1
The biography of Mr Kwik Siang Kaw and his family
( prepared by the Hong Kong Local Record Foundation)
The background of Kwik Siang Kaw
Kwik Siang Kaw (郭雙蛟) (1899-1928), the eldest son of Java’s “Sugar King”
Kwik Djoen Eng (郭春秧), died at the age of 29. Kwik Siang Kaw was born and
buried in Fujian, China, yet he spent most of his time in Indonesia for taking care of
his father’s business. Born as a son of a wealthy and influential Chinese businessman
not just in Indonesia, but also in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, the short life
of Kwik Siang Kaw illustrated and partly represented the life of overseas Chinese in
Southeast Asia in the early 1900s.
Kwik Siang Kaw was born in Fujian, China in 18 February 1899. He left China
for Indonesia where his father was living when he reached the school age, and studied
at Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan School (THHK, 中華會館) in Semarang, Indonesia.1 The
first Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan was founded in 1900 in Batavia. It was established by a
group of overseas Chinese aiming to keep the Chinese customs and tradition, and to
develop science. It hoped to “develop the teaching of Confucius and changing habits
in performing marriage ceremonies and funeral mass”.2 Then the first Tiong Hwa
Hwee Kwan School called "Tiong Hoa Han Tong (中華學堂)" was established in
1901 using a modern system which was similar to that of China and Japan.3 The
development of the school went quite well and a new school was established in
Semarang in 1904. THHK has been running over 100 years and still operates
currently in Indonesia.4 Later on, Kwik Siang Kaw went to Singapore to continue his
study.5 In September 1915, Kwik Siang Kaw went to Hong Kong and studied in St.
Stephen’s College with his half-brother, Kwik Bok Hing (郭博享). Their guardian
was a merchant called George Artis Pentreath, whose company, Pentreath Co., was
located at Alexandra Building in Central.6
1 “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.
2 Paksakerah Makenyok. “T.H.H.K = Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan 中华会馆 (Zhong Hua Hui Guan)
dengan Istilah Tionghoa & Tiongkok”. Available at
http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2010/08/24/thhk-tiong-hoa-hwee-koan-%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%
E4%BC%9A%E9%A6%86-zhong-hua-hui-guan-dengan-istilah-tionghoa-tiongkok-237387.html
(Accessed on 17 February 2015). 3 Ibid.
4 〈Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan /(Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan) School (THHK, 中華會館) 〉,《印尼星洲
日報》,2012 年 12 月 18 日。 5 “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.
6 Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the
Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary Schools. (St. Stephen’s College,
1903-1951), 89-90; “It is believed that Pentreath & Co. had business with KHT since the company was
2
The establishment of St. Stephen’s College was proposed in 1901. Sir Ho Kai (何
啟) and Dr. Tso Seen Wan (曹善允), together with six other Chinese businessmen and
scholars, submitted a petition to the colonial government to establish an English
public school to provide English education with Western knowledge on Christian
principles for the Chinese youth.7 Tso was educated in England and he understood
the importance of Western education for the Chinese and the necessity of receiving
education in Hong Kong instead of studying aboard. The proposal, which was
strongly supported by Bishop Joseph Hoare and Archdeacon William Banister8, was
approved by the colonial government. In 1903, the College was officially established
and operated, with the first intake of six boarders and one day pupil. The College was
first established on Bonham Road (般咸道) in Sai Ying Pun (西營盤), where Hong
Kong University is currently located.9
When Kwik Siang Kaw studied in St. Stephen’s College in 1915, he was the 941
student since the establishment of the school.10
During that period, there were around
130 students admitted per year, among which 40 were boarders.11
This school
attracted the attention of overseas Chinese students as it aimed to provide the similar
education of English public school. There were overseas students coming from
Southeast Asia, such countries as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, and
Thailand.12
Two years after Kwik Siang Kaw was admitted, his brother Kwik Siang
Go (郭雙鰲) went to the same school on 24 September 1917. Ten years later, on 12
September 1927, his another brother Kwik Siang Kie (郭雙麒) also joined. In fact, a
few of his brothers or half-brothers followed after. His brother Kwik Chao Beng
joined in 1927, and cousins Kwik Han Khiok (郭漢曲) and Kwik Jian Han (郭兆涵)
one of the liabilities of KHT Company in 1928. Peter, Post, “The Kwik Hoo Tong Trading Society of
Semarang, Java: A Chinese Business Network in Late Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian
Studies, 33(2)(2002): 292. 7 “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at
http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=72 (Accessed on
10 February 2015). 8 "University of Hong Kong - The Conferring of Degrees", The Hongkong Daily Press, 10 January
1924, 4 & 5. 9 “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at
http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=72 (Accessed on
10 February 2015). 10
Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the
Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary Schools. (St. Stephen’s College,
1903-1951), 90. 11
St. Stephen’s College council meeting minutes from 13 March 1914 to 5 December1921. (St.
