Wednesday, February 08 2012
A forgotten lady philanthropist
Monday, 28 June 2010 12:16

By Tan Soon Cheng.

Life in a colonial port was always complicated, and historical descriptions of individuals and events tended to reflect racial and gender biases, allowing many to fade away from memory. Tan Soon Cheng draws attention to a forgotten lady philanthropist.

RECORDS of the arrival of Chinese immigrants in Penang and their economic activities during the early 20th century are well documented, often in British government reports.
 
Be that as it may, specific details about immigrants as individuals are a rarity. However, in two publications from the 1930s – Nanyang yingshu haixia zhimindi zhilüe (南洋英屬海峽殖民地誌略; Gazetteer of the Nanyang British Straits Settlements) and the Nanyang mingren jizhuan (南洋名人集傳; Grouped Biographies of Nanyang Worthies)– such information can be found. Both of these were the result of gigantic projects in Chinese initiated by writers and journalists, which were compiled with the aim of commemorating significant men who had contributed to Chinese communities in the Nanyang region. The projects were funded by merchants and the communities in general.

What does remain rare is any mention of women. It is thus striking that among the entire ensemble of great men collected by the two writings, the name of Tan Say Siang Neoh (陳西祥) appears.

Her husband, Lim Leng Cheak (林寧綽), who was the founder of the firm Leng Cheak and Co., was an employer of a thousand men, owning fleets of steamers and some of the largest rice, sugar and tapioca mills in Malaya. He supplied products to the region, including Ceylon , India and Mauritus. Even more impressive was her elder son, Lim Eow Hong (林耀煌) who was a director of the Straits Echo and Criterion Press, committee member of the Free School, and a Justice of the Peace. Nevertheless, what distinguishes Tan Say Siang was not that she was the wife and mother of leading men in Penang. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that neither her husband nor her sons, albeit successful and famous, are included in the two aforementioned writings. Of the prosperous family, only Tan Say Siang is given special mention. This speaks of her merits.

What legacy Tan Say Siang left still stands in Penang today in the temple of Hai-chu-yü Ta-po-kung (海珠嶼大伯公廟), and Chi-lo ssu (極樂寺;Supreme Happiness Temple). Both boast stand-pipes (dated 1910 and 1894) and stone inscriptions (dated 1900) bearing her name, highlighting her support for and generous donation to the building and upkeep of the two temples, as well as providing tea for pilgrims making their way to the peak of Heshan (鶴山;Crane Mountain) where Chi-lo ssu is situated.

Accounts of her life story in the two writings are similar, describing incidents showing her kindness, care and concern towards her fellow countrymen. For example, a man was implicated in a lawsuit and held in custody. His wife pleaded everywhere for help to raise enough money for his release. On hearing this, Tan Say Siang gave the wife her priceless hairpin. She told the grateful wife that she did not lose anything by giving the hairpin away, that even if it was considered some kind of loss, it was still preferable to the grievance of a family, or the loss of a man’s life.

A devout Buddhist, her support for the Penang Chinese community went beyond funding temples and religious activities. During her time, only English schools were being set up by the British government and by missionaries, although many Chinese immigrants wanted their children to be educated in Chinese. Chinese schools were therefore in dire need of support. There were just not enough Chinese schools for their sons, not to mention daughters, who were most often given less priority.

For more than a decade, there was no Chinese school for girls in Penang. Tan Say Siang started one, recruited four teachers and took in more than a hundred girls.

Whenever China was stricken by natural calamities, which was not infrequent, and when patriotic men, rich or poor, rose to the occasion to organise or participate in fund-raising campaigns, her support was quite forthcoming. She responded quickly to calls for charity or relief aid. In fact in Wu Xiao An’s Chinese Business in the Making of a Malay State, 1882–1941, it is stated that for more than half a century, between 1850 and 1910, Tan Say Siang was ranked the third most significant Hokkien donor in Penang. 

During a period when commercial achievement or political influence was the consideration of the British government, as evidenced by official documents according recognition mostly to Chinese businessmen and prominent Chinese leaders for their success in business or for their status in their community, it is not surprising that the name of Tan Say Siang does not appear in English accounts of Penang. The comprehensive book about British Malaya of the time, Arnold Wright’s Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya mentions Lim Leng Cheak, his sons Eow Hong, Eow Thoon 林耀椿, their enterprises and properties, and contains photographs of the Lim family. But there is not a word about the virtuous wife, or her activities.

The editors of the two writings had stated clearly in the prefaces that they were determined to record all names and life stories of contributing personalities in the communities. Indeed it is very much due to the efforts of these Chinese writers that something of the life story of Lady Philanthropist Tan Say Siang is not forgotten. 

** Reproduced with permission. This article first appeared in the May 2010 issue of the Penang Economic Monthly. This 11-year old magazine published by the Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI) is being overhauled and commercialised. This endeavour is in response to the growing insight among Penangites and Penang lovers that the downward trend in the state's fortunes cannot be succesfully reversed unless they themselves get seriously involved. The goal is to inspire positive action among readers towards attaining a "Penang Renaissance".

For more information, please visit the Penang Economic Monthly site or contact the Socio-economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI) at 604-2283306.
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