The Cemetery That Is Quintessentially Nanyang (南洋) 

Bukit Brown is usually described as a Chinese cemetery, though to be exact, it should be referred to as Nanyang (南洋) Chinese, as seen in the material culture of the tombs, the rituals, and other manifestations of immaterial culture.

 The basic tomb consists of a tombstone, which contains the key information of the deceased, and behind which is where the coffin is buried. A raised mound of earth over the coffin completes the tomb. Such is the primary configuration. It is then augmented with other design features based on the dialect group, ethnicity and wealth of the deceased. Hokkien tombs may have several layers of “arms” while Teochew ones are shaped like a comfortable armchair.

 While the tombs of the masses reflect the spartan homes they inhabited, the splendour of the tombs of the rich parallels that of the luxurious mansions they lived in. Typically, the more elaborate ones have finely carved statues of lions and golden boys jade girls (金童玉女) positioned on either side of the tomb, while intricate panels of greenstone (青石) carved by craftsmen in Quanzhou decorate the layers of arms surrounding the tomb’s forecourt. Such panels carved in fine relief tell stories of heroes and villains, lovers and rivals, and other characters from the legends and histories of China of old. 

However, the standout Sikh guard statues, western angels and other Nanyang features remind one that this is not China. Unlike graves in China, tombstones and panels bear inscriptions in English. Various dating systems spanning the first half of the 20th century are used, and  names may show hints of Peranakan Malay and foreign languages. Decorative tiles produced in Europe and Japan, commonly found on the walls of old shophouses and mansions, complete the look of the Nanyang. It is this rich and myriad material culture which makes it an unique open air exhibition space unparallelled in the region.

During Qingming (清明) – the Chinese Tomb Sweeping Festival – and on other occasions, descendants and religious groups flock to the cemetery to pay respects to those who lay there. They bring along local delicacies which might have been the favourite of the deceased, and perform localised rituals such as placing cockle shells  on the raised mound of the tomb. 

To check if the spirits have taken their fill of the offerings before these are cleared, the traditional moon blocks are thrown. Over time, many have adapted to the more convenient device of tossing two coins to check for the combination of heads or tails. 

As we develop as a nation and society, we hope the fires of offering papers will continue to burn brightly in the cemetery in the years ahead and that the spirit of remembering our pioneers will not be dampened.

by Ang Yik Han