Stephen’s College, 1914-1921), 23. 12
“History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at
http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=72 (Accessed on
10 February 2015).
3
joined in 1930. Even as late as in 1949, his cousins Kwik Sin Sing (郭申生), Kwik
Kah Sing (郭嘉生) and Kwik Tong Siang (郭同生) also joined.13
In 1924, St. Stephen’s College was relocated to Pok Fu Lam when Kwik Siang
Kaw already finished his study and headed back to Indonesia to help his father. The
college was further on the move to Stanley when the government granted the college
23 acres there. The Stanley new campus of the college opened in 1930 and since then
in operation till today.14
In around early 1930s, Kwik Djeon Eng and his descendants
donated money to the college. In return, a portrait of Kwik Djoen Eng was displaced
in the assembly hall in honour of his contribution.15
Kwik Siang Kaw’s life in Indonesia in 1920s
Kwik Siang Kaw met his classmate Chan Shun Kai’s (陳樹階) sister Chan Hing
Wan (陳慶雲) when he was studying at St. Stephen’s College.16
He married her in
Hong Kong in 191917
and had their first daughter in Amoy in 1920.18
Since Chan
Hing Wan bore only daughters to the family, with the encouragement of his father,
Kwik Siang Kaw later on took 3 concubines to have a son. However, Kwik Siang
Kaw in the end had 5 daughters in total, all from his first wife. His first and the only
surviving child Kwok Bik Yuen, Janet (郭碧琬) is currently living in Hong Kong.19
(Please see Appendix for the family tree)
As the eldest son of Kwik Djoen Eng, Kwik Siang Kaw was, by convention,
under obligation to follow his father’s footstep. Kwik Siang Kaw went to Java in 1920
and to assume the headship of NV Kwik Hoo Tong Handelmaatschappij (KHT) while
his father was away to develop business in China and Hong Kong.20
In the same year,
13
Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the
Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary Schools. (St. Stephen’s College,
1903-1951), 89-90,102, 132, 141, 43, 224, 227. 14
Zhou, Lang, “Enriching visitors' experience: a cultural mapping of St. Stephen's College at Stanley,
Hong Kong” (Dissertation, Hong Kong University, 2012),16. 15
E-mail exchanges with Mr. Edward Weinberg, the 5th
generation of Kwik Djoen Eng, dated on 14
February 2015. Interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, daughter of Kwik Siang Kaw, dated on 17th
March 2015. 16
Based on the interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th
March 2015. 17
“Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928. 18
The interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th
March 2015.
Ms. Janet Kwok was only 8 years old when Kwik Siang Kaw died in 1928. 19
Ibid. 20
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 321-323
4
Kwik Djoen Eng and his family invested into a Chinese sugar refining company in
Shanghai called 中華民國製糖股份有限公司. Kwik Siang Kaw was one of the
shareholders and later in 1926 became the major shareholder of the company.21
When
Kwik Siang Kaw was fully in control of KHT, Kwik Djoen Eng established a new
trading company called Ching Siong & Co. in Hong Kong, aiming to expand his sugar
refining industry there. In 1924, Kwik Djoen Eng set up Ching Siong Land
Investment Co. (禎祥建業有限公司)22
of which Kwik Siang Kaw was one of the
contributories.23
Apart from this, Kwik Siang Kaw was directors of a couple of
trading and construction companies including the “Siang Siang”, the “Sanitory Milk
Company”, and the “Frigga”, as well as chairman of the Sam Ban Hien society.24
“Frigga” is a building society in Java founded on 13 June 1922 by Kwik Djoen Eng,
aiming to combine all the real estate business of Kwik Djoen Eng, Kwik Siang Kaw,
and KHT. In fact, the company was found to help Kwik Djoen Eng to manage the
financial problems of KHT by guaranteeing all debts of KHT to De Javasche Bank
(DJB).25
Like his father, Kwik Siang Kaw was a philanthropist that he financially
supported the Chinese-English School (Hoa Ing Tiong Hak 華英中學) in Semarang.26
The Chinese-English School was found in 1916 by Kwik Djoen Eng and his father’s
rival, the first sugar king, Oei Tiong Ham (黃仲涵), founder of the trading company
Kian Gwan (建源公司) in Indonesia.27
The main purpose of the school was to
“provide a modern education in Chinese and English for the children of Chinese
fathers.” And it intended to provide free education and “to follow the curriculum, in
Chinese, of the Peking Board of Education, and in English, of the Straits Settlements
Education Office and the Hongkong University.”28
Unfortunately, Kwik Siang Kaw
suddenly died of influenza in 1928 in Java, while his family was staying in Hong
21
柳和城,〈张元濟與中華國民制糖公司〉,《張元濟研究論文集: 紀念張元濟先生誕辰 140
周年暨第三屆學術思想研討會論文集》(北京:中國文史出版社,2009),頁 375-376。 22
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 326. 23
“The List of Contributors.” Companies Winding-up No. 6 of 1952. Re: The Ching Siong Land
Investment Company Limited. Notices of meetings, lists of creditors & contributories, attendances, etc.
