Tamsui (Hobe) - Connecting Peoples Story
Tamsui 1933
Chen Chengpo
The Sand
Pebbles 1966
Recently me and two friends went Tamsui for an afternoon walk, we didn’t stop at many, but I soon knew I was in a comfortable
position stringing along peoples connection from old and new. So here it is.
Tamsui's old name Hobe 滬尾 is still used especially by the mention of Hobe Gun Fort 滬尾 炮台 - one of the marine defense structures built by the Qing dynasty for Taiwan after the Sino-French war (battle at Tamsui 1884). The location was called Hoba, meaning "streams mouth" by Ketagalan aborigines, the original settlers.
RED HOUSE 紅樓 was built in late 19th century and in 1913 my great grandfather 洪以南 Hong I-nan became the second owner. The house is seen first photo in Chen Chengpo's 1933 painting. Chen is the most expensive painter in Taiwan history, his Tamsui sunset 1935 reached a historical figure sold for HK$50.7 million in Sotheby auction 2002. And believed the most expensive painting sold within Chinese-speaking world at the time.
Recommend read - The 1933 sunset is depicted in great details HERE.
In second photo - screenshots from "The Sand Pebbles" (1966 American war film by Robert Wise). It may be the only building exist today among all appeared in the Tamsui scenes.
Red House the name was recent and given by Tamsui tourism for its red brick structure. It was named Daquan 達觀 when my great grandfather bought it for the benefit of his wife in poor health at the time. Daquan means wide-view (panoramic) but my father told me quan also is a hint for Quanyin 觀音. For from second floor of the building where my father was born, Quanyin Mt is enjoyed and admired in full view.
Sleeping Guanyin - left to right.
Tip of hair, forehead, nose, chin,
throat, breast, belly, hip,
legs - stretch as far as your photo
takes
The third family and current owner is also Hong unrelated to ours and they are the family running fish crisp/ball shop 德裕魚酥 down at the bottom of stairs leading up to the House - now a Restaurant/Cafe managed by family members.
QINSHUI (Clear-Water）ZU-SHI TEMPLE 清水祖師廟
Qinshui was a monk physician during Northern Song. The word Ponlai 蓬萊 is noticeably tied within the surroundings - he was Ponlai Master, and rose from Ponlai township, Anxi, Fujian. Six-hundred years later Ponlai means Formosa for Taiwan in Japanese rules. Ponlai rice, Taiwanese favorite rice developed by the Japanese, means Formosa rice.
Original name Chen Ying 陳應, Qinshui was also known as nose-dropping master, a warning sign wherever there is impending disaster.
Recommend read - One of the most enduring legends in northern Taiwan and a historical dispute with Dadaocheng - photo source and write-up HERE. And COMMENTS are good!
REMINDER OF US AIR-RAIDS IN 1944-45
Top photo is two commemorative candle stands made from US bomb fins dropped at this temple.
Bottom is pillars with bullet holes, some filled or patched, others not.
More on US Bombing of Tamsui 1944 -
The date of the bombing was Oct 12, 1944, the first day when the whole Taiwan was attacked.
an F6F Hellcat ready to take off
Because of the strategic location, not only the Sino-French war, WWII
also came to Danshui.....
The date of the bombing was Oct 12, 1944, the first day when the whole
Taiwan was attacked. The F6F fighters would have been from US Naval Task Force
38/58 (based on the carriers). There is still some confusion whether the B-25s
or the B-29s from the land-based USAAF were involved. The intended target was
actually 迺生產石油株式會社淡水油槽所, the "Rising
Sun Petroleum Co" on the US Navy map. This event was known as "火燒臭油棧" to Danshui-ren. 臭油, because of the foul oily smell. The seaplane
base was apparently a secondary target.
This house was located diagonally across Chung Chen Road from MaZu Temple媽祖宮.
In the absence of air defense, American fighter-bombers, after finishing their scheduled bombing runs elsewhere in Taiwan, often unloaded their unspent ammunition on Tamsui which happened to be a landmark on their return routes.
(Source HERE 漁人碼頭的戰爭 The Battle of Fisherman's Wharf)
On 1945 -
Here are two short silent footage documenting the involvement of Taiwan in the Pacific War, both dated 1945.
The first film shows Taiwanese enlistees reporting to the training camp with family members anxiously looking on and a bugle squad blaring away nearby.
And the second shows two American F6Fs falling separately from the sky and another dropping a bomb; the last scene was the fiery carnage on the ground.
