Seah Liang Seah –
King of the Streets
Author: Nyonya Linda Chee
DISCOVERS FROM BABA SHAWN SEAH THE ‘CRAZY RICH BABAS’ OF YESTERYEAR.
Four generations ago, life was much dazzle and spectacle with the Seah brothers, Liang Seah and Peck Seah. They were, as researched by descendant Shawn Seah, “incredibly wealthy business people who lived at Orchard Road and Boat Quay, in beautiful houses surrounded by flowers.”
Shawn, 34, is the great-great grandnephew of Seah Liang Seah, a cofounder and vice-president of the Straits Chinese British Association (SCBA), and the great-great-grandson of Seah Peck Seah, the SCBA honorary treasurer.
Upon Liang Seah’s death, he reportedly left behind real estate consisting of 87 acres of land in Serangoon Road; 84 acres of rubber land at Thomson Road; seven houses in North Bridge Road; two houses on North Boat Quay; one house in River Valley Road; his sons’ properties consisting of 230 acres of land off East Coast Road all the way to Bedok; and other lands scattered throughout Singapore.
The Seah family played such prominent roles in Singapore society that many streets were named after them: Seah Street, Liang Seah Street, Peck Seah Street and Eu Chin Street, named after their father, Seah Eu Chin. This was a fact that fascinated Shawn since he was young.
Mr Seah Eng Kwang’s home, Seah Eng Kwang was one of Seah Peck Seah’s sons
Mr Seah Eng Kwang’s home at Orchard Road. Shared by Shawn Seah; courtesy of the Seah family
“My father, Simon, would occasionally talk with much passion about the prominent pioneers we were descended from. This inspired me to find out more about them.” His aunt Florence also regaled him with stories about the famous Seah brothers. Shawn was intrigued by, as he describes, Liang Seah’s “most unusual will” after he passed on in 1925. It stipulated that his estate could only be distributed 21 years after the death of King George V’s last surviving child. In 1996, 71 years after his death, Liang Seah’s estate with a value of about $13 million was finally distributed.
Shawn’s curiosity about his forefathers led to a decade of research in earnest. “I found out most of the significant and comprehensive details on my own.” These uncovered facets of a lavish, extravagant lifestyle.
Both brothers were Anglophiles and loved parties. Shawn discovered Liang Seah to be “a colourful character who was a consummate diplomat.” Bilingual in English and Chinese, he organised many “prominent and well-attended wedding parties” (as he had six sons and six daughters from three wives) where bands and wayang Peranakan entertainment were standard fare. The ostentatious display seemed never-ending. Seah Liang Seah hosted royalty in his magnificent home called Bendemeer House. It had a huge ballroom, a four-storey tower and sweeping grounds. Shawn elaborated: “He would have driving competitions, miniature rifle-shooting, and guessing games with one person whistling a tune with a biscuit in his mouth while his hapless teammates would be trying to figure out what the tune was. He also sported clock golf, croquet, driving competitions and even a merry-go-round once!”
Notwithstanding his vast wealth, the St Joseph’s Institution alumnus was far from being a feckless degenerate. He was a high-ranking community leader who was well respected by both the British and Chinese. He gave generously to charitable causes.
Inspired by his forefathers, Shawn has published three local history books since 2017. These are titled, Seah Eu Chin: His Life and Times; Leader and Legislator: Seah Liang Seah; and My Father’s Kampung: A History of Aukang and Punggol, published in 2020.
The Seahs meet at a Singapore Seah Clan Association, of which he is an Executive Committee member and also the head of their youth group, or qing nian tuan. The Association has an annual gathering. There is also an active Facebook group online called Seah Eu Chin Descendants. “I love this online group, because I am able to communicate with many people who are interested in searching for their roots.”
“I have gathered digitally along with many members of my extended family. Through these offline and online activities, I am constantly reminded that I have a family and it helps me remember my roots: Where I came from, and who I am,” says Shawn on a thankful note.