Public Record Office. Kwik Siang Kaw’s assets in the company were all left to his wife after his early
death in 1928. 24
“Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928. 25
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942.(Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014) , 329. 26
“Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928. 27
Leo Suryadinata, Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical dictionary.
(Singapore: Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012), 797. 28
“Chinese-English School, Semarang, Indonesia,” The Straits Times, 13 April 1917, 10. At that time,
only male students were admitted.
5
Kong.29
When the family received the message of his death, they immediately took
the voyage to Java. With Kwik Siang Kaw’s body being kept in his own house,30
the
family stayed in Java for a whole month to wait for steamship Tjisaroea at Nieuwe
Tjandiweg to carry Kwik Siang Kaw’s body from Java to Japan en route to Xiamen.31
Because of Kwik Siang Kaw’s contribution to the community, a huge crowd attended
his funeral to pay him their last tributes. As Kwik Siang Kaw was the patron of
Chinese-English School, a memorial service was held at the school for teachers and
students. Besides the Chinese-English School, another memorial service was also
arranged at Toko Siang Siang with members of Sam Ban Hien joining the
procession.32
As a 69 years old man then, Kwik Djoen Eng grieved the sudden and early death
of Kwik Siang Kaw. He had planned to leave all his business to his eldest son but to
no avail in the end.33
Kwik Djoen Eng died in Taiwan in 1935, 7 years after the death
of his son.34
Kwik Djoen Eng’s early life
Kwik Djoen Eng (Guo Chun Yang in mandarin) (郭春秧,also 郭禎祥,
1859-1935) was born in a small county called Tong’an (同安) in Fujian (or Hokkien
福建) in 1859. He was raised by his grandmother due to the death of his father at his
early age. At the age of 16, Kwik Djoen Eng moved to Java to help his uncle, Kwik
Hoo Tong (郭河東), who had business in Semarang, Indonesia.35
The long history of
Chinese migrating to Indonesia from Fujian could be dated back to the Tang Dynasty
owing to the unstable political and social living condition in China. Fujian, being a
province at the south-eastern coast of China, had the advantage to connect with
Indonesia. Migration was therefore a natural consequence that followed the prosperity
of maritime trade between China and Indonesia. Even when the Dutch colonized
Indonesia in the late 16th
Century, the colonial government was in need of a large
number of Chinese workers or labors for the development in Batavia, and hence
29
The interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th
March 2015. 30
Ibid. 31
Ibid. 32
“De Laatste Reis…Overbrenging vanhelstoffelijk overschot van wijlen den heer Kwik Siang Kow
naar China (The last journey…Transfer of the remains of the late Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw to China),”
Stadsnieuws (City News), Semarang, 14 April 1928. 33
The interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th
March 2015. 34
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 334. 35 Ibid., 289-290.
