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| The new and the old buildings co-exist for now |
My interest of this place lies with the fact that there sits a historical building that was built in 1887. If the tombstones were to be taken away, I want to know if this old building will still be maintained.
So I had to pay a visit to the ancestral hall to hear from the people who manage the land.
I remember the first time that I caught sight of this cemetery was some 20 years ago when I visited a friend. He was staying at Holland Village and his flat was overlooking the cemetery. He offered me a simple narrative about the cemetery - that it was pretty old and that residents there were not afraid of any spiritual happenings nor has he seen anything unnatural. Funny how we always ask whether those residents have came across spirits whenever we are next to a cemetery. Many a times, they will proffer their stories as if they knew that we were going to ask them about it anyway.
This was also the case when we spoke to the caretaker of the ancestral hall, Mr Tan (陈先生). But let us first focus on the issue on hand. What is this place and whether will the tombstones be removed.
The start of our journey
My colleagues and I walked through the cemetery and were looking at the different tombstones. The sun was shining bright and we were there at about 10:30am. Still, the heat could not dissolve our quest for the truth. We stopped at the different tombstones to read the nicely written inscriptions. Some of which have been carved in stone. There were the 李，黄，陈 and many other different surnames listed. Some of these tombstones had little stones placed on top of them. This was to signify that someone had paid the grave a visit and that they are being tended to.
We also realised that nearly all of the tombstones listed their burial year as 1969. We were curious to find out why.
In a short distance stood a gardener. He was an unassuming and friendly chap who gave me a big smile and was waving at me to come towards him.
The story behind the tombstones
The gardener was tan and his face was weather-beaten. The features just adds on to the authenticity of what he was about to share with us. He spoke totally in Hokkien and some parts of which, I could not really understand as he was putting in certain names of places, or older activities practiced in times gone by.
He shared about how he has tended the cemetery ever since 1983 and that he was the second generation of gardener. He took over the role of tending the cemetery after his father passed on. He shared about how the Hakka community had purchased a big piece of land from the government. Written records showed that they had purchased 40ha of land in 1887. He said that the land stretched all the way to a site where a current school sits. I'm not too sure which school, but I gather it must be either the current CHIJ St. Theresa Convent or Queensway Secondary School. Most of the land have been acquired by the government by the 1960s for re-development. He said that there were also graves where Blk 7, Holland now sits. They have now all been moved to this cemetery.
The caretaker of 双龙山
I walked over to the ancient ancestral hall. We did not know what to expect and whether we needed to remove our shoes as a sign of respect. So we stood at the entrance and had a full view of the wooden tablets before us.
A gentleman in a well-worn shirt and dark pants, and shoes that were held together by green rafia strings, glided past us. He then cast a look at us and with a waving movement of his hands, invited us into the ancestral hall. Somehow mesmerized, I followed him towards the right side of the hall. He stopped. I stopped. Only to realised that I was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of yellow porcelain urns that came in different shapes and sizes.
I had also noticed that two workers were busily removing pieces of wood. To break the ice, I asked this gentleman what was happening here. He said that they were doing some restoration work as the termites had eaten through the wood that was holding up the ceiling. They have to move the urns so that work could be done.
Only then did he introduced himself as 陈先生 (Mr Tan) and that he has been the caretaker for over 30 years. This was when he started to share with us his many stories - some historical, other spiritual to a point of ghostly.
Within the Ancestral Hall
He said that in the ancestral hall, he has collected urns and tablets that are not only from the Chinese Hakka community, but also Indians and foreigners such as Hong Kong residents. 陈先生 also made mention of a couple whose bodies laid behind the tablets and that their bodies had remained in a well preserved state.
We then moved towards the entrance to which he turned to look at the altar. He pointed to the signboard and also the red pillars and said that all these wood actually came from Malacca. He gave me the names of the types of wood used, but I can hardly make out the different types of wood if I was given their English names, more so when he rattled off the names in Mandarin.
He had also shared that the ancestral hall was used as a school.
We have spoken quite a bit by now and I thought that here was my chance to go for the jugular. I meekly asked Mr Tan whether the news report about the removal of the tombstones was true - That the Association was going to build a pagoda to house these urns. You could just hear the irritation in his voice. "No way, No way! I do not know why it was reported as such". He then added, "我们是不会封山的” meaning we will never seal off the place.
So I had to pay a visit to the ancestral hall to hear from the people who manage the land.
