Foochows brought them along when they first arrived in Sitiawan in 1903.
And after tasting the hot, crispy and savoury gong pian, I know why people are queueing for it rain or shine.
“It tastes best when eaten hot,” says Ling Leong Choong, a Foochow from Sitiawan, during my visit to Sitiawan recently.
Foochows take pride in their culture and traditional delicacies, and often go the extra mile to introduce them to their friends and guests.
Topping the list is gong pian and ang jiu mee (Chinese red wine rice noodles).
Delicious : Chinese red wine soup can go with rice noodles or rice.
And the delicacies certainly made good conversation starters and introduction to Foochow culture.
It is about perseverance and pride in their work, including slogging away in the wee hours of the morning to deliver fresh and good quality food by sunrise.
In Sitiawan- a Foochow stronghold-  gong pian shops and eateries specialising in Foochow food especially Chinese red wine noodles are tourist attractions.
Over in Kampung Sitiawan, a little cafe – Seng Jee Chan –  has already made inroads into Kuala Lumpur with its Chinese red wine which are used in many Foochow dishes
The owner, Ling Cheng Chooi, 57,  says the cafe which specialises in Foochow dishes opens on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The other days in the week are spent preparing the Chinese red wine  which they also supply to shops in Kuala Lumpur.
He says Chinese red wine has been his family business since his grandfather’s generation in the 1940s.
Proud of his roots:  Ling Cheng Chooi  with photos of his four generations on display in Seng Jee Chan Cafe in Kampung Sitiawan in Sitiawan, Perak.
His  grandfather had migrated from China to Sitiawan in then Malaya.
While the first and second generation sold jiu bing (fermented yeast rice, an ingredient for Chinese red wine) for a living, Cheng Chooi and his  wife Teng Siew Leng, 51, went on to open a cafe.
Their three children who are  in their twenties are in the family business.
This year is set to be another milestone for them when their franchise business kicks off in major cities.
He says they started preparing for the expansion six years ago,  in tandem with rising interest and demand for Foochow food outside predominantly Foochow areas.
He says they have been researching and experimenting on Foochow specialties to make it palatable to the masses while retaining its good taste.

 

No ordinary community

The destination: This is the place in Sitiawan in Sept 1903  where 363 Foochows from China  landed after surviving the perils of sea and a cholera outbreak.
Jan 15, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
THE year was 1903 in Malaya, against a backdrop of erratic weather conditions and plunging rice yields.
And a rice growing community in Foochow, China, became the colonial government’s target- recruit them for a rice growing project in Sitiawan, Perak.
The Methodist Episcopal Mission (MEM) was tasked to bring in the Foochows, and Rev Ling Ching Mi and Rev HLE Dr Luering went to China for the mission.
And  in Sept 1903,  363  Foochows landed in Sitiawan – the pioneer batch of Foochow settlers.
But the rice growing project never took off.
The land and facilities like irrigation and drainage for the project as  promised to them were not there.
They were instead made to trek about six kilometers  into the jungle where they stayed in seven longhouses for the next six months.
While  Rev  Dr Luering was stationed in Ipoh about 80 km away from Sitiawan, Rev Ling Ching Mi also  got a transfer back to China in Dec 1903.
Ling Ching Mi got his nephew Ling Ti Kong to take care of the settlers.
And Ling Ti  Kong also roped in Ding Chin Seng (husband of his father’s sister) to help him.
Ling Ching Mi, Ling Ti Kong and Ding Chin Seng were Foochows.
By Jan 1904, the Foochows  had set up  a day school under an attap shed with 22 pupils and a Foochow speaking teacher Ling Ding Jug for an eight hour class daily including an hour long break.
This is true to the Chinese  who subscribe to: ” Education for and the wellbeing of the children must never be compromised due to poverty.
 The shed also doubled as a church on Sundays.
By  early 1904  each family was given a three-acre- plot for them to build their own house and reared pigs, poultry and plant vegetables and fruits for a living.
The Foochows also went into rubber planting not long after.
Forever grateful:  Ling Leong Choong, 62, says this was one of the three wells that fed  the villagers for decades until piped water came to Sitiawan in the 1970s. The wells are in the compound of the house for Pioneer Methodist Church pastors  or “Muk Su Lao” in Chinese. 
Showcase: Set up in 2003, Sitiawan Settlement Museum was  formerly the ” Muk  Su Lao”along  Jalan Lin Chen Mei  in Sitiawan. It provides a glimpse of life in Sitiawan in the good old days and the missionary work in then Malaya. 
One-stop-centre:  The” Muk Su Lao” was the place for the Chinese to go for help in the old days.
Great job:  Shih Toong Siong who wrote the book “The Foochows of Sitiawan ” is a Foochow born and educated 
in Sitiawan.
 Hall of Fame: Some of the prominent figures in Malaysia and Singapore who are descendants of the Foochows in Sitiawan  and documented in the  book – The Foochows of Sitiawan.
While the Sitiawan Settlement Museum  gives a glimpse of history,  the book ” The Foochows of Sitiawan” by Shih Toong Siong is most enlightening.
 Rev  B.F. Van Dyke who became the first resident missionary in Sitiawan together with Ling Ti Kong and Ding Chin Seng  were credited for building a church costing $900( to replace the attap shed) and an orphanage in Sitiawan in 1905
Rev Van Dyke – an American of Dutch origin- was a missionary school teacher from the Anglo Chinese School, Singapore in 1900 before his posting to Sitiawan in March 1904.
Unfortunately Rev Ding Chin Seng passed away in 1906. He was 41.
Ours is 289:  Ling Leong Choong who was born and bred in Sitiawan  says the rubber tappers had labels engraved on to the latex sheets to prove ownership. And 289 was the label for his family, pointing to the samples on the wall.  
Way of life:   Bicycle was the most common and only mode of transport for the poor  in the old days.  The equipment used by rubber tappers are among items displayed at the Sitiawan Settlement Museum.
Simple lifestyle:  A typical kitchen of the Foochows in the old days.
With their farming background, the settlers were also among the first to go into rubber planting in 1905.
And that perhaps is also one of the reasons for many Foochow oil palm smallholders in Sitiawan today.
This pioneer  batch of Foochows may be  small in numbers but they definitely had earned an important place in history.

