This non-famous city actually has an indissoluble relationship with many celebrities
The endless Java Sea, the tide lapping against the flat west coast of Java.
From the map, from the West Java coastal town of Ciribun to the east, the coastline has been relatively straight, about 200 kilometers later, when the outline of The middle Java began to appear, the straight coast suddenly drew a beautiful arc to the south, and the narrow and long island of Java suddenly became much wider here. If one comes closer, one will find that due to the change in the depth of the Java Sea, the blue waters in the distance have gradually turned into a dreamy light blue here.
An imposing harbor appears in front of you, with tower cranes lined up on the dock and ships of all sizes moored in the harbor. Trains rumble to shore, and ships leading outside the port whistle low from time to time, and every day from dawn until late at night, it is always a busy scene.
A corner of Semarang Port.
To the west from the port, it is a city surrounded by green trees, and its layered landform makes her architectural layout particularly intricate.
First a wide plain stretches from the seashore, with railway stations, factory districts, bustling commercial blocks, and the office buildings of the stately military and government offices, lined up one by one; then there are hills and rolling hills, where several busy highways go uphill and downhill, somewhat winding and winding. On both sides of the road, various trees are leafy, and many ordinary people's houses are built on the slopes of the roadside. The slope is high, but not steep, and some of the mansion compounds and star hotels with lawns and flowers are also built on the commanding heights of the slopes. During the day, there are small villas with red roofs everywhere; at night, the flickering lights of thousands of homes come into view, and there is a pleasing beauty in the past. A little farther away, the suburbs are green mountains, peaks are towering, there are often clouds floating in between, and the real natural scenery is picturesque.
This is Semarang, the capital of Indonesia's central Java province.
Among the large cities in Indonesia with more than a million people, Semarang should be regarded as a relatively clean and beautiful one. She was like a dignified and charming young woman, with a serene and calm demeanor that other cities lacked.
At dusk, a beautiful young woman in Semarang Youth Monument Square.
Speaking of Indonesian cities, Chinese generally think of the capital Jakarta, and Bandung, which held the famous Asian-African Conference in the 1950s; also heard of Surabaya (Surabaya), the country's second largest city, and many people know about the not-so-big ancient city of Central Java because of a famous song "Beautiful Solo River". Speak from the heart, and not many people know Semarang.
However, this less well-known Semarang is a place that has been inextricably linked to many historical celebrities.
Semarang's old town's neat streets and abundance of Dutch architecture look no different from a European city.
Lord Semarang with Semarang and Smalang
First of all, the name of the city comes from the great ancient Chinese navigator Zheng He.
Zheng He, whose original name was Ma Sanbao, was born into a Hui family in Kunming, Yunnan, and in the early Ming Dynasty, due to war and chaos, he was sent to Beiping at the age of 12 and became a slave of the Yan King Zhu Di's family and became a eunuch. Later, Zhu Di ascended to the throne, wrote a "Zheng" character in his own handwriting, gave him a surname, and promoted him to the position of inner palace and eunuch. Because Zheng and the small characters "Three Guarantees", people also called him "Three Guarantees Eunuch" or "Three Treasures Eunuch".
It is said that Zheng He's distant ancestors came to Yunnan from the Western Regions, and both his grandfather and father sailed to Mecca, the holy land of Islam, to make pilgrimages. Influenced by his family, Zheng He hopes to go to sea when he grows up. Later, he served the King of Yan, but the desire to sail was always buried in his heart. At that time, the countries along the Indian Ocean believed in Islam, and many countries in South Asia believed in Buddhism. Because Zheng He believed in two religions, knew some navigation knowledge, and served as a grand eunuch in charge of court affairs, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di selected him as a regular envoy, led one of the most powerful fleets in the world at that time, and began an unprecedented scale of navigation activities.
From 1405 to 1433, in the past 30 years, he has crossed the ocean seven times, traveled 32 countries in Asia and Africa, and is known as Zheng He's seven voyages to the West.
Zheng He's fleet.