(Source HERE 漁人碼頭的戰爭 The Battle of Fisherman's Wharf)
The location of the 'High-looking Tower' built during the year of
Emperor Chien-Long of Ching Dynasty (1711-1799)
可口魚丸 (232 Zhongzheng Rd) lunch – a popular baozi
and fish/wanton soup place. The fishball is what we call ‘Fuzhou’ style filled
with seasoned ground pork. Very tasty, very Q!
CANADIAN ERRORS ON MINNIE MACKAY
The legacy of George Leslie Mackay and his wife Minnie Mackay (a powerful force and important partner of George Mackay's missionary work) would be best told by Canadians (Canada being Mackay's native country).
Except I take the opportunity to address, so it seems, consistent errors made on Minnie's identity by two Canadian sources of such:
"His marriage to a Taiwanese slave-woman named Tiu
Chhang-miâ...."
"Another
example of Mackay’s “going native” was his marriage to a Pe-po-hoan , which
caused considerable controversy in Canada and in the foreign community on
Formosa."
Minnie's Hokkien Han identity can be seen HERE and some good details on Ministry of Culture site HERE. Minnie is a Hokkien-Han adopted out to her arranged husband at an early age (a tradition known in Mandarin as tongyangxi)
NOTE - Some
families in Taiwan today, especially of lowland aboriginals of the Kavalan
ancestry, can trace their surname to ‘偕’ (‘Kai’ or ‘Kay’), which
not only demonstrates their respect for Dr. Mackay, but also shows the family's conversion to Christianity by Mackay. A prominent example is in my Yilan post on 偕阿篤 Kay A-tok & 偕阿云Kay A-wen HERE.
TAMSUI BEAUTY - NOSTALGIA AND EUROPEAN
Hobe Mackay Hospital 滬尾偕醫館
Recommend Read: Highways
& Byways: Clinics offer glimpse into Taiwan’s medical past by Steven Crook HERE.
"During
the late 19th and 20th centuries, countless Taiwanese benefited from free
medical services provided by Christian missionaries. The most famous of these
foreign medics was George Mackay, a Canadian Presbyterian based in Tamsui (淡水), now part of New Taipei
City, from 1872 until his death in 1901"
Mackay's first rented home, now a book and handicraft studio.
Rough translate from the Chinese source: "On March 9, 1872, when Dr. Mackay
arrived in Tamsui, he was deeply attracted by the scenery. Recorded in
his diary: I looked around and at the verdant mountains inland. Tranquil
and quiet, I know that this place is my residence, there is a calm, clear voice
saying to me "This is the land". On April 6th, after missionary and
inspection tours around the island, he returned to Tamsui. He first lodged at British tea merchant John
Dodd’s, but the diary on April 10 recorded "Renting a house, which originally
planned to be the location of a horse barn by Chinese officials. After paying the deposit, I set about cleaning and asking the workers to spread lime to disinfect the house including
thorough sewage clean-up”
THE FORMER RESIDENCE OF TADA EIKICHI
Lovely view from engawa (porch) - purposely built on the south of the house
It is known the site of Tada Eikichi 多田榮吉 residence was originally school-owned farm of the Xue-Hai Academy in the Qing dynasty. Eikichi bought the land and in 1934 the building was completed. Not only the residence offering majestic scenery of Tamsui River and Guanyin Mt, but also one of the first supplied with tap water in Taiwan.
Tada Eikichi 多田榮吉 in 1930 was appointed the fourth Tamsui Mayor (then called 淡水街長, literal meaning Tamsui Street Head). My great grandfather Hong I-nan in 1920-1924 was the first - photo Hong (center) inspecting pioneering tap water supply in Tamsui.
Life Saver - First Tamsui Mayor After War and Famous Painter Yan San-lang
In 1945, Tamsui mayor title was changed to 淡水鎮長 (literal meaning Tamsui Town Head) and the first mayor appointed was 杜麗水 (Du Li-shui).
杜 is a historical family and most prominent representative Tu Tsung-ming 杜聰明 (or Chhang-miâ, same name as Mini Mackay) - HERE from Tamsui district office.
The two Tus are uncle/nephew.
杜麗水 (Du Li-shui) apart from his many acknowledged contributions as a town mayor, also is known for a particular incident about a local resident famous Taiwanese painter Yan San-lang (see HERE about him and YSL museum) - that Mayor Du helped Yang escape from 228 Massacre arrest.
