Kapitan China Chung,
Keng Quee was the founder of modern . He was a millionaire philanthropist and known as an innovator in the mining of tin. He was respected by both Chinese and European communities in the early colonial settlement. His survival in the chaotic era owes much to his standing as leader of the , a in British Malaya during the time of the Larut Wars . a position he is said to have held till early 1884 although in all probability he continued to remain a leading member. He was a member of the Commission for the Pacification of Larut and sat as one of six members of the Advisory Perak State Council appointed by the British.
Early history
Third among his father's five sons, Chung Keng Quee was born into a peasant Hakka family in Xin Cun village, Cheng Sheng county , of Guangdong province , .
At the time of his death the Perak Pioneer & Native States Advertiser VOL VIII Taiping Saturday December 14, 1901 reports: ''"Precise information as to the date of his arrival in Perak is difficult to obtain but it is apparently certain that he has passed over forty-five years in the State before he retired to Penang."'' It is believed that in 1843, at the age of 16 he journeyed from China to British Malaya in a junk, sent by his mother,
Madam Lai, to look for his father,
Chung, Hsing Fah . He had left his wife in China to look after his elderly mother. Chung Hsing Fa, had come to Malaya as an indentured labourer during a time of great turbulence in China in order to make a living and support his family in China . After some time when Madam Lai received no news from her husband she sent Chung, Keng Seng , her second son. Still receiving no news, she then sent Keng Quee. When Keng Quee arrived in Perak, he discovered that both his father Hsing Fa and his brother Keng Seng were by that time well established in business. In fact, Keng Seng was so popular he was known as Lui Kong Seng . Keng Quee entered the mining business which his father and brother were engaged in. By 1860 he controlled the Penang-based Hai San Secret Society as well as the Larut tin-fields the Hai San were associated with. Information about his career before that time is generally unknown.
His Name
His name has been spelt many different ways probably due to the dialect of the interpreter. Chung has also been spelt Chang, Chan, Cheng, Cheang. Keng has also been spelt Chin, Kung, King etc. Quee has also been spelt Kooi, Kwee, Kwi, Kuei and Kui. He has also been known as Teh Keng Quee , Ah Quee, Ah Kwi, Ah Kooi etc. Upon receiving his honorary title from the Chinese Imperial Court, he took to using the "fancy" names Cheng Sheng Chih, Cheang Shin Thong and Cheng Ssu-Wen .
The Larut Wars
Around 1848 'Che Long Ja'afar introduced Chinese miners to Larut . The original mine field, Klian Pauh is where the jail at Taiping stands today. Long Ja'afar appointed Low Sam from Penang as agent and Low Sam was associated with Chung Keng Quee.
According to Chung Keng Quee in his evidence provided to the Straits Government, the development of the Larut tin fields was initiated by Malay Chief 'Che Long Ja'afar by advancing money to the Chinese miners in his district to work the mines and it was only in his son Ngah Ibrahim's time that the Chinese worked the mines with their own money.
At a time when was administrator of Larut the Chinese had increased in number and in early 1860 two large groups were formed by the Chinese, the "Five Associations" whose members worked in the mines of Klian Pauh and the "Four Associations" whose members worked in the mines of Klian Baharu.
Mining rights were given to the Hakka "Five Associations" or Go-Kuan and the Cantonese "Four Associations" or Si-Kuan .
Chung, Keng Quee was leader of the Hakka Go-Kuan and the society they were aligned with and began to operate his tin mines in Larut in 1860.
Many Hakka fled China when the Taiping Rebellion broke out there and found work in the mines of
Chung, Keng Quee establishing his position over the mining area in Larut as leader of the Hai San from 1860 to 1884.
Larut was destined to be plagued by four major wars between members of the that owned the Cantonese Si-Kuan on the one hand and the Hakka and Hokkien Tua Pek Kong societies on the other hand. While the first of the Larut wars broke out over land and water rights, the rivalry between the two groups already existed in Ujong Salang, Selangor, Penang, Singapore and Kwangtung itself where both groups fought with each other between 1855 and 1868.
The Second Larut War - 1865
The Second Larut War took place in 1865 and was sparked off by a gambling quarrel in June of that year between members of the two opposing secret societies. According to Parkinson in his book British Intervention in Malaya 1867-1877 the " or Tokong" leader in Penang was "Chan Keng Kwi", with "Lew Ah Sam" as leader in Larut.
The Hai San members took 14 Ghee Hin as prisoners, 13 of whom were killed. The 14th escaped to inform his clan and the Ghee Hin retaliated by attacking the Hai San village, razing it to the ground and killing 40 men in the process.
The battle continued back and forth and spread to Province Wellesley and the island of Penang and other secret societies joined the fray. Both sides, exhausted, finally came to terms. An official inquiry took place and both the Hai San and Ghee Hin societies were fined $5,000 each for violating the peace of Penang and their leaders, banished.
So Ah Chiang, leader of the Ghee Hin was captured by Ngah Ibrahim at Teluk Kertang and executed.
By around 1870 there were a combined total of about 40,000 Hakka and Cantonese mine workers in the Larut district and the mining areas between the two groups were near to each other. It is this proximity that might explain how the next battle began.
The Third Larut War - 1872
According to Charles John Irving, then Auditor-General of the Straits Settlements, and later Acting Lieutenant-Governor of Penang, there were about 20,000 to 25,000 Chinese in Larut around February 1872, 2,000 to 3,000 of whom were Cantonese or "Macao Men" as he referred to them, and the remainder being Khay men from Cheng Sheng and Sin Neng.
In February 1872 Cheng Sheng miners had a dispute with Sin Neng minders over the boundaries of some mining lands. Lee Ah Kun represented the Sin Neng and attempted to negotiate but was murdered on the 16th of February on the pretext of an adulterous affair.
It is believed that
The Third Larut War erupted in 1872 over a scandal involving the Lee Ah Kun , the attorney at Larut and the wife of a nephew of the leader,
Chung, Keng Quee. It is said that upon discovery, the allegedly adulterous couple was caught, tortured, put into a pig basket and thrown into a disused mining pond where they drowned.
Abdullah's Mission To Singapore
Meantime the Perak sultanate, involved in a protracted succession struggle was unable to maintain order. Things were increasingly getting out of hand and chaos was proving bad for the Malays, Chinese and British. In her book "The Golden Chersonese and The Way Thither" Victorian traveller and adventuress Isabella Lucy Bird describes how Raja Muda Abdullah as he then was turned to the head of the Ghee Hin in Singapore, Tan Kim Ching.
