Bukit Brown Cemetery: My Family Connection

I never imagined that a Chinese graveyard would be at the heart of my family tree research. The unexpected exhumation of my great-grandfather in 2012 revealed my personal link to Bukit Brown Cemetery. This event sparked my interest in one of Singapore’s most unusual commemorative spaces and uncovered other connections to both my Hokkien, Peranakan and Eurasian heritage, and to other places in Singapore.

Rediscovering my Peranakan great-grandparent’s tomb

With the help from my extended family and ‘Brownie’ members of cemetery’s volunteer guide group, I’ve since uncovered the graves of four other relatives. These include my great-great-grandfather from southern China, my great grandmother (who is also first wife of my great grandfather!), and my Chinese Peranakan great-grandparents. It's taken me several years just to get these details straight!

Visiting my Hokkien great-great-greatfather’s tomb during the annual Ching Ming tomb cleaning ceremony

My surname reveals my Hokkien ancestry, and I never gave it much thought till I stood in front of my great-great grandfather’s tomb. I suddenly saw myself as part of a long line of relatives descending from China, and it felt both strange and wonderful. Born in 1855, Lim Hong Eok braved the seas between southern China and Singapore in the 1880s with his two sons, Lim Nee Yam and Lim Nee Chip. He died in 1934, and his tomb records his life story along with the inscription of his many descendants. Whether he had plans to eventually return to his ‘motherland’, I’m not sure, but some say he unable to return due to trouble with neighbours in his home town.

The tomb of my great-grandmother, with lovely floor tiles.

You've heard about those stories of Chinese and their multiple wives? Yes, it certainly happened in my family too! Madam Yang Tang Ho had seven children and one of them was my grandfather, Lim Chong Lay. There were two other wives, who ended up having three other children between them. I'm really not sure how my great-grandfather Lim Nee Yam handled it all, but apparently, he was a very generous and easy-going personality.

My Chinese Peranakan great-grandmother Ong Leong Neo

My father’s Chinese Peranakan side has been of particular interest to me as it is a hybrid sub-cultural group in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. I was thrilled to discover my great-grandmother’s tomb in 2014, and re-discovered it recently after confusion caused by nearby construction of a highway. After several hours looking for it in the heat, I ended up asking a cemetery caretaker to find it. Sure enough, I had a happy text message the next day informing me about its whereabouts!

A very popular peacock tile imported from Japan on the tomb of Ong Leong Neo, my Peranakan great-grandmother.

My father has always strongly identified as a Peranakan, and I was interested to see my great-grandmother dressed in a Kebaya blouse with a Sanggol hairpin to keep her tell-tale bun in place. I was also amazed to find decorative tiles featuring peacocks, flowers and landscapes on her tomb, as well as on that of her husband next door, Tan Teck Yam (1874-1936). Until then, I’d only thought that people decorated their shophouses with these imported tiles, and was surprised to find quite a few beautiful and unsual tiles at the cemetery.

A landscape tile panel on my the tomb of Tan Teck Yam, my Peranakan great-grandfather

The twin tomb of my Peranakan great-grandparents is inscribed with both Chinese and English lettering, which usually means that the deceased or descendants felt an affinity with English, or were schooled in English. I have recently come across Chinese tombs that have only English inscriptions. My own father was educated in English, although he did attempt several weeks at a Chinese primary school before he ran away screaming…or so I’ve been told!

My great grandmother Ong Leong Neo. My mother reckons I look like her...what do you think?!

If you’ve just started looking into your family history, you’ll know the great feeling you get when you start to ‘join the dots’. Particularly as a person from a ‘mixed marriage’, it’s nice to uncover my heritage even if I don’t exactly look like my ancestors (local kids still try to ‘wipe’ off my freckles). For the sake of my kids and my invalid father, I’m glad I’ve been able to find out more about my past. I hope you get the chance to know more about your own roots too.

The next generation admiring tiles!

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Bukit Brown Cemetery: Peranakan Tiles Amid Nature

Amid the leafy canopy, tweeting birds and the steady hum of insects, you may find here some of the most beautiful antiques in Singapore. Bukit Brown Cemetery is my favourite place to see what are more commonly know as 'Peranakan' tiles. These charming ceramic beauties with a touch of Art Nouveau and hailing from overseas, are often seen on restored shophouses in the old Peranakan enclaves of Joo Chiat Road, Ang Siang Hill and Emerald Hill. 