6
adopted a system of “Kapitein (甲必丹)”, meaning to use Chinese to control
Chinese.36
Therefore, more Chinese migrated or were forced to move to Indonesia in
the next century. Besides, constant social unrests caused by the Taiping Rebellion
starting 1851 drove more Chinese to migrate to Indonesia for better and stable life.37
In 1870, there were around 259,560 Chinese living in Indonesia; the population
increased to 343,793 in 1880. In 1930, half of the Chinese population in Indonesia
came from Fujian.38
As the people in Fujian were good at sugar refinery, they brought production
skill and know how to Indonesia when they settled down there. In addition to the fact
that Java produced cane sugar extensively, there were already a large number of
Chinese merchants operating sugar refining companies in Java in the 18th
century. In
1710 in Java, there were around 130 sugar companies of which 79 were run or
operated by Chinese. In mid-18th
century, almost all sugar companies in Java were
operated by Chinese merchants.39
Kwok Hoo Tong, father of Kwik Djoen Eng, was
one of those merchants. He started his business in refining sugar in the middle of 19th
century in Java. On 17 July 1894, Kwik Djoen Eng and his brother Kwik Hong Biauw
(郭洪淼) joined hands with other three family members Kwik Ing Djie (郭永如),
Kwik Ing Sien (郭永新) and Kwik Ing Hie (郭永禧)40
, established a company to trade
in sugar, tea, rice, and other products in the name of Kwik Hoo Tong. The company
was called NV Kwik Hoo Tong Handelmaatschappij or Kwik Hoo Tong Trading
Society (KHT).41
The main trading product of the company was sugar, especially
lump sugar. At that time Java sugar industry’s development was promising thanks to
the abundant sugar fields in 1880s. In its heyday, KHT even had its own sugar field in
Yogyakarta.42
At the very beginning, Kwik Hong Biauw was the Director in Solo
while Kwik Djoen Eng was in charge of the office in Yogyakarta. In 1916, Kwik
Djoen Eng became the company’s major shareholder.43
36
楊力、葉小敦,《東南亞的福建人》(福建:福建人民出版社,1993),頁 68-72。 37
同上,頁 74。 38
同上,頁 74-75。 39
福建省地方志編纂委員會編,《中華人民共和國地方志福建省志華僑志》(福建:福建人民出
版社,1992),頁 34。 40
The Chinese names of Kwik’s members are retrieved from a family tree prepared by E. Weinberg, a
far descendant of Kwik Djoen Eng. Available on
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000005994194001#6000000002398498737 41
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 295. 42
Ibid, 296;Knight, G.R., Colonial Production in provincial Java: The sugar industry in
Pekalongan-Tegal, 1800-1942. (Amsterdam: VU University Press, 1993), 42. 43
Ibid, 313.
7
Kwik Djoen Eng’s business development in Java and Taiwan in 1900s to 1910s
When Kwik Djoen Eng was helping his uncle, he had developed a huge interest
in tea. He went to Taiwan in 1888 and started a business to export tea from Taiwan to
Semarang via Amoy.44
Kwik Djoen Eng’s talent for trading business was not only
shown in his management performance and experience in KHT, but also in his vision
in the trading of tea. He noticed that there was a huge Chinese population in Southeast
Asia, and that the demand for tea would be very great. His was correct. In 1899, he
fully engaged in the trade and established a tea company named Jinxiang (錦祥) in
Tatoitia (大稻埕), Taipei, Taiwan.45
In 1903, Kwik Djoen Eng became a Taiwan
sekimin (台灣籍民) under the Japanese occupation. According to the Treaty of Trade
and Navigation in 1896 signed between Japan and the Netherlands, a Japanese
overseas colonial citizen registered from Taiwan could share the same legal status as a
European citizen in the Dutch colony. The spirit of the treaty was to allow migrants or
overseas citizens of the two countries to live and work as “European” citizens in the
colonies.46
This citizenship benefited Kwik Djoen Eng a lot, especially in KHT’s tea
trade with Japan. He was able to access to Japanese shipping and to seek funding from
Japanese bank without little difficulties. Later on, owing to his good relationship with
the Japanese government, Kwik Djoen Eng also acquired Japanese nationality. In fact,
Kwik Djeon Eng played a very important role in advising Japanese southward
expansion in Southeast Asia in 1910s.47
Kwik Djeon Eng once suggested that
“Japanese way of interacting with Chinese sojourners should better be
conducted along the following approach: while calculating the
economic progress, Japan must also take care of the moral dimension to
cultivate the emotional bondage. After all, to attract the emotional
support (of Chinese sojourners to the Japanese), on the one hand we
have to make progress on moral dimension, on the other hand, we have
to make the cooperation fit the economic interest”.
44
Ibid, 289-291. 45
Ibid, 291. 46
Kuo, Huei-ying, Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the Hong
Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2004), 82-83; Leo
Suryadinata, Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical dictionary. (Singapore:
Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012), 469-470; Peter, Post, “The Kwik
Hoo Tong Trading Society of Semarang, Java: A Chinese Business Network in Late
Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 33(2)(2002): 279-296. 47
Kuo, Huei-ying, “Social Discourse and Economic Functions: The Singapore Chinese in Japan’s
Southward Expansion between 1914 and 1941,” in Singapore in Global History, ed. Heng, Derek, and
Aljunied, Syed Muhd Khairudin (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011), 116-117.
