New book on Hakka tin miner unveiled

From left: Phan, Dato’ Seri Lee, Ir Chin, Dato’ Hew, Dr Chong, Chong, Dr Wong and Tan Sri Hew

Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programme Assoc Prof Dr Wong Wun Bin and alumna Chan Hui Cheng co-authored a book which was unveiled at Grand Kampar Hotel, Kampar, Perak on 8 June 2019.

Titled “The Hometown Complex and Local Participation: A Case Study on the Ipoh Tin Miner Lee Kwee Foh” («??????????:????????????????»), the book was unveiled in conjunction with the official launch of the “Kayin Scholarship Loan Fund 60^th Anniversary Magazine” held during the 68th Annual General Meeting of Federation of Ka Yin Chu Associations of Malaysia from 8 to 9 June 2019.

Present at the book launch were UTAR Planning and Development Committee Advisor Tan Sri Hew See Tong, who is also the Honorary President of the Federation of Ka Yin Chu Associations of Malaysia; Federation of Ka Yin Chu Associations of Malaysia’s Past President Dato’ Seri Dr Lee Yow Ching, President Ir Chin Ching Chung, Perak Ka Yin Association President Dato’ Hew Choy Kon, and Student Scholarship and Loan Committee Head Chong Chi Ping; Kampar Meijiang Association President Phan Yau Yin; and UTAR ICS Dean Assoc Prof Dr Chong Siou Wei.

Proud and delighted to witness the book launch, Dato’ Seri Lee expressed his fervent wish for the Federation and UTAR to continue deepening their collaboration. “The Federation can certainly support UTAR undergraduates and postgraduates whose research interests are in the Hakka community. Their theses could then be published into a series of books to promote academic research in the field of Malaysian Chinese history. It is also my ultimate hope to see all historical information vis-à-vis the involvement as well as the various contributions by local Chinese in the areas of arts, culture, history, politics, education, science and so on being compiled, thus forming the basis of a complete record of Malaysian Chinese history,” he said, also sharing British historian Arnold J. Toynbee’s quote “Civilisations die from suicide, not by murder” to encourage everyone to be proactive in cultural preservation and heritage initiatives.

Dato’ Seri Lee encouraging the Federation to continue working closely and strengthening ties with UTAR

Besides echoing Dato’ Seri Lee’s sentiments, Dr Chong also explained that the book is one of the fruits of ICS and the Centre for Chinese Studies’s (CCS) labour following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UTAR and the Federation in 2017. “This is the first outcome of the Hakka Ka Yin clan’s research series in which we are really thankful to the Federation for its support. Hakka research is one of ICS’s popular research areas among the academics. In fact, there are those who supervise their students’ final year projects in Hakka research as well. And ever since the signing of the MoU, CCS as a research centre under ICS has been vigorously delving into Hakka research, while ICS as an institute has been promoting Hakka research and nurturing talents,” he revealed.

Dr Chong also pointed out that in order to commemorate the contributions of the Hakka pioneers to this country, ICS, CCS and the Federation will work closely in recording and publishing stories and research centred around the Hakka community, which also extends to other Hakka clans in Malaysia. “At this juncture, I would also like to thank Tan Sri Hew for bringing together UTAR and the Federation which eventually culminated in such research fruition,” the Dean said, and congratulated Dr Wong and Master of Arts (Chinese Studies) alumna Chan for their success.

Dr Chong assuring everyone that the tremendous support given by the Federation to ICS will not be in vain

To allow the audience to have a closer glimpse at the late tin miner’s contributions, Dr Wong was then invited to briefly introduce Kwee Foh as well as the motivation in writing the book. According to Dr Wong, it all began with a meet-up with Kwee Foh’s nonagenarian son, Lee Ngan Chong, on one occasion in which the latter shared with him some narratives of the father’s life. “The late Kwee Foh was a philanthropist who appreciated his cultural roots and also participated in many associations after settling down in Menglembu, Ipoh. One of Kwee Foh’s special attributes is that besides making huge contributions to his hometown in Wuhua, Guangdong, China, which is not too common among tin miners of his generation, the late tin miner also actively contributed to education and other charities locally despite not being a frontline leader,” explained Dr Wong. He also highlighted other qualities of Kwee Foh such as inculcating his children with an appreciation for culture by exposing them to the participation of associations and societies. “Kwee Foh’s active participation in various associations made him a wearer of many hats. The fact that Kwee Foh was entrusted by many of these associations to be the treasurer reflect their trust and confidence in his integrity,” Dr Wong continued, adding that this research also received the full support of Ngan Chong.

Dr Wong presenting the chronicles of Kwee Foh’s illustrious career

Also treading on the challenges in the process of completing this book, Dr Wong told, “One of the major challenges faced was the scarcity of information such as official historical records due to the fact that Kwee Foh wasn’t a frontline leader. It took Chan and I plenty of time and effort to search, collect and compile bits and pieces of information, be it from old news archives or books.” Also the Chairperson of CCS, Dr Wong said the strategy by ICS and CCS in recording and writing history is to focus on individual case study as a start. And through a series of case studies, the dots between them will be gradually connected to form the foundation of a greater historical background and timeline written from a bird’s eye view.

The book launch reached its highlight when the VIPs were invited to unveil the newly published book.

“The Hometown Complex and Local Participation: A Case Study on the Ipoh Tin Miner Lee Kwee Foh” is currently available at the UTAR Main Library and Mary KUOK Pick Hoo Library. Interested buyers can also purchase the book from ICS.

The 68th Annual General Meeting of Federation of Ka Yin Chu Associations of Malaysia also brought several delegates from Meizhou City People’s Government to UTAR Kampar Campus which saw an exchange of MoU between UTAR and Meizhou City People’s Government.

Dr Wong (left) and Dr Chong displaying the newly published book

The cover of “The Hometown Complex and Local Participation: A Case Study on the Ipoh Tin Miner Lee Kwee Foh”