Proud to be Foochows

It is more than good taste
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
A bowl of red wine chicken mee sua  is not just another dish.
This authentic Foochow noodle dish brings to mind the community wherever and whenever it is served.
The Foochows from Ayer Tawar and Sitiawan in Perak arrived from China in 1903.
A close-knit and resilient community, they are proud of their culture, and would make it a point to introduce their food to their friends or guests.
Their love for their culture is evident in places like Ayer Tawar and Sitiawan  where they first set foot in then Malaya.
Authentic Foochow taste: Red wine chicken mee sua 
Wholesome:  This dish with a mix of vegetables, meat and seafood is popular as a one-pot meal.
In Ayer Tawar, about 65 km from Ipoh,  Restoran Sin Han Seong serves good Foochow food since the 1930s.
Old and strong: Sin Han Seong Restaurant has many loyal customers 
The restaurant owner Ling Hing Kuai is his family’s third generation.
At 70, he went about his work in zest,  and that speaks volumes of the restaurant.
Located along Ayer Tawar’s main road, the ambience in the restaurant is reminiscent of the good old days.
(Note: When we google, the name of the restaurant is Sun Hon Siong. It is the same place).
Many Foochows including those who have settled down outside Ayer Tawar, will patronise the restaurant when they visit their hometown, and among them is Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh.
A Foochow, Dr Ting, a former Housing and Local Government Minister and current Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) council chairman was from Merbau New Village in Manjung.
Other new villages in Manjung which are predominantly Foochow are Ayer Tawar, Jering, Rajah Hitam, Changkat Kruing, Simpang Dua, Simpang Tiga, Simpang Lima, Kampung Koh and  Kampung Cina.
And the Ayer Tawar town centre along the main road is the meeting point for villagers to run their daily errands.
Meeting point: The main road in Ayer Tawar
The Siew Hua Biscuit Factory in Ayer Tawar which is over 70 years old continues to be famous for its traditional Foochow biscuits like the “gong pian”.
Hall of fame :  Ayer Tawar Heritage House chairman Ling Sze Hing says the  plaque has  the names of all donors who contributed to the setting up of the  Manjung Kutien Association. The plaque is displayed in the Ayer Tawar Heritage House in Ayer Tawar.
The landmark in Ayer Tawar is the Manjung Kutien Association majestic building along the main road.
The association was set up in 1956 in an attap house,  and its present building was opened in 1994.
Ling says the association’s more than 2,000 strong membership are all Kutien, one of the 10 sub dialects of Foochows.
Janice Ting Hsia Sung says the association holds major festive celebrations like Chinese New Year and  Parents Day.
At 42, and a mother of five, she says the association’s activities are tailored for all age groups; and its focus are on good values like filial piety, cooperation, harmony, kindness and education.
She and her husband, also a Foochow,  decided to settle down in Ayer Tawar- their hometown-  after a short work stint in Kuala Lumpur.
Both of them are active in the Manjung Kutien Association.
Janice’s  father Ting Kong Liong, 76, who is a former president of the association continues to be active
Youngest among four siblings, Janice recalls following her father to the association’s events when she was a kid.