8
Here, Kwik Djoen Eng particularly referred the Chinese merchants to the Fujian
merchants, like himself. 48
Therefore, his very close relationship with the Japanese
government and his dual nationalities of Taiwanese and Japanese explained the rapid
expansion of his tea and sugar business in Taiwan, Japan and Java. He was
subsequently credited as “Sugar King” by Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij49
in
1916.50
In fact, the global environment also helped Kwik Djeon Eng to earn the title
of “Sugar King” due to the outbreak of the First World War. When the war started, the
demand for sugar was incredibly high and hence the price went up rapidly. With his
good reputation in Java, Kwik Djoen Eng’s sugar business became prospering.51
The zenith of Kwik Djoen Eng’s business life in 1910s to 1920s
Kwok Djoen Eng’s wealth and power reached the apex in the 1910s and 1920s.
He had established a Confucian Association after the First World War and the Bank of
Southern China in 1919. Since Kwik Djoen Eng was raised by his grandmother, he
erected a chastity memorial archway (貞節牌坊) in 1922 to credit his grandmother in
his village (nowadays Laio Dong Village (寮東村), Jiao Mei Town (角美鎮),
Zhangzhou County (漳州)) in Fujian.52
The archway was preserved and respected by
the villagers for appreciating Kwik Djoen Eng’s contribution to the village, though he
spent a longer time in Java. Since the archway was built after the May Fourth
Movement, it was believed to be the last or newest chastity memorial archway in
China.53
In his hometown, Kwik Djeon Eng financially supported the building of 錦
湖小學 (Jinghu Primary School), offering free education to the children. He
established 嵩江孔聖大道會, a charitable organization aiming to help the poor. He
also opened 大道醫局 (Dadao Hospital), providing medical service to the villagers.54
The most important contribution made by Kwik Djeon Eng was the introduction of
48
Guo Chunyang, “Nanyō bōeki to kakyō 南洋貿易と華僑 (South Seas trade and overseas
Chinese,” Nanyō Kyōkai Zasshi 南洋協會雜誌(NKZ thereafter) Vol.5, no.5 (May 1919): 42 -43.
Quoted from Kuo, Huei-ying, Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the
Hong Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 82. 49
Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM) is a trading company in the Netherlands. It was
established in 1824 and was supported by the King Willem I aiming to do the trade between the
Netherlands and the Netherlands Indies. The company shifted his business from trading to banking in
1870. A branch office was opened in Hong Kong in 1889. 50
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 311. 51
丁寧,〈從月圓封閉事件憶起糖王郭春秧〉.The source is provided by Mr. Edward Weinberg. 52
盧志明、章韻潔,〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站
http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm , 2015 年 1 月 22 日。 53
同上 54
〈漳州最年輕牌坊志潔行芳坊 述說著一段傳奇〉。取自台海網網站
http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html , 2015 年 2 月 3 日。
9
planting mangrove to protect the shore from the storm. This action greatly improved
the living situation in the village, which was highly praised by the villagers. Hence,
there was a courtyard (春秧堂) named after Kwik Djoen Eng in one of a historical
building (古厝) in the village.55
Kwik Djeon Eng’s tea trading company in Taiwan also ranked first among all
Baozhong tea exporting companies.56
In 1921-25, he spent a huge amount of money
on the construction of a splendid Chinese style residence for his family in Salatiga,
south of Semarang, to indicate his wealth. The mansion, with a domed cupola at the
centre and four pagodas surrounding the building, represented Kwik Djoen Eng
himself and his four sons, Kwik Siang Kaw, Kwik Siang Go, Kwik Siang Leng, and
Kwik Siang Kie.57
Yet, following the bankruptcy of KHT and his death in 1935, the
mansion was abandoned by members of his family.58
During the Second World War
and the Japanese occupation, the mansion was seized by the Japanese and turned into
an internment camp for the Dutch. After the war, the mansion was acquired by the
Fathers of Immaculate Conception (FIC) church. Hence, the mansion was renamed
Institut Roncalli to memorize Kardinaal Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli, the Pope from
1958-1963.59
Apart from Institut Roncalli, Kwik Djoen Eng had another private
residence in Yogyakarta built in 1918, which had later become the residence of the
Chinese consulate after the war, and was subsequently turned into a hotel called The
Phoenix in 1951.60
Kwik Djoen Eng had also built a villa called “Kwik Djoen Eng’s
Villa” (郭春秧別墅) in Gulangyu (鼓浪嶼), and established Jinxiang Jie (錦祥街), a
street in his name in Xiamen.61
Having heavily invested in Indonesia, Taiwan, and China, Kwik Djoen Eng also
had a great plan to develop his business in Hong Kong. In early 1920s, he opened a
branch company called Keim Tjian Han (錦昌行) in Wing Lok Street, Hong Kong.
