The biography of Mr Kwik Siang Kaw and his family · at Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan School (THHK,...

1

The biography of Mr Kwik Siang Kaw and his family

( prepared by the Hong Kong Local Record Foundation)

The background of Kwik Siang Kaw

Kwik Siang Kaw (郭雙蛟) (1899-1928), the eldest son of Java’s “Sugar King”

Kwik Djoen Eng (郭春秧), died at the age of 29. Kwik Siang Kaw was born and

buried in Fujian, China, yet he spent most of his time in Indonesia for taking care of

his father’s business. Born as a son of a wealthy and influential Chinese businessman

not just in Indonesia, but also in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, the short life

of Kwik Siang Kaw illustrated and partly represented the life of overseas Chinese in

Southeast Asia in the early 1900s.

Kwik Siang Kaw was born in Fujian, China in 18 February 1899. He left China

for Indonesia where his father was living when he reached the school age, and studied

at Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan School (THHK, 中華會館) in Semarang, Indonesia.1 The

first Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan was founded in 1900 in Batavia. It was established by a

group of overseas Chinese aiming to keep the Chinese customs and tradition, and to

develop science. It hoped to “develop the teaching of Confucius and changing habits

in performing marriage ceremonies and funeral mass”.2 Then the first Tiong Hwa

Hwee Kwan School called "Tiong Hoa Han Tong (中華學堂)" was established in

1901 using a modern system which was similar to that of China and Japan.3 The

development of the school went quite well and a new school was established in

Semarang in 1904. THHK has been running over 100 years and still operates

currently in Indonesia.4 Later on, Kwik Siang Kaw went to Singapore to continue his

study.5 In September 1915, Kwik Siang Kaw went to Hong Kong and studied in St.

Stephen’s College with his half-brother, Kwik Bok Hing (郭博享). Their guardian

was a merchant called George Artis Pentreath, whose company, Pentreath Co., was

located at Alexandra Building in Central.6

1 “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.

2 Paksakerah Makenyok. “T.H.H.K = Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan 中华会馆 (Zhong Hua Hui Guan)

dengan Istilah Tionghoa & Tiongkok”. Available at

http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2010/08/24/thhk-tiong-hoa-hwee-koan-%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%

E4%BC%9A%E9%A6%86-zhong-hua-hui-guan-dengan-istilah-tionghoa-tiongkok-237387.html

(Accessed on 17 February 2015). 3 Ibid.

4 〈Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan /(Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan) School (THHK, 中華會館) 〉，《印尼星洲

日報》，2012 年 12 月 18 日。 5 “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.

6 Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the

Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary Schools. (St. Stephen’s College,

1903-1951), 89-90; “It is believed that Pentreath & Co. had business with KHT since the company was

http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2010/08/24/thhk-tiong-hoa-hwee-koan-%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%BC%9A%E9%A6%86-zhong-hua-hui-guan-dengan-istilah-tionghoa-tiongkok-237387.html


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The establishment of St. Stephen’s College was proposed in 1901. Sir Ho Kai (何

啟) and Dr. Tso Seen Wan (曹善允), together with six other Chinese businessmen and

scholars, submitted a petition to the colonial government to establish an English

public school to provide English education with Western knowledge on Christian

principles for the Chinese youth.7 Tso was educated in England and he understood

the importance of Western education for the Chinese and the necessity of receiving

education in Hong Kong instead of studying aboard. The proposal, which was

strongly supported by Bishop Joseph Hoare and Archdeacon William Banister8, was

approved by the colonial government. In 1903, the College was officially established

and operated, with the first intake of six boarders and one day pupil. The College was

first established on Bonham Road (般咸道) in Sai Ying Pun (西營盤), where Hong

Kong University is currently located.9

When Kwik Siang Kaw studied in St. Stephen’s College in 1915, he was the 941

student since the establishment of the school.10

During that period, there were around

130 students admitted per year, among which 40 were boarders.11

This school

attracted the attention of overseas Chinese students as it aimed to provide the similar

education of English public school. There were overseas students coming from

Southeast Asia, such countries as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, and

Thailand.12

Two years after Kwik Siang Kaw was admitted, his brother Kwik Siang

Go (郭雙鰲) went to the same school on 24 September 1917. Ten years later, on 12

September 1927, his another brother Kwik Siang Kie (郭雙麒) also joined. In fact, a

few of his brothers or half-brothers followed after. His brother Kwik Chao Beng

joined in 1927, and cousins Kwik Han Khiok (郭漢曲) and Kwik Jian Han (郭兆涵)

one of the liabilities of KHT Company in 1928. Peter, Post, “The Kwik Hoo Tong Trading Society of

Semarang, Java: A Chinese Business Network in Late Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian

Studies, 33(2)(2002): 292. 7 “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at

http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=72 (Accessed on

10 February 2015). 8 "University of Hong Kong - The Conferring of Degrees", The Hongkong Daily Press, 10 January

1924, 4 & 5. 9 “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at


10 February 2015). 10

Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the


1903-1951), 90. 11

St. Stephen’s College council meeting minutes from 13 March 1914 to 5 December1921. (St.