According to historical records, in the third year of Ming Yongle, Zheng He commanded more than 27,000 soldiers and 62 large ships to arrive in the middle of Java on June 30 of the lunar calendar, and landed in a harbor surrounded by ridges like two crab claws.
According to the Indonesian scholar Lin Tianyou's "History of Semarang 1416-1931" published in 1931, it is believed that Zheng He visited Semarang when he went to the West for the fifth time in 1416 (the fourteenth year of Yongle). At that time, the city of Semarang had not yet been established, and dutch colonists had not yet come to Indonesia. Zheng He's fleet landed in the Simon's area at the mouth of the Kali Garang. Lin Tianyou recounts in the book: The folklore books circulating on the market understand the "three guarantees" as "three protectors", that is, the three people with the surname Zheng, the surname Wang, and the surname Ma. The surname Zheng is commemorated in Semarang The surname Wang is commemorated in Cirebon, West Java, and the surname Ma is commemorated in Siam, i.e. Thailand.
As for why Zheng He's fleet stopped at Semongan, folklore explains it like this: When Zheng He's fleet was sailing from east to west in the Java Sea, Zheng He's deputy, Wang Jinghong, was seriously ill, and Zheng He ordered the fleet to dock on Simon's bank, find a small cave on the hillside, and place Wang Jinghong in the cave. Zheng He personally fried medicine to recuperate, and Wang Jinghong's condition improved day by day. Ten days later, Zheng He continued to sail west, leaving behind a boat, as well as 10 soldiers and a little grain, and returned to China after Wang Jinghong recovered. After a long period of recuperation, Wang Jinghong did not return to China, but instead married and had children with 10 soldiers who cultivated land and built bamboo houses with local women. That boat was used to go out for business. Wang Jinghong, who believed in Islam, spread Islam and carved a wooden statue of Zheng He and placed it in a cave to enshrine. Wang Jinghong lived to the age of 78 and was buried according to Islamic rituals at the time of his death, and the tomb is inscribed Kiai Juru Mudi Dampo Awang, which means "the navigator of Lord Sanbao, the elder of Islam". This tomb is still well protected.
This folklore was included in the western scholar Welmot's book "The Chinese of Semarang", and Professor Kong Yuanzhi's "The Famous Temple of The Three Treasures" also quoted this folklore.
Zhu Jieqin, a professor in the History Department of Jinan University, pointed out in his "History of Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia": "Whether Zheng He visited Semarang and whether Wang Jinghong stayed in Indonesia is not recorded in Chinese history books, but we cannot think that without recording it, we cannot completely deny this matter, and ancient legends often cannot be completely separated from historical facts." The local Chinese never doubted whether Zheng He had ever come to Semarang, and landed near the address of today's cave, and indeed built a temple here to commemorate him. Whether it is true or not, the first to establish a residence in Semarang were Chinese businessmen, and it was also Chinese who worked hard to develop this area, which is recognized by everyone. ”
Bronze statue of Zheng He on the square of The Great Treasure Hall of the Daxiong Treasure Temple in Samholang Sanbao Cave. (Image source: Aero Traveller website)
In the second year of Qing Yongzheng (1724), an overseas Chinese leader named Lin Ze mobilized the Chinese compatriots to hold a grand celebration meeting at the mouth of The Three Treasures Cave to thank Lord Semba and bless the Chinese people of Semarang for hundreds of years. At the meeting, funds were raised to build the Three Treasure Cave and a pavilion was built at the entrance of the cave for pilgrims to rest. Lin Ze erected a stone stele, the full text of which reads: "Yongzheng 2nd Year Yang Yue Searching for The Seal Liufang Disciple Lin Ze Jingshu" was installed at the mouth of the stone cave. There are also stone carvings on the walls on both sides of the cave entrance, "Ordered by the Imperial Dynasty to the Sea Country, Leaving Traces of The Stone Cave to Shelter People's Homes". (See Lin Yibiao and Huang Tianfu, "The Eunuch Zheng He of the Three Treasures and the City of Three Treasures")
In any case, the place name Semarang was named after the place where he landed in Java in honor of the Three Treasure Eunuch. Since then, Semarang has become the only foreign city in the world named after Chinese
Some Indonesian natives may say: "Semarang is called by the Chinese Chinese, but we in Indonesian say Semarang as 'SEMARANG'!" What's going on here? ”
Unbeknownst to indigenous friends, the so-called Smalang is actually the pronunciation of the Chinese Hokkien dialect Semarang - it has evolved into a Javanese pronunciation.