55
盧志明、章韻潔,〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站
http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm , 2015 年 1 月 22 日。 56
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 322-323. 57
Ronald G. Knapp, Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia: The Eclectic Architecture of Sojourners and
Settlers. (Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2010), 198-199; “Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive.
Available at http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html (Accessed on 9
February 2015). 58
Ibid, 200. 59
“Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive. Available at
http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html (Accessed on 9 February
2015). 60
“The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection”. Available at
http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-collection/presentatio
n.shtml (Accessed on 9 February 2015). 61
〈郭春秧廊下觀滄海〉。取自 http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html , 2015 年 2 月 26 日。
10
Shortly after its opening, the company had become “one of the biggest sugar dealers
in Nam Pak Han” (南北行).62
Kwik’s family business development Hong Kong in 1920s – 1930s
In the 1920s, to further expand his business out of Java, Kwik Djoen Eng bought
a huge plot of land (75,000 square meters) in North Point, Hong Kong for land
reclamation and the building of quay wall which was deemed to be an ideal place for
deep sea shipping, and hence could be used for a place to establish a sugar refining
factory.63
However, the plan was aborted owing to the outbreak of the Canton-Hong
Kong General Strike and Boycott (省港大罷工) during the construction period. Also,
in 1927, the price of sugar dropped sharply and Kwik Djoen Eng found no benefit to
develop sugar refining industry anymore. As a result, he changed the land to
residential use and established 40 houses there, making the area a flourishing
neighbourhood. The colonial British government named the street “Chun Yeung
Street” (春秧街 ) in July 1933 to commemorate Kwik’s contribution to the
development of North Point.64
Chung Yeung Street is now one of the bustling streets
in Hong Kong, yet when Kwik Djoen Eng first arrived at Hong Kong, he was nobody
for the Hong Kong people. They only knew that Kwik Djoen Eng was a very rich man
who carried 20 million cash to Hong Kong.65
Kwik Djoen Eng also opened a night
club (麗池夜總會 ) in the eastern end of North Point, and North Point eventually
attracted many Shanghai immigrants coming to reside and work after the Second
World War. North Point was hence called “Little Shanghai” until after 1960s, when it
was called “Little Fujian” following the rapid increase of Fujianese residents who fled
from the anti-Chinese movement in Indonesia.66
Since 1929, Kwik Djoen Eng was honorary chairman of the 旅港福建商會, a
Fujianese association founded by a renowned businessman Tu Siduan (杜四端) in
62
“Java Sugar King Dies in Formosa. A Fukien Merchant who amassed huge fortunes in N.L.,” The
Strait Times, 1 February 1935, 19. 63
Ibid, 327; Reclamation (and Wharfage) at North Point , Report on the Commercial Development of
the Port of Hong Kong by John Duncan, M. Inst. C.E., Chartered Civil Engineer, Port Engineer, Hong
Kong, 1924, 12. 64
徐振邦,《穿街過巷香港地》(香港:書名號,2009),頁 30-31。 65
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 326. 66
彥火,〈琴台客聚:春秧街的來歷〉,《文匯報》,2014 年 10 月 29 日;〈從街道建築找歷
史: 北角春秧街〉。取自 http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247 , 2015 年 1 月 21 日。
11
1916. Although Kwik Djoen Eng did not actively take part in any activity of the
association, he financially supported the establishment of a Fujian school in 1926.67
The downfall of Kwik’s family business in 1930s and after
Good time does not last long. With the large amount of capital invested in
overseas, the construction of several houses in Surabaya, and other inaccessible
money or estate, the financial problem of shortage of liquid assets of KHT began to
emerge after 1922.68
The situation became even worse especially when Kwik Djoen
Eng was away from Java, leaving his son Kwik Siang Kaw to manage the firm. Worse
still, on 29 February 1928, Kwik Siang Kaw suddenly died, Kwik Djoen Eng had to
head back to Java to deal with debts and tax problems.69
Unfortunately, irrespective
of the efforts made by Kwik Djoen Eng, the overall circumstances did not allow him
to restore his business, particularly at the time of worldwide economic crisis in
1929.70
Kwik Siang Leng (郭雙龍) – the intended successor to Kwik Siang Kaw, had
no choice but to reduce the business to only importing tea from Taiwan. The business
did help KHT for a while until the financial support of Bank of Taiwan was
terminated in 1932 due to KHT’s huge debt to the bank.71
In January 1935, the
government declared that KHT was bankrupted, just a few days after the death of
Kwik Djoen Eng in Taiwan at the age of 75.72
Although KHT went bankrupted in 1935, Kwik Djoen Eng’s second son, Kwik
Siang Go was still in charge of the Ching Siong Land Investment Co. in Hong Kong
along with the contributors, including his brothers, Kwik Siang Leng and Kwik Siang
Kie, Chan Hing Wan, Chan Shu Kai, Lam Kwai Sing (林季繩, husband of Chan Hin
Wan’s sister), and Hsu Kwan Chun (許冠群, the intimate friend of Kwik Siang Go
and the trustee of shares of Kwik Siang Go).73
Apart from Chung Yeung Street, the
Yuet Yuen Street (月園街) nearby was also related to the Kwik’s family. In 1949,
Kwik Siang Go, under the name of Ching Siong Land Investment Co., and a
businessman Charlie took charge of the establishment of an amusement park called
67
李培德,〈香港的福建商會與福建商人網絡〉,李培德編,《近代中國的商會網絡及社會功
能》(香港: 香港大學出版社,2009),頁 137-141。 68
Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in
Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 329 69
Ibid, 334 70
Ibid, 338-339. 71
Ibid, 341. 72
Ibid, 344. 73
Companies File no. 634,“The Ching Siong Land Investment Company Limited.” Public Record
Office, 222.