(Source: Linda Chee, Seah Liang Seah, King of the Streets, THE PERANAKAN Magazine Year 2020 Issue 2)
佘连城
娘惹陈琳达从峇峇佘立松了解到昔日一位“峇峇富豪”的传奇。
四代之前，佘连城和佘柏城兄弟俩过着多姿多彩的豪华生活。据他们的后裔——峇峇佘立松的考证，他们曾是非常富裕的商人，他们住在乌节路和驳船码头的豪宅中，常年被万紫千红的鲜花围绕着。佘连城是英籍海峡华人协会（SCBA）的联合创始人和副主席，也是现年34岁峇峇佘立松的曾曾祖叔父；而佘立松的曾曾祖父是佘柏城，他是英籍海峡华人协会的名誉司库。
在佘连城去世时，他留下的庞大地产包括在实龙岗路（Serangoon Road）87英亩的土地、汤申路（Thomson Road）占地84英亩的橡胶园、桥北路（North Bridge Road）的七栋房产、驳船码头北（North Boat Quay）的两栋房产以及里峇峇利路（River Valley Road）的一栋房产。他儿子的财产包括从东海岸路（East Coast Road）一直到勿洛（Bedok）的230英亩土地；以及分散在新加坡各地的其他地产。
佘氏家族因为在新加坡社会扮演了如此杰出的角色，后人们为了铭记他们的贡献而以这个家族的著名人物命名了本地的许多街道：佘街（Seah Street）、连城街（Liang Seah Street）、柏城街（Peck Seah Street）和以佘氏兄弟的父亲——“甘蜜大王”佘有进命名的有进街（Eu Chin Street）。这都是从小就让峇峇佘立松感到好奇的事。
“我的父亲西蒙（Simon）偶尔会充满热忱地谈起我们杰出的祖先，这启发了我想去了解他们的故事。”峇峇佘立松的姑姑弗罗伦斯（Florence）也会与他分享佘家著名两兄弟的故事。佘连城在1925年去世之前曾立过一份“非常古怪”的遗嘱，其中规定他的遗产只能在英国乔治五世国王的最后一个在世子女去世21年后才可分配，而峇峇佘立松对此十分感兴趣。1996年，也就是佘连城逝世71年后，才终于盼到遗嘱履行，总值约1300万元的佘连城遗产得以分配给他的后人。
在好奇心的驱使下，峇峇佘立松对祖先的生活进行了长达十年的认真研究。“我自己发现了大部分的重要而全面的细节。”这项研究揭示了佘家祖先奢华生活的方方面面。
佘连城和佘柏城兄弟二人都是极其热爱举办派对的崇英者。峇峇佘立松发现佘连城是个“多姿多彩的人物”，也是一位“完美的外交家”。他精通中英双语，举办了当时许多引人注目、宾客云集的婚礼派对（因为他和三位妻妾，并共育有六个儿子和六个女儿）。宴会上乐队和戏剧表演是保留节目，不断向世人炫耀着佘氏家族的财富和地位。佘连城曾在他的豪华庄园——明丽园中招待过皇室成员。
明丽园有一个巨大的宴会厅和一座四层楼高的塔楼。峇峇佘立松解释说：“这里会举办驾驶比赛和小型枪击比赛。也举办过猜谜游戏，一个人会把一块饼干含在嘴里并吹出有曲调的口哨，然后他倒霉的队友们便会试图猜出他吹的曲子。也举办过高尔夫、槌球、驾驶比赛，甚至还让人们玩过一次旋转木马！”
尽管佘连城有着享用不尽的巨额财富，但这位圣若瑟书院（SJI）的校友绝不是一名碌碌无为之辈。他是一位深受英国殖民阶层和本地华人社群都尊敬的高层社区领袖，并一直为慈善慷慨解囊。
受到了祖先的启发，峇峇佘立松自2017年以来出版了三本本地历史书籍，书名为《佘有进的风云际会》，《领袖和立法委员：佘连城》以及出版于2020年的《父亲的甘榜：后港和榜鹅的历史》。
佘家在新加坡佘氏公会聚会，而峇峇佘立松便是该公会的执行委员会成员，也是其青年团的负责人。该公会也有年度聚会，并在线上有个活跃的脸书群组，名为佘有进后裔（Seah Eu Chin Descendants）。“我喜欢这个线上群组，因为我能跟诸多对追溯根源有兴趣的人们交流。”
最后，峇峇佘立松由衷感慨道，“我在线上与诸多来自大家庭的家人聚集在一起。这些线上与线下活动不断地提醒我，我有一个大家族，这让我记得自己的根：我来自何处，以及我的身份。”