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| Symmetrically-lined tombstones that were erected in 1969 |
I remember the first time that I caught sight of this cemetery was some 20 years ago when I visited a friend. He was staying at Holland Village and his flat was overlooking the cemetery. He offered me a simple narrative about the cemetery - that it was pretty old and that residents there were not afraid of any spiritual happenings nor has he seen anything unnatural. Funny how we always ask whether those residents have came across spirits whenever we are next to a cemetery. Many a times, they will proffer their stories as if they knew that we were going to ask them about it anyway.
This was also the case when we spoke to the caretaker of the ancestral hall, Mr Tan (陈先生). But let us first focus on the issue on hand. What is this place and whether will the tombstones be removed.
The start of our journey
My colleagues and I walked through the cemetery and were looking at the different tombstones. The sun was shining bright and we were there at about 10:30am. Still, the heat could not dissolve our quest for the truth. We stopped at the different tombstones to read the nicely written inscriptions. Some of which have been carved in stone. There were the 李，黄，陈 and many other different surnames listed. Some of these tombstones had little stones placed on top of them. This was to signify that someone had paid the grave a visit and that they are being tended to.
We also realised that nearly all of the tombstones listed their burial year as 1969. We were curious to find out why.
In a short distance stood a gardener. He was an unassuming and friendly chap who gave me a big smile and was waving at me to come towards him.
The story behind the tombstones
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| Row after row of mosaic-clad headstones greet visitors of this cemetery |
The gardener was tan and his face was weather-beaten. The features just adds on to the authenticity of what he was about to share with us. He spoke totally in Hokkien and some parts of which, I could not really understand as he was putting in certain names of places, or older activities practiced in times gone by.
He shared about how he has tended the cemetery ever since 1983 and that he was the second generation of gardener. He took over the role of tending the cemetery after his father passed on. He shared about how the Hakka community had purchased a big piece of land from the government. Written records showed that they had purchased 40ha of land in 1887. He said that the land stretched all the way to a site where a current school sits. I'm not too sure which school, but I gather it must be either the current CHIJ St. Theresa Convent or Queensway Secondary School. Most of the land have been acquired by the government by the 1960s for re-development. He said that there were also graves where Blk 7, Holland now sits. They have now all been moved to this cemetery.
The caretaker of 双龙山
I walked over to the ancient ancestral hall. We did not know what to expect and whether we needed to remove our shoes as a sign of respect. So we stood at the entrance and had a full view of the wooden tablets before us.
 |
| Tablets at the Ancestral Hall |
A gentleman in a well-worn shirt and dark pants, and shoes that were held together by green rafia strings, glided past us. He then cast a look at us and with a waving movement of his hands, invited us into the ancestral hall. Somehow mesmerized, I followed him towards the right side of the hall. He stopped. I stopped. Only to realised that I was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of yellow porcelain urns that came in different shapes and sizes.
I had also noticed that two workers were busily removing pieces of wood. To break the ice, I asked this gentleman what was happening here. He said that they were doing some restoration work as the termites had eaten through the wood that was holding up the ceiling. They have to move the urns so that work could be done.
Only then did he introduced himself as 陈先生 (Mr Tan) and that he has been the caretaker for over 30 years. This was when he started to share with us his many stories - some historical, other spiritual to a point of ghostly.
Within the Ancestral Hall
He said that in the ancestral hall, he has collected urns and tablets that are not only from the Chinese Hakka community, but also Indians and foreigners such as Hong Kong residents. 陈先生 also made mention of a couple whose bodies laid behind the tablets and that their bodies had remained in a well preserved state.
 |
| Entrance to the historical Ancestral Hall |
He had also shared that the ancestral hall was used as a school.
We have spoken quite a bit by now and I thought that here was my chance to go for the jugular. I meekly asked Mr Tan whether the news report about the removal of the tombstones was true - That the Association was going to build a pagoda to house these urns. You could just hear the irritation in his voice. "No way, No way! I do not know why it was reported as such". He then added, "我们是不会封山的” meaning we will never seal off the place.
The place that's called Double Dragon Hill (双龙山)
I did not want to agitate the poor man further. So I asked him why was this place called "双龙山”. The frown lines slowly disappeared and started to share about the past, saying that there were two hills. One was in front of the ancestral hall, and the other was slightly to the back.