The story was documented in a number of publication including Page 197 of THIS by Taipei Government and more detais in THIS by Tamsui Cultural Foundations (texts copied here)
楊三郎先生係留法的著名西洋畫家。他因喜好淡水的景色，尤其是夕陽時分的美景，在二次大戰時便搬居於淡水紅毛城附近一棟瀕河的日式木造平屋。3月中旬某日，他由臺北乘火車返淡水。當回家之前，順路赴鎮公所訪老友杜麗水鎮長。杜鎮長凝視他，發抖般匆匆地耳語：「你還不逃！特務人員正在搜索你呀！」楊三郎先生當場愕然，即悄然離開鎮公所，向不遠處臨河小巷「崁仔腳」急奔，雇一艘雙槳仔小漁船為交通工具，由水路往臺北方向遁逃。
楊三郎先生與一些淡水人士一樣，只參加過自治會，並無發表過激烈言論更無參與暴亂。那麼為何他被列在黑名單呢？據說只是他的身分特殊，家境富裕，又是臺籍人士早期留法的稀少西洋畫家之一，才被選上。易言之，上述「幹將」Ｈ某視楊三郎先生是一頭肥羊，竟將他列於黑名單上。所幸，他遇到了「貴人」杜鎮長，才能全身而退。楊三郎一直到淡江中學設立純德女中美術科時，才敢回淡水教書。
楊三郎先生與一些淡水人士一樣，只參加過自治會，並無發表過激烈言論更無參與暴亂。那麼為何他被列在黑名單呢？據說只是他的身分特殊，家境富裕，又是臺籍人士早期留法的稀少西洋畫家之一，才被選上。易言之，上述「幹將」Ｈ某視楊三郎先生是一頭肥羊，竟將他列於黑名單上。所幸，他遇到了「貴人」杜鎮長，才能全身而退。楊三郎一直到淡江中學設立純德女中美術科時，才敢回淡水教書。
THE FOREIGNERS' CEMETERY
Beautiful, Nostalgic Walk starts here, passing Tamkang Senior High School campus where the Foreigners' Cemetery in Danshui (a National Historical Site Class C) located in a corner, divided into four sections : East, South, West and North sides.
A map and more details of name, date and inscription compiled in 1939 and 1994 respectively is seen HERE. Source The Takao Club
"In January 1939, the British
Consulate compiled a record of all the graves in the cemetery, including their
inscriptions and location. These records, which have been added to over the
years, are given below. At the bottom of this webpage is an updated version of
a plan showing the location of the graves.
Incidentally, Dr George MacKay
is not buried in the Foreign Cemetery, but lies with a select few in a small
private walled graveyard immediately to the east."
Of these records, I would mention three:
No.
9 - Pedro Florentino (1815-1884) was a
Spanish sailor of the Philippines nationality. Around 1856 when his ship was
sailing by the coastline of Tamsui, he had carelessly fallen overboard. Rescued
by fishermen from Tamsui, he had no other choice but to stay put in town. He
actually soon married 黃春, daughter of another
sailor from QuanChou, Hokkien, and their only son was born in 1858 (畢金桂 Bi King-guei was his Taiwanese name) Source HERE.
From this post, I soon linked to Our
Lady of Fatima Catholic Church (the first Catholic church in Tamsui) 畢金桂 Bi King-guei (1858-1926) actively seeking to build by the financial support of Father M. Manuel Plato purchasing the land in 1901. Father and Son, first and second generation of Spanish of the Philippines nationality were buried in the west side of the foreign cemetery, third to fifth generation of Bi 畢 were given Taiwanese nationality (see HERE)
No. 17 - Lieutenant Max E Hecht 巴恩士 (1853?-1892) was a German engineer who died on the job in August 19 1892 in 'his 39th year' (a suggestion he was born in 1853?). The construction of Hobe Fortress ordered by Governor of Taiwan Liu Ming-chuan 劉銘傳 was built under the supervision of Hecht.
Hecht was the only deceased in this cemetery with two headstones, one simply "M Hecht" and in Chinese, the other in Latin/German/English.
No. 21 E C dos Santos 莊塗 (1898). I haven't seen descriptions of him nor have I checked further. It was his Chinese name 莊塗 , which appeared Hokkien (?) transliation of Santos that attracted my attention.
But I do wonder if Mr Santos was another 'Spanish of Philippines Nationality' same as P Florentino? Were there 2nd, 3rd generations of 莊Santos here in Taiwan?
Note - from a historian friend, the 17 heads of French fusiliers marins from the
Sino-French war in 1884 might have been buried in this cemetery.
Source Takao Club
One of the friends is a Professor at Aletheia University 真理大學 - a private university founded by George Leslie Mackay, established as Oxford College in 1882. The College was approved by
the Ministry of Education to be renamed Aletheia University on August 1st,
1999. Beautiful campus with happy fishes swimming and (small) tortoises bathing in the pond situated in a most meticulously maintained landscape.
