Heritage Writing on Tan Tock Seng's Family

Chua Shuyi, Tan Wan Lin, Mr. Roney Tan, Mr. Ng Yew Kang (President of Genealogical Society), Mr. Lim How Seng, Mr. Kua Bak Lim

During the year of my sabbatical in 2019, my cousin gave me a rare opportunity to work with her to co-write chapters on the history of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. And the descendant of Tan Tock Seng, Mr. Roney Tan, also gave me the opportunity to write a chapter about the philanthropic spirit of the Tan family.

The bilingual book "An Illustrious Heritage: The History of Tan Tock Seng and Family" is a labour of love by the editors: Mr. Kua Bak Lim, Mr. Lim How Seng and Mr. Roney Tan. It details the life story of this big and grand family beginning from Mr. Tan Tock Seng, who first donated a sum of money to get the hospital started.

I must say that I feel extremely humbled to be part of this project and that the team was very nurturing and kind and helpful in all ways. It has also always been some kind of dream for me to be a ghostwriter of sorts to tell someone's story by using research, empathy and imagination.

Though in the end, I told someone's family story using my own identity, I still did exactly what I had wished for - to use research, empathy and imagination - to retell tales from long ago of lives of men and a woman. If you know me personally, you know how much I love the past, things of old, antiques, heritage... So this was really special to me - a very interesting and treasured life experience.

If you are interested to read the Chapter "The Philanthropic Spirit of the Tan Tock Seng Family", you can email me for it at shuyi.chua@gmail.com!