Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History

The Meilin Lake is not, unfortunately, listed as one of the highlight’s on China's awe inspiring tourist trail. Although a very serene and beautiful sanctuary, it hardly competes with the many mind blowing destinations and relics of the past that litter the Chinese empire. However, it seems to have captured the imagination of quite a few tourists, mainly mainland Chinese, who have made the effort to go there. It lies in the heart of Teochew country in Chao'an, between the cities of Chaozhou and Shantou. To give a better idea a collection of images captured on their smartphones recently is presented below. The sunset, looking from the eastern shore, a place where Tan most likely spent some of his early childhood, looking across the lake to the distant hills in the west seems to be a favorite "photo opp".

The Flight From Johor    The last post saw Tan Yeok Nee scaling heights of affluence and power that few newly arrived immigrants in the region could have ever dreamt of. Within only a couple of decades Tan had risen from being a door-to-door peddler of fabrics to perhaps the most wealthy and influential figure within the Singapore and Johor business and political elites of the time. All the more perplexing then that in 1875, only four years after his elevation to the highest echelons of power, including leadership of the Great Opium Syndicate, Tan apparently vanished from the Johor scene. It was a supposed disappearing act made all the more mysterious by the lack of any kind of explanation as to why. At least that is how some accounts of the events that transpired would have us believe. The Singapore National Library Board’s Infopedia site says: “In 1875, Tan fled from Johor to Singapore and gave up all his connections in Johor.” Considering Tan’s staggering accumulation of power and w

Out of Chaos Comes Order In the previous post we saw the rise of Tan Yeok Nee coinciding with unprecedented population and economic growth in Johor under the helmsmanship of Temenggong, later Maharaja, Abu Bakar. As trusted partners, Tan and his patron the Maharaja were the architects of Johor’s rise. They masterfully manipulated the various interests of those involved in the opium trade, playing them off against one another to Johor’s massive advantage. However, the outcome inadvertently set off a vicious cycle of violence in which Chinese secret societies, with their kongsi fronts, fought each other in the streets of Singapore. After years of unrest all of the stakeholders were looking for a solution to the seemingly never ending cycles of carnage. The Descent into Mayhem Although Tan’s star was burning brightly, all around him the fragile social order was starting to fracture. The tentacles of the clan based kongsi touched nearly all aspects of urban life among the region’s Chinese

The Rise of Tan Yeok Nee The last two posts described the world that Tan Yeok Nee encountered on his arrival in Singapore: everchanging, perhaps even intimidating, but offering boundless opportunities for anyone quick witted enough and with energy and ambition. Some things about Singapore have not changed despite today's modernity, but back then the market forces at work revolved around opium and secret scoeities. Regardless, Singapore and its rapidly growing, Malay governed hinterland of Johor, was open and welcoming to anyone with a hunger to succeed. Tens of thousands came. Malays, Chinese and British alike were brimming expectantly with optimism. The scene was set for Tan’s spectacular rise. A 19th century Singapore Chinatown shop front occupied by young men of about Tan's age when he arrived there. This overcrowded area of town was the immediate destination for most new arrivals from China. For many it was a staging post before being sent to work on the plantations. (Natio

A Strange New World   The previous post followed Tan Yeok Nee from his hometown to his first weeks and months in Malaya and then to Singapore where his fortuitous first meeting with Abu Bakar took place. It showed that anything could happen in this rapidly evolving global port city. That was, of course, precisely its appeal. Many others arrived from southern China, including those who, like Tan, identified as Teochew, but most of their stories are lost to history. In fact, considering the number of arrivals, there is a veritable void in documented information about their experiences. But it was not just the people and places who were new to Tan. Mastering how to navigate his way through the new commercial and administrative structures which he encountered was imperative. From the Collection of the National Museum of Singapore, "View of Singapore From The Sea" was painted around 1847. A view similar to this was therefore probably what Tan Yeok Nee's first saw on arriving i