The Teochew Store Blog / Singapore

Teochew Letters: The Story of A People, Penned By The People

"... the true value of the Teochew Letters can only be unlocked by the people they are addressed to. Individually, every set of letters tell the stories and struggles of a family in a moment of history. But put together, all of them express the purpose and meaning of life to every common man - to seek the betterment of life for the ones who love us, and to pass this dream to the children after us."

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Rise of the Red Head Junks - When the Teochew Forefathers Overcame the Odds

In 1684 the fourth emperor of the Qing dynasty Kangxi (reign 1661-1722) issued a decree to re-open the coastline of China for maritime activities. The decision marked an end restrictions on private overseas trade imposed on the Chinese people since the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and began also the rehabilitation of the southern Chinese coast, which a prolonged war fought between the Manchurian invaders of China and the powerful merchant-pirate in Fujian Zheng Chenggong thoroughly devastated. However for the Teochew region, whose population bore the brunt of the worst savagery committed by the two sides, the road to recovery only commenced with the voyage of its first migrants to Siam (now Thailand) during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng (1723 to 1735). 
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Everyone Loves a Good Storyteller - We Teochews Especially

Ng Chia Keng (黃正經, a play on the expression 唔正經 m-tsia-geng, meaning “improper”) was a household name amongst the Teochew communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong from the 1940s to the early 1980s. Several times a week adults and even children glued themselves to their radio sets at homes and in workplaces to listen to the broadcast of his speeches. But the man whose real name was Ng Yong Khern (黄庸根) was neither a political figure nor a wealthy community leader. He was a storyteller.. (more)

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