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Post by helen on Aug 15, 2009 3:51:02 GMT -5
www.theprow.org.nz/ www.theprow.org.nz/appo-hocton/ Jumped ship to become first Chinese Immigrant to New Zealand It was an unconventional arrival for New Zealand's first Chinese immigrant in 1842. Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting, who became known as Appo Hocton, (sometimes Hockton) left China aged nine to work on English vessels as a ship's boy. When the immigrant ship the Thomas Harrison berthed in the colony of Nelson on May 26, 1842, he joined other crew members and jumped ship.
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Post by douglaslam on Aug 18, 2009 4:51:44 GMT -5
Here is something for our knowledgeable members Henry or tyuti1668 (you have been laying low lately) to come to my rescue. I made enquiries about Appo Hocton on the link Helen posted on her thread. I got a reply that Appo was from a village called Wie Jie Chong, in Zhongshan. Wie Jie Chong does not ring the bell at all, even though I am a Zhongshan native. Could you two gentlemen please put me out of my misery?
Douglas
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Post by Henry on Aug 18, 2009 8:20:17 GMT -5
Hi Douglas, I would be happy to help, however, as a Zhongshan native and knowing the dialect for this area - can you make an educated guess and provide me with the Chinese characters for the name of this village. Perhaps Helen can assist and contact the Nelson Provincial Museum and Archives www.museumnp.org.nz - as they will be publishing a book on the life of Appo in February 2010 alongside an accompanying exhibition on Appo's life. They may have a digital photo of the gravestone for this pioneer Chinese New Zealander. This would probably have is name and the names of his village in Chinese. Henry |
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Post by helen on Aug 19, 2009 5:37:15 GMT -5
I've sent the message to the editor. My friend Steve Austin did some research on hime a while back.
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Post by douglaslam on Aug 19, 2009 7:06:46 GMT -5
Hi Henry,
Curiosity got the better of me. I just want to know where Wie Jie Chong is in relation to my home village. Apparently there is a spelling mistake because my daughter tells me there is no pinyin equivalent in Wie. In our place my daughter has the last word in Mandarin especially after her two semesters at PKU. So, we come up with Wei Jie Chong 围界涌, which is quite Cantonese. Can you make sense of it?
If not, I hope Helen can come up with a winner.
Douglas
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Post by tyuti1668 on Aug 19, 2009 9:27:23 GMT -5
围界涌 maybe the 界涌 village in 前山鎮, Zhuhai Douglas, I'm just came "home" in previous week. In this visit, learnt how to ride 2 wheel vehicle in those "crazy" highway traffic & uneven 石板街 (ie. famous death trap ) in our village . Bicycle trip: almost whole 隆都 & surrounding village in 板芙 ( 新開涌)/Enclave of 東升鎮( 聖獅) that can cross by bridge. The ferry ( pier) to 对面海 (环城/南区) is still operating. / Motorcycle: Learner stage (NO license = NO highway) The famous "illegal" practice yard for the villagers : 卓山中学's front door is too dangerous for me/ practiced in the open area btw 长提 & 九龙门 ONLY. |
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Post by Henry on Aug 19, 2009 13:11:38 GMT -5
Douglas & tyuti1668, Here is a map showing the area of 前山鎮 ( Qian Shan Town ). I could not locate the village, as it may no longer exists. It seems probable that the village of Appo Hocton was from the Qian Shan area as it is so close to the port of Macau, a major port of embarkation for foreign ports such as those in New Zealand. Henry  |
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Post by tyuti1668 on Aug 19, 2009 16:37:50 GMT -5
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Post by douglaslam on Aug 20, 2009 5:33:20 GMT -5
To tyuti1668 and Henry,
I thank you both for taking my trivial pursuit seriously. You nailed that one. Yes,it is quite possible the village was razed in the mad rush for progress. Appo's descendants may never know how it used to be.
tyuti1668, you whetted my apetite for a bicycle tour of our home county. Let's team up for a familiarisation tour on my next trip to China. I am sure there are no better guides than you are in Chungshan. You are our answer to Henry's nephew Shi Cheng in Siyi.
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Post by tyuti1668 on Aug 20, 2009 18:01:46 GMT -5
Newspaper article about that "village" Douglas, I'm not that great as a guide because i'm HK born. ANY "native" motorcycle taxi driver had better (road/ communicate) knowledge than me. Villages (南文/大嵐) around "home" is quite ok for bicycle tour. It's better as a motorcycle pillion (If brave enough drive a unregistrable 50cc moped: Police turn a blind eye to old folks on these vehicle ) if tour "home town/ county" because the old highway don't often have bicycle lane & have climbs. Those bike tour in highway is to familiar the feeling on 2-wheel ONLY : The HK m/c test in "school" will be held in Oct  |
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Post by helen on Mar 23, 2010 2:28:42 GMT -5
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Post by helen on Mar 23, 2010 2:29:58 GMT -5
Book celebrates country's first Asian
By JOSH REICH - The Nelson Mail 1/3/2010
The life and achievements of Appo Hocton, the first person of Asian ethnicity to become a naturalised New Zealander, has been celebrated with the launch of a book and exhibition in Nelson.
Mr Hocton, whose full name was Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting, arrived in Nelson after jumping ship from the Thomas Harrison in 1842, making him one of the early settlers in this region and almost certainly the first Chinese migrant to New Zealand.
He became a naturalised citizen in 1853 to allow him to become a landowner, and throughout his life contributed greatly to the development of Nelson.
He is thought to have about 1600 descendants living throughout New Zealand, a number of whom were in attendance at the launch at a packed-out Nelson Provincial Museum on Saturday.
The book was written by Karen Stade and contains much research carried out by Mr Hocton's great grand-daughter Diana Clark and museum staff member Steve Austin.
Mrs Clark, the "self-appointed" family historian, said the book was the result of six years of hard work.
"It's a very very special day," she said. "It's unique for Nelson's own history as well [as the family]. He was the first Chinese person to settle in Nelson and New Zealand."
Mr Hocton ran a number of businesses in the region, searched for gold in Golden Bay and built a number of houses.
Mrs Clark said he was at an advantage when he arrived in Nelson as he already spoke and could read English.
"He was very astute.
"This Chinaman came into a white society and was so well accepted by his English and Irish counterparts."
Among those at the celebration was Ethnic affairs Minister Pansy Wong, New Zealand's first Asian MP.
She said many people, including previously herself, believed the first Chinese person arrived in Otago in the 1860s.
She was delighted that through the book more people would learn the truth, and hoped other families would become interested in learning about their heritage.
"I believe our country's future would absolutely look much better because we're strengthened by the very strands of our ethnicity woven into our landscape, and this is another step for us to go on that fantastic journey."
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