I prefer the rough terrain of this 'outdoor museum', and over the past few years it has become a wonderful place of learning and lotion (mosquito repellent a must) for me! It is named after George Henry Brown, a Briton who came to Singapore in the 1840s. Interestingly, it was also the first official hybrid English and Malay place name in Singapore. The cemetery opened on 1 January 1922 as a municipal cemetery administered by the British and adopted the unconventional idea of allowing any Chinese to be buried there regardless of dialect group and status. Located roughly in the north-west central area of Singapore, it has the largest number of Chinese graves outside mainland China. 

Most of these colourful wall tiles at the cemetery date back to the early 20th century and are mainly found adorning the graves of Chinese Peranakans. With an eclectic taste for decorative items from Europe, Peranakans are said to have been fond of such tiles despite their presumably hefty price. Shophouses and graves were rumoured to have sometimes been decorated with the same tiles so that that deceased could continue to enjoy their beauty 'in the next life'.  

I took these photos on an overcast day, which soon became a tropical downpour. Amid the overgrowth, the cemetery has an amazing quietness and serenity despite how close to town it is. Since its closure in 1973, the grounds have been maintained only minimally and as a result, the jungle has reclaimed its might with many graves covered in grass and tree roots. Despite this, the condition of many tiles is reasonable in the face of constant exposure to the elements. None of these photos are edited, so what you see is the natural patina of nature over the course of a hundred years. 

Read more: My Personal Heritage at Bukit Brown Cemetery

Support Bukit Brown Cemetery by joining a wonderful complimentary tour by the volunteer group All Things Bukit Brown. 

ブキット・ブラウン墓地：トリップアドバイザー

My Local Temple - End of an Era?

A temple stuck right in the middle of a public housing complex is not something you often see but the Poh Chung Tian Chor Sian Tong temple in Toa Payoh certainly stands out. Located at Lorong 6, I finally visited this temple after seeing it from my local bus for the last two years. 

Sandwiched between public housing apartments! 

The plaque on the temple stairs says the temple was built in 2005. However, many of the items inside the temple including the furniture, statues and textiles seem to be very old.  

My little assistant. 

I asked the temple caretaker if the temple had been purposely built to house an older one, or if several older temples had been amalgamated there as in the case of other temples in Toa Payoh. But he wasn’t familiar with the history of the temple and told me to look on the internet!  

However, he did tell me that interest in the temple is dwindling and that it’s difficult to generate any income as the temple is not allowed to 'sell' anything. I noticed a donation box set up to collect funds to help the temple extend its lease, which is due for renewal in the near future.

A cloth dragon and lion dog having a much-deserved rest! 

I saw a cloth dragon on poles and a lion head used for Chinese New Year dances stored at the side of the temple. A sign for the Singapore Siau Tiong San Athletic Association was hung up at the front at the temple's office. I guess that such performances help to generate income for the temple as shops and businesses usually pay for the dance to be held at their premises.

This joss paper burner looks old to me..brought in from somewhere else? 

When I asked the caretaker about festivals held there, he said that the temple only celebrates the Moon Festival in August, and Chinese New Year. The place was certainly deserted on a Sunday afternoon but we enjoyed seeing the large number of different gods and statues inside and around the temple.

Strange looking guardian tortoise? 

I also saw an old narrow bookshelf with lots of small slips of fortune-telling papers. From my experience, I know that you usually shake a canister with long sticks and tip out a stick. According to the number on the end of the stick, you are allocated a paper that describes your luck in all aspects of your life. I asked if people still request this service, but he said that no-one was interested anymore.

This is the kind of 'spiked ball' that I saw at the temple. Courtesy of this blog. 

We took our time looking at the small but impressive collection of statues, ceremonial swords and symbolic fighting devices displayed at the altar. I was surprised to see many small heads of gods on sticks and various Buddhist symbolic fighting devices. It took a long time but I managed to find a photo of  a spiked instrument similar to the one I saw. 