Abdullah met with Tan in Singapore in October 1873. He was accompanied by Raja Dris, the Shahbandar and a Penang lawyer. Tan offered to put Abdullah on the throne in return for five elevenths of all duties collected between Telok Serah and Krian for a period of ten years.
Tan Kim Ching introduced Abdullah to William Henry Macleod Read and Read in turn introduced Abdullah to Sir Henry Ord on the eve of Ord's retirement as Governor of the Straits Settlements. A letter was drafted by Tan and Read on Abdullah's behalf to new incoming Governor Sir Andrew Clarke seeking British recognition of Abdullah as ruler of Perak, British protection and the provision of "a man of sufficient abilities to live with us in Perak. .. and show us a good system of government for our dominions. .."
The letter dated 30th December 1873 did not reach Clarke's hands till 9th January 1874 by which time he had already taken the first steps towards bringing Perak under British control.
Sir Andrew Clarke Takes Charge
Clarke's main objective was to mediate peace between the two Chinese factions and settle their differences so that tin production could resume and threats to the internal security of British-held Penang would cease. tells us in British Intervention in Malaya 1867-1877 that decided to summon the Chinese factions to a conference following a meeting on or about 9th January 1874 between Chung Keng Quee and the headmen and who had been sent to meet them at the mouth of the Larut River to persuade them to accept arbitration.
Sir Andrew Clarke, just weeks after his arrival in Singapore, had already found evidence of the continuing disturbances in Perak and Selangor. Apart from his executive council, he talked to Tan Kim Ching. Clarke decided that both the and Ghee Hin should have access to Larut with neither side being excluded, a complete reversal of the policy of his predecessor, Sir Henry Ord. Tan Kim Ching agreed and wrote to the Ghee Hin at Penang to put this to them and advocate peace.
Clarke then sent Pickering to Penang to talk to the respective headmen in Penang. Pickering gave Tan Kim Ching's letter to Chin Ah Yam . Twenty Ghee Hin headmen met through the night at the Ghee Hin Kongsi house considering Tan Kim Ching's letter. In the morning they met with Pickering and agreed to surrender their forces in seven days time. It was also at this time that Clarke saw an opportunity to settle the question of succession to the throne in Perak and to make use of that as a means to further British interests in the Malay Peninsula by getting the sultan to accept a British Resident.
Following the surrender of the Ghee Hin to Pickering and the outcome of a meeting with Chung Keng Quee whom Pickering also met, Sir Andrew Clarke then gathered the main Chinese leaders (principally Chung Keng Quee and Chin Ah Yam and some Malays – including Abdullah – at Pulau Pangkor where the ‘Pangkor Engagement’ was formulated and signed, recognising Abdullah as Sultan, and getting the Chinese to agree to settle their differences in Larut under British arbitration.
Tate in The Making of Modern South-East Asia says of these that "the first one, which had been ready for over a week prior to the signing, concerned Larut and provided for a settlement between the and Ghee Ghin which both sides respected and carried out satisfactorily. The second agreement concerned the succession dispute around the Perak throne and was unsatisfactory from the very beginning."
The Chinese Engagement
Chung, Keng Quee was one of the two main signatories to the treaty known as the Pangkor Engagement entered into aboard the H.M.S. Pluto at Pangkor Island by twenty-six headmen of the Chinese Secret Societies.
Chung, Keng Quee and
Chin, Ah Yam, leaders of the and Ghee Hin, respectively, were ennobled by the British with the title of Kapitan China and the town of Larut was renamed Taiping as a confirmation of the new state of truce.
The Malay Engagement
There were three possibilities for the Perak throne and of these only one was present at the meeting - Abdullah. Sultan Ismail who was the crowned ruler, had refused to attend. The British did not appear to know of the existence of the third possible claimant, Raja Yusof, who was naturally not invited.
The agreement that was signed recognised Abdullah as Sultan giving Ismail the status of Sultan Muda, and provided for a British officer called Resident whose advice must be asked and acted upon on all questions other than those touching on Malay Religion and Custom. Ngah Ibrahim's position in Larut as granted by Sultan Ja'afar and confirmed by Sultan Ali was recognised.
However, as far as the chiefs of Perak were concerned - the issue of succession was settled three years earlier with the election of Sultan Ismail. To these Chiefs the British nay have proclaimed Abdullah Sultan but his accession was not valid in their eyes and indeed in Malay eyes if he did not hold the regalia which was at that time in the hands of Sultan Ismail, all attempts at recovering these from him having failed.
The Pacification Commission
Three days afterwards,
Chung, Keng Quee was appointed a member of Commission for the Pacification of Larut also comprising , John Frederick Adolphus McNair, Frank Swettenham, and Chin Seng Yam, whose terms of reference, among others, was to arrange for an amicable settlement relating to the Larut tin mines. The Commissioners after due investigation and deliberation decided to hand the mines in Klian Pauh over to the and the mines in Klian Bharu to the Ghee Hins.
The Perak Council
Sir Hugh Low established the Perak State Council in 1877. Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee was appointed a member of the State Council of Perak which held its first meeting at Kuala Kangsar on 10th September, 1877. The other members of the Council present were Raja Yussof , Sir Hugh Low , Captain Tristram Speedy , Raja Dris', Orang Kaya Temenggong, and Kapitan Chin Seng yam, Che Karim of Selama being absent. His magnanimity is manifestly clear from the Council Minutes of Perak in "Papers on Malay Subjects" by R. J. Wilkinson, F. M. S. Government Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1908. He was the first of three generations to serve on the Council, his son Chung Thye Phin and his grandson Chung Kok Ming following in his footsteps.
Anecdotes
*Chung Keng Kwee, when reminded of the Larut Wars by an inquiring visitor, dismissed the subject with an expression of distaste - 'Banyak rugi!' -- vide The Protected Malay States: 1874-1895.
*Chung Keng Quee and Chin Seng Yam having made peace with each other became fast friends, going so far as to have Ah Yam become the Ch' Yeh or godfather of Keng Quee's fourth son, Chung Thye Phin.
Sir Hugh Low's Letter Vindicates Chung, Keng Quee
In their September 1891 issue of their monthly magazine Harper's carried an article on Chinese Secret Societies and credited Chung Keng Quee with wealth amounting to two million Sterling. The article also stated that
Chung, Keng Quee was tried for murder an accusation that was refuted following the publication of a .
