Sibu Tales : First Boat out of China after the WW11

Many Foochows were stranded in China during the Japanese War.

This is a photo of Nationalist soldiers in China during the Japanese War. Getty Images. It helps me write about my ngei mah (maternal grandmother) who had to live in her Ban Dong village home together with her Wong nephews. They all survived the war by helping a relative who was a butcher. Grandma then was slight over 40 years old and was very able bodied, quick with her feet and hands. She was also very witty. Many people said that she survived the war because of her quick wits and that she saved the precious lives of two little boys who were in her care.

In the 1930's many Foochow families had earned a lot of money from rubber and it was their main mission in life to return to fujian to build a big house for their ancesters and relatives. Most would like to make sure that they had a big 4 in 1 house or si lok chuo. Many men became returnees and remained in Fujian for the rest of their lives. Some built schools for their villagers with their wealth, some donated money to build ancestral shrines if they had returned earlier before the Japanese invasion.

In the same way my maternal grandmother too wanted to do that. In fact she also sold some of her share of land given by my maternal grandfather. She was to truly regret her move because not long after her return with her favourite daughter and son, the Japanese over ran China and she had to change her mind and to return to Sibu as soon as possible. Unfortunately she had to under go 4 years of hardship in her hometown, while my uncle and aunt had to continue studying in Fuzhou City and get married too.

When the Japanese war was over, my grandmother, together with her two children, new in laws and a few nephews who were in her care, took the first boat out of China.

It was a blessing in disguise many people said because this was a (second) home coming to her to make Sarawak her home and she was never to leave Sarawak again.