Progressing the Bicentennial celebration plans

 

After I met with the family of Johor’s first Mejar Cina, Tan Hiok Nee (1827 – 1902) in December 2025, I learnt that they made several more trips to Johor Bahru to discuss with relevant parties who may collaborate and participate in their plans for the Tan Hiok Nee Bicentennial celebration planned in Johor for July 2027.

 

The Tan family members met with members of
Tiong Hua Association and Teochew Association
of Johor Bahru in the conference room

Derrick Tan, Chairman of the Bicentennial organising committee and his family members were pleased to have connected with the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association and the Teochew Association in Johor Bahru last year and had briefed them about their celebration plans to be held in Singapore, Johor and China.

 

They have also met with Datin Patricia Lim, great-grand-daughter of Wong Ah Fook, a historian by profession, who was able to contribute valuable information and advice on their project.

 

In March 2026, Derrick was in touch with me again with an update that plans were progressing well with this project and that they wished to visit Johor Bahru again.

 

In addition to meeting the Chinese associations, they aimed to meet with the present-day Johor Mejar Cina, Dato David Wong Khong Soon, cultural activist Tan Chai Puan and Dato Dr Abdul Rahim Ramli, president of the Johor Council of Royal Court, to share updates on the Bicentennial plans and seek their support and advice.

 

Derrick Tan [Right] presenting a replica of the
Chinese calligraphy to the Johor Bahru Tiong
Hua Association, received by Dato David Wong

The Bicentennial committee, led by Derrick from the fifth generation of the family, with his cousin, John Ang, along with their niece, Suzanne Ng from the sixth generation, have been developing details of activities for the three-day Bicentennial Weekend in Singapore and was working with the committee in China for the celebration plans in the hometown of Tan Hiok Nee.

 

They were ready to meet with members of the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association and Teochew Association in Johor Bahru again to update them with the Bicentennial programme planned for Singapore and explore complementary initiatives in Johor and joint projects that will advance heritage, scholarship, genealogy, tourism, community engagement and business collaboration.

 

This appointment with the Chinese association members, held in the conference room on level seven of the Tiong Hua Association headquarters in Taman Sri Tebrau, will be chaired by Tiong Hua Association president, Chee Wing Kien.

 

When I arrived at the lobby of the Association headquarters, I saw a large poster on the wall that featured portrait photographs in an organization chart which I guessed (I don’t read Chinese!) introduced the current president and office bearers.

 

Derrick Tan chatting with Dato David Wong
in the meeting at Tiong Hua Association

At a glance, I knew that I was unfamiliar with them – which means that they were also unfamiliar with me. Then I saw some familiar faces in photos on the top row of another collection of office bearers in the adjacent poster and guessed (correctly!) that those were of past presidents from a previous era, who were familiar with me.

 

Thankfully, two young men in the meeting – Lee Si Cheng and David Yee – who were staff based in the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, got to know me from my regular visits with groups in my Heritage Walks.

 

I was also thankful that the bulk of the meeting was conducted in English language with portions in Mandarin and a smattering of Cantonese when I heard the president, Mr Chee, making a phone call to Mejar Cina Dato David Wong.

 

After Suzanne made the introductions and stated the purpose of this meeting, she went on to present their vision for the Bicentennial celebrations.

 

She started by introducing the book project she had been working on to commemorate this celebration, titled, Tan Hiok Nee: A Man of Four Worlds, 200 Years of Legacy (1827 – 2027), a labour-of-love that she undertook some 10 years ago.

 

There will be two other books, The Man and His Four Houses, a family chronicle that traces the family branches in Singapore and beyond, and Kim Geks of Tang Leng, a recovery of the women’s voices within the Tan family households.

 

She went on to share the proposed Bicentennial programme planned in Singapore over three days over the weekend from Friday, 23 July to Sunday, 25 July 2027.

 

The programme on Friday, 23 July includes a full academic symposium and the launch of the three books.

