Lives in the Letters | 侨批中的故事

If there is one thing the Teochew Letters tell us about our Teochew forebears, it is the central place family occupied in their lives. This is evident in the emigrants’ deep reverence for their elderly parents, their enduring longing for spouses separated by distance, and their constant concern for their children’s well-being and future. As the stories in the letters below show, family was not merely a commitment or duty; to them, family was life itself.

潮州侨批让我们看到祖辈潮州人的一个核心特质：家庭在他们生命中居于中心。下列侨批中的故事表明，家庭对他们而言不只是责任或义务，更是生命的全部——远渡重洋的游子对年迈父母满怀敬意，分隔两地的夫妻彼此思念，对子女的安康与前程牵肠挂肚。

The Road of Endless Sorrow

This Teochew Letter was sent by an emigrant in Indonesia to his family in Teochew, enclosing a seven-character quatrain:

The distant road to a foreign land stretches endlessly;
Heartbroken, day after day, from dusk till dawn.
The familiar sights of home have become but empty dreams;
When will this sorrow ever begin to fade?

Titled 難 (Hardship), the poem captures the struggles endured by countless overseas Chinese labourers of that era, as well as their helpless longing for home.

難
印尼陈某寄给潮州侨属的侨批，内夹一纸信笺，上书一首七言绝句：“迢递客乡去路遥，断肠暮暮复今朝。风光梓里成虚梦，惆怅何时始得消？”此诗以一个“难”字为题，写尽了多少侨胞当年出洋打工的艰辛，以及对故乡思念的无奈。

A Filial Heart in a Letter
This letter was sent from Singapore by a man surnamed Teo to his parents in Chao’an. The stamp on the reverse identifies the letter-remittance agency in Singapore. The date, recorded in the traditional sexagenary cycle, together with the envelope design and linguistic style, indicates that the letter was written in 1931 rather than 1871.

The letter reveals Teo’s strong sense of filial devotion. He instructs his wife to show respect and obedience to his mother, and to prioritise her care at all times. He also reminds his parents to look after their health and diet.

一片孝心寄批中
此批为新加坡张某寄给潮安父母的侨批。封背盖有“新加坡再和成伟记分局信局”戳记，书写时间为辛八月十八日，参照同户其他批信，推定为一九三一年。

张某在批信中流露出孝敬母亲之情，不仅嘱咐妻子“切宜尊崇家母教道（导），辰（晨）昏切要奉侍吾母为要”，更希望大人起居珍重，努力加餐。孝顺之心跃然纸上，使人读之倍加感念。

Barely Making a Living
This letter was sent from Vietnam by a man surnamed Siao to his parents in Chenghai. Like many new emigrants, Shao reported earning only meagre daily wages. Barely able to feed himself, he asked his parents for their understanding that he was unable to remit money home every month.

月薪无多
图为越南华侨邵某寄给澄海父母的侨批。根据信中所说，该侨胞和大多数初涉异域的游子一样，每日薪水仅能勉强糊口，实无能力多寄批款回家，信中述及“月薪无多，只能操一己生活而已”。

A Daughter's Update
This letter was sent in July 1958 by a daughter in Singapore to her parents in Chao'an. She updated them on the situations of her siblings abroad: her younger brother was helping the elder brother with his business; the third younger brother had ended his business, but without suffering much loss; and her second sister-in-law had given birth to a son. She also enclosed a remittance of 20 Hong Kong dollars for her parents.

女儿报家音
这是一位女儿从新加坡写给潮安父母的信（一九五八年七月）。她给父母寄回二十元港币，并在信中陈述了各兄弟姐妹在外的近况：弟弟现在帮哥哥料理生意，三弟生意已收盘，但亏损不多，二嫂刚生下一个男孩。

A Son-in-Law’s Letter Home
This letter (probably dated before 1935) was written by a son-in-law in Siam to his parents-in-law in Chenghai. In it, he reassured them of his well-being and enclosed ten silver dollars for their use. He also promised to remit more if he earned more.