Aerial view of the ZhengHe Temple complex in Sambolang-dong. (Source: Visual China)
Semarang ZhengHe Temple is a very Chinese building. (Image source: Aero Traveller website)
A local Muslim woman wrapped in a headscarf at a shrine at The Cheng Ho Temple. (Image source: Aero Traveller website)
In modern times, Semarang has been in contact with more well-known people from all walks of life.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Huang Zhonghan, an Indonesian overseas Chinese with ancestral roots in Tong'an, Fujian Province, started from the operation of white sugar in Semarang, and gradually established an extraordinary "sugar empire", and became a famous "sugar king" who dominated Indonesia and the international market. In his heyday, Huang Zhonghan's Jianyuan Company opened a total of 9 sugar mills, producing more than 100,000 tons per year, in addition, his enterprises were also involved in sugarcane cultivation, shipping and finance, all of which were considerable in scale. It is said that his private assets exceeded 200 million henchmen at most, and he was the top Nanyang super-rich man before Chan Kah-kee.
The Javanese sugar king was a gambler in his early years. Once his father taught him to collect rent, and when he returned home for ten thousand rupees (known as the Dutch as a shield), he could not resist the temptation of passing through the casino and broke through the door until he lost the last son. He regretted that he was an unfilial son, wanted to sink into the sea, and suddenly thought that before he died, he should say goodbye to one of his beloved women, a widow who was many years older than him. Unexpectedly, the widow who loved him deeply poured out her own ten thousand rupees to him, saving him the thought of death, and thus making a comeback.
After Huang Zhonghan grew up, his business was prosperous, and he made money in the doujin land every day, and he also spent money like the earth, ate and drank and had fun, and successively married his aunt and wife one after another, four five six seven eighty nine.
Huang Huilan, daughter of the Sugar King, recalled:
"Father had a great interest in women and sex all his life. He has 18 recognized aunts and wives who have given birth to a total of 42 children... He has a great appetite and is energetic! His breakfast began with a number of mangoes and papayas, followed by a bowl of hot porridge, and the highest peak was 6 poached eggs and a few pork hearts plus many lavender pork, all of which were delivered to the stomach with a few bowls of tea. In order to relax his nerves after eating these foods, my father smoked two thick, black cigars. Then he took a shower..."
Wow! Such physical strength and food intake is really scary! (Most of the big guys I know are like this, and they have a good appetite up and down!) I wait for the small people to dare to do so... Oh, that's looking for death. ）
Mr. Huang Zhonghan (1866-1924), the extraordinary sugar king.
The Huang mansion covers an area of more than 200 acres, with mountains and water, pavilions and pavilions, extraordinary grandeur, only gardeners are more than fifty people, all meals are made of silver tableware, and six servants are carefully waiting for each meal.
In 2004, when I was writing a biography of Mr. He Longchao, a famous local overseas Chinese leader in Semarang, I visited a school that Mr. He bought and remodeled, with three long large houses with 30 or 40 rooms, and the decoration was luxurious. Mr. He told me that these buildings turned out to be the stables of huang Zhong, the sugar king, who raised horses.