 

On Saturday, 24 July, it will be open to the public to participate in Finding Your Roots, a genealogy programme. John Ang will also host a special dress and jewellery presentation.

 

On Sunday, 25 July, the exhibition dubbed, A Man of Four Worlds, will be featured along with heritage visits, public engagement and end with a Gala Dinner. She also shared the visuals for a proposed full-colour printed souvenir book that will be given to all attendees.

 

Suzanne said that they aimed to replicate the three-day programme in Johor and China with certain modifications, and presented several proposed ideas that the Tiong Hua Association and Teochew Association may take up in Johor Bahru.

 

A group photo: Dato David Wong, Tiong Hua Association, Teochew Association of
Johor Bahru members with the Tan family and me, at the meeting

These included events in the theme, Founding Fathers of Modern Johor with the inclusion of Tan Hiok Nee, Wong Ah Fook, Sultan Abu Bakar, other kangchu and leaders of pioneer communities. The Johor-led events may include programmes in Mandarin and Teochew.

 

The programme in Johor may kick off with an academic and public symposium on the Pioneers of Modern Johor followed by an event on Pioneer Families and Genealogy for family-tree workshops, oral history collection and archival sharing by descendants of pioneer families in Johor.

 

Other proposed programmes may include a Tan Hiok Nee heritage display in the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, visits to Dewan Cina in the Istana Gardens, Heritage Tours and a Johor Gala & Networking Dinner.

 

The Bicentennial celebration will also be an ideal platform to launch Singapore-Johor Joint Projects. Some proposed ideas were a Joint Academic Symposium series, a Singapore-Johor Heritage Trail, a Pioneer Families & Descendants Network, Joint Exhibition & Digital Content, Singapore-Johor-Chao’an Academic Collaboration and Heritage Tourism & Business Networking.

 

By January 2027, a phone app and website on the Bicentennial will be developed and launched with details for the public to explore and pursue their interests in categories like, Food, Heritage, Arts & Crafts, Art & Culture, and Seeking their Roots.

 

With such a pool of ideas on the table, the meeting went on to considering their complementary roles and collaboration to take these plans forward.

 

As Johor pioneer Tan Hiok Nee was the first Mejar Cina appointed by the Johor ruler, it was only right to involve the present-day Mejar Cina in this exciting project.

 

Through a quick telephone chat with Dato David Wong (who happened to be nearby!) he agreed to join the meeting to meet with the family of Tan Hiok Nee.

 

It was very gracious of Dato Wong to take time to join the meeting and his arrival turned out to be an informal round of introductions and presenting of name cards.

 

While there were introductions and shaking of hands, I stood back and just raised my hand in a “Hello” wave to Dato Wong and he responded with a nod and smile. No need for introductions between us because he is my Uncle Dato, my mother’s cousin.

 

It was interesting that while Dato Wong was a descendant of the Wong Ah Fook’s family, Derrick, through marriage was both a descendant of Tan Hiok Nee and Wong Ah Fook. 

 

What followed was a photo session to capture the exciting moments and it was an opportune time for Derrick to present a souvenir to the Tiong Hua Association, as a token of appreciation that was received by Dato Wong on their behalf.

 

Tiong Hua Association and Teochew Association
members with the Tan family members

Derrick explained that the scroll of Chinese writing was a replica of the calligraphy of a poem they found in the ancestral hall of Tan Hiok Nee’s house in China that listed the traditional Chao’an sequence of their family name according to generations, which is still being practiced in their family to this day.

 

For the benefit of Dato Wong, Suzanne recapped the details that were shared earlier on. With this information on the Bicentennial celebration plans, Dato Wong kindly consented to being an Advisor to the Chinese committee formed to work on this project in Johor Bahru.

 

At the close of the meeting, it was concluded that the Tan Hiok Nee Bicentennial celebration in Johor offers a timely opportunity to connect scholarship with the living community and heritage.