In his letter
Sir Hugh refers to
Chung, Keng Quee as
"my friend Captain Chang Ah Kwi, of Perak" and
"my old friend" and urges the editor to take steps to correct the inaccuracies published earlier which he says do great injustice to his friend.
Sir Hugh Low acknowledged that
Chung, Keng Quee was leader of the "Go Kwan faction" in the disturbances that preceded the British intervention under Sir Andrew Clarke, in 1874. He also acknowledges that long after that time when
Chung, Keng Quee visited China he was accused of piracy by his rivals in the tin mining business and while he was initially arrested and brought before the mandarins in Canton he was triumphantly acquitted of the charge.
Sir Hugh goes on to state categorically that
"Captain Ah Kwi" who was at that time a long standing member of the State Council, had never ever been "arrested on criminal charges where British influence prevailed", and had in fact from the very beginning "been a strenuous supporter of the settlement of the State of Perak".
The insertion ended with an apology from the editor of Harper's Magazine, Frederick Boyle.
The relationship between Sir Hugh Low and Chung Keng Quee goes all the way back to Sir Hugh's arrival in Perak. At that time Chung Keng Quee was getting frustrated with the management of the revenue farm that had been given over to him and it was Sir Hugh Low who, as he recalls in his journal
"laughed him out of the nonsense about giving up the farm".
The two of them had many long and frank discussions about the mining business in general as well as revenue farming and the system of "advancers". On May 15th 1877 in a casual meeting between the two, Chung Keng Quee advocated the granting of land leases for the mines for periods of 21 years arguing that this would make it easier for miners to raise money. On the 11th of September the same year, Sir Hugh Low made this so.
For Sir Hugh Low, Chung Keng Quee represented a stabilizing factor in mining communities that had yet to settle down following the Larut Wars. His was the voice of reason, admonishing the towkays who had stirred up a riot in 1879 and it was a voice that Sir Hugh trusted and backed up.
Chung Keng Quee's Business
Chung Keng Quee was involved in many different businesses but he was first and foremost a tin man. Not only did he help his sons start out in the business, he was apt to support others as well. Between 1884 and 1889 Chung Keng Quee sublet a part the land granted to him for his mining activities to a young man starting out in the business, Foo Choo Choon.
Tin Mining
By 1879 there were 80 mines in operation in Larut, owned by 40 firms, with an average of nearly 86 men per mine. The largest mine of all in the country was owned by the Kong Loon Kongsi, in Kamunting, directed by Chung Keng Quee whom Doyle in Mining In Larut describes as:
''"an enterprising Chinese gentleman whose appreciation of European appliances is envinced by a centrifugal pump and engine, in supersession of the cumbrous and comparatively useless, Chinese water-wheel."''
The Kong Loon mine employed 300 coolies, more than any other mine at that time.
Chung, Keng Quee was a wealthy miner who was granted big mining concessions including 1,000 acres in Kinta.
By 1887 Chung Keng Quee was the largest tin producer in Perak accounting for almost 29,000 pikuls or 1,700 tons out of a total state output of about 220,000 pikuls or about 13,000 tons -- more than what all the foreign mines put together could produce.
In the early 1890s Chung Keng Quee was reported to own some of the finest tin mines in Sorakai and Kota . The Government of India sanctioned the grant of a large concession in Mergui for him to prospect for tin. According to the Calcutta Correspondent of The Times, this was "the first attempt to encourage, on a large scale, the mining industry in Mergui."
There are those who argue that his were the first true capitalist Chinese enterprises in the country and not those of Yap Ah Loy.
Innovating And Leading The Way
Chung Keng Quee was the first miner to experiment with hydraulic machinery. He was a progressive miner, farsighted and innovative and this together with his close relationship with Sir Hugh Low helped spur on the economic development of the territory.
In 1878 on a visit to his mines at Larut, Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson the Governor of the Straits Settlements , was impressed to see a steam pump, installed by the Perak Government at Chung Keng Quee's request on the undertaking that if successful it would be taken over and rented by the mine..
Sir Hugh Low introduced the portable steam pump for draining mines in the protected states in 1878 by first demonstrating its usefulness in Chung Keng Quee's mines. Convinced by the practical results of a real demonstration, owners of large mines in Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong soon had similar pumps installed, overcoming the periodic problem of flooding that used to bring work at the mines to a virtual standstill.
Revenue Farming
By 1888 he held the General Farm of Kuala Kangsar, the North and South Larut Coast Farm and the Opium Farm of Lower Perak. By 1891 he had the Kinta General Farm and the General Farm and Opium Duty Farm of Kuala Kangsar and in 1895 he had the General Farm of Perak and the Coast and Opium Farms of Lower Perak. He acquired the Kinta General Farm in August 1890 at a considerably reduced price.
In 1889, after the Pangkor settlement of 1874, Sir Hugh Low, British Resident at Perak, gave over most of the Larut and Kurau opium, gambling, spirits, pawnbroking and tobacco farms to
Chung, Keng Quee and his business partner, Khoo, Thean Teik. In Penang,
Chung, Keng Quee and his friends and relatives made up one of three similar syndicate groups that dominated the Opium Farms there.
Chung Keng Quee apart from being a man of vision was also a great risk-taker. Sir Hugh Low in his own notes describing negotiations over the leasing out of the Perak revenue farms compares Chung Keng Quee and Khoo Thian Teik. Chung Keng Quee had told him that he needed five thousand more coolies in order to make the venture successful while Khoo Thian Teik had talked of two or three hundred more. Not only did he get his coolies from China, Ah Quee also employed coolies from India.
His exceptional management of the revenue farms entrusted to him helped bring fresh capital into Perak and helped him to become, by 1886, the largest financier in Larut.
While he obviously was making a lot of money from revenue farming, in 1897 Sir Hugh Low, then the Resident, negotiated with
Chung, Keng Quee, who was at that time owner of the largest mine in the country and probably the most influential financier of tin mines in the country, to abolish the supply of opium in return for greater protection of tin mine employers from their absconding coolies and for longer working hours.
From 1880 to 1897, in partnership with the Tan, Yeoh, Lim, Cheah, and Khoo families, Chung Keng Quee invested over $2.8 million to dominate all the revenue farms from upper to lower Perak.
