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Post by Henry on Dec 18, 2008 20:21:41 GMT -5
Hi Ahlim,
I believe that the aftermath of the Taiping Rebellion leaving between 20 -30 million people dead from warfare and famine from the war was a definite push factor for Chinese to emigrate from China and the pull factor to Nanyang, especially for Malaysia - needing lots of cheap laborers to supply the booming Chinese controlled tin mining industry. I think the majority of these Chinese came through the port of Amoy (Xiamen). The other 2 countries in Nanyang that now have significant Chinese populations are Thailand and Indonesia. These 2 countries had a long history of contact with Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian and Chinese came as traders and laborers. I think the population of overseas Chinese in all 3 countries, each country exceeding 7 million Chinese. Traditionally, Fujian Chinese are the majority in all 3 countries.
The attraction for gold & railroad work brough many Chinese from the San Yi & Si Yi regions to Gim Sum ( Gold Mountain ) in the US & Canada, with more than half from Taishan county. The subsequent attraction of gold in Shun Gim Sum ( New Gold Mountain ) also drew a lot of Chinese from other parts of Guangdong province such as Zhongshan and Zengcheng counties.
It would be very interesting to know if there were statistics recorded by the Amoy port authorities, as a British controlled treaty port, or ship lines, or the disembarkation ports in Australia & New Zealand.
Chinese genealogy research does require a knowledge of the history of China and of overseas Chinese migration distributions and patterns.
Henry
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 19, 2008 7:13:58 GMT -5
Henry, As usual, it was a great read from you, of your family taking roots in the US. I think most Chinese families overseas pre- 1960s, would have a story worthy of airing. Ours too, had paper son and daughter in the mix.
I had never witnessed a ritual involved a rooster as a proxy in a marriage ceremony, but I am aware of its past existence through word of mouth, newspaper articles, and in Cantonese films and TV dramas. But I had seen a bride's arrival in a sedan chair accompanied by a band, and the attendant pomp and ceremony back in China well over half a century ago.
In this discussion board, I had little to offer in genealogy search. I am just happy to be a spectator, seeing searches coming to fruition. I never get tired of reading stories of ordinary people and families, the unsung heroes. And Nth. America is a treasure trove of such stories. Let's have more, how about it Henry?
Our national public broadcaster ABC used to monitor NPR's "All Things Considered" Lately, it isn't available. If there is anything interesting about the Chinese experience, please alert me to listen online.
Douglas, Sydney Australia
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Post by Henry on Dec 19, 2008 8:46:13 GMT -5
Douglas,
I am glad you can corroborate the "sang gai sang how" ritual, some of my friends kind of look at me odd when I tell them how my mother married my father in China, actually, proxy marriages are common in other cultures.
Herein is the great value that you bring to the Forum, there are not that many overseas Chinese that were born in China and lived there and then migrated overseas, hence, you can provide perspectives from both sides of the story. You are a walking talking treasure trove!
The Forum is a great place to reinforce the experiences that most of us had to share as overseas Chinese, our Chinese genealogy research is both a very personal and yet very public. This is why it is so unique. The meticulous recording of our ancestors through the course of thousands of years has been a wonderful uniquely Chinese tradition that nobody can deny - I love it !
If you are interested in the Chinese American experience, I have the PBS special on Chinese Americans aired a couple years back on 3 DVDs. Many overseas Chinese outside of North American really enjoyed it. I'll try converting the DVDs to avi files so I can email them to you and anybody else that would like a copy. Just send me your personal email to "Tomclan@Gmail.com" and I will try to email you back with the 3 avi files.
Henry
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Post by laohuaqiao on Dec 19, 2008 11:48:56 GMT -5
Henry, Great story! I looked up Empress of Russia. It was part of Canadian Pacific Railroad Company's fleet of trans-Pacific liners. It was deployed to help transport troops and other war efforts during the 2 world wars. So, your mother was on one of the rare (if not the only) passenger voyages of that liner going from Hong Kong to New York, while on her way to Europe to assist with the war in 1940.