 

While Singapore can present the international and English language version of the Four Worlds narrative – Johor, Singapore, Qing Dynasty and Ngee Heng Society – Johor can lead a broader Mandarin and Teochew exploration of the pioneers who helped to shape modern Johor.

 

Through joint symposiums, genealogy, exhibitions, museum and heritage visits, Gala dinners, tourism development and business networking, the Bicentennial can become the starting point for a durable Singapore-Johor-Chao’an partnership.

 

The objective was not only to commemorate the past but also to create new cultural, educational and economic relationships for the future.

. . .

 

As the Seventh International Drum Festival was successfully concluded recently, cultural activist Tan Chai Puan, who is also co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, was (finally!) able to avail himself to meet with the Tan family members later that same day.

 

Tan Chai Puan at the meeting,
sharing anecdotes with the Tan family

When he arrived, Chai Puan greeted the family, speaking in Teochew dialect before continuing the conversation in English.

 

The affable Chai Puan humbly declared that he was not an academician nor researcher but he is Teochew and was just keen about Teochew culture and heritage.

 

After Suzanne briefed him about the Bicentennial celebration plans in Singapore and similar proposed plans in Johor, she also mentioned about their plans in China.

 

When she showed him the manuscript for the book titled, Tan Hiok Nee: A Man of Four Worlds, 200 Years of Legacy (1827 – 2027), Chai Puan commended Suzanne on her effort and declared that it was worth a PhD award.

 

Chai Puan was pleased with the progress they have made in the project and was delighted to provide relevant support and advice to make their project a success.

 

Throughout our time together, Chai Puan mentioned proverbs and phrases in Teochew which he heard about Tan Hiok Nee from Chinese folklore, and it was interesting that the family members too, have also heard similar legends from their forefathers.

 

Chai Puan shared that had the privilege to see a rare document which he helped to translate from Chinese. This was a record of a conversation between China’s first Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Guo Songtao and Maharaja Abu Bakar on 12 March 1879, when they met in Singapore (which was then part of the Johor Empire).

 

The ambassador’s comments reflected Johor’s cordial relationship with the Chinese emperor and his pleasure at how Johor had made Chinese planters welcome here.

 

Tan Chai Puan [Left] in the meeting 
with the Tan family

Chai Puan highlighted the special bond between the generations of Johor rulers with the Chinese community here that started during the pioneer years and how the present-day Johor Sultan continues to reflect this strong relationship.

 

The discussion moved on to the Johor Chingay, an annual tradition of the Johor Gu Miao or Old Temple that has been practised since the 19^th century without interruption except once during the Japanese invasion in 1942 and more recently, in a different form, due to the global pandemic.

 

Although the Johor Sultan witnessed the Johor Chingay street parade in 2006 while he was then the Crown Prince, the first time His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim graced the parade as the Johor ruler was in 2016.

 

The Chinese community in Johor deeply appreciates how the Johor royal family continues to support the annual Johor Chingay celebration in Johor to this day.

 

Through his efforts in promoting the Art of the 24 Festive Drums in China, Chai Puan has established links with academics and scholars in Teochew City who may be able to contribute to the Bicentennial celebration activities planned in China.

 

Suzanne Ng showing Tan Chai Puan the
contents of their family memoir

The discussion also touched on the possibility of presenting the Bicentennial celebrations not only on social media but also in a television documentary.

 

And to think that all this came about when Suzanne, inspired by her grandmother, compiled their family memoir to celebrate the life of Tan Hiok Nee in a book that mainly featured old photographs and newspaper reports.

 

When they saw that 2027 will mark the 200^th birthday of Tan Hiok Nee, the family decided that they should have a grand celebration, not only within the family but it should involve extended family and descendants in a community event – not just in Singapore – but also in Johor and in his hometown in China.

 

With support and encouragement from various parties in Johor, the Tan family was making good progress with their Bicentennial celebration plans.