His Reputation For Business Success
Chung Keng Quee formed close relationships with the many British Residents of Perak and built a reputation for making mining operations a success. E. W. Birch , seventh British Resident to Perak, left in February 1897 to take up the post of Acting British Resident, Negeri Sembilan and on March 15 1897, while paying visits of inspection to various parts of the Negri Sembilan, recorded in his papers "I wish we could induce Captain Ah Kwi, of Perak, to enter Lukut and Labu" .
Chung Keng Quee And Khoo Thean Teik
Chung Keng Quee and
Khoo Thean Teik were connected both politically and commercially, the politics of the day being commercially motivated in any case. Apart from the monopolies for tobacco, liquor, opium and gambling revenue farming in Perak that these two jointly obtained from Sir Hugh Low, British Resident at Perak in 1889, they were both heads of their respective secret societies which were allied against their common foe, the Ghee Hin. While
Chung, Keng Quee was head of the Hai San his ally
Khoo, Thean Teik was head of the Tua Pek Kong or Kien Tek Society.
Chung, Keng Quee and
Khoo, Thean Teik together represented the allied Haisan-Khianteik group of Perak Hakkas and Penang Hockiens.
Both Chung and Khoo were in the business of procuring, supplying or employing coolies.
Khoo, Thean Teik aided by Koh, Seang Thye on one occasion supplied $60,000 in goods, money and ammunition to
Chung, Keng Quee and Tan, Yit Hoon for their mining activities and for their military activities against the Ghee Hin in return for seven-tenths of the percentage of the tin they produced.
The Sri Sarawak
Chung Keng Quee had a screw steamer, the Sri Sarawak, that plied a route between the Larut river and Penang. This vessel is mentioned in various documents of the time including personal journals. Emily Sadka in the Journal of Sir Hugh Low, Perak, 1877, remarks about an unflattering description of the craft given in Isabella Bird's The Golden Chersonese p 277 but the unflattering part of Bird's description that Sadka referred to was actually about the pier and not the boat. What bird said about the Sri Sarawak was that it is "A small but very useful Chinese trading steamer".
Chung, Keng Quee The Man
Supporting Education
Supporting Poor Scholars In China
In the absence of Malayan citizenship laws during that time, Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee occasionally visited his home village in China. In commemoration of the birthday of his mother,
Madam Lai,
Chung, Keng Quee founded and endowed a big scholarship fund for poor Chinese scholars preparing themselves for the time-honoured civil service examinations. He erected a memorial arch for his mother, Madam Lai, in 1886.
Five Luck Villa, A School For Chinese Of All Dialect Groups
Chung Keng Quee was a principal director of Ng Fook Hsu Yin in Penang. In 1893,
Chung, Keng Quee, already a millionaire, built a Chinese school in Penang, for all the Chinese children irrespective of their dialects. Having bought over the property in Church Street where the school was originally located, Chung Keng Quee identified a new site for the school in Chulia Street.
The board membership was made up of four secretaries and 209 assistant secretaries. Chung Keng Quee was its chief secretary. There were nearly 1,300 donors who gave between 5760 to 1 yuan. The largest amount, as well as the building site were donated by Chung Keng Quee. On top of his donations, Chung Keng Quee also gave a loan of 20,000 yuan towards the construction of the new building. The Ch'ien-i bank-society was set up by leading members of the community for this purpose and members of the society invested at least 30 cents a month for 36 months and the interest on these deposits as on the capital were used to repay the Chung Keng Quee's loan. 175 people deposited amounts from 816 yuan to 15 yuan. The new building was completed in 1898.
The Chong Wen She Institute
In March 1901, just months before passed away,
Chung, Keng Quee and several other members of the Hakka Associations in Penang established an Educational Institution called Chong Wen She. The Educational Institution organized campaigns to encourage the in Penang to respect education. The motto of the campaigns was "Jing Xi Zi Zhi" or to respect the words written on the paper. The Educational Institution established a free of charge private school for all the children irrespective of their dialects. The school also enrolled the locally born Chinese children with the intention of giving them a classical education so that they would not forget about their roots.
Supporting Temples
Tua Pek Kong Temples in Tanjung Tokong and King Street
Chung, Keng Quee was a principle donor to the Haichu-yu Tua Pek Kong Temple in Tanjung Tokong, Penang. Chung Keng Quee's donation of 150 yuan for the restoration of the temple is inscribed in a stone set up on the occasion, dated 1865 or early 1866 and kept at the Tua Pek Kong Temple in King Street, Penang, which the Tanjung Tokong temple is connected to. The lowest amount recorded is 2 yuan and the highest is 250 yuan. His donation of 30 yuan is inscribed in a stone set up by board members of the King Street Tua Pek kong Temple to commemorate the gilding and varnishing of the temple. On the stone he is referred to as Chou T'ung, First Class Assistant Department Magistrate. Two other donors are called Kung-yuan, Senior Licentiate.
Kwangtung and Teochew Cemeteries
He was the primary benefector of the Guangdong/Kwangtung and Tingchou/Teochew Cemeteries and Kek Lok Si Temple . At the Kwangtung and Tingchou Cemeteries Chung Keng Quee's donation of 600 yuan towards the construction of a hall for funeral ceremonies is inscribed in a stone dated 1885. Donations ranged from 600 yuan to 10 yuan. A donation of land to the cemetery by Chung Keng Quee and his daughter Kang Neoh is recorded in one of two similar stones. One one of a set of three stone inscriptions dated 1901 records the 600 yuan donation of Chung Keng Quee as well as the position of secretary held under the name of Hye Kee Chan , his company. Chung Keng Quee headed the list of over 250 donors most of whom donated amounts ranging from 100 yuan to 5 yuan.
Kek Lok Si
At Kek Lok Si or Chi-lo ssu, the Temple of Supreme Happiness, on an inscription in stone dated 1906 listing the particulars of donors it is recorded that Cheng Ssu-wen with honorary second rank, donated 6,000 yuan. Another stone inscription, this one dated 1907 recording the origin and development of the temple, shows that Cheng Ssu-wen was one of the six senior secretaries of the temple at that time.
Supporting Associations
Penang Chinese Town Hall
He became the prominent president of the Penang Chinese Town Hall . Chung Keng Quee was a major donor towards the founding of the town hall according to the inscription on a stone dated 1886 kept within the town hall.
