Bau Bau Bachang

The Peranakan communities of Singapore and Melaka are famously known to be related in a labyrinth of connections through blood and marriage ties, as seen from the families here. Genealogy buffs Babas Ronney Tan and Benedict Khoo string together familial linkages with Ronney’s sister, Nyonya Linda Chee (nee Tan) and her husband, Baba Colin Chee, the previous president of The Peranakan Association Singapore. Benedict is a paternal relative of the Tan siblings through seven generations of the lineage of Seet Hoot Kee. Colin is related to Linda through a Melaka relative.

The bachang, or horse mango, is a globular fruit with a seductive aroma similar to the chempedak. As the saying goes, bau bau bachang dari jaoh jaoh pun boleh chium. It means one can smell the bachang from very far away – an apt description of the connections within the Peranakan community.

All photographs, except for the Laws of Sarawak, were restored on soft copy by Benedict Khoo.

In Melaka – Across Three Generations, the Chuas of Heeren Street

Heeren Street is now known as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.

Matriarch Lim Eng Neo, centre, the widow of Chua Sek Kim, was Ronney and Linda’s paternal great-grandmother. She lived at 14 Heeren Street, Melaka with her four sons, seen here in baju lokchuan and towchang. From left: Chua Lip Lay, Chua Lip Sian, Chua Lip Tay and Chua Lip Tat. The two young boys were her grandchildren Chua Poh Cheng (left) and Chua Poh Siang (right) from her son, Lip Tay. The girls are unidentified, the youngest of whom is in an elaborate baju panjang and wears an outsized amulet to protect her from evil spirits. The Chuas are descended from Chua Su Cheong, a Dutch-era Kapitan China. Circa 1898. Photograph courtesy of Ronney Tan.

Lim Eng Neo with one of her sons, the prosperous rubber trader Chua Lip Sian and his family in high sartorial fashion. His wife, seated at right, was Tan Teck Hoon Neo, a cousin of Tan Jiak Kim, the founding president of the Straits Chinese British Association (now The Peranakan Association Singapore). Lip Sian’s daughter, Margaret Chua Swee Him, standing at extreme right, is in a stylised outfit combining Chinese and Western elements. Standing from left is Lip Sian’s younger brother, Lip How, and his eldest son, Poh Boon. His younger sons in jackets and boots are Poh Boo (extreme left) and Poh Chuan (middle). Circa 1913. Photograph taken at the Lee Brothers studio at Hill Street, Singapore. Courtesy of Charles Seet.

In 1920, Chua Lip Sian’s eldest son Poh Boon, 21, married his first cousin, Tan Yang Neo, 19, daughter of Lip Sian’s sister, Chua Siew Lang Neo and her husband Tan Jin Ann (see page 16, “We are Chinese”), who was Ronney and Linda’s paternal grandfather. Their first-born son did not survive infancy and a second son was a deaf mute. This condition was thought to be attributed to too-close blood ties. They lived with an extended family at 22 Shanghai Road, Singapore. Poh Boon died in 1944 during the Japanese Occupation. It was said the stress of supporting a household of 10 people finally took a toll on Poh Boon. Circa 1920. Photograph courtesy of Charles Seet.

The marriage of Chua Lip Sian’s youngest son, Poh Chuan, captures the glory of baba culture before the War. Their elaborate attire depicts an elevated status as orang ada-ada (people with means). The grand wedding event, covered by the local media, was held at 6 Tranquerah Road, the Melaka house of Lip Sian’s brother, Lip Lay, in dark suit. To the right of Lip Lay are his nephew Seow Eng Chye and Lip Sian’s eldest son, Poh Boon. Standing behind them is Lip Sian’s nephew, Tan Eng Chye, who is Ronney and Linda’s paternal grandfather. Standing from left, are brothers Poh Kim, Poh Siang and Poh Koon, the sons of Lip Tay. Seated extreme left is Tan Yang Neo, Poh Boon’s wife. The young girl sitting cross-legged on the right was Irene Chua, who lived at 22 Shanghai Road which is now a condominium. Circa 1929. Photograph courtesy of Ronney Tan.

The who’s who of Melaka were represented by their scions in the 1933 Malacca Wangkang Procession organising committee. This photo is interesting for the fact that all except one are relatives by blood or marriage ties. The familial network in associations of the past produced a vast web of family connections, as illustrated by some linkages spelt out below.

Standing from left: Seow Eng Chye, Lee Ewe Aik and his father-in-law Chee Hong Chiang, and Chee’s nephew Tan Eng Chye who is Ronney and Linda’s paternal grandfather. More than 40 years back, the siblings’ father Louis Tan nearly threw away the photo as it was in bad condition. But Ronney realised the historical value when told who were in the picture. Eng Chye married Chee Kim Puay, the niece of Hong Chiang. The Chees were part of the family that owned the Chee temple.

Seated from left: Chua Poh Cheng, Ho Eng Wah, Ong Kim Kiat (Eng Chye’s uncle by marriage to Tan Luan Inn Neo), Chua Poh Siang (Poh Cheng’s brother. The brothers were second cousins to Eng Chye. Poh Cheng married Eng Chye’s sister, Tan Choo Kim Neo). Circa 1933. Photograph courtesy of Ronney Tan.

A gentlemanly relative of Chua Lip Sian, name unknown. He has deliberately defied convention and crossed his legs. It was seen as uncouth by elders in that era. Contrary to Western poses, the crossing of legs was considered uncivilized and disrespectful in Chinese custom, which the Babas strongly adhered to. To sit with legs apart in a formal manner also reflected high social status. Children were trained from very young that it was rude to cross your legs in the presence of adults.

It was the period when many babas started to attend English-language schools like Raffles Institution, St Joseph’s Institution or Anglo-Chinese School. At that time, they were trying to copy the clothes and manners of their English colonial masters. The cane and hat are just two examples of cultural appropriation even if he was still dressed in the Chinese baju lokchuan. Circa 1895.