Stephen’s College, 1914-1921), 23. 12

“History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at


10 February 2015).

http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=72



3

joined in 1930. Even as late as in 1949, his cousins Kwik Sin Sing (郭申生), Kwik

Kah Sing (郭嘉生) and Kwik Tong Siang (郭同生) also joined.13

In 1924, St. Stephen’s College was relocated to Pok Fu Lam when Kwik Siang

Kaw already finished his study and headed back to Indonesia to help his father. The

college was further on the move to Stanley when the government granted the college

23 acres there. The Stanley new campus of the college opened in 1930 and since then

in operation till today.14

In around early 1930s, Kwik Djeon Eng and his descendants

donated money to the college. In return, a portrait of Kwik Djoen Eng was displaced

in the assembly hall in honour of his contribution.15

Kwik Siang Kaw’s life in Indonesia in 1920s

Kwik Siang Kaw met his classmate Chan Shun Kai’s (陳樹階) sister Chan Hing

Wan (陳慶雲) when he was studying at St. Stephen’s College.16

He married her in

Hong Kong in 191917

and had their first daughter in Amoy in 1920.18

Since Chan

Hing Wan bore only daughters to the family, with the encouragement of his father,

Kwik Siang Kaw later on took 3 concubines to have a son. However, Kwik Siang

Kaw in the end had 5 daughters in total, all from his first wife. His first and the only

surviving child Kwok Bik Yuen, Janet (郭碧琬) is currently living in Hong Kong.19

(Please see Appendix for the family tree)

As the eldest son of Kwik Djoen Eng, Kwik Siang Kaw was, by convention,

under obligation to follow his father’s footstep. Kwik Siang Kaw went to Java in 1920

and to assume the headship of NV Kwik Hoo Tong Handelmaatschappij (KHT) while

his father was away to develop business in China and Hong Kong.20

In the same year,

13

Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance with the


1903-1951), 89-90,102, 132, 141, 43, 224, 227. 14

Zhou, Lang, “Enriching visitors' experience: a cultural mapping of St. Stephen's College at Stanley,

Hong Kong” (Dissertation, Hong Kong University, 2012),16. 15

E-mail exchanges with Mr. Edward Weinberg, the 5th

generation of Kwik Djoen Eng, dated on 14

February 2015. Interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, daughter of Kwik Siang Kaw, dated on 17th

March 2015. 16

Based on the interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th

March 2015. 17

“Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928. 18

The interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, a daughter of Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th

March 2015.

Ms. Janet Kwok was only 8 years old when Kwik Siang Kaw died in 1928. 19

Ibid. 20

Claver, Alexander, Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial Relationships in

Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 321-323

4

Kwik Djoen Eng and his family invested into a Chinese sugar refining company in

Shanghai called 中華民國製糖股份有限公司. Kwik Siang Kaw was one of the

shareholders and later in 1926 became the major shareholder of the company.21

When

Kwik Siang Kaw was fully in control of KHT, Kwik Djoen Eng established a new

trading company called Ching Siong & Co. in Hong Kong, aiming to expand his sugar

refining industry there. In 1924, Kwik Djoen Eng set up Ching Siong Land

Investment Co. (禎祥建業有限公司)22

of which Kwik Siang Kaw was one of the

contributories.23

Apart from this, Kwik Siang Kaw was directors of a couple of

trading and construction companies including the “Siang Siang”, the “Sanitory Milk

Company”, and the “Frigga”, as well as chairman of the Sam Ban Hien society.24

“Frigga” is a building society in Java founded on 13 June 1922 by Kwik Djoen Eng,

aiming to combine all the real estate business of Kwik Djoen Eng, Kwik Siang Kaw,

and KHT. In fact, the company was found to help Kwik Djoen Eng to manage the

financial problems of KHT by guaranteeing all debts of KHT to De Javasche Bank

(DJB).25

Like his father, Kwik Siang Kaw was a philanthropist that he financially

supported the Chinese-English School (Hoa Ing Tiong Hak 華英中學) in Semarang.26

The Chinese-English School was found in 1916 by Kwik Djoen Eng and his father’s

rival, the first sugar king, Oei Tiong Ham (黃仲涵), founder of the trading company

Kian Gwan (建源公司) in Indonesia.27

The main purpose of the school was to

“provide a modern education in Chinese and English for the children of Chinese

fathers.” And it intended to provide free education and “to follow the curriculum, in

Chinese, of the Peking Board of Education, and in English, of the Straits Settlements

Education Office and the Hongkong University.”28

Unfortunately, Kwik Siang Kaw

suddenly died of influenza in 1928 in Java, while his family was staying in Hong

21

柳和城，〈张元濟與中華國民制糖公司〉，《張元濟研究論文集: 紀念張元濟先生誕辰 140

周年暨第三屆學術思想研討會論文集》(北京：中國文史出版社，2009)，頁 375-376。 22


Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 326. 23

“The List of Contributors.” Companies Winding-up No. 6 of 1952. Re: The Ching Siong Land

Investment Company Limited. Notices of meetings, lists of creditors & contributories, attendances, etc.