Although the Sugar King was proud and lascivious in his life, he was also an overseas Chinese student born and raised in Java, but he loved the Chinese motherland all his life, was generous and generous, and was enthusiastic about public welfare. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, Huang Zhonghan sent 50,000 Dutch duns to the revolutionary army in the name of "Xuanyuan Descendants" (at that time, a brand-name Dutch bicycle could be bought with only seven or eight shields, and an ordinary ferry ticket from Xiamen to Jakarta was only 6 and a half shields, and the value of the currency was very different from that of now - author's note). In 1915, Cai Yi launched the Dharma Protection Movement in Yunnan, and Huang Zhonghan donated another 50,000 duns to support Cai Yi. In recognition of his patriotic deeds, the Nationalist Government awarded him patriotic medals of the first and second classes.
Huang Zhonghan was also enthusiastic about overseas Chinese education, and when the Overseas Chinese Middle School in Semarang was founded in 1916, he was the founder and main investor of the school. Nor has he forgotten his ancestors. Huang Zhonghan's father, Huang Zhixin, returned to his hometown many times to worship his ancestors and donated thousands of silver dollars to build the Kaixing Palace in his hometown. In 1897, Huang Zhixin also remitted 100,000 yuan to build the pavement of his hometown. In 1908, huang Zhixin died, and Huang Zhonghan remitted a huge sum of money back to his hometown in China to rebuild the Li Lin Huang family ancestral hall "Shaode Hall".
The city of Semarang, an old building from the Dutch era. (Source: Visual China)
It is a pity that this generation of sugar king giants who are rich and invincible to the country do not live long.
On the third day of the sixth lunar month in 1924, Huang Zhonghan suffered a heart attack (a brain hemorrhage) and died in Singapore at the age of 58.
After Huang Zhonghan's death, thanks to the efforts of his descendants and grandchildren, the Jianyuan company he founded operated for decades, and finally collapsed in the early 1960s due to various factors, and now it has disappeared.
What is the appearance of the Sugar King's eighteen-room wife? Presumably it must not be bad, otherwise the old sugar king would not have given birth to 42 children with them in one go. It's just a pity that I didn't leave a jade photo for future generations to see. However, among Huang Zhonghan's children, there is an international celebrity who is known as "the most beautiful pearl in the Far East", which is really a variety of styles and unique. This beauty who grew up drinking The Water of The Three Treasure Ridges is Huang Zhonghan and Huang Huilan, the second daughter of Wei Mingniang.
When Huang Huilan was 19 years old, she accompanied her mother to live in Paris, France. In 1919, when the Western powers held the Paris Peace Conference, Gu Weijun, the Chinese ambassador who attended the meeting, was invited to his home as a guest, and he fell in love with Huang Huilan, who was full of manners, and tied the knot.
This Mr. Gu Weijun is really not an idle person. He was precisely the diplomatic prodigy who argued on the issue of Shandong's sovereignty at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, expounded with outstanding eloquence that China has indisputable sovereignty over Shandong, and made great contributions to safeguarding the rights and interests of the Chinese nation. Because of the miracle of "weak countries also have diplomacy", Gu Weijun deservedly became the first diplomat of the Republic of China.
He married Huang Huilan, the daughter of the Javan sugar king, and the two were a perfect match at that time, because from traveling to Europe since childhood, Huang Huilan was proficient in 6 Chinese and familiar with the etiquette of high society, which added a lot of convenience to Gu Weijun's diplomatic work. Gu Weijun's career is proud and his communication is broad, while Huang Huilan relies on her father and spends thousands of dollars to strongly support her husband's career. Seeing that the façade of the Chinese Embassy was dilapidated and affected the image of the country, she spent huge sums of money out of her own pocket to renovate the Chinese Embassy in Paris, and spent a lot of money from Home to buy furniture and utensils to be shipped abroad, and decorated the Embassy with Chinese characteristics, so that "foreigners can also see China's stars and moon through this 'window' and not lose the face of a big country." ”
Girls' Generation Huang Huilan.
A generation of celebrities, a unique style.
Gu Weijun and Huang Huilan.
Huang Huilan has used her career as a Chinese diplomat's wife for more than 30 years to change the perception of many foreigners on China, and her profligacy and elegant demeanor have really won a lot of glory for China in that special era when weak countries have no diplomacy. This has allowed many foreigners to remember the Chinese diplomat's wife forever, and they will not even call her by her name directly, but instead call her "the most beautiful pearl in the Far East."
