Shantou – Getting To The Root Part 1

When I told some friends we are going to Shantou in China, you can see the change in their expressions. It is an expression of confusion, lost for words, where in the world is Shantou or you must be crazy. What is there to see in Shantou? Don’t you think the money is better spent visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Soo Chou, Xian or some bigger cities?

Well, like everything there is always a reason. To understand the reason, we have to travel back in time to many years ago. So come and take a walk with me.

My parents-in-law came to Malaya before the 2^nd World War. My father-in-law (FIL) came from a well to do family and was highly educated. His father was a merchant and hails from Shantou and has businesses in China and Malaya. Thus he travels up and down between these two countries. He owns a wholesale business trading in imported goods from UK, China and around the world. The shop was in Jalan Rodger, a few doors away from the Central Market in Kuala Lumpur. The shop is still standing there today.

My mother-in-law (MIL) also came from Shantou. She came from a well to do family. Her father was a rice merchant in Shantou. In those days it is unheard of girls getting education but her father saw to it that his daughters should have the best education. He hired private tutor for his children. My MIL also helped to look after and run the shop and again it was unheard of in those days. My MIL is Tom Boyish. She is very inquisitive and has learned traditional medicine from a Sifu in her village. My brothers and sister-in-laws testifies they have never been to a western doctor in their younger days and have always asked her for advice after they left home until she passed away. My MIL would use her traditional skill and natural path medicine to cure their ailments. Many stories have been told of her skills. That will be another story for another day.

My FIL village is “Phua Ling” and my MIL village is “Kwek Ling”. The 2 villages are separated by a river and surrounded by paddy fields. The river was their life line. It provided water for drinking and cooking and gave life to the paddy fields.

Because my MIL was tomboy, many match makers shunned her. During those days girls got married as early as 12 years old, any older than that it was hard to find a prospective husband. All hope was lost for my MIL as she passed 12 but God has his own plan.

When the time came for my FIL to look for a wife, a match maker wanted to make money, decided to match make my MIL to him, knowing if she succeed, she will be rewarded with a big Ang Pow. So she took my FIL and his parents to my MIL home. The plan was to have my MIL to walk pass at a distance through the courtyard, so my FIL can have a glance at her. If he is happy with her, the match maker will pass the good news to her parents.

It was love at first sight for my FIL and he agreed to marry my MIL. So after consulting and astrologer, a date was arranged for the marriage. (If any single girls out there reading this and wondering if they will ever find a husband, do not lose hope, your soul mate is out there. It is all in God’s timing. Be patience).

On day of the wedding, in the midst of celebration, bandits came down from the hill looking for my FIL hoping to kidnap him for a ransom because he was a rich man’s son. Those days, bandits are egoistic and would make loud noises – banging their gongs to announce their arrival as they descend from the hills. This gave the villagers sufficient time to scatter and hide. My FIL ran off into the wood and hid himself until the bandits left.

The incident left him shaken and he never forgotten about it. He moved out of the village and bought a piece of land and built a home near the coast. I was told during his days you could see the sea from the house. Today you cannot see the sea because of land reclamation with new high rise buildings. Ever since that day my FIL & MIL moved out of his village, my FIL never returned to his village. He hated the bandits and vowed to never returned the village.

My FIL’s father business in KL was flourishing and he was summoned to KL. He set sailed with his wife and their 3 year old son to Malaya.

To Be continued