Public Record Office. Kwik Siang Kaw’s assets in the company were all left to his wife after his early

death in 1928. 24



Trade and Finance, 1800-1942.(Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014) , 329. 26


Leo Suryadinata, Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical dictionary.

(Singapore: Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012), 797. 28

“Chinese-English School, Semarang, Indonesia,” The Straits Times, 13 April 1917, 10. At that time,

only male students were admitted.

5

Kong.29

When the family received the message of his death, they immediately took

the voyage to Java. With Kwik Siang Kaw’s body being kept in his own house,30

the

family stayed in Java for a whole month to wait for steamship Tjisaroea at Nieuwe

Tjandiweg to carry Kwik Siang Kaw’s body from Java to Japan en route to Xiamen.31

Because of Kwik Siang Kaw’s contribution to the community, a huge crowd attended

his funeral to pay him their last tributes. As Kwik Siang Kaw was the patron of

Chinese-English School, a memorial service was held at the school for teachers and

students. Besides the Chinese-English School, another memorial service was also

arranged at Toko Siang Siang with members of Sam Ban Hien joining the

procession.32

As a 69 years old man then, Kwik Djoen Eng grieved the sudden and early death

of Kwik Siang Kaw. He had planned to leave all his business to his eldest son but to

no avail in the end.33

Kwik Djoen Eng died in Taiwan in 1935, 7 years after the death

of his son.34

Kwik Djoen Eng’s early life

Kwik Djoen Eng (Guo Chun Yang in mandarin) (郭春秧，also 郭禎祥，

1859-1935) was born in a small county called Tong’an (同安) in Fujian (or Hokkien

福建) in 1859. He was raised by his grandmother due to the death of his father at his

early age. At the age of 16, Kwik Djoen Eng moved to Java to help his uncle, Kwik

Hoo Tong (郭河東), who had business in Semarang, Indonesia.35

The long history of

Chinese migrating to Indonesia from Fujian could be dated back to the Tang Dynasty

owing to the unstable political and social living condition in China. Fujian, being a

province at the south-eastern coast of China, had the advantage to connect with

Indonesia. Migration was therefore a natural consequence that followed the prosperity

of maritime trade between China and Indonesia. Even when the Dutch colonized

Indonesia in the late 16th

Century, the colonial government was in need of a large

number of Chinese workers or labors for the development in Batavia, and hence

29


March 2015. 30

Ibid. 31

Ibid. 32

“De Laatste Reis…Overbrenging vanhelstoffelijk overschot van wijlen den heer Kwik Siang Kow

naar China (The last journey…Transfer of the remains of the late Mr. Kwik Siang Kaw to China),”

Stadsnieuws (City News), Semarang, 14 April 1928. 33


March 2015. 34


Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 334. 35 Ibid., 289-290.

6

adopted a system of “Kapitein (甲必丹)”, meaning to use Chinese to control

Chinese.36

Therefore, more Chinese migrated or were forced to move to Indonesia in

the next century. Besides, constant social unrests caused by the Taiping Rebellion

starting 1851 drove more Chinese to migrate to Indonesia for better and stable life.37

In 1870, there were around 259,560 Chinese living in Indonesia; the population

increased to 343,793 in 1880. In 1930, half of the Chinese population in Indonesia

came from Fujian.38

As the people in Fujian were good at sugar refinery, they brought production

skill and know how to Indonesia when they settled down there. In addition to the fact

that Java produced cane sugar extensively, there were already a large number of

Chinese merchants operating sugar refining companies in Java in the 18th

century. In

1710 in Java, there were around 130 sugar companies of which 79 were run or

operated by Chinese. In mid-18th

century, almost all sugar companies in Java were

operated by Chinese merchants.39

Kwok Hoo Tong, father of Kwik Djoen Eng, was

one of those merchants. He started his business in refining sugar in the middle of 19th

century in Java. On 17 July 1894, Kwik Djoen Eng and his brother Kwik Hong Biauw

(郭洪淼) joined hands with other three family members Kwik Ing Djie (郭永如),

Kwik Ing Sien (郭永新) and Kwik Ing Hie (郭永禧)40

, established a company to trade

in sugar, tea, rice, and other products in the name of Kwik Hoo Tong. The company

was called NV Kwik Hoo Tong Handelmaatschappij or Kwik Hoo Tong Trading

Society (KHT).41

The main trading product of the company was sugar, especially

lump sugar. At that time Java sugar industry’s development was promising thanks to

the abundant sugar fields in 1880s. In its heyday, KHT even had its own sugar field in

