Bukit Brown: World Monuments Watch 2014

Let Keng Kiat  (97903886)  will introduce you to the pioneers of Hill 4  and what’s happening there including the  major ongoing  renovation and upgrading of the Tan Quee Lan family cluster. You may also meet a poet, a war hero, a beloved school principal and circus family.

The major works at Tan Quee Lan family cluster (Photo Catherine Lim)

Time : 9.00am t0 11.30am

Meeting Place: Under the large and beautiful, and possibly endangered, rain tree, at the Roundabout.
After the main gate, go ahead another twenty metres, to the right of the SLA office

For information on how to get there and handy tips please visit
http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=1347

Join the Heritage Singapore Bukit Brown group  for more information on Bukit Brown

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Registration:

Our weekend public tours are FREE …
Optimally the group size is 30 participants (15 individuals/guide).

Please click ‘Join’ on the FB event page to let us know you are coming, how many pax are turning up, or just meet us at the starting point at 9am. We meet there rain or shine.

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The tour:

The Bukit Brown area is about 233 hectares in extent, bordered by Lornie Road, Thomson Road and the Pan-Island Expressway. It lies just to the south of the Central Catchment Forest, being separated from it by Lornie Road and includes Singapore’s only Chinese Municipal Cemetery. With more than 100,000 graves, Bukit Brown is also one of the largest Chinese cemeteries outside of China.

Don’t forget to bask in the peaceful surrounds, and also chat with your guides and make friends with other participants. We are amateurs and volunteers, but we are passionate and serious about what we do at Bukit Brown, and we encourage sharing of knowledge.

Here is a map of the grounds:
http://bukitbrown.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/API.BBC_.Map_.ver3_4.jpg

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Please take note:

1. We will be walking mainly on paved roads. But there are hill treks so dress appropriately, especially your footwear.

2. Wear light breathable clothing. Long pants and long sleeves if you are prone to insect bites or sunburn. Bring sunblock and natural insect repellent.

3. Wear comfortable non-slip shoes as safety is important. Walking sticks are recommended.

4. Do read up on Bukit Brown before going so you have a better understanding of the place (e.g. BukitBrown.com)

5. Do bring water, light snacks, poncho/umbrella, sunhat and waterproof your electronics.

6. Please go to the toilet before coming. There are NO facilities anywhere there or nearby.

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How to get there by MRT / Bus:

Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.

From North: Go to Marymount MRT and walk to bus-stop #53019 along Upper Thomson Road. Take Buses 52, 74, 165, 852, 855
Alight 6 stops later at bus-stop, #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Walk towards Sime Road in the direction of Kheam Hock Road until you see Lorong Halwa.

From South: Go to Botanic Gardens MRT and walk to bus-stop #41121 at Adam Road, in front of Singapore Bible College. Take Buses 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855. Alight 2 stops later at bus-stop, #41141, just before Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Cross the bridge, walk towards Sime Road, follow the road until you see Lorong Halwa.

By car:
Turn in from Lornie Road, to Sime Road. Then, turn left into Lorong Halwa.
Parking space available at the largish paved area near the cemetery gates.

They are among the world’s brightest, nominated  for leadership, talent and contributions in the social and economic spheres to the World Economic Forum of Young Global Leaders.

40 of them dropped in at Bukit Brown on 23 October 2012, as part of a programme there were attending at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Volunteer Guides, Claire, Catherine, Keng Kiat and Millie took them on a one hour and half tour which only managed to cover three tombs but we still covered a lot of ground in history, heritage and civil engagement.

Millie and Keng Kiat waiting to welcome participants (photo Catherine)

Claire, in position to introduce guides and safety briefing (photo Catherine)

Our best dressed participants to date, and attentive. Impressed by the women who came in high heels and wedgies who climbed with us (photo Catherine)

Making tracks up to Tay Koh Yat – war hero and transport pioneer (Photo Catherine)

Keng Kiat on the life and times of Tay Koh Yat ( photo Catherine)

A wheel chair participant getting assistance from his team members to the tomb of Ong Sam Leong located at the highest point in Bukit Brown (photo Catherine)

Christian doesn’t let his wheelchair stop him from getting around. (Photo: Claire Leow)