Founder Of The Cantonese Association In Taiping
The along Temple Street in was founded in 1887 by
Chung, Keng Quee and others as an association of people from Kuangtung province in South China.
Tseng Lung Association
Chung, Keng Quee founded the Tseng Lung Association in Taiping and Gopeng in 1895, and in the following year, in Penang . The Tseng Lung Hui Kuan were associations for people from Tseng ch'eng and Lung-men counties of Kuang-chou prefecture in South China.
Principle Donor To International Charities
India Famine Relief Fund
In 1897 the British establishment tried to drum up support for an India famine-relief drive. Penang millionaire and Deli Bank director Hsieh Yung-kuan, then Chinese vice-consul, contributed $200 and
Chung, Keng Kwee gave $300 more, completely dwarfing His Excellency the Governor who managed only $100.
Transvaal War Fund
In March 1900 he donated $15,000 to the Transvaal War Fund , started in November 1899 by the Straits Times in connection with the South African War. For perspective the total amount collected was approximately $215,000 out of which $50,000 came from the government and $10,000 each came from Kapitan Yap Kuan Seng and Towkay Tet Shin.
Franco-Annam War Relief Fund
On many other occasions he also contributed to various other charities including the War Relief Fund arising from the Franco-Annam war under the command of Viceroy Li Hongzhang.
Host To China's Admiral Ting
In 1894,
Chung, Keng Quee hosted in his gardens, in the name of Vice Consul , a dinner to welcome Admiral Ting and the Chinese Imperial Fleet of warships that he commanded.
Queen Victoria's Golden & Diamond Jubilees
"... his munificent gifts on such occasions as the two Jubilees of Her Late Majesty will not soon be forgotten." -- The Perak Pioneer & Native States Advertiser VOL VIII Taiping Saturday December 14, 1901
Supporting European Engineers In Penang
The Engineers' Institute was probably the first of its kind in the country. Opened for the recreation and general use of the engineers who formed a large part of the European community . Originally the institute occupied rooms in Beach Street but later moved to a beautiful double storey building presented by the Capitan Chung Kheng Kwi at the junction of Leith Street and Farquhar Street. On March 5, 1888, an institute was opened for the recreation and general convenience of European mechanical engineers. For some time membership was confined exclusively to engineers and mechanics but was so popular that before long the regulations were altered so as to include deck officers, and certain longshoremen. The growth and development of the institute proceeded so rapidly that larger buildings were soon required, and, by arrangement with Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee, a new two storey headquarters building was at the junction of Leith and Farquhar streets. Upon the staircase was a beautiful stained-glass window presented by
Chung, Keng Quee, and bearing the inscription,
"Erected by Captain Cheng Kheng Kwi, Perak and Pinang, 1901". Near at hand was a portrait of the donor.
Donating His Property For The Good Of All
When the Lim Ancestral Temple building on Beach Street was completed in 1866, the Kew Leong Tong Lim Kongsi, one of the three Lim Clan Associations in Penang, moved its office there. The address was 234 Beach Street. Later, Ah Quee Street was established when Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee donated his Beach Street shophouse to be demolished to create the street that bears his name. Ah Quee Street runs beside 164 Beach Street which also happens to be the longest shophouse in Penang.
Recognised And Rewarded By The Manchu Imperial Government, China
For his many acts of greatness the in 1894 conferred on him the title of "Mandarin, Second Rank" retrospectively for three generations. This meant that Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee, his father,
Chung, Hsing Fah, and his grandfather,
Chung, Tung Lin, the last two posthumously, simultaneously became Mandarins of the Second Rank. In line with his elevation he then adopted the fancy name of
"Sheng Chih".
The Townhouse And Temple On Church Street
In Georgetown, Penang
Chung, Keng Quee became known as the city's great connoisseur of architecture. In 1893,
Chung, Keng Quee acquired two adjacent properties along Church Street on Penang Island. The first was the former headquarters of the Ghee Hin - the Hai San had ousted them in the 1870s. The second was a Chinese school, the Goh Hock Tong meaning Five Luck Villa. He offered the school an alternative site in Chulia Street, where a new building was completed on 1898.
Chung, Keng Quee then converted the former Ghee Hin headquarters into his townhouse and office and named this, Hye Kee Chan , or Sea Remembrance Store. It has interior fittings including Victorian cast iron columns from [http://glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=macfarlane_w-co Walter Macfarlane & Co of Glasgow . Macfarlane was also responsible for the beautiful iron gates and fencing of the former Five Luck Villa building which was converted into a personal temple . Today, his home is open to the public, showcasing the lifestyle, customs and traditions of the Peranakans or Straits Chinese - an example of adaptive reuse. The website has images of the restored and .
Roads In His Name
Two streets in Penang were named after him, Keng Kwee Street and Ah Quee Street.
His Progeny
Kapitan
Chung, Keng Quee had ten sons, the 4th and best known of whom was Chung Thye Phin.
Chung, Keng Quee had four principal wives or "t'sais", including
Lim Ah Chen whom he married early in life in China,
Tan Gek Im who survived him and
Teng Nyong who was the mother of Chung Thye Phin. He also had a secondary wife or "t'sip"
Tan Ah Loy, mother of his daughter
Cheang Ah Soo. They bore him 8 sons and 5 daughters. He also had a child alias Cheng Tai Kwong by a woman named
Tye Thye. His eldest son,
Thye Yong, was adopted.
Sons:
Chung Thye Yong
Chung Thye Phin
Chung, Thye Siong
Chung Thye Siong was born in Penang, educated at both the Penang Free School and St. Xavier's Institution and went on to join together two important lineages by marrying Koh Chooi Peng, eldest daughter of Kaw Cheng Sian who in turn was the son of Koh Seang Tat a descendant of Koh Lay Huan, the first Kapitan China of Penang.
He helped in the management of his father's estate and lived in his father's residence in Church Street .
Daughters:
Generation Names And Their Meaning
Chung Keng Quee's generational name was "Keng" meaning "picture" or "landscape". The generation after him, "Thye" means "big" or "large" or "great". The next generation "Kok" means "country" or "land" and i.e. to do with the geography of a place. The generation after that, "choong" is the same word as "China". And the generation after that "Chung" means "originating from" or "coming from". When written out and read from the last generation, "Chung", to the first generation, "Keng", it reads, "Coming from China, a big picture", or "From China comes a great visionary".
The Passing Of A Great Man
Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee passed away at the age of 74 on the 13th of December 1901 after a brief illness of only a few days.