Yogyakarta.42

At the very beginning, Kwik Hong Biauw was the Director in Solo

while Kwik Djoen Eng was in charge of the office in Yogyakarta. In 1916, Kwik

Djoen Eng became the company’s major shareholder.43

36

楊力、葉小敦，《東南亞的福建人》(福建：福建人民出版社，1993)，頁 68-72。 37

同上，頁 74。 38

同上，頁 74-75。 39

福建省地方志編纂委員會編，《中華人民共和國地方志福建省志華僑志》(福建：福建人民出

版社，1992)，頁 34。 40

The Chinese names of Kwik’s members are retrieved from a family tree prepared by E. Weinberg, a

far descendant of Kwik Djoen Eng. Available on

http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000005994194001#6000000002398498737 41



Ibid, 296;Knight, G.R., Colonial Production in provincial Java: The sugar industry in

Pekalongan-Tegal, 1800-1942. (Amsterdam: VU University Press, 1993), 42. 43

Ibid, 313.

http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000005994194001#6000000002398498737

7

Kwik Djoen Eng’s business development in Java and Taiwan in 1900s to 1910s

When Kwik Djoen Eng was helping his uncle, he had developed a huge interest

in tea. He went to Taiwan in 1888 and started a business to export tea from Taiwan to

Semarang via Amoy.44

Kwik Djoen Eng’s talent for trading business was not only

shown in his management performance and experience in KHT, but also in his vision

in the trading of tea. He noticed that there was a huge Chinese population in Southeast

Asia, and that the demand for tea would be very great. His was correct. In 1899, he

fully engaged in the trade and established a tea company named Jinxiang (錦祥) in

Tatoitia (大稻埕), Taipei, Taiwan.45

In 1903, Kwik Djoen Eng became a Taiwan

sekimin (台灣籍民) under the Japanese occupation. According to the Treaty of Trade

and Navigation in 1896 signed between Japan and the Netherlands, a Japanese

overseas colonial citizen registered from Taiwan could share the same legal status as a

European citizen in the Dutch colony. The spirit of the treaty was to allow migrants or

overseas citizens of the two countries to live and work as “European” citizens in the

colonies.46

This citizenship benefited Kwik Djoen Eng a lot, especially in KHT’s tea

trade with Japan. He was able to access to Japanese shipping and to seek funding from

Japanese bank without little difficulties. Later on, owing to his good relationship with

the Japanese government, Kwik Djoen Eng also acquired Japanese nationality. In fact,

Kwik Djeon Eng played a very important role in advising Japanese southward

expansion in Southeast Asia in 1910s.47

Kwik Djeon Eng once suggested that

“Japanese way of interacting with Chinese sojourners should better be

conducted along the following approach: while calculating the

economic progress, Japan must also take care of the moral dimension to

cultivate the emotional bondage. After all, to attract the emotional

support (of Chinese sojourners to the Japanese), on the one hand we

have to make progress on moral dimension, on the other hand, we have

to make the cooperation fit the economic interest”.

44

Ibid, 289-291. 45

Ibid, 291. 46

Kuo, Huei-ying, Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the Hong

Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2004), 82-83; Leo

Suryadinata, Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical dictionary. (Singapore:

Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012), 469-470; Peter, Post, “The Kwik

Hoo Tong Trading Society of Semarang, Java: A Chinese Business Network in Late

Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 33(2)(2002): 279-296. 47

Kuo, Huei-ying, “Social Discourse and Economic Functions: The Singapore Chinese in Japan’s

Southward Expansion between 1914 and 1941,” in Singapore in Global History, ed. Heng, Derek, and

Aljunied, Syed Muhd Khairudin (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011), 116-117.

8

Here, Kwik Djoen Eng particularly referred the Chinese merchants to the Fujian

merchants, like himself. 48

Therefore, his very close relationship with the Japanese

government and his dual nationalities of Taiwanese and Japanese explained the rapid

expansion of his tea and sugar business in Taiwan, Japan and Java. He was

subsequently credited as “Sugar King” by Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij49

in

1916.50

In fact, the global environment also helped Kwik Djeon Eng to earn the title

of “Sugar King” due to the outbreak of the First World War. When the war started, the

demand for sugar was incredibly high and hence the price went up rapidly. With his

good reputation in Java, Kwik Djoen Eng’s sugar business became prospering.51

The zenith of Kwik Djoen Eng’s business life in 1910s to 1920s

Kwok Djoen Eng’s wealth and power reached the apex in the 1910s and 1920s.