On a lighter note, my children were amused by carrot offerings laid out for the stone horses at the front of the temple. The kids were also tempted to crawl inside the grotto-like cave to the side, which was filled with unusual looking statues and the usual sweet offerings. A perfect cubby house! 

This temple is certainly in an interesting corner of Toa Payoh, and I hope it somehow manages to stay. As I haven't been able to find any more information on this temple, I'd love to hear from anyone who can help! 

National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore has many interesting architectural elements and links to history. Opened in late 2015, the gallery spans the City Hall and the former Supreme Court. These classical buildings have features including Corinthian columns, a central rotunda with a dome and marble tiles. 

My Lim Clan Connection

Seeing my great grandfather's name inscribed on a plaque in Singapore has been a magical experience. I recently visited a clan temple on Cantonment Road to find out about my great grandfather Lim Nee Yam.  An operator of small lighter boats on the Singapore River, Nee Yam was born in Fujian, China in 1887. After trying to do some research about him online, I was approached a volunteer history buff who found out that Nee Yam had donated a considerable sum to help build the clan's ancestral hall in 1928.

Cleaning of the ancestral tablet display cabinet before the Winter Solstice event.

Operated by the Singapore Lim See Tai Chong Soo Kiu Liong Tong, or Lim Clan Nine Dragon Hall Mutual Help Association, this clan house is devoted to the deceased carrying the surname of ‘Lim’ or 林 (Lim can also be pronounced as Lin, Lam, Lum, Liem and Ling!). The Nine Dragon Hall refers to the nine sons (dragons often symbolise men) of influential clan member, Lin Gao, during the Zhao dynasty. I was a little amused to see references to so many people with my surname. Back in Australia, people often struggle with my three-letter last name! 

The marble tablet at the front of the building lists the founding contributors. The further to the right, the larger the donation!

It was an amazing feeling to see my great-grandfather’s name on the stone plaque at the building entrance. If your name was close to the right side of the plaque, it meant that you had made the largest donation. I first learned about clans at the Chinatown Heritage Centre in Singapore and how they supported newcomers by connecting them with fellow settlers. Members would help one another get jobs, find accommodation and generally looked out for each other. Judging from the displays at the Centre, life in the old days was tough, so I imagine that these clan associations were crucial to one’s survival.

My great grandfather, Lim Nee Yam.

I got this photo from my grand uncle, who kept many of the family records. Apparently Nee Yam came out from Shantou with his father, Lim Hong Eok (born 1855). According to family gossip, they went back and forth to China for a while but due to a dispute with a neighbour in their hometown, they stopped travelling there. Their neighbours accused Hong Eok of causing bad luck to them through his new house extension. 

Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea.

The main area on the first floor of the Nine Dragon Hall holds many ancestral tablets, and I saw people praying to loved ones by lighting three sticks of incense and bowing. The second floor is devoted to Mazu, a Chinese patron goddess is also known as Goddess of the Sea. Worshipped in many Chinese coastal regions and in Japan, she is a popular figure among sea-faring communities. Her surname is also Lim, and for this reason she is considered the ‘Great Aunt’ of the Lim clan.

Great architectural features - thanks for being in the right place, Mum!

The Jade Emperor is also worshipped on the second floor, and his shrine sits out on a balcony overlooking the street. As the most important figure in the hall, he is traditionally worshipped first during ceremonies. I was also taken up to the flat rooftop, where I was shown bits of the old shrine display. I had thought the current one looked a bit too shiny! The building itself is in need of repairs here and there and I was pleased to hear that they would be doing some upgrading works soon.

I counted over 13 different types of decorative tiles used throughout the building.

I was warmly welcomed by many people who would have been my father’s age. One chap told me that often people only becoming interested in praying to their ancestors as they themselves get older and reflect on life. I’ve been motivated a little earlier in life due to the sudden passing of older family members and my wish to find out as much as possible now. I've very grateful for the help of a volunteer member from the FB Group Heritage Singapore - Bukit Brown Cemetery. 

I love the adoption of many Western architectural influences including Dorian columns.

I’m now signed up as a member and look forward to several events this year. The ladies’ karaoke committee is keen to have me join, so I know there’s somewhere to go on a Saturday afternoon if I wish to warble!

A recent invite to a Chinese New Year dinner!

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