The first 32 feet pipe organ and now second largest in Taiwan at The
Presbyterian Church in campus. Thanks to professor, we were
allowed to take photo of a lecture given at the time! Both the church and the
organ are signature items of the university.
Delight! Professor friend showed us a 'shortcut' through Alethia campus to Fort San Domingo! The
Fort flew the Union Jack from 1867 onward until 1980 when the lease was
terminated - eight years after the UK withdrew its consulate from Taiwan. (source HERE)
HOBE GUN FORT 滬尾炮台 AND THREE QING DYNASTY TOMBS
Rare photo of Hobe Gun Fort (Source HERE)
So it’s
the three-tombs-peoples-story I am connecting for this post but first to mention welcoming magnificent centuries-old
trees in sight!
Tomb No. 1
The story starts with my friend Erin who actively seeking
support and approval to preserve her great grandfather's 陳霞林(1834-1891) tomb in
Tamsui. 陳霞林 a Dadaocheng-born gentry and Qing
dynasty government officer who was summoned to lead a battalion to fight in the
Sino-French War in October 1884. She was afraid the gravestone will be stolen
or vandalized if not properly brought to attention. She told me she was first
led by THIS blogpost about the much neglected and abandoned tomb, she soon made
some connections and with the help of a few others found the unmaintained tomb
hidden behind overgrown bushes and shrubs. The magnificent grave, after rigorous
clearing, for the first time in many years, showed its face!
Tomb No. 2 in Beitou, however is a different story! It belonged to 李儒 - grandmother of 陳霞林.The tomb is maintained and landmarked for hikers to Shamao Mt 沙帽山. Why the grandmother tomb was discovered and treated with duly respect whereas her much high-profile Qing dynasty officer grandson 陳not - probably the location, and definitely entertaining stories people like to hear, including her maids buried nearby.
source HERE
Tomb No. 3 is a tomb without a head (!) in Xindian
This to me is totally unheard of! A tomb of a deseased without a head!
It belonged to 陳霞林's great grandfather 陳振魁. His head was removed by local aboriginal headhunters not long after he landed in Taiwan from Quanzhou in late 18th century (!) Not without twists and turns, the headless body was escorted back to Fujien at that time and movd back to Taiwan during the course of 200 years (?!)
The tomb is located in a garden at Taiwan Power Plant (Guishan) in Xindian!
Archive from Tai Power
PEACE PARK
The mother-holding-a-baby theme is based on the autobiography of Eyedoc's mother, who had received an unexpected notification from Township Office to collect ashes of her husband Dr Tze-Chang Cheng, and in mourning, had gone to the shore of Tamsui River with her baby to look at Guanyin Mountain, in total shock, facing an unknown future at the same time...
Story of a dear personal friend - the father he never met and the mother an overnight single-mom, brave and diligent, challenged herself to a successful nursing career.
Mrs Stella Yu-Yeh Wu Cheng鄭吳玉葉女士 was born on Nov 25, 1921. She was one of the eight children of Mr and Mrs Tien-Chi Wu吳添基 from the Town of Danshui 淡水in Taiwan.
On Feb 20, 1942, she married Dr Tze-Chang Cheng 鄭子昌醫師also from Danshui, and together they started a small yet successful medical practice興亞醫院. In late 1943, their only son was born. This happy life was not to last because by then, the Pacific War had entered its last throes with the Japanese in defeat at all fronts. Dr Cheng, together with 58 other physicians and 189 medical assistants were drafted to serve in the Imperial Japanese Navy. On Dec 1, 1944, they boarded a cargo ship, the Shinsei Maru 神靖丸and sailed for Saigon西貢. On Jan 12, 1945, Shinsei Maru was torpedoed by a US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter-plane and sunk. Dr Cheng and 246 colleagues went down with the ship in a harbor near Saigon called Cape Saint Jacques頭頓市. That marked the beginning of a new life for Mrs Cheng. In fact, a life devoted to raising her only son. ...
Source HERE. by John Lai - former Head Librarian at Yenching Library, Harvard University.
UPDATE links:
1. A shiung and Siddhartha (Full-length Animation set in 1955 Tamsui)
4. Big River, Big Sea Untold Stories of 1949 Dr Cheng and Shinsei Maru history was included in Lung Ying-Tai 'Big River, Big Sea'
Quite a nice write-up, by a daughter of Tamsui, no less. Thank you very much for introducing stories, little known outside of our little town, to your readers.
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