He had established a Confucian Association after the First World War and the Bank of

Southern China in 1919. Since Kwik Djoen Eng was raised by his grandmother, he

erected a chastity memorial archway (貞節牌坊) in 1922 to credit his grandmother in

his village (nowadays Laio Dong Village (寮東村), Jiao Mei Town (角美鎮),

Zhangzhou County (漳州)) in Fujian.52

The archway was preserved and respected by

the villagers for appreciating Kwik Djoen Eng’s contribution to the village, though he

spent a longer time in Java. Since the archway was built after the May Fourth

Movement, it was believed to be the last or newest chastity memorial archway in

China.53

In his hometown, Kwik Djeon Eng financially supported the building of 錦

湖小學 (Jinghu Primary School), offering free education to the children. He

established 嵩江孔聖大道會, a charitable organization aiming to help the poor. He

also opened 大道醫局 (Dadao Hospital), providing medical service to the villagers.54

The most important contribution made by Kwik Djeon Eng was the introduction of

48

Guo Chunyang, “Nanyō bōeki to kakyō 南洋貿易と華僑 (South Seas trade and overseas

Chinese,” Nanyō Kyōkai Zasshi 南洋協會雜誌(NKZ thereafter) Vol.5, no.5 (May 1919): 42 -43.

Quoted from Kuo, Huei-ying, Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the

Hong Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 82. 49

Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM) is a trading company in the Netherlands. It was

established in 1824 and was supported by the King Willem I aiming to do the trade between the

Netherlands and the Netherlands Indies. The company shifted his business from trading to banking in

1870. A branch office was opened in Hong Kong in 1889. 50



丁寧，〈從月圓封閉事件憶起糖王郭春秧〉.The source is provided by Mr. Edward Weinberg. 52

盧志明、章韻潔，〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站

http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm , 2015 年 1 月 22 日。 53

同上 54

〈漳州最年輕牌坊志潔行芳坊述說著一段傳奇〉。取自台海網網站

http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html , 2015 年 2 月 3 日。

http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm

http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html

9

planting mangrove to protect the shore from the storm. This action greatly improved

the living situation in the village, which was highly praised by the villagers. Hence,

there was a courtyard (春秧堂) named after Kwik Djoen Eng in one of a historical

building (古厝) in the village.55

Kwik Djeon Eng’s tea trading company in Taiwan also ranked first among all

Baozhong tea exporting companies.56

In 1921-25, he spent a huge amount of money

on the construction of a splendid Chinese style residence for his family in Salatiga,

south of Semarang, to indicate his wealth. The mansion, with a domed cupola at the

centre and four pagodas surrounding the building, represented Kwik Djoen Eng

himself and his four sons, Kwik Siang Kaw, Kwik Siang Go, Kwik Siang Leng, and

Kwik Siang Kie.57

Yet, following the bankruptcy of KHT and his death in 1935, the

mansion was abandoned by members of his family.58

During the Second World War

and the Japanese occupation, the mansion was seized by the Japanese and turned into

an internment camp for the Dutch. After the war, the mansion was acquired by the

Fathers of Immaculate Conception (FIC) church. Hence, the mansion was renamed

Institut Roncalli to memorize Kardinaal Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli, the Pope from

1958-1963.59

Apart from Institut Roncalli, Kwik Djoen Eng had another private

residence in Yogyakarta built in 1918, which had later become the residence of the

Chinese consulate after the war, and was subsequently turned into a hotel called The

Phoenix in 1951.60

Kwik Djoen Eng had also built a villa called “Kwik Djoen Eng’s

Villa” (郭春秧別墅) in Gulangyu (鼓浪嶼), and established Jinxiang Jie (錦祥街), a

street in his name in Xiamen.61

Having heavily invested in Indonesia, Taiwan, and China, Kwik Djoen Eng also

had a great plan to develop his business in Hong Kong. In early 1920s, he opened a

branch company called Keim Tjian Han (錦昌行) in Wing Lok Street, Hong Kong.

55

盧志明、章韻潔，〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站

http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm , 2015 年 1 月 22 日。 56


Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 322-323. 57

Ronald G. Knapp, Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia: The Eclectic Architecture of Sojourners and

Settlers. (Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2010), 198-199; “Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive.