女婿报安
这是一位女婿从泰国写给在澄海岳父母的信（约在一九三五年之前）。他在信中向岳父母报平安，并寄回光银（大银）十元给他们使用，承诺如果有厚利入手，就会多寄一点。

Family Affection on a Long Scroll
This letter, dated November 1946, was written by a man from Chenghai surnamed Koh to his wife. Before leaving China to seek his livelihood overseas, he had worked as a primary school teacher, and his educational background is evident in the clarity and literary quality of his writing. Preserved on a scroll approximately one metre in length, the letter is densely written in over a thousand Chinese characters arranged in neat columns.

长卷家情
该批寄于一九四九年十一月，信笺长达一米，是澄海侨胞高某写给妻子的，密密麻麻记述了一千多字。写批人出洋谋生之前曾任小学老师，有较好的文学功底，执笔写批畅所欲言、文情并茂。该侨批字迹工整清秀，具有较高观赏性。

In the letter, Koh reflected on a range of topics, including children’s education, social relations, and overseas conditions. He placed particular emphasis on the importance of schooling for both his son and daughter, describing literacy and learning as an indispensable necessity in life, regardless of their future occupations. He also told his wife that in postwar Siam (Thailand), both officials and civilians were also learning Chinese culture, citing this as a practical lesson for his children. Observing the rapid growth of Chinese-language schools following China’s victory, he wrote with excitement and pride.

The letter conveys Koh’s deep pride in China’s postwar revival and his mixed emotions at the growing presence of Chinese learning overseas. “So long as the nation prospers,” he wrote, “why worry that the Chinese people will lack a place of settlement in the future?” His words capture the aspirations and anxieties of a diaspora family during a period of regional transition.

Written in an elegant and disciplined hand, the letter transforms a personal communication into a document of both literary and historical significance.

此批信内容涉及子女教育、人情世故、社会关系、国外形势等等。高某在信中强调子女入学读书是人生必不可少的大事，并告知战后泰国官民也在学习中国文化，以此实例言传身教。

“儿子与女儿不论将来做何职业，须欲知书识字，方可希望出人头天。闻暹罗自我国胜利后......目下学校开办已如雨后春笋......”言犹未尽，侨胞对祖国复兴、外国人读中国书觉得非常兴奋自豪，百感交集，感叹道：“只欲国家兴隆，何患将来中国人无安身之所乎......”

A Debt of Gratitude
Driven by poverty, the sender of this letter, a man surnamed Liu from Puning, left his wife and children in the care of relatives and travelled to faraway Siam in search of a livelihood.

In his letter, Liu expressed with unquestionable sincerity to his maternal elder cousin, who took in and fed his family, "gratitude that will not be forgotten in one's lifetime."

一饭之恩
该批寄批人刘某是普宁人，因家境贫穷，为生活所迫，辞别妻儿，远渡重洋赴泰国谋生。其妻儿不得不投靠亲戚，聊以度日。此批寄给收留刘某妻儿的表兄，“一饭之恩，当永世不忘”，表达侨胞感激亲属之意。一字一句诉诸纸上，让人读后深表同情，心生怜悯。

A Father’s Instruction to Sell Family Possessions
This 1958 letter was written by a father in Singapore to his son in Swatow. He lamented that age had taken a toll on him and that he was often troubled by minor ailments. With the heavy financial burdens of supporting his family overseas, he was unable to remit more money to his son, sending only 50 Hong Kong dollars. He instructed his son that if the money was truly insufficient, he should first sell some family possessions to tide things over. The father promised to send more money once he had better profits.