Of course, this legendary marriage ended in failure. The end of the relationship between the two people, whether it is Gu Weijun likes the new and dislikes the old, as the anecdotes, or the emotional intervention of others, this is not something we can care about. All in all, the wind is always blown away by the rain and the wind. However, a generation of sugar king Huang Zhonghan and a generation of celebrities Huang Huilan are enough to become the historical pride and talking point of the Chinese in Semarang city.
A Fuqing peddler who used to sell coffee powder in Semarang and later became Indonesia's richest man
Fourteen years after the death of Sugar King Huang Zhonghan, another small trader who later became the richest Chinese in Indonesia and Southeast Asia crossed the ocean from China to Gutushi, a small town not far from Semarang. This person is the late Indonesian business magnate Lin Shaoliang. Mr. Lin Shaoliang, when he first came to Indonesia, also settled in the home of his uncle who opened a small shop. He first helped his uncle sell peanut oil and other daily necessities in the store. But the town of Gutus was depressed and the business was light, so Lin Shaoliang started a small business of peddling coffee powder on his own. For a long time, Lin Shaoliang got up in the middle of the night every day, ground coffee beans into powder, and then used old newspapers to subcontract 50 grams or 100 grams of small bags, regardless of the wind and rain, riding bicycles to Semarang dozens of miles away to sell. He later recalled that after a day of running around Semarang, he was exhausted and only forgot about fatigue when people fell asleep in the middle of the night. This kind of small trader has a hard life and is not very profitable, but it has cultivated his courage, because he rides a bicycle along the street to sell, contact many people, meet many acquaintances, and accumulate social experience. Later he opened a shop in Semarang and engaged in import and export business. This was the first step he later took to develop into Indonesia's "King of Hundred Industries".
Mr. Lin Shaoliang, Indonesia's most famous "red-top businessman" and a generation of industrial and commercial giants in Fuqing.
Lin Shaoliang's real entrepreneurship began after the war. On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. However, dutch colonists made a comeback. In order to drive the Dutch out, the Indonesians launched the "August Revolution".
By chance, Lin Shaoliang's fate changed. Just as the Dutch invading forces were reoccuptating the major towns of Java, Indonesia, and the Indonesian People's Army and people rose up against the Dutch invading forces, one day, the local Chinese community received a task to cover an important Indonesian figure who was pursued by the Dutch invading army.
At that time, it was very dangerous to accept such a task! In order to support Indonesian independence, the local Fuqing Guild after repeated and careful consultation and research, finally decided to arrange this heavyweight to Lin Shaoliang's residence. It is believed that only Lin Shaoliang and his residence are the best place to cover up this heavyweight.
This important figure is Hassan Ting, chairman of the Islamic Association of the Gyulup Penguru region, who is extraordinary, the father-in-law of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno and the father of the president's wife, Famawati (this is the last word). Lin Shaoliang's family bravely and meticulously protected Hassan's life for 2 years! Later, when the situation in Indonesia improved, Hassan returned to his place of residence.
Judging from the conditions at that time, the efforts of the Lin Shaoliang family were completely their own responsibilities, and there was no hope of getting anything in return, which had nothing to do with whether they could get commercial convenience in the future. Moreover, under the situation at that time, in case of being discovered by the Dutch, Lin Shaoliang's family may not even be able to save their lives.
Lin Shaoliang's efforts actually prepared him for success, and one day, the opportunity finally came!
At this time, the Indonesian People's Army had just been formed, especially under the siege of the Dutch colonial army, the IRA's weapons and equipment and supplies were very poor, and under the introduction of Hassan, Lin Shaoliang became acquainted with a group of Indonesian army leaders. They trusted Lin Shaoliang and entrusted Lin Shaoliang with the responsibility of purchasing military supplies. Since then, Lin Shaoliang's business activities have embarked on a new stage and field!