The Perak Administrative Report for 1901:
"The death of Captain
Cheang Keng Kwi is announced. He held the title for 30 years. It is no longer required and is allowed to lapse as the working under the Federal Secretary for Chinese Affairs is the best intermediary between the Government and the Chinese."
The Malay Mail Monday December 16, 1901:
"The late Capitan China of Perak is said to have died worth $10,000,000."
The Perak Pioneer & Native States Advertiser Vol VII Taiping Saturday December 14, 1901:
"By the death of Capitan Chang Keng Kwi, which occurred at his residence in Penang on Thursday night, one of the most picturesque figures in the history of Malaysia has been removed."
He made his fortune early in his life in the tin mines and revenue farms of Perak, and while lost it all during the Larut Wars, he rebuilt his empire and died a rich man. At the time of his death:
* he had held the Perak Revenue Farms for twelve years
* he owned ten mines employing an aggregate of 1,000 coolies
* his property in Hongkong was estimated at $10,000,000
* his property in Beach Street, Penang was valued at $1,500,000
He was a generous man given to acts of charity and besides Chinese educational institutions he had given money to the and the .
He left behind a wife, ten sons and five daughters, 20 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
Chung, Keng Quee was buried in the Chung Family Burial Plot in Mount Erskine purchased beforehand by himself and his daughter
Chung, Kang Neoh.
Although dated 1898, because his tomb was called "Region of Long Life", Franke believed that it was built before he died and was probably set up on the occasion of his wife's demise. In his book published in 1985 Franke declared it was "the largest Chinese tomb in the whole of Malaysia. ..appropriate only to members to the imperial family or to the highest officials" and incorporating four man-sized statues "called weng-chung. .. ...permitted only for the tombs of officials of the first rank."
His headstone bears the inscription:
"Kapitan of Perak, Chung Keng Quee from Tseng-ch'eng, appointed by Imperial patent of the Ch'ing Emperor as Tzu-cheng ta-fu, rewarded with the Peacock Feather, and Expectant Intendant of a Circuit of the fourth rank, and of his wife Lady Cheng, nee Ch'en, with the personal name Yii-yin and the posthumous name Chao-i appointed by Imperial patent as Third Rank Shu-jen, set up by nine sons, six daughters, twelve grandsons, and six granddaughters of the deceased."
Lee, Eng Kew named his book about and its historical figures, Yi Guo , words derived from the inscriptions on the grave of
Chung, Keng Quee.
Taiping Lake Gardens
One of his mining pools was donated for public use by his son,
Chung Thye Phin and is today the Taiping Lake Gardens. In 1884, a large area comprising swamps and abandoned mining pools was drained, levelled, planted and fenced for a public garden in Taiping. In 1911, it was considered to be perhaps the most beautiful of any gardens in the then Federated Malay States.
About The Chung Surname
*Pinyin Romanisation:
*Chinese Character : 鄭
*B5 No.: 7
*Meaning: Serious; Solemn
*Wade-Giles Romanisation/Pronunciation: Cheng4
*Cantonese Romanisation/Pronunciation: Cheng
*Hockien Romanisation/Pronunciation: Teh
*Others: Chung, Chang, Cheang
The surname Zheng4 is about 2370 years old.
According to Chung, Yoon-Ngan "the surname Zheng4 originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty as the Ying Yang Prefecture . The present day location of Ying Yang Prefecture is in an area about 17 kilometers southwest of Ying Ze county of Henan province ."
Additional Reading
#Nostalgia Taiping Oleh Syah Rul Aswari Abdullah srul@hmetro.com.my published on Thursday 4th october 2007 by Harian Metro
#Cerpen Sunlie Thomas Alexander, Sebuah Kota, Serupa Imaji, seperti Mimpi... published on 27 April 2008 by SuaraMerdeka.com
#Orang-orang Cina di Tanah Melayu By Nik Hasnaa Nik Mahmood Published by Penerbit UTM ISBN 9835200955, ISBN 9789835200953 pp. 70, 114, 115, 120, 124, 331, 333
#Historical Personalities of Penang By Historical Personalities of Penang Committee Published by Historical Personalities of Penang Committee, 1986 pp. 47, 81
#Records and Recollections : Chinese Women, Prostitution & a Welfare Organisation By Neil Jin Keong Khor, Keat Siew Khoo, Izrin Muaz Md. Adnan Published by Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2004 ISBN 9679948323, ISBN 9789679948325 p. 26
#The Making of Modern South-East Asia By D. J. M. Tate Published by Oxford University Press, 1971 p. 300
#Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society By Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malaysian Branch, Singapore Published by , 1991 pp. 4, 22, 24, 80, 82, 86, 87
#Pour une histoire du développement By Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, Daniel Hemery, Jean Piel Published by L'Harmattan, 2008 ISBN 229604123X, ISBN 9782296041233 p. 182
#Mitteilungen der deutschen Gesellschaft für Natur- und V?lkerkunde Ostasiens By Gesellschaft für Natur- und V?lkerkunde Ostasiens, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und V?lkerkunde Ostasiens, Tokyo Published by Der Gesellschaft, 1979 p. 477
#Peninjau sejarah: journal of the History Teachers' Association of Malaya By History Teachers' Association of Malaya, Universiti Malaya Jabatan Sejarah, History Teachers' Association of Malaya Published by History Teachers' Association of Malaya, 1966 p. 29
#Rites of Belonging: Memory, Modernity, and Identity in a Malaysian Chinese Community By Jean DeBernardi, Jean Elizabeth DeBernardi Published by Stanford University Press, 2004 p. 307
#Tōnan Ajia kenkyū By Kyōto Daigaku Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā Published by Kyōto Daigaku Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā., 1987 p. 414
#Larut Wars by Badriyah Haji Salleh in Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor By Keat Gin Ooi, Contributor Keat Gin Ooi, Published by ABC-CLIO, 2004 ISBN 1576077705, ISBN 9781576077702 p. 775
#Kapitan China System by Ooi, Keat Gin in Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor By Keat Gin Ooi, Contributor Keat Gin Ooi, Published by ABC-CLIO, 2004 ISBN 1576077705, ISBN 9781576077702 p. 711
#The Journals of J. W. W. Birch, First British Resident to Perak, 1874-1875: First British Resident to Perak, 1874-75 By James Wheeler Woodford Birch, Peter Laurie Burns Contributor Peter Laurie Burns Published by Oxford University Press, 1976 pp. 11, 63, 64, 83, 161