父嘱变卖家产
这是一位在新加坡的父亲于一九五八年写给儿子的信。他自怨年老体衰，经常有些小毛病，外洋家中负担又重，所以没办法给儿子多寄些钱（仅寄回五十元港币）。他嘱咐儿子，如果钱真的不够用，就先变卖家中的一些东西，等到他厚利入手，再寄多一点钱回去。

A Promised Reunion
In the Teochew Letters, lovers often addressed each other affectionately as "Silly Brother" and "Virtuous Sister." In this Teochew Letter, the writer composed a seven-character regulated verse to share with his lover the hardships of running a business in Siam.

He promised to return home for a New Year reunion and noted that a remittance of 40 Hong Kong dollars was enclosed with the letter. The letter was written on printed airmail stationery.

愚兄贤妹
在潮州侨批中，过去恋人间会以“愚兄”“贤妹”互称。此侨批里，男子以七言长诗向家乡的恋人倾诉在外做生意的不易，并承诺新年回家重聚，随信寄上四十元港币。信纸为印制的航空信纸。

A Wife in Despair
This return letter was sent in late 1949 by a woman to her husband’s elder brother in Siam. The writer was in despair, having not heard from her husband since he left overseas many years earlier. Despite having received a remittance of 200,000 gold yuan from her brother-in-law, the person to whom the woman most wished to express her innermost feelings was unmistakable.

She wrote: “Since you left for Siam, you have not sent a letter home for several years. Fortunately your elder brother has been sending us money, otherwise we would have starved.

“We have been married for almost ten years. Even though our family is poor, I have no complaints. My only desire is for you to earn enough money to support the family. Yet over these years you have been living freely overseas, without care or concern for your wife and son. You are indeed a man without conscience!”

We cannot be certain whether the husband was indeed as heartless as his wife believed. His disappearance itself remains a mystery. The silence of the brother-in-law also raises the possibility that he may have had news of his younger brother that he could not bring himself to disclose.

寄泰国丈夫回批
此回批写于民国三十八年冬，即一九四九年底。这是一位在家守候丈夫多年、却未得丈夫一纸一字的弱女子，向丈夫之兄谢某控诉丈夫无情的批信。

女子在信中向丈夫抱怨：“自从你去了暹罗，已经几年没有寄信回家，幸亏得到你哥哥寄钱救济，我们才不至于挨饿。我杨氏跟你做夫妇也将近十年，家里饥寒交加的时候，我也没有怨言，只希望你在外面挣到钱能够让家人有饭吃。谁知数年来你在外面只顾独自逍遥，放任我们母子不管，你真是一个良心丧尽的男子啊！”

此回批是在其夫之兄谢某寄来金圆券二十万元后，杨氏寄出的回批。我们不知道其夫是否真如信中所写那般无情无义——出门在外的丈夫，也可能遭遇意外，而其兄不敢告知家中的弟妇，也是可能的。

The Dutiful Wife
This is a reply letter (dated circa the late 1940s) from a wife in Raoping to her husband. In it, she acknowledged receipt of his remittance of 500,000 National Currency dollars. Regarding his instructions to handle fengshui arrangements (i.e., the construction of the family grave), she explained that the high cost of living had made it difficult to proceed with the work. Using the price of rice — over 200,000 National Currency dollars per picul — as an example, she noted that the money sent was insufficient, and that construction could only begin after the harvest at the end of the sixth lunar month. At the end of the letter, she expressed hope that he would make greater profits and send more money home.

当家待夫归
这是一个在饶平妻子写给丈夫的回批（大约上世纪四十年代晚期）。她在信中表示，已收到丈夫汇来的五十万元国币。对于丈夫嘱托的办理风水（建造坟墓）之事，她说最近物价很高，像谷子每担就要二十余万元，寄来的钱实在不够，因此要等到六月冬（即早稻）收成之后才可以动工。在信的最后，她希望丈夫能有厚利入手，多寄一点钱回家。

A Son-in-Law's Letter Home
This is a letter (probably dated before 1935) written by a man who had migrated to Siam, addressed to his parents-in-law in Chaoyang. In the letter, he stated that he had taken a new foreign wife in the second lunar month and had also sent 110 silver dollars to his wife at home for household expenses. Regarding the proposed purchase of a house, he asked his parents-in-law to write back with the detailed arrangements, and he would remit the necessary funds accordingly.