Available at http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html (Accessed on 9

February 2015). 58

Ibid, 200. 59

“Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive. Available at

http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html (Accessed on 9 February

2015). 60

“The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection”. Available at

http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-collection/presentatio

n.shtml (Accessed on 9 February 2015). 61

〈郭春秧廊下觀滄海〉。取自 http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html , 2015 年 2 月 26 日。


http://salatiga-photo-archives.blogspot.hk/2009/09/institut-roncalli.html


http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-collection/presentation.shtml


http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html

10

Shortly after its opening, the company had become “one of the biggest sugar dealers

in Nam Pak Han” (南北行).62

Kwik’s family business development Hong Kong in 1920s – 1930s

In the 1920s, to further expand his business out of Java, Kwik Djoen Eng bought

a huge plot of land (75,000 square meters) in North Point, Hong Kong for land

reclamation and the building of quay wall which was deemed to be an ideal place for

deep sea shipping, and hence could be used for a place to establish a sugar refining

factory.63

However, the plan was aborted owing to the outbreak of the Canton-Hong

Kong General Strike and Boycott (省港大罷工) during the construction period. Also,

in 1927, the price of sugar dropped sharply and Kwik Djoen Eng found no benefit to

develop sugar refining industry anymore. As a result, he changed the land to

residential use and established 40 houses there, making the area a flourishing

neighbourhood. The colonial British government named the street “Chun Yeung

Street” (春秧街 ) in July 1933 to commemorate Kwik’s contribution to the

development of North Point.64

Chung Yeung Street is now one of the bustling streets

in Hong Kong, yet when Kwik Djoen Eng first arrived at Hong Kong, he was nobody

for the Hong Kong people. They only knew that Kwik Djoen Eng was a very rich man

who carried 20 million cash to Hong Kong.65

Kwik Djoen Eng also opened a night

club (麗池夜總會 ) in the eastern end of North Point, and North Point eventually

attracted many Shanghai immigrants coming to reside and work after the Second

World War. North Point was hence called “Little Shanghai” until after 1960s, when it

was called “Little Fujian” following the rapid increase of Fujianese residents who fled

from the anti-Chinese movement in Indonesia.66

Since 1929, Kwik Djoen Eng was honorary chairman of the 旅港福建商會, a

Fujianese association founded by a renowned businessman Tu Siduan (杜四端) in

62

“Java Sugar King Dies in Formosa. A Fukien Merchant who amassed huge fortunes in N.L.,” The

Strait Times, 1 February 1935, 19. 63

Ibid, 327; Reclamation (and Wharfage) at North Point , Report on the Commercial Development of

the Port of Hong Kong by John Duncan, M. Inst. C.E., Chartered Civil Engineer, Port Engineer, Hong

Kong, 1924, 12. 64

徐振邦，《穿街過巷香港地》(香港：書名號，2009)，頁 30-31。 65



彥火，〈琴台客聚：春秧街的來歷〉，《文匯報》，2014 年 10 月 29 日；〈從街道建築找歷

史: 北角春秧街〉。取自 http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247 , 2015 年 1 月 21 日。

http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247

11

1916. Although Kwik Djoen Eng did not actively take part in any activity of the

association, he financially supported the establishment of a Fujian school in 1926.67

The downfall of Kwik’s family business in 1930s and after

Good time does not last long. With the large amount of capital invested in

overseas, the construction of several houses in Surabaya, and other inaccessible

money or estate, the financial problem of shortage of liquid assets of KHT began to

emerge after 1922.68

The situation became even worse especially when Kwik Djoen

Eng was away from Java, leaving his son Kwik Siang Kaw to manage the firm. Worse

still, on 29 February 1928, Kwik Siang Kaw suddenly died, Kwik Djoen Eng had to

head back to Java to deal with debts and tax problems.69

Unfortunately, irrespective

of the efforts made by Kwik Djoen Eng, the overall circumstances did not allow him

to restore his business, particularly at the time of worldwide economic crisis in

1929.70

Kwik Siang Leng (郭雙龍) – the intended successor to Kwik Siang Kaw, had

no choice but to reduce the business to only importing tea from Taiwan. The business

did help KHT for a while until the financial support of Bank of Taiwan was

terminated in 1932 due to KHT’s huge debt to the bank.71

In January 1935, the

government declared that KHT was bankrupted, just a few days after the death of

Kwik Djoen Eng in Taiwan at the age of 75.72

Although KHT went bankrupted in 1935, Kwik Djoen Eng’s second son, Kwik

Siang Go was still in charge of the Ching Siong Land Investment Co. in Hong Kong

along with the contributors, including his brothers, Kwik Siang Leng and Kwik Siang

Kie, Chan Hing Wan, Chan Shu Kai, Lam Kwai Sing (林季繩, husband of Chan Hin

Wan’s sister), and Hsu Kwan Chun (許冠群, the intimate friend of Kwik Siang Go

and the trustee of shares of Kwik Siang Go).73

Apart from Chung Yeung Street, the

Yuet Yuen Street (月園街) nearby was also related to the Kwik’s family. In 1949,

Kwik Siang Go, under the name of Ching Siong Land Investment Co., and a

businessman Charlie took charge of the establishment of an amusement park called

67

李培德，〈香港的福建商會與福建商人網絡〉，李培德編，《近代中國的商會網絡及社會功

能》(香港: 香港大學出版社，2009)，頁 137-141。 68


Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. (Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014), 329 69

Ibid, 334 70

Ibid, 338-339. 71

Ibid, 341. 72

Ibid, 344. 73

Companies File no. 634,“The Ching Siong Land Investment Company Limited.” Public Record

Office, 222.