Mates Jaime and Marco help Christian get up to see Ong Sam Leong’s grave, with his wife making sure all are in good shape (Photo: Claire Leow)

At Ong Sam Leong, where everyone was milling around (photo Catherine)

Time for descent (photo Catherine)

They made it to the “peak” and back!( photo Catherine)

Back into the classroom, and a robust discussion on development, after a short presentation of Singapore History from colonial times when civil society had much to contribute under the British” laissez faire” adminstration compared to present times, when the state has stepped in with providing more social services. Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Kenneth Tan helmed the one hour session (photo Catherine)

Tour report: Photos by Philipp Aldrup. For more photos, click here

This is what Bukit Brown looks like in early morning

Early morning at Bukit Brown (photo Philipp Aldrup)

And this is what early morning participants look like at 7.30 am

The early birds, top of the morning to them! (photo Philipp Aldrup)

And if you want to know more about Philipp the photographer please visit his page

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Find out the mystery of this unique tomb at Hill 1 which is staked! (photo Raymond Goh)

Time 7.30am – 10 am

Keng Kiat (97903886) guiding.

We will not be visiting the biggest tomb, nor the colourful Sikh guards.

Highight is Keng Kiat will show and tell the mystery of  a tomb which looks like a tortoise, has elephants and the name of the occupant means “golden tiger” . It is the latest, significant “discovery”

Register here just to keep track of numbers turning up.

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Meet the Sikh guards with Peter Pak and Andrew

Peter Pak and Andrew guiding.

We will take a stroll around Hill 3. We will be visiting the biggest tomb, and the colourful Sikh guards. You will hear stories about the heritage as well as the nature that makes this a magical place

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It was the inaugural Revolutionary Tour so dubbed because the tombs visited belong to the revolutionaries of the Tong Meng Hui. They  made Singapore a base to raise funds to support  Sun Yat-Sen in bringing  about the fall of the Qing Dynasty who ruled between the 1905 – 1911. it was popularly  called the “辛亥革命” （Revolution of the Xin Hai Year) Post 1911 they continued to  play a part in influencing  the course of China’s history and also contributed to Singapore’s social, economic and community development.

Walter Lim led the tour conducted in Mandarin for some 36 guides from the Sun Yat Sen museum, many of whom also guide in Mandarin at  the Singapore History and Peranankan Museums. He was assisted by volunteers,  Yik Han and Ee Hoon. As tours went, it was one  of the most engaging and lively  of tours conducted at Bukit Brown, with participants sharing their insights and postulating various theories. It took nearly 5 hours to cover just under 10 tombs. There  are 13  known TMH tombs and 14  tombs known to belong to Republicans – the latter was formed after TMH at Bukit Brown.  Collectively both groups were part of the Reformation movement of the New China.

The following is a photo essay report with photos by Ee Hoon and captions contributed by Walter and Yik Han. Of the tombs covered 3 belong to Republicans:  Khoo Seok Wan, Leow Chia Heng and See Tiong Wah . The rest are Tong Meng Hui

The group gathers just before 10am for introductory briefing by Walter Lim (photo Ee Hoon )

First stop  Tay Koh Yat. At the height of his business he owned a total of 163 buses serving public transportation. He was a  patriot who started and led his own self defence force of 20,000 before  the onset of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War 2. With a price on his head, Tay escaped to Indonesia with Tan Kah Kee on the eve of the war. After the war, Tay returned and immediately started to compile the fatalities from his volunteer force and lobbied the colonial government for the same compensation given to widows and children of servicemen who died during the war. Initially rejected, he appealed and the colonial government finally gave in. Tay next went on to form the Singapore Chinese Appeal Committee for the Japanese Massacre victims to seek justice and compensation.

The first stop is introduction by Yik Han to Tay Koh Yat, transport pioneer, war hero and Tong Meng Hui member (photo Ee Hoon )

Walter takes a back seat while Yik Han weighs in with more info on TKY (photo Ee Hoon )

Stop 2, destination :  the tomb of 蒋玉田(Chio York Chiang) （1856-1927). He was one of the pioneer batch of Hokkien TMH member. Others were, Tan Chor Nam, Lim Keng Chew and Liew Hong Sek.

