{"id":2828,"date":"2025-06-20T05:18:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T05:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peranakan.org.sg\/tpasmag\/?p=2828"},"modified":"2025-06-26T09:20:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T09:20:53","slug":"bau-bau-bachang-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peranakan.org.sg\/theperanakanmagazine\/bau-bau-bachang-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Bau Bau Bachang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bachang, or horse mango, is a globular fruit with a seductive aroma similar to the chempedak.  As the saying goes, <\/em>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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All photographs, except for the Laws of Sarawak, were restored on soft copy by Benedict Khoo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Melaka \u2013 Across Three Generations, the Chuas of Heeren Street<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heeren Street is now known as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Matriarch Lim Eng Neo, centre, the widow of Chua Sek Kim, was Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In 1920, Chua Lip Sian\u2019s eldest son Poh Boon, 21, married his first cousin, Tan Yang Neo, 19, daughter of Lip Sian\u2019s sister, Chua Siew Lang Neo and her husband Tan Jin Ann (see page 16, \u201cWe are Chinese\u201d), who was Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The marriage of Chua Lip Sian\u2019s 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\u2019s brother, Lip Lay, in dark suit. To the right of Lip Lay are his nephew Seow Eng Chye and Lip Sian\u2019s eldest son, Poh Boon. Standing behind them is Lip Sian\u2019s nephew, Tan Eng Chye, who is Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The who\u2019s 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\u2019s nephew Tan Eng Chye who is Ronney and Linda\u2019s paternal grandfather. More than 40 years back, the siblings\u2019 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. \u00a0Eng 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\u2019s uncle by marriage to Tan Luan Inn Neo), Chua Poh Siang (Poh Cheng\u2019s brother. The brothers were second cousins to Eng Chye. Poh Cheng married Eng Chye\u2019s sister, Tan Choo Kim Neo). Circa 1933. Photograph courtesy of Ronney Tan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>
\n
\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

It was the period when many babas started to attend English-language schools like Raffles Institution, St Joseph\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In Singapore \u2013 the Khoos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Baba Benedict Khoo\u2019s paternal great-grandfather Guan Chiang, standing at left, was the youngest of the eight children of Khoo Swee Yeow and Tan Geok Lin in Singapore. Guan Chiang\u2019s third brother on right was Thiam Swee.

The boy\u2019s fedora hat indicated the Babas\u2019 Anglophile lifestyle at the turn of the 20th century. The clock confirms the evolution of a \u201clook to the West\u201d trend that was starting to take hold as more babas starting going to learn English at schools like Raffles Institution, St Joseph\u2019s Institution and Anglo-Chinese School (ACS). The trend accelerated in the 1860s.

Patriarch Swee Yeow spoke English and enrolled his sons at ACS to be proficient in English and Hokkien. Circa 1899.\u00a0 Photograph courtesy of Benedict Khoo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Sarawak \u2013 the Laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Baba Colin Chee’s maternal great-grandparents were the Christian couple, Law Kon En and Alice Lai (both seated) from Kuching, Sarawak. Alice, with her deepset eyes and high cheek bones, was said to have had Dayak blood. Standing second on left is Colin\u2019s grandfather, John Law Hock Boon. The family portrait was probably taken after 1911 when Chinese men could cut off their towchang, or queue. Note the mix of Western-style as well as traditional Zhongshan suits worn by the men, and baju panjang and sarong kebaya by the women. Colin\u2019s last surviving aunt, See Ee Lily Law (4th aunt, now in her 80s) remembers patriach Kon En, her grandfather and her uncles in this photo with their long hair styled in queues. Circa 1910s. Photograph courtesy of Kenneth Chee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Genealogy buffs Babas Ronney Tan and Benedict Khoo string together familial linkages with Ronney\u2019s sister, Nyonya Linda Chee (nee Tan) and her husband, Baba Colin Chee, the previous president of The Peranakan Association Singapore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bachang, or horse mango, is a globular fruit with a seductive aroma similar to the chempedak.  As the saying goes, <\/em>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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All photographs, except for the Laws of Sarawak, were restored on soft copy by Benedict Khoo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Melaka \u2013 Across Three Generations, the Chuas of Heeren Street<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heeren Street is now known as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Matriarch Lim Eng Neo, centre, the widow of Chua Sek Kim, was Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n
\n