12
Luna Park (Yuet Yuen 月園遊樂場) in North Point. The park claimed itself to be the
biggest and most fabulous one in the Fat East. The 6 million Hong Kong dollar park
was opened on 22 December 1949, with a lot of fancy facilities such as Dragon Ride,
Giant Ferris Wheel, Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster, Rocket Ride Swing, Children’s
Playland, swimming pool, restaurant, and zoo.74
However, right after the opening,
two shareholders decided not to invest any longer, Kwik’s family had become the
only shareholder. Worse still, the park did not run well and was in debt for 3 million
after 3 years. The Supreme Court then ordered the closure of the park. It was later on
discovered that Ching Siong Land Investment Co. already sold the park to a rich
businessman Li Sai Wa (李世華) and renamed it to 大世界遊樂場 (Big World
Amusement Park) and reopened in the same year. Yet, due to the poor business, the
park was eventually closed in July 1954 and changed to residential use. In the same
year, the colonial government named one of the streets in the area “Yuet Yuen Street”,
to commemorate the contribution of a once powerful and influential family to this
neighbourhood.75
74
〈十二月二十二日.北角月園遊樂場開幕〉,《香港工商日報》。取自
http://www.oldhkphoto.com/?p=3249, 2015 年 2 月 25 日。 75
梁濤:《香港街道命名考源》(香港:市政局,1992),頁 107。
13
Appendix
Kwik Siang Kaw’s Family Tree
*Chen Wang Zeng had 10 children in total.
#Chan Shu Kai and Li Shu Zeng had 4 children, they are 陳蕉琴, 陳祖恩, 陳炎明 and 陳舜琴.
Kwik Djoen Eng
郭春秧
Pan Family
潘氏
Kwik Siang Kaw
郭雙蛟
Chan Hing Wan
陳慶雲
Chen Wang Zeng*
陳望曾
Chan Shu Kai#
陳樹階
Kwik Siang Kie
郭雙麒
Kwik Siang Leng
郭雙龍
Kwik Siang Go
郭雙鰲
Kwok Bik Yuen
郭碧琬
Kwok Bik Yu
郭碧瑜
Kwok Bik Suen
郭碧璇
Kwok Bik Kam
郭碧琴
Kwok Bik Ying
郭碧螢
Li Shu Zeng
李淑貞
Choy Kwok Hung
蔡國雄
Choy So Chun
蔡蘇珍
Choy Ke Ming
蔡克明
4th wife
四太太
14
Reference
Books and articles
1. “Chinese-English School, Semarang, Indonesia,” The Straits Times, 13 April 1917.
2. “De Laatste Reis…Overbrenging vanhelstoffelijk overschot van wijlen den heer Kwik Siang Kow naar China (The last journey…Transfer of the remains of the late Mr.
Kwik Siang Kaw to China),” Stadsnieuws (City News), Semarang, 14 April 1928.
3. “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemi
d=72 (Accessed on 10 February 2015).
4. “Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive. Available at
http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html
(Accessed on 9 February 2015).
5. “Java Sugar King Dies in Formosa. A Fukien Merchant who amassed huge fortunes in
N.L.,” The Strait Times, 1 February 1935.
6. “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.
7. “The List of Contributors.” Companies Winding-up No. 6 of 1952. Re: The Ching
Siong Land Investment Company Limited. Notices of meetings, lists of creditors &
contributories, attendances, etc. Public Record Office.