#British Intervention in Malaya, 1867-1877 By Cyril Northcote Parkinson Published by University of Malaya Press, 1960 pp. 77, 91, 92
#Pickering: Protector of Chinese By Robert Nicholas Jackson Published by Oxford U. P., 1965 p. 22
#Immigrant Labour and the Development of Malaya, 1786-1920: A Historical Monograph By Robert Nicholas Jackson Published by Printed at the Govt. Press, 1961 p. 41
#The Making of Modern Malaya: A History from Earliest Times to the Present By N. J. Ryan Published by Oxford University Press, 1963 p. xi
#The Mining Magazine: For Minerals Industry Management Worldwide Vols. 1 -145 Published by Mining Publications, 1909 p. 123
#The Malay States, 1877-1895: Political Change and Social Policy By Philip Fook Seng Loh Published by Oxford University Press, 1969 pp. 111, 142, 214
#The Malayan Tin Industry to 1914: With Special Reference to the States of Perak, Selangor, Negri, Sembilan, and Pahang By Lin Ken Wong Published by Published for the Association for Asian Studies by the University of Arizona Press, 1965 pp. 65, 84, 86
#Nineteenth-century Malaya: The Origins of British Political Control By Charles Donald Cowan Published by Oxford University Press, 1961 pp. 119, 125, 278
#Records of the Geological Survey of India By Geological Survey of India Published by The Survey, 1893 p. 44
#Events Prior to British Ascendancy: Notes on Perak History By Richard James Wilkinson Published by Printed by J. Russell at the F.M.S. gov't press, 1908 & 1924 p. 113
#Der Urquell By Verein für verbreitung volksthümlich-wissenschaftlicher kunde Published by E.J. Brill, 1898 p. 162
#The Impact of Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya: A Historical Study By Wilfred Blythe, Royal Institute of International Affairs Published by Issued under the auspices of the Royal Institute of International Affairs Oxford U.P., 1969 120, 174, 176
#
#Chinese Locality and Dialect Groups in the 19th-Century Straits Settlements by Lau-fong Mak published Number 63 （Spring 1987） Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology Academia Sinica
#Chinese Coolie Trade in the Straits Settlements in Late Nineteenth Century by Chen-tung Chang published Number 65 （Spring 1988） Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology Academia Sinica
#The Development of the Tin Mining Industry of Malaya by Yip, Yat Hoong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: University of Malaya Press. Page 97
#Calendar of Probate and Administration, Hongkong Supreme Court Returns for the year 1902 dated 13 March 1903, Page 73 by Registrar J. W. Norton-Keyne
#Calendar of Probate and Administration, Hongkong Report to the Registrar of the Supreme Court for the year 1905 , Page 77
#
#The China Mail , Monday December 30, 1901, Page 2
#Tin Mining In Larut by Doyle 1879 republished in 1963 in the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
#British Rule In Malaya: The Malayan Civil Service and its Predecessors, 1867 - 1942 by Robert Heussler, Clio Press, Oxford, England, 1981 -- ISBN 0903450496
#Swettenham by H. S. Barlow published by Southdene Sdn Bhd KL 1995
#Chinese Epigraphic Materials in Malaysia - collected, annotated, and edited by Wolfgang Franke and Chen Tieh Fan published 1985 by University of Malaya Press, ISBN 967-9940-00-4
#Koh Seang Thye v Chung Ah Quee 4 Ky 136 — 3
#
#The Western Malay States 1850–1873: the Effects of Commercial Development on Malay Politics, p. 209 by Khoo Kay Kim, Arkib Negara Malaysia
#Negeri-negeri Melayu Pantai Barat, 1850-1873: Kesan Perkembangan Dagang Terhadap Politik Melayu, Translation of: The Western Malay States, 1850-1873, By Prof. Khoo, Kay Kim Published 1984 by Fajar Bakti
#Xiao En E-Magazine , ,
#中央 硏究院 民族學 硏究所 集刊 By Zhong yang yan jiu yuan Min zu xue yan jiu suo, 中央 硏究院 民族學 硏究所 Published 1956 中央 硏究院 民族學 硏究所
#"Generations: The Story of Batu Gajah" By Ho, Tak Ming Published 2005 by Ho, Tak Ming ISBN 983405565X pp. 105, 108, 120
#THE KAPITAN SYSTEM - XI By Wu Liu published in the Sunday Gazette, June 19, 1960, Penang
#A gallery of Chinese kapitans. by Mr. C. S. Wong/Wong, Choon San; Published in Singapore: Ministry of Culture, 1963. 114p.
#Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, by Arnold Wright, Published 1908 - Page 130, 203, 252, 262, 508, 509, 568
#Record of Meritous Deeds of the Chung Family, op. cit., pp. 9-12
#"Miscellaneous Chronicles of Penang", Kuang, Kuo-hsiang op. cit., pp. 112-113
#, 1890s-1910s | SHINOZAKI Kaori, Ph.D. student
#200 years of the Hakkas in Penang By the Federation of Hakka Associations of Malaysia
#Reveal the True Face of Secret Societies Written by Guo Rende Published by the Malaysian Chinese Cultural Center
#"The Luxuriant Tree" and "Chung Keng Kwee, the Hakka Kapitan" by CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
#Heritage Road named in honour of Chung Thye Phin by Sita Ram, Stories Of Yesteryear, The Ipoh Echo 16 March - 31 March 2006
#Honoured in Penang for his generosity . The Star, December 6, 2001 by Catherine Chong
#Chung Keng Quee Temple Doors Opened, The Star July 5, 2000
#Help From China To Restore Chung Keng Quee Temple, The Star, November 8, 2002
#Turning Chung Keng Quee Temple Into A Museum, The Star January 16, 2003
#Restoration of Hai Kee Chan, The Star, Friday October 3, 2003
#Kapitan’s great-grandson By CHOONG KWEE KIM, The Star Thursday September 9, 2004
#
#The Star Online > Features Saturday, September 21, 2002 Taiping revived
#Lee Eng Kew , self-taught field researcher
#66 Usahawan Malaysia by Ashadi Zain, ISBN : 983-192-147-X Cerita 50 Mendiang Chung Keng Kwee
#A History of Malaya by R.O. Winstedt Published in March 1935
#The Chinese in Malaya by Victor Purcell C.M.C. Ph. D published in 1948 pp. 264, 266, 268
#The Mandarin-Capitalists from Nanyang: Overseas Chinese Enterprise in the Modernisation of China. .. By Michael R. Godley Published by Cambridge University Press Jul 25, 2002
#: The Breakup of Multiethnic Conglomerates and The Rise of A Straits Chinese Identity in Penang by Engseng Ho, Department of Anthropology, William James Hall, Harvard University Cambridge, MA 02138, presented at The Penang Story International Conference 2002, 18-21 April 2002, The City Bayview Hotel, Penang, Malaysia - Organised by The Penang Heritage Trust & Star Publications.