12

Luna Park (Yuet Yuen 月園遊樂場) in North Point. The park claimed itself to be the

biggest and most fabulous one in the Fat East. The 6 million Hong Kong dollar park

was opened on 22 December 1949, with a lot of fancy facilities such as Dragon Ride,

Giant Ferris Wheel, Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster, Rocket Ride Swing, Children’s

Playland, swimming pool, restaurant, and zoo.74

However, right after the opening,

two shareholders decided not to invest any longer, Kwik’s family had become the

only shareholder. Worse still, the park did not run well and was in debt for 3 million

after 3 years. The Supreme Court then ordered the closure of the park. It was later on

discovered that Ching Siong Land Investment Co. already sold the park to a rich

businessman Li Sai Wa (李世華) and renamed it to 大世界遊樂場 (Big World

Amusement Park) and reopened in the same year. Yet, due to the poor business, the

park was eventually closed in July 1954 and changed to residential use. In the same

year, the colonial government named one of the streets in the area “Yuet Yuen Street”,

to commemorate the contribution of a once powerful and influential family to this

neighbourhood.75

74

〈十二月二十二日.北角月園遊樂場開幕〉，《香港工商日報》。取自

http://www.oldhkphoto.com/?p=3249, 2015 年 2 月 25 日。 75

梁濤：《香港街道命名考源》(香港：市政局，1992)，頁 107。

http://www.oldhkphoto.com/?p=3249

13

Appendix

Kwik Siang Kaw’s Family Tree

*Chen Wang Zeng had 10 children in total.

#Chan Shu Kai and Li Shu Zeng had 4 children, they are 陳蕉琴, 陳祖恩, 陳炎明 and 陳舜琴.

Kwik Djoen Eng

郭春秧

Pan Family

潘氏

Kwik Siang Kaw

郭雙蛟

Chan Hing Wan

陳慶雲

Chen Wang Zeng*

陳望曾

Chan Shu Kai#

陳樹階

Kwik Siang Kie

郭雙麒

Kwik Siang Leng

郭雙龍

Kwik Siang Go

郭雙鰲

Kwok Bik Yuen

郭碧琬

Kwok Bik Yu

郭碧瑜

Kwok Bik Suen

郭碧璇

Kwok Bik Kam

郭碧琴

Kwok Bik Ying

郭碧螢

Li Shu Zeng

李淑貞

Choy Kwok Hung

蔡國雄

Choy So Chun

蔡蘇珍

Choy Ke Ming

蔡克明

4th wife

四太太

14

Reference

Books and articles

1. “Chinese-English School, Semarang, Indonesia,” The Straits Times, 13 April 1917.

2. “De Laatste Reis…Overbrenging vanhelstoffelijk overschot van wijlen den heer Kwik Siang Kow naar China (The last journey…Transfer of the remains of the late Mr.

Kwik Siang Kaw to China),” Stadsnieuws (City News), Semarang, 14 April 1928.

3. “History”, St. Stephen’s College official website. Available at http://www.ssc.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemi

d=72 (Accessed on 10 February 2015).

4. “Institut Roncalli”, Salatiga Photo Archive. Available at


(Accessed on 9 February 2015).

5. “Java Sugar King Dies in Formosa. A Fukien Merchant who amassed huge fortunes in

N.L.,” The Strait Times, 1 February 1935.

6. “Kwik Siang Kow,” Stadsnieuws(City news), Semarang, 29 February 1928.

7. “The List of Contributors.” Companies Winding-up No. 6 of 1952. Re: The Ching

Siong Land Investment Company Limited. Notices of meetings, lists of creditors &

contributories, attendances, etc. Public Record Office.

8. “The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta - MGallery Collection”. Available at

http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-

collection/presentation.shtml (Accessed on 9 February 2015).

9. “University of Hong Kong - The Conferring of Degrees”, The Hongkong Daily Press,

10 January 1924.

10. Claver, Alexander. Dutch Commerce and Chinese Merchants in Java: Colonial

Relationships in Trade and Finance, 1800-1942. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic

Pub, 2014.

11. Companies File no. 634,“The Ching Siong Land Investment Company Limited.”

Public Record Office.

12. Guo Chunyan., “Nanyō bōeki to kakyō 南洋貿易と華僑 (South Seas trade and

overseas Chinese,” Nanyō Kyōkai Zasshi 南洋協會雜誌(NKZ thereafter) Vol.5,

no.5 (May 1919): 42 -43. Quoted from Kuo, Huei-ying. Networks beyond

Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the Hong Kong-Singapore

Corridor, 1914-1941. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Pub, 2014.