8. “The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection”. Available at
http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-
collection/presentation.shtml (Accessed on 9 February 2015).
9. “University of Hong Kong - The Conferring of Degrees”, The Hongkong Daily Press,
10 January 1924.
10. Claver, Alexander. Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial
Relationships in Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic
Pub, 2014.
11. Companies File no. 634,“The Ching Siong Land Investment Company Limited.”
Public Record Office.
12. Guo Chunyan., “Nanyō bōeki to kakyō 南洋貿易と華僑 (South Seas trade and
overseas Chinese,” Nanyō Kyōkai Zasshi 南洋協會雜誌(NKZ thereafter) Vol.5,
no.5 (May 1919): 42 -43. Quoted from Kuo, Huei-ying. Networks beyond
Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the Hong Kong-Singapore
Corridor, 1914-1941. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014.
15
13. Knight, G.R. Colonial Production in provincial Java: The sugar industry in
Pekalongan-Tegal, 1800-1942. Amsterdam: VU University Press, 1993.
14. Kuo, Huei-ying. “Social Discourse and Economic Functions: The Singapore Chinese
in Japan’s Southward Expansion between 1914 and 1941,” in Singapore in Global
History, ed. Heng, Derek, and Aljunied, Syed Muhd Khairudin. Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press, 2011,111-133.
15. Kuo, Huei-ying. Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the
Hong Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic
Pub, 2004.
16. Leo Suryadinata. Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical
dictionary. Singapore: Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, 2012.
17. Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance
with the Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary
Schools. St. Stephen’s College, 1903-1951.
18. Paksakerah Makenyok. “T.H.H.K = Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan 中华会馆 (Zhong Hua
Hui Guan) dengan Istilah Tionghoa & Tiongkok”. Available at
http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2010/08/24/thhk-tiong-hoa-hwee-koan-%E4%B8
%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%BC%9A%E9%A6%86-zhong-hua-hui-guan-dengan-is
tilah-tionghoa-tiongkok-237387.html (Accessed on 17 February 2015).
19. Peter, Post. “The Kwik Hoo Tong Trading Society of Semarang, Java: A Chinese
Business Network in Late Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies,
33(2), 2002, 279-296.
20. Reclamation (and Wharfage) at North Point , Report on the Commercial Development
of the Port of Hong Kong by John Duncan, M. Inst. C.E., Chartered Civil
Engineer, Port Engineer, Hong Kong, 1924, 12.
21. Ronald G. Knapp. Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia: The Eclectic Architecture of
Sojourners and Settlers. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2010.
22. St. Stephen’s College council meeting minutes from 13 March 1914 to 5 December1921.
St. Stephen’s College, 1914-1921.
23. Zhou, Lang. “Enriching visitors' experience: a cultural mapping of St. Stephen's
College at Stanley, Hong Kong.” Dissertation, Hong Kong University, 2012.
24. 〈Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan /(Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan) School (THHK, 中華會館) 〉,
《印尼星洲日報》,2012 年 12 月 18 日。
16
25. 〈從街道建築找歷史: 北角春秧街〉。取自
http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247 , 2015 年 1 月 21 日。
26. 〈郭春秧廊下觀滄海〉。取自 http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html, 2015 年 2 月 16
日。
27. 〈漳州最年輕牌坊志潔行芳坊 述說著一段傳奇〉。取自台海網網站
http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html , 2015
年 2 月 3 日。
28. 李培德,〈香港的福建商會與福建商人網絡〉,李培德編,《近代中國的商會網
絡及社會功能》,香港: 香港大學出版社,2009。
29. 彥火,〈琴台客聚:春秧街的來歷〉,《文匯報》,2014 年 10 月 29 日;
30. 柳和城,〈张元濟與中華國民制糖公司〉,《張元濟研究論文集:紀念張元濟先
生誕辰 140 周年暨第三屆學術思想研討會論文集》,北京:中國文史出版社
,2009。
31. 夏歷,《古今香港系列: 香港中區街道故事》,香港:三聯書店(香港)有限公司,
1989。
32. 徐振邦,《穿街過巷香港地》,香港:書名號,2009。
33. 楊力、葉小敦,《東南亞的福建人》,福建:福建人民出版社,1993。
34. 福建省地方志編纂委員會編,《中華人民共和國地方志福建省志華僑志》,福建
:
福建人民出版社,1992。
35. 盧志明、章韻潔,〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站
http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm, 2015 年 1 月
12 日。
Interviews
1. Email interview with Mr. Edward Weinberg, Kwik Djeon Eng’s descendent, on 14th
and
22th February 2015.
2. Interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, daughter of Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th
March 2015.