Journey to the Promised Land

From Grit to Great :  The story of the Foochows .
By Foong Pek Yee
THEY finally arrived at their destination on Sept 9 after surviving the perilous journey.
There were 303 on board, while another 60 arrived a week later.
And that was in September 1903 –  the beginning of the Foochows in Sitiawan, Perak.
Together we progress:  Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh (left) who was then the  Housing and Local Government Minister opened the Manjung Kutien Association Building in 1994.  He is a Kutien and his hometown is Merbau New Village in Manjung.
According to the book “The Foochows of Sitiawan: a historical perspective” this pioneer group were from China’s Foochow rice growing community.
The author Shih Toong Siong said the then Colonial Administration in Malaya wanted to ” transplant” this community in Sitiawan.
The mission was to turn Sitiawan into a rice growing region, and to meet the rising demand for the staple food as more immigrants arrived in Malaya to work in the tin mines.
The Methodist Episcopal Mission (MEM) which was tasked to undertake this “transplant”, had assigned Rev Ling Ching Mi and  Rev. Dr H.L.E Luering to the job.
Of the 484 Foochows who boarded the ship and set sail for Malaya on  Aug 3, 1903, only 363 made it to the promised land.
Four days into the journey saw five deaths which were attributed to cholera and exhaustion.
They arrived in Singapore for quarantine on the St John’s Island on Aug 22, where many either died or went missing in transit.
The final headcount was 363 when they were ready to set sail for  Sitiawan.
But their ordeal was far from over upon arrival – they did not get what as promised to them , and from then they only had their resilience to survive in the tropical wilderness.
True to the Chinese saying ” we get up from where we fell” – the Foochows have proven their mettle the day they step foot on Malayan soil.
United and strong:  The Manjung Kutien Association was set up in 1956, and Ling (right) and the association’s committee member Ting Hsia Sung showing a photo of the historical day.
The place: Ayer Tawar Heritage House in Ayer Tawar, Manjung is a showcase of the Foochows’ way of life in Manjung from the early 20th century and beyond.
Proud descendants: Foochows  at the opening of the Ayer Tawar Heritage House in 2016
Today, the Ayer Tawar Heritage House in Ayer Tawar, about 65 km from Ipoh, will give a glimpse of the life of the Foochows in Ayer Tawar and Sitiawan from the day they landed in Sitiawan.
Ayer Tawar is about 12km from Sitiawan, and the Chinese in both towns are predominantly Foochows.
One of the landmarks in Ayer Tawar is the Manjung Kutien Association Building along the main road of Ayer Tawar
Kutien is one of the 10 sub dialects of Foochows (sub dialects  are  based on their respective district in China) , and the Ayer Tawar Heritage House is under the Manjung Kutien Association.
The heritage house chairman Ling Sze Hing says the artefacts, mostly donated by the locals, are dated back to more than a century ago.
He says the heritage house opened doors in 2016,  and entrance is free and by appointment (019-5582543)
Ling, 56, says he and his committee are coming up with a research centre on Foochows in the heritage house – to make it the place to go to for people who are interested to find out more on Foochows, especially the Kutien.
A Kutien himself, Ling’s passion and pride on anything Kutien a and Foochow  is palpable.
Hardwork:  Mr Ling showing how to operate a traditional grinder
Bare necessities:  Irons using charcoals (top row) and pots used during the old days.