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Meet the Family of 3,000 Baba Ronney Tan Koon Siang Reports on the Fifth Tan Tock Seng Family Reunion Photo by Darrell Tan

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Meet the Family of 3,000 Baba Ronney Tan Koon Siang Reports on the Fifth Tan Tock Seng Family Reunion � Photo by Darrell Tan events MEET THE FAMILY OF 3,000 BABA RONNEY TAN KOON SIANG REPORTS ON THE FIFTH TAN TOCK SENG FAMILY REUNION PHOTO BY DARRELL TAN ressed in a long, blue silk robe with an ostrich who singled out female luminaries of the Tan clan. plume fan in one hand, the bespectacled She regaled her relatives with witty cherita dulu kala D gentleman offered me his outstretched hand and (stories of yesteryear) on the evolving nyonya identity. smiled, “Hello, I’m Tan Tock Seng. Pleased to make your Lawrence Tan, the London policeman who family aquaintance.” I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was as if one members have nicknamed the “English Tan” charted of Singapore’s most famous pioneers had just stepped the Tan family tree online. His research is valuable not out of his own portrait to mingle with only to his clan, but to history and his descendants. geneaology buffs like me. In September 2017, a grand reunion The week-long reunion culminated of Tan Tock Seng’s descendants took in a grand dinner where I met “Tan place in Singapore. Organised every Tock Seng”, who was actually an actor, three years by Roney Tan Kee Lian, Henry Heng. Henry was so this was the fifth reunion of the Tan convincing, especially when he gave an clan To date there are 3,136 individuals inspiring speech to the descendants spread across the globe, who are who had filled the dinner hall at the registered as descendants of Tan Tock National University of Singapore Seng, including a 91-year old and Students’ Union. The night’s 2-year old who attended the reunion. entertainment also included a Spread over a week, activities sing-along session of Peranakan and included numerous lunches, teas, evergreen songs led by Roney Tan, heritage walks and visits, including a David Tan and Rosalind Leong, with visit to the Peranakan Museum and the instrumental support from Ted Ha on Tan Tock Seng Heritage Centre at the bass and Raphael Leong on the hospital named after him. The hospital keyboard. was founded in 1844 with substantial I was invited to the dinner by my donations from the founder and his Tan Tock Seng descendants from cousin, Robert Lee Kim San. I am not a son Tan Kim Ching. Singapore, Malaysia and USA cut the direct descendant of Tan Tock Seng, cake at the grand reunion dinner. Actor but my great-great-grand aunt from THE KING & I Henry Heng (in the cap) played Tan Melaka, Chua Seah Neo, had married Tock Seng during the event. One of the highlights of the week Tan Kim Ching, Tan Tock Seng’s eldest was a talk about Tan Tock Seng’s son. My family has had the honour of illustrious descendants. Miyata Toshiyuki of Tokyo working for two generations of Tan Tock Seng’s University shared the story of Tan Tock Seng’s descendants. My grandfather managed Tan Chay Yan’s eldest son, Tan Kim Ching, a powerful Singapore rubber estate, and my own father worked for his son, Tan merchant who had gained favoured with King Hoon Siang for 38 years. Chulalongkorn of Siam and was granted The Tan clan reunion was very successful, and many ministerial status. He was also appointed the first went home with good memories and new connections. Siamese Consul General in Singapore and the As many of the old Baba families are inter-related, I had Straits Settlements. It was he who had introduced the pleasure of meeting several distant cousins from Englishwoman Anna Leonowens to the Siamese Melaka and Singapore. King to educate his children. The unique relationship between governess and king was made famous in the 1956 Hollywood hit film, The King and I. Portrait of Historian Kua Bak Lim spoke about Tan Boo Tan Tock Liat, the great-grandson of Tan Tock Seng. He was Seng. a merchant, community leader and bon vivant who Oil on owned horses. Like his grandfather, he had canvas. exemplary ties with Siam and was bestowed a ministerial rank by the Siamese king. He also threw his support behind Sun Yat Sen who rallied the Chinese people to overthrow the Editor's Note: decaying Qing dynasty in 1911. See a photograph of Rounding off the talk was retired academic Pat Tan Kim Ching & Lin (daughter of Queen’s Scholar, Maggie Tan) family on page 34 | ISSUE 1 • 01.
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