一封女婿的侨批
这是一封移居泰国的女婿写给在潮阳的岳父母的信（约在一九三五年之前）。他在信中表示，自己已于2月份新娶了一个外洋女子，并寄回大银一百一十元给家中的妻子作家用。至于岳父母提及的买房子之事，他请他们将详细情况写明寄来，他会寄钱回家购买。

Three Hundred Dollars for a Son
This reply letter, dating from the early 1950s, was written by Zhang to her husband, who was living in Selangor (now part of Malaysia). In the letter, she acknowledged receiving “the 300 Hong Kong dollars remitted for the purchase of a son, together with a letter.”

In pre-1949 China, the buying and selling of children was not uncommon. As long as a price was agreed upon and both parties were willing, the transaction could be arranged and witnessed by a matchmaker, with the child’s future determined by a simple written contract. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government launched strict measures against the practice. Even parents who sold their own children could face legal prosecution and severe punishment.

买儿三百元
年代为一九五十年代初期。此回批是张氏写给居住在雪兰莪（今属马来西亚）丈夫的。信中告知：“汇来买儿子的港汇三百元正和信一封已经如数收到。

在旧中国，买卖儿童是见怪不怪之事，只要价格谈妥、双方愿意，在媒人的撮合与见证下“一手交货、一手交钱”，孩子的归属就定格在一纸合约上。新中国成立后，政府对买卖儿童进行严厉打击，就算出卖亲生儿子，也应受到法律的追究与严惩。

A Sister’s Care
This letter was sent by an elder sister in Singapore to her younger sister in Jieyang in 1977. She enclosed 210 Hong Kong dollars and provided detailed instructions on how the money should be distributed: 40 dollars was to be kept for the younger sister's use, while the remaining amount was to be given to various relatives and friends according to the amounts specified in the letter.

姐姐的嘱咐
这是一封姐姐在一九七七年从新加坡寄给妹妹的信。她寄回了港币两百一十元，并在信中详细说明了这笔钱的分配方式：四十元留给自己使用，余下部分按信中所列数额分别交予各亲戚朋友。

When Will We Reunite?

This 1949 return letter was written by a son-in-law in Jiexi, Jieyang, to his parents-in-law overseas. He acknowledged receipt of the 50 Hong Kong dollars they had sent. He lamented the hardships of life in Tangshan (i.e. China), where prices were high, and noted that the crops planted in the fields would not be harvested until the third or fourth lunar month of the following year.

The son-in-law expressed his deep longing for his parents-in-law and wondered how they were faring overseas, and when the family would finally be able to reunite. He reported that the three family members at home were all in good health, and that the young child had learned to laugh and play, and was very adorable.

Note: This letter is read in the Hakka language. During the Qing dynasty, Hakka people migrated to the northern parts of the Teochew region, including Jiexi, as well as Fengshun and Dabu, which were formerly under the jurisdiction of Teochew Prefecture.

唐山挂念
这是一封揭阳揭西的女婿写给岳父母的回信（一九四九年）。信中提及已收到岳父母寄来的港币五十元。他感叹唐山（中国）生活十分艰难，物价高昂，田里种的作物又要等到明年三四月才能收成。他表示十分挂念岳父母，不知他们在外洋的生活如何，何时才能举家团聚。唐山家中三人均身体平安，小孩子会笑会玩，非常可爱。

注：这封信是用客家话读出的。清朝时期，客家人移居至潮州地区北部，包括揭西，以及原属潮州府的丰顺和大埔。

The Letter Couriers 水客与批脚——送批人的故事

Personal Items of Zui-Kheh (Water Traveller) Goh Ji Sung
In the early days of the Teochew Letters industry, those who transported remittances and letters between the Teochew region and Southeast Asia were known as zui-kheh (水客), literally "water travellers."