In order to support the Indonesian people's struggle against the Netherlands, Lin Shaoliang used loan funds to provide the Indonesian People's Army in Central Java with various military supplies such as military uniforms, military rank epaulette marks, kapok, coffee, clove cigarettes, biscuits and other military supplies through various transportation channels. During this period, Lin Shaoliang did not obtain special economic benefits, but this business allowed Lin Shaoliang to meet more upper echelons of the Indonesian army.
It was at this time that Lin Shaoliang became acquainted with Lieutenant Colonel Suharto, who was then the commander of a regiment in the Semarang garrison, and Colonel Suzzono Humaldani, an officer in charge of the military district's financial quarters.
Lin Shaoliang later said in his recollections: "When I first met him (Suharto), he had not yet become the commander of the Fourth Military Region (Central Java Military Region), and at that time, I actively supplied his military region with materials, only out of a sense of responsibility. Not for future rewards. ”
Mr. Lin Called on President Suharto.
Some people say that Lin Shaoliang's business is developed because he cooperates with the Indonesian elite to monopolize business. What could be so good in the world? If so, why didn't something like this happen to you or me? Why just give Lin Shaoliang this opportunity?
The author (Zheng Linyou) did not understand this issue, so when I visited Indonesia in early 1998, I specifically consulted a considerable local business person on this issue. They believe that Lin Shaoliang did initially carry his head, he exchanged his family's life for relations with the Indonesian military leader, and then met other important people, mainly as a result of his own efforts. If those soldiers who fought the Dutch army on the front line were heroes, Lin Shaoliang can at least be regarded as a real behind-the-scenes hero, and he also made a special contribution to the liberation of the Indonesian people.
For a long time, Lin Shaoliang monopolized the cloves business in Indonesia, and cloves are the main raw material for cloves loved by hundreds of millions of people in this country, and the sales volume is very large. So the cloves trade allowed him to make huge commercial profits. Later, Lin Shaoliang was involved in other industries, such as textiles (producing clothing to supply the army), finance, grain processing (flour mills), cement, automobiles, oil exploration, real estate, hotels, aviation and other industries. Thus forming a kingdom of enterprises. In the 1970s and 1980s, if you visited or traveled to Indonesia, the locals would tell you that if you did anything here, you would inevitably have to deal with Lin Shaoliang's company. Although this sentence is a bit exaggerated, it just shows that Lin Shaoliang's company has a wide influence in the daily life of the Indonesian people.
(The above text refers to Mr. Zheng Linyou's public account article, and hereby declares and acknowledges it.) ）
The Lam Group's BaojiaShali Flour Mill was the largest flour mill in Asia in the 1980s.
It is also disclosed that Mr. Li Yunjing, the father of Li Ka-shing, the richest contemporary Chinese and the most famous entrepreneur in Hong Kong, also lived in Semarang, Indonesia for many years in his early years, managing the warehouse in a local company called "Qualified" and working as a cashier.
Among the influential people who are related to Semarang, the most eye-catching are those military and political strongmen who were once hot in the international political arena
Former President Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for more than 30 years, was a colonel in the Indonesian army in Semarang as early as the war years against dutch colonialists. Here, in order to solve the urgent need for ammunition and medicine for the troops, Suharto became acquainted with a Chinese trader who was bold and careful, and repeatedly helped to purchase supplies, so he became friends with him, and later both flew Huang Tengda. This courageous Chinese businessman is Mr. Lin Shaoliang, who once peddled coffee powder in Semarang.
After Indonesia's full independence, Suharto was promoted to major general commander of the Semarang Military District. In 1957, when rebellions broke out in Sumatra, Indonesia, and North Sulawesi, Suharto was ordered to lead his troops to Pingju. In the course of the battle, a Chinese leader from Semarang came forward and mobilized the merchants to send a large number of condolences to Suharto's troops, and the victory of the flat judgment greatly increased Suharto's prestige, and he has always had a good feeling for the overseas Chinese leader. And this Leader of the Chinese Society was none other than Mr. He Longchao, who was then the chairman of the Semarang Chinese Association (in 2005, the author published his first biography, "The Country of a Thousand Islands Reading the Canghai Sea", and his owner was Mr. He Longchao).
