Great Grandfather Chong Kheng Swee - Hock Chiang Nern

 My great grandfather Chong Jin Swee(Kheng Swee) , the father of my paternal grandmother Chong Ching Soon was a  big sized Fuqing man who originally came from Shatang Village of Fuqing.

He migrated quite early to Java first, where he and great grandmother had three children, Chong Jin Bok, Ching Soon and our grand aunty Java (or Ho Soon). According to several stories he might have been a Church man, or a Bible reader, or even a teacher. He was a devout Methodist, probably baptised in Fuqing before leaving China to settle down in Java.

Like most Fuqing man, he was very hardworking and must have made some money to educate his three children in English schools in Singapore. My Grandmother Ching Soon for example went to Nind Home for Girls, where she received an English education. And so did Grand Aunty Java. 

Grand Uncle Jin Bok was educated in English and married Ms. Ng (Mrs. JB) who was also English educated, and a Singaporean Nyonya. Both went back to Java to teach for about 12 years where they had three children, Chung Sing, Chung Eng and Chung Hian (who became professor Chong Chung Hian, and State Medical Director of Sarawak). Professor Chong later served in WHO, in New York. (NewYork has a very large Fuqing Overseas Chinese Population!)

My Great Grandfather Chong Keng Swee, father in law of my paternal grandfather Tiong Kung Ping.

Rev Hoover was instrumental in matching my grandfather Tiong Kung Ping with Grandma Ching Soon.

My English educated grandmother Chong arrived in Sibu from Singapore in 1909. When many of the Lau relatives first saw her, they described her as a dainty Nyonya (or Doll). She was pretty and very fair, like most of the Fuqing people. 

When my father was born, he was known as "the fairest baby any one had seen" . My Tiong grand uncles from Sg. Bidut used to say that.

 Rev James Hoover later engaged both Grand Uncle Jin Bok and Grand Aunty JB to manage the Anglo Chinese School for boys in Sibu. When the ACS moved to Bukit Lan to form the Agriculture School for boys, Grand Uncle JB became the assistant principal of Yuk Ing Girls School , teaching mainly English.

Grand Aunty JB then moved to teach in Chung Hua School, and she opened a private tuition centre for English. According to my aunt Chiew, that was the first"foreigner's Tuition Centre " for English language.

Great Grandfather Chong was very enterprising and together with his son in law, he opened up land in Binatang, and Sg. Merah. He was good with household chores as he managed his home in Sg. Merah and his grand children, soon after Great Grandmother passed away (stories collected from relatives). He was known to be a good cook and a very intelligent man.

We have a few photos of Great Grandfather, especially the most treasured one of his 60th Birthday when all three of his children were together in Sibu. His rubber plantation formed the background. It was quite possible Rev James Hoover took the photo for them.  My father then was around 14 years old.

He passed away in 1942 and was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Sg. Merah during the Japanese Occupation, His beloved son Jin Bok passed away in 1940, two years earlier.

The Sg Merah land has been developed and there is a road named after Grand Uncle Chong Jin Bok, running through the residential area.

(We are still trying our best to piece together the history of my Grandmother Chong's family. I would love to hear from the Chongs in Java, Australia and elsewhere)