In 1929, Goh Ji Sung, a native of Jieyang, left for Saigon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City) to seek a livelihood. A year later, he became a zui-kheh.

The items displayed below are some of the personal belongings he used during his years as a zui-kheh, accompanying him on his journeys between Jieyang, Chao'an, Saigon, Hanoi, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Singapore, and other places.

Image 1: Abacus and assorted medicines
Image 2: Box of "Chen Shunheng Kidney Relief Pills" that he carried with him
Image 3: Handwritten notebook for accounts and personal notes
Image 4: Ceramic jar and weighing scale
Image 5: Spectacles

In 1943, a severe famine in the Teochew region forced Goh and his family to move once again to Saigon. The last news his relatives received of him in around 1944 was that he was living in the Mekong River region. After that, Goh disappeared without a trace.

水客吴字顺
在侨批业发展早期，那些在潮州地区和东南亚国家之间来回运送款项与侨批的人，称作"水客"。吴字顺，揭阳人，于一九二九年赴越南西贡（今胡志明市）谋生，一年后成为一名水客。以下展品，正是他做水客时所用之物，一直陪伴他往返于揭阳、潮安、西贡、河内、曼谷、金边、新加坡等地。

图一：算盘与各式药品
图二：携带身边的“陈顺恒救肾丸”药盒
图三：记账与记事的手写本
图四：陶罐与秤
图五：眼镜

一九四三年，潮州地区的大饥荒迫使吴字顺携家人再度迁往西贡。其亲友在越于一九四四年最后一次得知他的下落时，他正在湄公河一带生活。此后，吴字顺便杳无音讯。

Letters of Hope in Darkness

Twentieth-century China suffered revolutions, wars, and famines. Yet none of these upheavals could sever the flow of letters between overseas Teochews and their families. Anti-Japanese slogans and patriotic propaganda printed on the covers and writing paper of the Teochew letters provide invaluable documentation of these extraordinary times. But more precious than these are the letters themselves, which record the intense experiences of life in days of darkness, when the only sliver of hope was the love of family across thousands of miles.

非常时期的侨批

二十世纪的中国，革命、战乱与饥荒接踵而至。然而，这些动荡都未能阻断海外潮人与家乡之间的书信往来。侨批批封与信笺上，加盖或印制的抗日口号、爱国标语等，为那段非常岁月留下了珍贵的历史印记。但比这些更珍贵的，是那许许多多的批信本身，记录着潮人在至暗时刻的切身经历：相隔千里，家人的爱，便是黑暗中那唯一的微光。

Covers from the Anti-Japanese Resistance Era
Following Imperial Japan’s occupation of Northeast China (Manchuria) in 1931, the call to “boycott Japanese goods and use Chinese-made goods” became a widely held consensus among people in China and overseas Chinese communities throughout the 1930s. The advertisement on this cover thus serves as a vivid historical record of that era.

This cover, dated the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month in the year Bingzi (1936), is an advertising envelope. The front (top image) features advertisements for the Lion Brand flashlight and Double-Peak battery. It also bears a stamp indicating that payment was to be made in “Guangdong currency.” The back (bottom image ) carries the slogan: “For a brighter future, use Chinese-made goods — Lion Brand flashlight…”

抗日时期批封
自一九三一年日本帝国侵吞中国东北后，“抵制日货，请用国货”成为三十年代绝大多数国人及海外侨胞的共识。此批封上的广告，便是这段历史最好的记录。

该批封时间为“丙子年（一九三六年）十二月初四日”，使用的是广告信封。正面（上图）为醒狮牌电筒和双挑牌电池的广告，封上还印有“订交广东币”章印。封背（下图）广告语为：“君欲前途光明，请用国货——醒狮牌电筒……”

Letters from the Anti-Japanese Resistance Era
Wartime patriotic imagery is printed on the letterheads of these three letters. The first letter bears the call “Save China with Airpower,” reflecting the importance and urgency of air superiority during the war. The second letter carries the emotionally charged lyrics of “The Song of Resistance Against the Enemy,” depicting the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders in China to inspire patriotic spirit among soldiers and civilians alike. The final letter features a battlefield scene with the message “United Against the Common Enemy,” portraying Chinese soldiers fighting bravely on the front lines.