# by Prof. Emeritus Dato' Dr. Khoo Kay Kim, Department of History, University of Malaya
#SEJARAH DAERAH DAN PEJABAT - LAMAN RASMI PEJABAT DAERAH LARUT MATANG DAN SELAMA SEJARAH DAERAH DAN PEJABAT - Perak State Government Website
#Perak Tourist Information Centre, Ipoh City Council
#Taiping Town Council/
#Will of Cheang Ah Quee 17 Jul 1894
#Chinese Secret Societies.
#Editor's Drawer.
#A Social History of The Chinese in Singapore and Malaya 1800 - 1911 by Yen Ching-Hwang, Singapore, Oxford University Press, New York 1986
#Annexation in the Malay States: The Jervois Papers edited/compiled by Burns, Peter L. published by Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 72:14-93, Issue Date: 1999
#The Mining Magazine edited by Thomas Arthur Rickard Published by Mining Journal, 1919; Item notes: v.20 1919 Jan-Jun; p. 123
#Tōnan Ajia kenkyū By Kyōto Daigaku Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā Published by Kyōto Daigaku Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā., 1987; Item notes: v.25 1987-1988; p. 259
#The Rise of Ersatz Capitalism in South-East Asia by Kunio Yoshihara
#All India Reporter - 1929
#Immigrant Labour and the Development of Malaya, 1786-1920: A Historical Monograph By Robert Nicholas Jackson Published by Printed at the Govt. Press, 1961; p. 40
#Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya: A Survey of the Triad Society from 1800 to 1900 By Leon Comber Published by Published for the Association for Asian Studies by J.J. Augustin, 1959; p. 194
#A History of Perak By Richard Olof Winstedt, Richard James Wilkinson, William Edward Maxwell, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malaysian Branch Published by Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1974; p. 116, 117
#The Western Malay States, 1850-1873: the effects of commercial development on Malay politics By Kay Kim Khoo Published by Oxford University Press, 1972; 137, 237
#The Chinese in Southeast Asia By Victor Purcell, Royal Institute of International Affairs Published by Oxford University Press, 1965; pp. 266, 611
#Events Prior to British Ascendancy ...: Notes on Perak History ... By Richard James Wilkinson Published by Printed by J. Russell at the F.M.S. gov't press, 1908 Item notes: v.1-5 ; p. 10
#Immigrant Labour and the Development of Malaya, 1786-1920: A Historical Monograph By Robert Nicholas Jackson Published by Printed at the Govt. Press, 1961; p. 41
#The Impact of Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya: A Historical Study By Wilfred Blythe, Royal Institute of International Affairs Published by Issued under the auspices of the Royal Institute of International Affairs Oxford U.P., 1969; p. 249
#The Making of Modern Malaya: A History from Earliest Times to Independence By N. J. Ryan Published by Oxford University Press, 1965; pp. xi, 110
#Peninjau sejarah: journal of the History Teachers' Association of Malaya By History Teachers' Association of Malaya, Universiti Malaya Jabatan Sejarah, History Teachers' Association of Malaya Published by History Teachers' Association of Malaya, 1966; Item notes: v.1-2:1; pp. 29, 30, 37
#新馬華族史料文獻彙目 : Classified bibliography of Chinese historical materials in Malaysia and Singapore / Tay Lian Soo By Liangshu Zheng, 鄭良樹 Published by Nanyang xue hui, 1984; ISBN 997193602X, ISBN 9789971936020
#Malaixiya Xinjiapo Hua ren wen hua shi lun cong By Liangshu Zheng, 鄭良樹 Published by Xinjiapo Nanyang xue hui, 1982; Item notes: v.1
#邝国祥《槟城散记》内载：《郑景贵其人》（新加坡：世界书局有限公司，1958）页111-112。
Quotations/Quoted Statements
*"We, Raja Ngah, Tengku Panglima Besar hand this letter to the bearer Haji Mat Salleh in order to introduce him to our friends in Penang such as Che Ah Quee , Koh Teang Tek (Khoo Thean Tek} and others. We have ordered Haji Mat Salleh to go to Penang to inform our friends......that the Yang-di-per-Tuan has surrendered the management of the affairs of the country of Perak into our hands. We beg, therefore, our friends to help us with ten, fifteen or twenty thousand dollars, for which Haji Mat Salleh, will give a receipt. Haji Mat Salleh is the same as ourselves, and we will bear the debt...... It is in the service of the Yang-di-per-Tuan. Our friends must help and strengthen the country of Perak in its relations with the British Government. Our friends should consult with Haji Mat Salleh, who is a true man, and our friends must come and see us as soon as possible".
*"I visited one of the principal mines belonging to Ah Quee, who is a member of the State Council, at which I found a steam engine at work."
= Court Cases
*Chang Ah Quee & Others vs Huttenbach, Liebest & Co.
*Cheang Thye Phin & Others vs Tan Ah Loy, Privy Council &
*Cheang Thye Phin vs Lim Ah Chen/Lim Ah Cheng and others; p. 317
*Cheang Thye Phin vc Lam Kin Sang
*Koh Seang Thye v Chung Ah Quee 4 Ky 136 — 3
*Cheang Thye Gan vs Lim Ah Chen, Cheang Thye Gan vs Lim Ah Chen & Others 16 H.K.L.R. 19
*"...that she was not received in the Penang family house owing to the jealousy of Tan Gek Im who refused her. No definite finding here appears necessary, but this point should be borne in mind in view of subsequent developments. Plaintiff was provided with a separate house by Cheang Ah Kwee in which she lived until 1901. In 1893 she bore Cheang Ah Kwee a son, Cheang Thye Gan who died a few ....", "Special provision was made for Cheang Thye Gan by Cheang Ah Kwee in his Will. ..."
= Sources
People
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