15

13. Knight, G.R. Colonial Production in provincial Java: The sugar industry in

Pekalongan-Tegal, 1800-1942. Amsterdam: VU University Press, 1993.

14. Kuo, Huei-ying. “Social Discourse and Economic Functions: The Singapore Chinese

in Japan’s Southward Expansion between 1914 and 1941,” in Singapore in Global

History, ed. Heng, Derek, and Aljunied, Syed Muhd Khairudin. Amsterdam:

Amsterdam University Press, 2011,111-133.

15. Kuo, Huei-ying. Networks beyond Empires: Chinese Business and Nationalism in the

Hong Kong-Singapore Corridor, 1914-1941. Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic

Pub, 2004.

16. Leo Suryadinata. Southeast Asian personalities of Chinese descent: a biographical

dictionary. Singapore: Chinese Heritage Center: Institute of Southeast Asian

Studies, 2012.

17. Macmillan’s Register of admission, progress, and withdrawal, complied in accordance

with the Revised Instruction to Inspectors (Appendix ii.) of Code for Elementary

Schools. St. Stephen’s College, 1903-1951.

18. Paksakerah Makenyok. “T.H.H.K = Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan 中华会馆 (Zhong Hua

Hui Guan) dengan Istilah Tionghoa & Tiongkok”. Available at

http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2010/08/24/thhk-tiong-hoa-hwee-koan-%E4%B8

%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%BC%9A%E9%A6%86-zhong-hua-hui-guan-dengan-is

tilah-tionghoa-tiongkok-237387.html (Accessed on 17 February 2015).

19. Peter, Post. “The Kwik Hoo Tong Trading Society of Semarang, Java: A Chinese

Business Network in Late Colonial Asia,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies,

33(2), 2002, 279-296.

20. Reclamation (and Wharfage) at North Point , Report on the Commercial Development

of the Port of Hong Kong by John Duncan, M. Inst. C.E., Chartered Civil

Engineer, Port Engineer, Hong Kong, 1924, 12.

21. Ronald G. Knapp. Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia: The Eclectic Architecture of

Sojourners and Settlers. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2010.

22. St. Stephen’s College council meeting minutes from 13 March 1914 to 5 December1921.

St. Stephen’s College, 1914-1921.

23. Zhou, Lang. “Enriching visitors' experience: a cultural mapping of St. Stephen's

College at Stanley, Hong Kong.” Dissertation, Hong Kong University, 2012.

24. 〈Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan /(Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan) School (THHK, 中華會館) 〉，

《印尼星洲日報》，2012 年 12 月 18 日。




16

25. 〈從街道建築找歷史: 北角春秧街〉。取自

http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247 , 2015 年 1 月 21 日。

26. 〈郭春秧廊下觀滄海〉。取自 http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html, 2015 年 2 月 16

日。

27. 〈漳州最年輕牌坊志潔行芳坊述說著一段傳奇〉。取自台海網網站

http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html , 2015

年 2 月 3 日。

28. 李培德，〈香港的福建商會與福建商人網絡〉，李培德編，《近代中國的商會網

絡及社會功能》，香港: 香港大學出版社，2009。

29. 彥火，〈琴台客聚：春秧街的來歷〉，《文匯報》，2014 年 10 月 29 日；

30. 柳和城，〈张元濟與中華國民制糖公司〉，《張元濟研究論文集：紀念張元濟先

生誕辰 140 周年暨第三屆學術思想研討會論文集》，北京：中國文史出版社

，2009。

31. 夏歷，《古今香港系列: 香港中區街道故事》，香港：三聯書店(香港)有限公司，

1989。

32. 徐振邦，《穿街過巷香港地》，香港：書名號，2009。

33. 楊力、葉小敦，《東南亞的福建人》，福建：福建人民出版社，1993。

34. 福建省地方志編纂委員會編，《中華人民共和國地方志福建省志華僑志》，福建

：

福建人民出版社，1992。

35. 盧志明、章韻潔，〈同安郭春秧:建造中國最後一座貞節牌坊〉。取自廈門網網站

http://www.xmnn.cn/tongan/taly/201211/t20121123_2793791.htm, 2015 年 1 月

12 日。

Interviews

1. Email interview with Mr. Edward Weinberg, Kwik Djeon Eng’s descendent, on 14th

and

22th February 2015.

2. Interview with Ms. Kwok Bik Yuen, daughter of Kwik Siang Kaw, on 17th

March 2015.

http://weshare.hk/Soldier/articles/1197247

http://go.gly.cn/s/a/201301/224.html

http://www.taihainet.com/news/fujian/yghx/2013-05-17/1069841_2.html


The biography of Mr Kwik Siang Kaw and his family · at Tiong Hwa Hwee Kwan School (THHK,...

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