信笺上的抗战
抗日时期，部分侨批信纸上印有抗日救国的标识。例如，“航空救国”则直观地反映出，国难当头之际，制空权对我国抗战的重要性和紧迫性；“抗敌歌”则将日寇在我国犯下的暴行印在信笺上，以激发军民的爱国热情，共御外侮；“敌忾同仇”一图描绘了中国战士浴血沙场、冲锋陷阵的场景。

War Draws Near
In this letter (top image) dated 5 October 1937, a Teochew emigrant in Thailand, surnamed Yeo, wrote of the worsening war situation. Sensing that Teochew would soon fall into enemy hands, he warned his family that correspondence might become difficult to continue.

The letter enclosed a newspaper clipping (bottom image) of an unknown date reporting the Japanese navy’s bombardment off Mayu Island near Swatow. Swatow was eventually occupied by Japanese forces on 5 June 1939.

战火逼近
该信（上图）书写时间为“廿陆年九月初二日”，即一九三七年十月五日。泰国华侨杨某在寄往家中的批信中提及战争形势，预感潮州必陷敌手，告知侨属批信恐难续寄。

信中夹带一份剪报（下图），刊载报纸不详，内容为日本军舰在汕头妈屿外海面开火的暴行。日军最终于一九三九年六月五日占领汕头。

Letters Under the Shadow of War
As Japanese forces advanced toward the Teochew region in 1938, overseas Teochews closely followed developments and expressed deep concern for the safety of their families and their hometowns through the Teochew Letters of this period. Among them was a man surnamed Tan, who was living in Johore Lama, Malaya. He sent four letters to his family in Chenghai between the 2nd and 10th lunar months of that year.

First letter, sent on the 4th day of the 2nd lunar month.
Second letter, sent on the 11th day of the 5th lunar month.
Third letter, sent on the 9th day of the 7th lunar month.
Fourth letter, sent on the 14th day of the 10th lunar month.

Swatow, the main port city of the Teochew region, fell to the Japanese on 21 June 1939, which happened to be the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, the Duanwu Festival.

四封家书，一份牵挂
一九三八年，日军进逼潮州地区，战局动荡，海外侨胞时刻关注局势变化。从这一时期的侨批中，可以看到海外潮人对家乡局势的深切关注，以及对家人的无尽惦念。

以下四封侨批，均为当时居于马来亚（今马来西亚）老柔佛的陈某，于同年四个时期分别寄给澄海家人的书信。

封一 / 信一：：馬戊（一九三八年）贰月初四寄
封二 / 信二：馬戊五月十一日寄
封三 / 信三：馬戊七月初九寄
封四 / 信四：馬戊十月十四日寄

潮州地区的主要海港汕头，最终于公历一九三九年六月二十一日（当天为端午节）被日军占领。

A Letter’s Journey Through War
The Japanese occupation of Swatow severely disrupted the distribution of Teochew letters. This necessitated an alternative route: letters were first consolidated in Vietnam or Hong Kong, then transported by land, sea or air to Xingning in Guangdong's mountainous interior, and finally reaching Kuomintang government-controlled areas in the Teochew region.

This letter was originally sent by post from Pontianak, Indonesia, and dated "the 23rd day of the 9th lunar month in the year Xin" (1941). After reaching Hong Kong, it was transported by air to Shaoguan in northern Guangdong, then forwarded to Xingning and eventually delivered to Jieyang by local letter-remittance agencies.