I asked if there were many Dutch families staying in this area since it's called Holland Village. He simply replied, "No, mostly Hakka people lived here".
And here's the hook...
I was not ready to ask him anything that he was not comfortable to answer and the questions that I have were already well and truly answered. We were moving towards the doorway when he turned around and said, "I see three people playing mahjong". I interjected,"Now? You mean where we are now standing?"
"There are times. Just at the doorway". I shifted myself away from the doorway.
"Come, follow me", Mr Tan beckoned. "Let me show you the room of the former caretaker".
Not sure of what was to expect, I followed him and to ensure that I kept myself alive, I made sure there was a little bit of distance between us just in case I got dragged into something that I did not want to be a participant in. He continued with his story saying that the former caretaker had a very bad dream and was told that something untowards would happen to him. Shortly after, the caretaker was found dead in his room.
This was when Mr Tan opened the door to the room and thank goodness, we saw just ladders and other tools and nothing else. So it has been converted to a storeroom.
By now, Mr Tan had spent more than 30 minutes with us and as abrupt as we first met him at the ancestral hall, he ended the tour with " 我要回去做工了” (I need to get back to work).
Still, the entire experience was totally enriching. The gardener and the caretaker really took time off their work to chat with us. Today, we have learnt much about the Chinese culture and also history of Singapore.
My colleague, Michael who was with me during this visit, aptly closed this visit by saying, "It was interesting seeing this remnant of old Singapore juxtaposed with the new, with the HDB flats in the background. The caretakers were so approachable and generous with their time and easy manner, reminding me of what Singapore was like back in our kampong days and leaving me somewhat wistful."
Good read/ References
1. Zaccheus, M. (June 6, 2014). Hakka tombstones may have to go. Straits Times. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/hakka-tombstones-may-have-go-20140608
2. Wong, D. (November 30, 2012). An oddly-placed cemetery. Poskod.sg. http://poskod.sg/Posts/2012/11/30/An-Oddly-placed-Cemetery
3. The Hakka Story. Retrieved on June 14, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2cRR3nhRhI
And here's the hook...
I was not ready to ask him anything that he was not comfortable to answer and the questions that I have were already well and truly answered. We were moving towards the doorway when he turned around and said, "I see three people playing mahjong". I interjected,"Now? You mean where we are now standing?"
"There are times. Just at the doorway". I shifted myself away from the doorway.
"Come, follow me", Mr Tan beckoned. "Let me show you the room of the former caretaker".
 |
| The caretaker's room that looks towards the entrance door on left wing of the hall |
Not sure of what was to expect, I followed him and to ensure that I kept myself alive, I made sure there was a little bit of distance between us just in case I got dragged into something that I did not want to be a participant in. He continued with his story saying that the former caretaker had a very bad dream and was told that something untowards would happen to him. Shortly after, the caretaker was found dead in his room.
This was when Mr Tan opened the door to the room and thank goodness, we saw just ladders and other tools and nothing else. So it has been converted to a storeroom.
By now, Mr Tan had spent more than 30 minutes with us and as abrupt as we first met him at the ancestral hall, he ended the tour with " 我要回去做工了” (I need to get back to work).
Still, the entire experience was totally enriching. The gardener and the caretaker really took time off their work to chat with us. Today, we have learnt much about the Chinese culture and also history of Singapore.
My colleague, Michael who was with me during this visit, aptly closed this visit by saying, "It was interesting seeing this remnant of old Singapore juxtaposed with the new, with the HDB flats in the background. The caretakers were so approachable and generous with their time and easy manner, reminding me of what Singapore was like back in our kampong days and leaving me somewhat wistful."
Good read/ References
1. Zaccheus, M. (June 6, 2014). Hakka tombstones may have to go. Straits Times. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/hakka-tombstones-may-have-go-20140608
2. Wong, D. (November 30, 2012). An oddly-placed cemetery. Poskod.sg. http://poskod.sg/Posts/2012/11/30/An-Oddly-placed-Cemetery
3. The Hakka Story. Retrieved on June 14, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2cRR3nhRhI
2 comments:
The school he mentioned could be ACS (International) which is further down Holland Close although entrance of the school is at Jalan Hitam Manis.
ACS (International) lies north of the cemetery. Though the school might have been a former burial ground,the gardener was pointing towards the east. Moreover, the clan had about 40ha of land. I reckon that the land ends somewhere near the current Commonwealth Drive and Commonwealth Close.
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