This year I decided to have another visit to the grave of my paternal grandmother who was buried at the BCCM Beaufort cemetery. The last time my wife and I visited the grave was on 26 March 2016, just over six years ago (Read here). This time we were joined by my brother Tak Vui and his wife Kui Moi. Coincidentally, the day of our visit, 5 April 2022 happened to be Ching Ming Festival. Ching Ming also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day is the traditional day when Chinese visit graves of their ancestors to pay respect.
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Soon after our visit to the cemetery, my sister shared some old photos of my grandmother's grave taken probably in late 1984 or early 1985 soon after a new tombstone was installed. Bouquet of flowers at the grave was most likely placed by my late father when he went to see the new tombstone and to pay respect to his late mother.
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In this recent trip, besides visiting my grandmother's grave, we spent some time searching for the grave of my great grandfather. My brother was adamant that our great grandfather was buried there and he had personally seen his tombstone in previous visit. Unfortunately, I have little re-collection of this.
My brother's assertion was proven right after my sister posted photographs of the original tombstone of my great grandfather. Plan is now in motion to rebuild his tombstone. BCCM Beaufort is also gracious to permit the re-construction of his tombstone even if the exact burial site cannot be located.
In this old photo, the name of my great grandfather, Lee Kon Hee (李观喜) is still visible but the original date of erecting the tombstone is not discernible. This tombstone is unique because it was carved out of a solid piece of large stone. In the tombstone, he is recorded as from Huiyang (惠陽). Though he was from Bolou, he chose Huiyang as the county of his origin. This is probably because Huiyang which is adjoining Bolou is a much bigger district. His descendants have since adopted Huiyang as the county of origin.
Nothing much can be said about my great grandfather because of almost nil information we have about him.
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My grandfather, Lee Thau Lim was born in Bolou (博罗) or Pingshan, China in year 1893 when China was in tumultuous era. Qing Dynasty was at its twilight years. Sun Zhongshan, a western-educated Chinese started a revolution in 1894 to overthrow the corrupt Qing government. First Sino-Japanese war was fought for almost a year from 25 July 1894 to 17 April 1895. Soon after in 1899, the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-foreign, anti-colonial and anti-Christian movement started which lasted to 1901. That movement had disastrous consequences to China. Qing Dynasty finally collapsed in 1911. Eventually, Communist Party of China prevailed and Chairman Mao declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949.
Many Chinese particularly those residing in southern China began migrating to southeast Asian countries in search of better future and livelihood in early 1900's. It was likely that the difficult lives in China had prompted my great grandfather, Lee Kon Hee to join the queue and took his 16-year old son (my grandfather) to move to North Borneo (now called Sabah) in 1909. They first landed in Beaufort.
My grandfather later on returned to China most likely to look for a wife. He married a girl, Chu Chau Lan (朱招蘭) who was from another county called Heyuen (河源) which is approx. 125 Km northeast of Bolou. After the marriage, he returned to Beaufort in 1927 with his young wife, who by then was carrying their first child, Lee En Sang, my father. My dad was born on 20 November 1927. His dad by then was in his mid-thirties.
According to Church record, my grandmother was baptized by Rev. Lee Wok Sing. Rev Lee, the grandfather of the late Lee Choke Yee (Read here) was a Chinese missionary sent by Basel Mission (Tshung Tsin) to Beaufort in 1927. Upon baptism, her name was changed to Chu En Lan (朱恩蘭), the name which is engraved in her tombstone. Sadly, she had a tragic death in 1937. She was crashed by a fallen tree probably during a tree felling operation. The unexpected tragic death had a severe impact on my grandfather (Read here). He was in depression and my father then 10 years old had to be sent to my grand aunt's house to be looked after. My grand aunt at that time also stayed in Beaufort.
Before my grand aunt passed away, my dad visited her at her home in Beaufort. She was someone dear to my father because of the part she played in the formative period of his life particularly after the sudden death of his mother.
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After 113 years since my great grandfather first landed in Sabah in 1909, his family has expanded five more generations to the latest generation of my grandchildren. The spirit of migration never ceases. Today, his descendants spread over four continents in countries like Australia, Singapore, USA, UK and Malaysia.
NOTE: Historical update based on recollection of my brother Tak Vui's conversation with our grand aunt before she passed away and his reading of Church record.
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