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Post by Henry on Dec 19, 2008 15:04:07 GMT -5
Hi Laohuaqiao, I believe that the Pacific crossing by my mother on the Empress of Russia was one of the last of the 300 Pacific crossings by this ship. I think it was later in 1940 that she was used as a troop carrier. "She was again requisitioned as a trooper in 1940, one of a very small number of merchant ships to see duty in both World Wars. (Her sister, Empress of Asia, was another.) In September 1945, however, she was destroyed by fire during her post-war refitting at Barrow, and was broken up there." Here is a picture of the Empress of Russia: Here is a photo of mom, leftmost lady - I think the other lady is her sister and her 2 sons on the day of departure from Hong Kong in front of one of the gangplanks to the ship - the sisters were not too happy - mom's eyes were probably swollen from crying - the two boys seem happy enough. Here are some interesting facts about this ship by Mr. David Obee: Ocean liners carried millions of people to new lands in the 20th century, and passenger lists remain one of the most important resources for genealogical researchers. Books have been published that help us determine which ship was which, and how our ancestors' ships compared to the others on the seas.But what about the actual operation of these vessels? The more we can learn about that, after all, the better idea we will have about the voyages themselves.Take, for instance, the menu avialable. It goes without saying that these menus would vary by the class of service, but there are ways to get a general idea of what life was like on board.Consider the Empress of Russia, built for Canadian Pacific in Glasgow and launched in 1912. After a maiden voyage from Liverpool to Hong Kong through the Suez Canal, she entered Canadian Pacific's service across the Pacific Ocean, bringing people to and from Victoria, British Columbia. The Empress of Russia had three funnels. She was 570 feet long, measured almost 17,000 gross tons and had powerful engines that could drive her at a speed of 20 knots. She could carry 200 first class, 100 second class and 888 steerage passengers.So what did it take to feed all those passengers? An answer may be found in the Victoria Daily Times in September, 1921, in a report that quoted W.J. Mylett, superintendent of the trans-Pacific service.Here is Mylett's list of the foodstuffs taken on a round trip:· 50,000 pounds of beef· 17,000 pounds of pork· 7,000 pounds of mutton· 3,000 pounds of lamb· 2,000 pounds of veal· 3,000 pounds of ham· 25,000 pounds of fish· 70,000 pounds of vegetables· 35,000 pounds of potatoes· 6,000 pounds of sugar· 4,000 pounds of salt· 1,000 pounds of coffee· 600 pounds of tea· 70,000 pounds of eggs· 2,000 pounds of oatmeal· 1,000 gallons of milk· 100 barrels of flour· 175 cases of apples· 1,000 pounds of biscuits· 200 cases of oranges· 350 turkeys· 2,300 game· 700 capons· 850 ducks· 900 fowl· 200 geese· 1,700 broilers· And much more, including an emergency stock. To keep the food stuffs fresh, the ship had a refrigeration system that was "the latest word in efficiency," according to the newspaper. The temperature was lowered by a gas plant, and all perishables were kept at 24 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, just below the freezing mark. There were separate refrigerators for fish, meats, poultry, cheese, milk and butter, fruit, and vegetables. Admittedly, the Empress of Russia was more palatial than your typical immigrant ship. But the numbers will still give an idea of what life -- or, at least, eating -- was like on a trip across the oceans. Whew ! Henry
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Post by geoff on Dec 19, 2008 16:48:01 GMT -5
Henry, Your recent posting reminds me that we should include stories in the family history on how our ancestors travelled to their new overseas home. Photos of ships from the mid 1880 to 1900 period are a bit scarce but crew & passenger lists of ships arriving in Sydney from 1845 are available at /mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/. Not all lists have been transcribed yet. In many cases, there are listings like "100 Chinese in steerage". I originally thought I'd found my great grandfather's arrival in Aust but in later research it turns out to be the return leg of his trip to China to find a wife. He was 36 & living in Melbourne where chinese females were practically non existent. Just as well he had made that "right" decision otherwise I wouldn't be chatting to you today. His name appears on the passenger list as he was a paying passenger not one of those "100 chinese in steerage".
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Post by geoff on Dec 19, 2008 17:03:37 GMT -5
Henry,
That photo of your mother in the foreground & the ship in the background, reminds me of a photo of my father, then at aged 5, trying to reach the top railing of the ship in 1928. His face is partly obscured by the railing but he tells me that was him. His father took the family back to HK & Canton for a visit. Photos & an intesting story will make viewing our family history very enjoyable.
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Post by Henry on Dec 19, 2008 19:51:37 GMT -5
Geoff, Yes, I agree that stories about how ancestors traveled to their new overseas home should be included in every family history - along with paintings and photos of the ships. The following is an excellent service that can find a photo & description of many passenger ships for $23 USD: freespace.virgin.net/donald.hazeldine/homepage.htmHenry
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Post by douglaslam on Dec 20, 2008 4:33:39 GMT -5
This is getting really interesting, I love shipping and grainy photos, and I am getting both.
I think my grandfather sailed to Vancouver on the Empress of Asia, and on subsequent trips back to China to father his family of many children.Though he had suffered advanced dementia, he remembered his younger day events. I regret I didn't prompt him to tell all.
Another famous liner that saw service as troop carrier in both WW, was the Cunard's Acquitania, a magnifiient four stacker. At one time, Cunard's two Queens, Mary and Elizabeth, and the Acquitania were in Sydney for refitting as troop carriers during WW II.
I myself sailed to Sydney in a 7,000 ton cargo/passenger liner. As steerage passengers, we were ushered to the bow cargo hold of the ship, sleeping in dorm.-like bunk beds. We were human cargo. There were no portholes, much less air cond. Ventilation was by way of a canvass shute rigged above deck. When the ship was underway, fresh air was channelled below deck. How environmental- friendly is this? It is carbon neutral ! I was part of it , eat your heart out.
Douglas, the greenie from Sydney
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Post by Henry on Dec 20, 2008 10:19:50 GMT -5
Hi Douglas,
As I had mentioned, you are a walking talking historical phenomenon - having been born in China, lived there and then emigrated overseas. You can tell the story from both sides.
If you decide to write a family history, I hope that you will include some descriptions on your impressions about the voyage from China to Australia - so, people can really have an authentic account of what it is like to make this journey under existing conditions - fabulous resource.
Henry
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