The printed text on the cover provides valuable historical evidence of this special wartime postal route. On the left side, two vertical lines of text read: "Send to Hong Kong, transfer via Shaoguan to Xingning. For delivery to Wanfeng Letter-remittance Agency, c/o Yiji, Wan Sheng Street."

辗转邮路
汕头沦陷后，海外侨批原有的邮路被迫中断，改由新路线递送：批信先集中至越南或香港，再经陆路、海路或空路运抵广东腹地山区的兴宁，最后送达国民党统治下的潮州地区（如揭阳一带），由当地侨批局投送。

这封侨批原从坤甸寄出，书信时间为“辛九月廿三日”（一九四一年）。此批寄抵香港后，经香港至粤北韶关的航空线运抵韶关邮局，再转至兴宁，最终送达揭阳。批面所印文字，正是这段特殊邮路的珍贵历史记录，左边印有两行直排文字：“寄香港转韶关至兴宁万盛街仪记内万丰发批局收”。

Collection by Seal
This Teochew letter was sent in January 1941. The cover bears a red stamp reading: "The remittance may only be collected upon verification with the letter-remittance agency's seal." This meant that recipients were required to bring their registered personal seals to designated collection points before the money could be released. In a time of war and instability, this served as a security measure adopted by letter-remittance agencies to prevent fraudulent collection of remittances.

The letterhead bears the word "Attention," reminding overseas Chinese that correspondence had to comply with wartime national security regulations.

The destination of this letter was Fengshun County, which is designated by the Chinese character 豐. Fengshun was historically part of the former Teochew Prefecture but is now administered by Meizhou City.

凭章领取
批信寄于一九四一年元月。批面上盖有红色戳记：“回批须要商号盖章方准取银”。这句话是指：侨户需携带固定的私人印章，前往指定的批银派发点，凭印章方可领取批银。这在当时兵连祸结的情况下，是批局为防止批银被冒领而设的安全凭信制度。

信纸抬头有“注意”字样，提醒华侨通信时须遵守战时国家安全规定。此批信的寄达地为丰邑，即丰顺。丰顺旧属潮州府，今属梅州市。

Three Years of Famine
China experienced extreme economic hardship from 1959 to 1961. This letter, sent from Hong Kong to Chenghai, revealed that following the death of a relative, the sender had borrowed over RMB200 from a local credit union. To repay the debt, the sender chose not to send cash directly, but instead sent scarce necessities for relatives to sell locally.

The supplies were clearly listed in the letter: three bags of flour weighing 18 kg in total, 20 kg of peanut oil, 10 kg of white sugar, 10 kg of rice, and 12 kg of soybeans. By sending essential goods for sale, the family was able to repay its debt while also making some profit, achieving two aims at once.

三年灾害
这是在新中国成立后最严重的三年经济困难时期（一九五九年至一九六一年），一封从香港寄往澄海的侨批。侨胞因亲属去世，向当地信用社借款人民币二百余元。为了还清这笔贷款，他没有直接寄现金，而是选择了更有利的方式——寄回生活紧缺品，让侨属变卖后偿还债务。

来信写明：“今即付去面粉三包共十八公斤，花生油二十公斤，白砂糖一十公斤，耘米一十公斤，黄豆一十二公斤。到时查收变卖，可还信用社。” 以寄食物变卖的方式偿还欠款，既获利又清偿了债务，可谓一举两得。

Exchange Rate Management
To encourage overseas remittances and stabilise remittance exchange rates, China introduced a new policy in 1959 granting families of overseas Chinese preferential access to certain goods according to the amount remitted. Teochew Letter covers from this period often bear stamps or labels such as “Pork Redeemed”, “Sugar Redeemed”, “Rice Redeemed”, and “Cigarettes Redeemed”.