(photo Ee Hoon )

Interesting inscription of the head stone, one  side has  ” 时国民党老同盟独具先“ and ”为华侨界代議士尚繋後思“ The first “He is a pioneer of the Guo Min Tang with sharp foresight” the second statement on the right says that he is a “Representative of the oversea chinese righteous member, a thoughtful person”

Chio York Chiang is concealed behind bushes,  on hill 2 (photo Ee Hoon )

Around the tomb of Chio York Chiang – Buried with him is his brother,  in the same tomb so the names on the tomb shoulders are those of their respective children

A tight squeeze around the tomb of Chio York Chiang which is  unique in that  it is  inscribed with  his and his brother’s,  sons’ names on each of  the tomb shoulders.(photo Ee Hoon )

Stop number 3 Tomb of Khoo Kay Hian and his third wife Lee Poh Neo, behind are his 2 older  wives and watching over the cluster his mother. The first of the tombs on the tour which is staked for exhumation as it is in the way of the proposed 8 lane highway.

Kay Hian and third wife (photo Ee Hoon )

Mother of Kay Hian (photo Ee Hoon)

Stop 4 See Tiong Wah

Making their way to See Tiong Wah cluster in a hill once known as See Tiong Wah hill because so many of his relations including his mother, wives and in laws are buried here. This cluster is also staked  ( photo Catherine Lim)

Almost there (photo Ee Hoon)

Guides wait patiently as participants tear themselves away from last tomb (photo Catherine Lim)

Ee Hoon takes a sip before launching into what she knows of See’s  genealogy including his marriage to Khoo Seok Wan’s sister. ( photo Catherine Lim)

Walter weighs in on See’s role as a Republican . (photo Catherine Lim)

Much to take in with 3 guides sharing ( photo Catherine Lim)

With 3 guides, possible to have one on one time (photo Catherine Lim)

For more on See Tiong Wah, see here

The next stop 5,  took participants up another part of Hill 2 into an overgrown tomb belonging to Boey Chuan Poh who built Wan Qing Wan

A sight of the tomb of Boey Chuan Poh, he is not a poor man but he has a really humble tomb, unmatched  to his social status at that time.

Boey barely revealed. Much ado about just who/what  was Wan Qing Yuan named after, mother, wife or horse? Officially it is his mother (photo Ee Hoon)

cascading vines screen  Boey’s tomb ( photo Ee Hoon )

Much scribbling not just here where it was cramped but at all the tombs visited, We are expecting the tours at SYS to be much expanded as a result of this tour! (photo Ee Hoon)

Craning to see and hear (photo Ee Hoon)

Stop 6 Tan Chor Nam

On to Hill 3 by car and Tan Chor Nam on foot (photo Ee Hoon)

Tan Chor Nam aka Tan Lian Chye (photo Ee Hoon)

Tan Chor Nam ( photo Ee Hoon)

Stop 7 Lim Keng Chiew

At the tomb of Lim Keng Chiew a hop and skip from Tan Chor Nam. (photo Ee Hoon)

Lim was an early member of the Tongmenghui and the first secretary of its Singapore branch. He was so active in promoting the revolutionary cause that his shoe business suffered. But you say he left his footprint on the movement. He was one of the founders of the Ho San Kong Huay, a locality organisation for Hokkiens from the Ho San region in Xiamen. (Photo Ee Hoon)

Stop 8 Khoo Seok Wan

To Hill 4 and a grave marked by a hibiscus tree which always seems to be in full blossom (photo Ee Hoon)

Khoo Seok Wan and his own epithet (photo Ee Hoon)

Read about it here

The intense interest is palpable in this scholar and revolutionary (photo Ee Hoon)

The person buried here gives  much pause for thought and talk (photo Ee Hoon)

A chance near where KSW tomb is located to study the LTA’s plans for he 8 lane highway and contemplate the stake tombs which are in the way, including Khoo Seok Wan’s (photo Ee Hoon)

In fact when you see these boards in Hill 4, follow it, look for the hibiscus plant and it will lead you to KSW, ironic isn’t it? ( photo Ee Hoon)

Stop 9 Leow Chia Heng

For more on Leow, please click here

Nearly 5 hours later, still enough energy for one last cheer, for more tours to come (photo Ee Hoon)

Look out for Revolutionary Tours in October in English!