Therefore, Semarang can be said to be the feng shui treasure of President Suharto's development.
Suharto (Haji M.) Mohammad· Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was the second president of the Republic of Indonesia, a military powerhouse, and an iron-fisted figure. His presidency from 1967 to 1998 led to economic growth, a reduction in poverty and a significant increase in the standard of living of indonesia.
When President Sukarno was in power, he pointed at Major General Suharto, and the look seemed to say: Ha, you boy, don't play tricks on me! In 1966, Suharto overthrew Sukarno and put him under house arrest, replacing him as the most powerful strongman in Indonesia's history.
Another late internationally renowned politician, Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who is currently in charge of the cabinet, also had a deep relationship with the Semarang and sugar king Wong Chung-han.
Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his memoirs "Wind and Rain Independence Road":
"My grandfather, Lee Yun Lung (whom I usually call my father-in-law), was born in Singapore in 1871. According to my father, my grandfather attended No. 5 at Raffles College, which is equivalent to today's junior high school. He himself told me that after he left school, he found a job as a dispenser (not a qualified pharmacist). After a few years, he switched to the post of chief of a steamship. The vessel traveled between Singapore and the Dutch East Indies and belonged to the Concorde Shipping Company. The proprietor of Xie Rong Mao Shipping Company is Huang Zhonghan, a Chinese millionaire and Javanese sugar king.
During his voyage, his grandfather married his grandmother, Yau Nian Niang, in Semarang, Central Java. A Dutch document dated March 25, 1899, issued by the Semarang Orphans' Court, agreed to let 16-year-old Qiu Nianniang marry 26-year-old Li Yunlong. The document also states that the two men's wedding took place on March 26, 1899.
His father was born in Semarang in 1903. In other words, he was born in the Dutch East Indies. But because his grandfather was from Singapore, he became British by virtue of his descent. Soon after the father was born, the grandfather brought his grandmother and children back to Singapore and never returned. Because his grandfather gained Huang Zhonghan's trust, the more money he gathered. Wong appointed him as an agent to handle the Singapore side. He told me several times that Huang Zhonghan trusted him so much that in 1926 he could decide to allocate 150,000 yuan from the Huang Zhonghan Foundation to Raffles College as a fund. This number was really not small at that time. ”
Celebrities associated with Semarang are not only giant merchants and military and political strongmen, but also two badminton "emperor superstars" who have been famous in the world sports world for many years - Tang Xianhu and Hou Jiachang.
First of all, Tang Xianhu, the protagonist of my first biography, He Longchao, and he also have a bit of a relationship.
In the early 1950s, after Mr. He became the leader of the Chinese Association of Semarang, he befriended a good friend of overseas Chinese from Huaxian County, Guangdong Province. Tang Xueling's younger daughter is a classmate of He Qiaoling, the eldest daughter of He Longchao. Mr. He sometimes visits Tang Xueling's house on Sundays, and every time he goes, he will see a 10-year-old boy playing badminton with others in the courtyard of the Tang family. Tang Xueling told him that this boy was his eldest son, Tang Xianhu, who especially loved to play badminton, and it was almost crazy. He Longchao didn't care too much at that time, and later heard Tang Xueling say that his son went back to the motherland alone to play badminton.
In 1965, When He Longchao returned to China to attend the National Day Reception held by the State Council at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the banquet hall was crowded, and suddenly, a young man dressed as an athlete took his hand and asked, "Ah, Hello Uncle He!" Remember me? ”
He Longchao fixed his eyes on it: "Oops! Isn't this Tang Xianhu, the son of his old friend Tang Xueling? ”
"Yes, yes! Uncle Ho, is everything okay with my parents in Semarang? Tang Xianhu was also very excited to meet his father's old friend here.
