Heritage Snippets of Sarawak
By Hing-Yan Lee
DURING the Brooke years, the Rajah dealt mainly with the Malays as far as Sarawak politics was concerned. With the Chinese, he borrowed the Dutch system of Kapitan China (華人甲必丹) and Kangchu (港主) (or port master), relying on the community leaders to deal with the Chinese directly. He considered that best way to rule the Chinese was through their own leaders. The Rajah thus avoided direct interference with the internal administration of the Chinese. One such Kapitan China was Lee Weng Thong (李永桐), abbreviated as LWT.
LWT was born on 26 October 1892 (in Lunar Year of the Dragon), the 18th year of Qing Emperor Guang Xu (光緒帝)’s reign. His courtesy name is Fengxiang (凤翔). His name has also been spelt as Lee Wing Thong, Lee Eng Thoong or Lee Eng Tong (or Li Yongtong in Hanyu Pinyin). He was the second son of Li Ransheng (李然盛). His ancestral home is Zidongcun (紫洞村) in Nanhai (南海 district of Foshan 佛山) in Guangdong, South China. The village of Zidongcun was established in 1261 during the Song dynasty.
LWT arrived in Kuching, Sarawak between 1901 and 1911 while still a teenager. Through sheer determination and grit, as well as a strong instinct for survival, LWT succeeded in establishing himself in Kuching. Like many others at that time, he was imbued with the traditional values and folk beliefs of his South China village.
He worked initially as a petty trader who sang to sell mu yu shu (木鱼书) on the pavement outside the shop house Chung Ah at No. 39 Carpenter Street. LWT also worked as a kitchen hand and cook. He saved cardboard boxes and discarded items to sell to earn extra money. His hard work availed him many opportunities. He was thrifty and over the years, he was able to bring his entire family from China to Kuching.
The Great Depression saw LWT gaining the confidence of Rajah Vyner Brooke and securing several farming monopolies. This culminated in him being appointed Kapitan China in 1939. He successfully obtained the mining rights to extract gold in Bau. The gold mining companies were Kwong Yik, Kwong Lee, Heng Lee, Wing Lee, and Thoong Lee. He also owned shares in gold mining syndicates. Besides gold, he also invested in coal prospecting in Silantek.
Like many businessmen of his days, LWT bid and successfully secured licenses to run revenue farms in outlying towns. These included an arrack (rice wine) distillery (at places like Baram, Bakong, and Bintulu), Wing Woo Arrack Farm (Miri), Chop Aik Ho (Baram) which was a trading post that collected agricultural products from the natives, Eng Teck Loong (永德隆) (Baram), and legalised gambling in Bau, Bidi, Buso, Mukah, Balingan, Sematan and Bintulu. As he had seen the misery and debilitating effects of opium addiction, he did not bid or operate any opium farm.
With growing success and affluence, LWT was able to spend more time in community service. He believed in contributing time, effort and money to serve the community. This explained his active involvement in the Kwong Wai Siew Association, The Chinese Chamber of Commerce, government committees (such as Kuching Health Department Advisory Committee, Kuching Sanitary & Municipal Advisory Board and Board of Public Game Restriction) and other organisations.
Having established himself in Kuching, it was natural that many of his businesses were located there. These included his flagship company Wing Hing Loong (永興隆), Chiang Wah Onn (張華安) department store, and Yik Sai Tong (益世堂) (aka Lee Brothers Drug Store) as well as the trading house, Wing Yik Loong (永益隆) in Sibu. These trading houses collected local produce (like rattan, damar, bear gall, snake gall and pepper) and sold imported goods (like incense cans, bangles, vases and thermal flasks) from Singapore. He also ran remittance houses to fulfill a basic and highly valued business need.
After the Japanese Occupation, together with fellow businessmen, including Aw Boon Haw (胡文虎) of the Tiger Balm (老虎萬金油) fame, LWT started The Sarawak Vanguard Press and obtained a license to produce a Chinese daily, The Vanguard (前锋日报). The English daily newspaper, The Vanguard, followed several years later; it was the only second English daily after The Sarawak Tribune.
On 18 February 1953, the Kwong Wai Siew Association commemorated its centenary anniversary of its establishment with a mammoth celebration. By then, LWT had held its presidency for more than 20 years and presided over the big event. More than 500 guests including the Chief Secretary Robert Gordon Aikman and his wife attended. This year, the Association will celebrate its 170th anniversary in November 2024. It is the oldest Chinese clan association in Sarawak.
As a deputy chairman of Kuching China Relief Fund Committee, LWT was active in raising funds for the motherland in the war against Japan. Upon the Japanese arrival in 1941, he was arrested, imprisoned and subjected to humiliation, torture and sufferings. By the time of his release from imprisonment, he had grown a 3 to 4-inch beard. At the great risk to himself and his family, he had been credited with securing the release of others like Tan Sri Temenggong William Tan Ho Choon (later Speaker of the Sarawak State Assembly) and T.S. Sung (of Miri) from Kempeitai, the Japan military police.
Lesser known about LWT was his ardent support for Dr Sun Yat-Sen’s revolutionary activities that brought down the Qing Dynasty in China. His brother-in-law was killed in the Huanghuagang Uprising of 1911 in Canton. Recent research revealed that LWT was active in the revolutionary activities from the early days; this anti-Qing involvement could be the primary reason why he had to leave China. Evidence included a framed congratulatory message from the Tongmenghui Committee for his wedding in 1913, a notification letter to the Registrar of Societies on the cessation of the Sarawak Chung Kuo Kuo Min Tang after the Communist victory in 1949, as well as his close liaison with the Singapore-based Chinese Consul General and Kuching-based Chinese Consuls for many years.
LWT was committed to improving local social welfare and providing support to the community through charitable donations, funding educational projects, and improving the community’s quality of life. He also made contributions in the cultural field, supporting local cultural activities and art projects, and promoting local cultural heritage and development.
LWT was a gentle and elegant man, honest and humble, steady in work and had excellent reputation. He was always trusted and respected in the business and among people. His loyalty and dedication to the revolution and founding of the motherland have won the admiration and appreciation of his comrades. He rendered great service to the community and society. He was unyielding and sought welfare for his compatriots. His contributions without regrets were unanimously praised by his fellow men. He was truly a leader who lived up to his name, benevolence and justice. He is a model for future generations.
Hing-Yan Lee is a co-author (with daughter Grace Lee-Vawter) of the recently published biography entitled “From Nanhai to Nanyang: Lee Weng Thong, Kapitan China of Cantonese Community’.
“Heritage Snippets of Sarawak” is a fortnightly column.
— DayakDaily