In 1920, Chua Lip Sian\u2019s eldest son Poh Boon, 21, married his first cousin, Tan Yang Neo, 19, daughter of Lip Sian\u2019s sister, Chua Siew Lang Neo and her husband Tan Jin Ann (see page 16, \u201cWe are Chinese\u201d), who was Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The marriage of Chua Lip Sian\u2019s 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\u2019s brother, Lip Lay, in dark suit. To the right of Lip Lay are his nephew Seow Eng Chye and Lip Sian\u2019s eldest son, Poh Boon.<\/em> Standing behind them is Lip Sian\u2019s nephew, Tan Eng Chye, who is Ronney and Linda\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The who\u2019s 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.<\/em>

Standing from left: Seow Eng Chye, Lee Ewe Aik and his father-in-law Chee Hong Chiang, and Chee\u2019s nephew Tan Eng Chye who is Ronney and Linda\u2019s paternal grandfather. More than 40 years back, the siblings\u2019 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. \u00a0Eng Chye married Chee Kim Puay, the niece of Hong Chiang. The Chees were part of the family that owned the Chee temple.<\/em>

Seated from left: Chua Poh Cheng, Ho Eng Wah, Ong Kim Kiat (Eng Chye\u2019s uncle by marriage to Tan Luan Inn Neo), Chua Poh Siang (Poh Cheng\u2019s brother. The brothers were second cousins to Eng Chye. Poh Cheng married Eng Chye\u2019s sister, Tan Choo Kim Neo). Circa 1933. Photograph courtesy of Ronney Tan.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n
\n

A gentlemanly relative of Chua Lip Sian, name unknown. He has deliberately defied convention and crossed his legs.\u00a0It 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

It was the period when many babas\u00a0started to attend English-language schools like Raffles Institution, St Joseph\u2019s Institution or Anglo-Chinese School. At that time,\u00a0they were trying to copy the clothes and manners of their English colonial masters.\u00a0The cane and\u00a0hat are just two examples of cultural appropriation even if he was still dressed in the Chinese baju lokchuan.\u00a0Circa 1895. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Singapore \u2013 the Khoos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Baba Benedict Khoo\u2019s paternal great-grandfather Guan Chiang, standing at left, was the youngest of the eight children of Khoo Swee Yeow and Tan Geok Lin in Singapore. Guan Chiang\u2019s third brother on right was Thiam Swee.<\/em>

The boy\u2019s fedora hat indicated the Babas\u2019 Anglophile lifestyle at the turn of the 20th century. The clock confirms the evolution of a \u201clook to the West\u201d trend that was starting to take hold as more babas starting going to learn English at schools like Raffles Institution, St Joseph\u2019s Institution and Anglo-Chinese School (ACS). The trend accelerated in the 1860s.<\/em>

Patriarch Swee Yeow spoke English and enrolled his sons at ACS to be proficient in English and Hokkien. Circa 1899.\u00a0 Photograph courtesy of Benedict Khoo.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Sarawak \u2013 the Laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Baba Colin Chee's maternal great-grandparents were the Christian couple, Law Kon En and Alice Lai (both seated) from Kuching, Sarawak. Alice, with her deepset eyes and high cheek bones, was said to have had Dayak blood. Standing second on left is Colin\u2019s grandfather, John Law Hock Boon. The family portrait was probably taken after 1911 when Chinese men could cut off their towchang, or queue. Note the mix of Western-style as well as traditional Zhongshan suits worn by the men, and baju panjang and sarong kebaya by the women. Colin\u2019s last surviving aunt, See Ee Lily Law (4th aunt, now in her 80s) remembers patriach Kon En, her grandfather and her uncles in this photo with their long hair styled in queues. Circa 1910s. Photograph courtesy of Kenneth Chee.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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