Letter from Jian Ru Neng to HH Kan Dated 16 November 1949
Esteemed Uncle Fu Hui (Kan Hok Hoei):
I hope this letter finds you in good health and excellent conditions.
The ancestors Tian Bei Lou and Yang [this retouched character (仰) also looks like Liu (柳)] Yue Lou at Guan Yang Bao in Chang Jiao Xiang of Nan Jing County in Fujian Province of China are listed in this letter as follows:
[Jian] Jing Zhong (Kan Keng Tjong), who belongs to the 17th generation, is descended from [Jian] Yao Shun and his second wife. He is also known as [Jian] Zhuang Lin. His posthumous name is [Jian] Bing Zheng. He has the rank of Gong Sheng. He was born in Hai hours (21:00-22:59) on the 22nd day of the 6th Month of Ding Si Year of Jia Qing (1797). He died in Mao hours (05:00-06:59) on the 22nd day of the 3rd Month of Xing Wei Year of Tong Zhi (1871) at the age of 75. He was buried in Batavia.
His first wife is Madam Xiao (Siauw), with the posthumous name Qin Shu.
His second wife is Madam Huang (Ng or Oei), with the posthumous name Shen Shu.
His third wife is Madam Yang (Yeo or Jo), who was born in You hours (17:00-18:59) on the 19th day of the second month of Ding Hai Year of Dao Guang (1827). She died in Year (characters illegible) of Guang Xu.
[Jian] Jing Zhong and his third wife have three sons: the first son Zeng Xu (Tjeng Sie),the second son Zeng Chun (Tjeng Soen), and the third son Shui Zhang (Tjoei Tjiang).
The three sons have 9 children:
Deng Liang, Deng Pu, Deng Shi, Deng Jin, Deng Bao, Deng Chun, (characters illegible), Deng Ti, Deng Wen.
The following are their descendants:
In Batavia: Jian Fu Hui (Kan Hok Hoei) and others, whose names are not known
In Tang Shan (China): Yu Hui, Bing Hui and Qiu Biao
Yu Hui, Bing Hui and Qiu Biao in Tang Shan (China) have the following descendants:
Ru Neng, Ru Mei, Ru Tong, Lian Fang, Lian Ai, Zuo Qian, Zuo Su, Ruo Hai,
Yan Kun ,
On 18 May last year Jian Ru Neng left home and travelled by motor car through
Shantou in Guangdong Province and Kunming in Yunnan Province into Ba Mu Po in Burma.
As I could not speak the Burmese language, I was detained by the Burmese government for six months. I was released after a surety was provided by a kind friend. After one or two days, I arrived in Rangoon Burma, by aeroplane and proceeded to No. 754 Guangdong Street. I then travelled by steamer to Bogale, Pyapon District, where i joined the firm Sim Swee Taik. The owner took good care of me. Unfortunately, war has broken out, and Burma is not a place for peaceful settlement. Now I have decided to go to Batavia to join Uncle Fu Hui (Hok Hoei) hoping you will take me under your care. I look forward to your reply.
With best wishes,
Jian Ru Neng (signed and seal affixed)
16 November, 38th year of the Republic of China (1949)
Translator’s Notes:
[1] In this letter Jian Ru Neng (Kan Lu Leng) addresses H.H. Kan as “uncle”. This does not necessarily mean that Jian Ru Neng is H.H. Kan’s nephew. As shown in the letter, they possibly belong to the same generation. H.H. Kan is probably much older than Jian Ru Neng. The term “uncle” may be used as a sign of respect.
[2] The two buildings (Lou) are Tulou (土楼). This kind of building, as shown in the attached photo, is a large enclosed earth structure, which is square, rectangular or circular in shape. These structures are found mostly in Fujian Province, in which Nanjing County is one of the famous sites. These tulou sites are listed as Unesco Heritage Site.
[3] Gong Sheng (贡生) is a person selected by the local government in China to study in Guo Zi Jian, the Imperial Academy in Beijing. It is not known whether Kan Keng Tjong actually studied in the Academy.
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Djakarta, 27 jan.1950
Kapada tjekkong Kan Hok Hoei jang terhormat.
Aan geachte heer Kan Hok Hoei,
Dengen hormat,
Met respect,
Tempo hari tjekkong dateng die firma Yoe Tjie & Co.,
Toen u de firma Yoe Tjie & Co bezocht,
tengokkin saja, itoe saia banjak girang sekali.
om mij te ontmoeten, daar was ik heel blij om.
Saja menbilang banjak trima kasie jang tjekkong ada itoe ketjintaan atie.
Ik wil mijn dank uitspreken voor uw vriendelijkheid.
Tjoemah saja banjak menjasel sekali jang kedatenganja tjekkong saja tida bisa apa apa diam sadja.
Alleen vind ik het jammer dat ik toen u kwam, alleen maar stil bleef en niets zei..
Djadi banjak sit leh, dan saia balik pikir lagi, tida apa lah Tjekkong sama saia masi boekan orang laen.
Daarom is er nog veel waar ik over denk en niet besproken heb met u en niet met andere mensen.
Menoeroet orang toea saja bilang die Tiong Kong(Kok) akan masi tinggal die dalam satoe roemah Tek Hiang Lauw (….) itoe roema ja roema toeroenan.
Volgens mijn ouders wonen in Tiong Kong (Kok) (China) nog (familie) gezamenlijk in het voorouderlijk huis Tek Hiang Lauw.
Dan itoe hari jang tjekkong ada trima soerat dari Birma.
En op deze dag kreeg u de brief van Birma.
Apa tjekkong soeda balasin.
Heeft u die al beantwoord?
Kaloe belon, sekiranja tjekkong apa soeka balas itoe soerat djadi die Birma bisa taoe jang tjekkong soeda trima itoe soerat.
Als niet, kunt u dan die brief beantwoorden zodat ze in Birma weten dat u die brief heeft ontvangen.
En jang dia orang poenja keperloean soepaia bisa dapat taoe die sini namanja tjekkong poenja anak tjoetjoe.
Wat hij beoogde was dat u de naam van uw kleinzoon weet.
Djadi bisa masoek die dalam boekoe toeroenan (Tjok Pho).
Dus dan kunt u het in het nageslachtboek (Tjok Pho) vermelden.
Apa tjekkong soeka saja jang toelisin itoe pembalesan soerat.
Wilt u dat ik die brief schrijf of beantwoord?
Kaloe perloe bole telefon sadja. Nanti saja bisa dateng roema tjekkong.
Als u dat wilt dan mag u mij bellen. Dan kom ik naar uw huis.
Dan djoega saja kasi kabar sekalian jang saja die laen boelan tida kerdja pada Yoe Tjie & Co, saja minta brenti maoe sekola lagie. Harap dapat taoe, laen tida.
Ook wil ik hier vermelden dat ik volgende maand niet meer werk bij Yoe Tjie & Co, omdat ik weer naar school wil gaan. Alleen maar opdat u het weet .
Kirim selamat dari saja Kan Lian Nio
Gegroet van mij Kan Lian Nio |