Читать книгу One Hundred Years' History Of The Chinese In Singapore: The Annotated Edition - Ong Siang Song - Страница 13

COMPILER’S NOTE

WHEN the General Editors of One Hundred Years of Singapore (since published in two volumes) assigned to me the task of contributing thereto a chapter on the Chinese in Singapore, I had no idea of the magnitude of the work which I was undertaking. During the hundred years that closed on the 6th February 1919, the Chinese had played a very great and important part in the agricultural, industrial, commercial, economic, educational, religious, social and political life of the Settlement, but, apart from information furnished by the newspapers as to the activities, doings, events and incidents of or concerning the Chinese community as a whole or the individual members thereof, there were few records, in any form, available for reference. I realised at once the futility of attempting to write a historical review or a general survey of the subject which would be of any real value to the readers – especially to the present and future generations of Chinese, whether resident in this Colony or elsewhere – at all events, I felt it would be like trying to make bricks without straw.

After careful study of the matter, I decided to compile a chronological history of the Chinese in Singapore covering the one hundred years’ period, on the lines of the late Mr Buckley’s Anecdotal History of Singapore. The work that is now offered to the public, in fulfilment of the promise made by the General Editors, traces the lives, doings, pursuits and fortunes of the Chinese community, or of sections or of individual members of that community, from year to year, from the foundation of Singapore on 6th February 1819 by that great Empire builder, Sir Stamford Raffles, to the celebrations on its Centenary on 6th February 1919.

The work has been a stupendous undertaking, which, owing to the fact that it could only be done outside of office hours, has taken a very much longer time to complete than would have been necessary had my whole time been devoted to its compilation. The task has been rendered more difficult through the unwillingness or inability of a certain number of people to furnish me with information relating to their ancestors or immediate forbears who had contributed towards the development, progress and prosperity of Singapore during the period chronicled.

My thanks are tendered heartily to those who have helped by contributing sketches or by completing, correcting and amending sketches submitted to them, and to members of the Straits Chinese Reading Club – in particular to Messrs Lim Seng Kiang, Tay Ah Bee, Cheang Peng Moh, Tan Kim Moh and Lee Peng Yam for devoting their Saturday afternoons, for many months, at Raffles Library, poring over back numbers of the Straits Times and Singapore Free Press in quest of materials for the History. My acknowledgments are due to Dr Lim Boon Keng, who kindly placed at my disposal some papers and articles he had drafted and photographs he had collected for a proposed work on the Chinese in Singapore which he had to abandon. Special reference must here be made to the valuable assistance rendered by my old friend, Mr CM Phillips, late Principal of Raffles Institution, who has spent a great deal of time in his quiet retreat in England in revising the MSS of the History, in preparing a comprehensive Index, and in reading and correcting the proofs for the press. My thanks are also due to Mr W Makepeace, Revs JAB Cook and W Murray and Sir John Anderson (of Messrs Guthrie & Co, Ltd, London) for sketches supplied or revised and for the loan of illustration blocks, and to Messrs Kiong Chin Eng and Tan Boon Chin for special work in collecting information for my use. I am also indebted to the Managers of the Straits Times and Singapore Free Press and to the successive librarians of Raffles Library for the loan of back volumes of both these newspapers, which has been of incalculable value to me and my staff of voluntary workers in collating the materials for this History.

As this compilation had to end abruptly with the completion of the hundredth year of this Settlement, no mention is made, in the sketches of Chinese residents who are still living, of their activities for the public weal since the 6th February 1919, although here and there, in the case of those who died shortly after that date, it will be found that their biographical notes have been rounded off.

From the nature of the work, it was unavoidable that events and incidents occurring periodically should be scattered throughout the pages of the History. I do not claim originality. I have tried to be just a faithful recorder. Nevertheless, I hope that the book will be found to be a useful and handy work of reference on Chinese matters generally as they affected Singapore, as well as serve as archives in which the lives and public services of prominent members of the Chinese community, so far as they have been procurable, are preserved for their posterity as well as future generations of Chinese in Singapore to ‘read, mark, learn and inwardly digest’ and thereby to get encouragement, incentive and stimulus to serve the Colony with equal public spirit, zeal and disinterestedness in their day and generation.

SONG ONG SIANG

LONDON

20th December 1922