At this time, Tang Xianhu was already a famous feathered general who had defeated invincible hands all over the world, and was thus elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress. Soon after he returned to China in 1960, he invented a set of "offensive techniques in front of the net after rapid downpression" in the badminton arena, which became the cutting-edge technology of the international badminton world, and the world badminton thus set off a "Tang's whirlwind". From 1963 to 1975, Tang Xianhu himself represented China in dozens of international competitions in 12 years, including all the titles of World Badminton Men's Singles Champion, Men's Doubles Champion, and Mixed Doubles Champion, and never lost a single game. He later cooperated with another badminton master, Hou Jiachang, who was also a returned overseas Chinese from Indonesia, to coach the Chinese badminton team and create the "Tang Hou Era" of the entire Chinese badminton world, which made the original unknown Chinese badminton jump to the top of the international badminton world, and its status has not been shaken.
Tang Xianhu's heroic posture on the court in his youth.
Tang Xianhu and his disciples.
Let's talk about another badminton master Hou Jiachang, who is equally famous as Tang Xianhu.
Hou Jiachang, originally from Mei County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, was born in Semarang in August 1942. Influenced by his father, he loved badminton from an early age, began to learn to play badminton in 1950, and returned to China in 1960 after graduating from Semarang Xinyou High School. "I am an overseas Chinese student from Semarang, and my father is from China. After returning to China, he studied in the Sports Department of Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education. In 2013, when Hou Jiachang returned to his hometown of Semarang, I met the badminton master when Wen Xi, a special correspondent of the International Daily, and I had dinner with a local friend at a seafood restaurant. Out of professional habits, Wen Xi immediately put down the dishes and chopsticks and ran forward to interview Hou Jiachang at another table. Hou Jiachang told Wen Xi: "I like to play badminton in Indonesia, and I have a certain level. After the cultivation of the country, the progress is very fast, and within a few years, it has risen to the world level. ”
He brought back the badminton techniques he learned in Indonesia and developed them to form his own unique technical style. He creatively developed a unique combination of fast pull and fast suspension of the assault style, with comprehensive technology, fast attack fierce, rapid defensive movement, accurate hitting and other characteristics.
Hou Jiachang said: "We represent the country in the competition, and in the international badminton world for the glory of the country, catching up with and surpassing Indonesia. He and his teammate Tang Xianhu, who also returned from Semarang, have since become the leaders of the Chinese badminton team.
Hou Jiachang's youth.
According to the data, Hou Jiachang won the national men's singles championship three times in 1963, 1972 and 1973, won the men's singles championship of the seventh Asian Games in 1974, won the championship at the Asian Badminton Championships in 1976, and paired with the team member Yu Yuedong in 1976 to win the first doubles championship of the World Badminton Championships. Later, Hou Jiachang cooperated with Tang Xianhu to coach the Chinese badminton team, making the originally lonely and unknown Chinese badminton jump to the top of the international badminton world.
Wen Xi asked Hou Jiachang when he would retire, and he replied: "I retired in 1993 and live in Beijing's Chongwen district. After retirement, he is still very concerned about the cause of badminton in China, publishing the book "Memoirs of Hou Jiachang", and sometimes participating in the badminton sport of the elderly and returned overseas Chinese. ”
Speaking of his relationship with Semarang, Hou Jiachang said that he has five brothers and sisters in Semarang and has a lot of affection for the land, and is often invited back to Semarang to participate in activities. "This time I will stay in Semarang for a week and will take my family to Borobudur and other places," he said. "Those who came back with him were his wife, daughter, son-in-law, etc., and my daughter only came to Semarang when she was a child.
When Hou Jiachang heard that he also had a Javanese accent of the Semarang Chinese, he laughed and explained: "Haha! The influence I have been affected here since I was a child will not change for the rest of my life. ”
This is the legendary story of the overseas Chinese elite and those historical figures performing in Semarang.
Poetry:
The spirits of the Earth Jie people are counted in the Ridge River, and there are gods and immortals in the Three Treasure Caves.
Ancient and modern generations have produced great talents, and I will talk about the past in detail.