汇率管理
为吸引及稳定侨汇汇率,一九五九年，中国出台新的侨汇政策,即按侨汇比例,给予一定的牌价物资供应,优待侨属。此时期的侨批，经常可见到盖或贴有"猪肉已买"、"糖饼购完"、"大米购完"、"香烟购完"等戳记。

Notice to Overseas Chinese
In the early 1960s, China faced critical shortages in many goods, particularly agricultural fertiliser. To help address this shortage, the Overseas Chinese Service Department of the Bank of China in Swatow introduced a "Fertiliser Special Deposit" scheme. Under this arrangement overseas Chinese could purchase fertiliser abroad and send it to China for sale to the state. The proceeds could either be credited into the recipient family's savings account or be paid out in cash.

The notice shown below promoting the "Fertiliser Special Deposit" was issued by the Overseas Chinese Service Department of the Bank of China in Swatow in 1964 and pasted onto the reverse of a Teochew Letter.

侨批广告
一九六零年初，国内物资紧缺，尤其是农业用的化肥。为此，汕头中国银行华侨服务部特向侨户推出一项"化肥特种存款"服务。这个服务让华侨从国外购买化肥“寄”回国内，再卖给国家（让国家收购），货款可直接按储蓄业务办理，也可发还现金。

下图为一九六四年汕头中国银行华侨服务部印发、贴在侨批背面的一则推广“化肥特种存款”的广告。

Letters during the Cultural Revolution
During the Cultural Revolution, the Yueji letter-remittance agency in Swatow produced a series of 17 mimeographed notification slips containing selected quotations from Chairman Mao.

These four Teochew letters were all sent by a man surnamed Koh from Vietnam to Chao’an, with each envelope bearing one of the notification slips printed by the agency:

Image 1: 26 December 1966
Image 2: 30 January 1967
Image 3: 8 November 1967
Image 4: 22 November 1967

文革侨批
文化大革命时期，汕头悦记批局以刻钢板油印的方式，印制了17种不同内容的毛主席语录通知单。

以下四封侨批，均为越南许某寄到潮安，封上均贴有该批局印制的语录通知单：

图一：一九六六年十二月二十六日寄
图二：一九六七年一月三十日寄
图三：一九六七年十一月八日寄
图四：一九六七年十一月二十二日寄

Cultural Revolution Covers
During the Cultural Revolution, Teochew Letter covers were often stamped with revolutionary propaganda slogans on the lower left or upper right corners. The following three letters were all sent from Vietnam to Chao’an:

Image 1: Sent to Anbu on 20 January 1971, bearing the slogan “Strive Hard, Defend the Country.”
Image 2: Sent on 17 May 1972, bearing the slogan “Rely on Oneself, Strive for Strength.”
Image 3: Sent in 1972, bearing the slogan “Be Humble, Be Cautious, Guard Against Arrogance and Impetuosity.”

批封上的口号
文革时期，侨批批封的左下角或右上角，常印有文革宣传口号。以下三封均为从越南寄回潮安的侨批：

图一：一九七一年一月二十日寄至庵埠，印有“艰苦奋斗，保卫国家”。
图二：一九七二年五月十七日寄，印有“自力更生，奋发图强”。
图三：一九七二年寄，印有“谦虚，谨慎，戒骄，戒躁”。

Acknowledgement

The contents on this page originate from Teochew Letters, a website developed by a student team from the Shantou University (STU) Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication in 2012 to publicise the application of the "Qiaopi and Yinxin Correspondence and Remittance Documents of Overseas Chinese" into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The project was undertaken on behalf of the Museum of Overseas Remittance Mail Relics, managed by the Research Centre for Chaoshan History and Culture in Swatow.

资料来源

本页内容源自「潮州侨批」网站。该网站由汕头大学长江新闻与传播学院学生团队于二零一二年为宣传「侨批及银信」入选联合国教科文组织《世界记忆名录》而创建，并受汕头潮汕历史文化研究中心下属的侨批文物馆委托承建。

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