PANG Len Yin (彭蓮英) Family

Phang Len Yin (my grandmother) was born in 1889, about 20 years after the boxer revolution 太平天国（1851年－1864年). Her parents (my great grandparents) were born during the boxer revolution.

After the fall, many leaders and followers of the Boxer Rebellion look toward the West for guidance and enlightenment. These including learning scientific knowledge and seeking spiritual (Christian) inspiration.

Only 2 years ago, I found out that my great grandfather (my grand mother's father) was a priest of the Basel Church. His name sound like "Pang See Loong"

Search : Theodore Hamberg

On 13 October 2007, some one from Kuala Lumpur typed "Theodore Hamberg" in the search box. Among the 16,000 results Google returned is a page written by me titled 'Pang Lien Yin', my grand mother...

Theodore Hamberg is not related to the Wong family, then what link between "Theodore Hamberg" and "Pang Lien Yin" ?...

It was while I was primary 5 or 6 that one afternoon Pang Lien Yin Grandmother shown me, for only several seconds, an old thick small hard cover exercise book and told me that this is a HAKKA DICTIONARY hand written (hand copied) by my grandfather in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu). What she wanted to show me was the neat and beautiful hand writing, using Chinese brush and ink, of my grandfather as a proof to me that grand father can 'write'...

It was this 'HAKKA DICTIONARY' that was closely linked to "Theodore Hamberg", a name she never mentioned and probable she never ever knew such a person exist...

......In the year 1964 school holiday Grandma Phang Lien Yin brought me and Fook Foong to Beaufort for a few day visit to Wong Shui Hiong family. On the returned train journey from Beaufort a big green grass hopper cling on the grass window panel as the train travel. Grandma noticed the present of this grasshopper and stared to it constantly. I was a curious child then and mentioned the insect to her and point to it. She smiled in return and told me not to disturbed it and said something like ".......Nam Suk-Gong jon lok................Nam Sok-Gong gen na-dau jon...." (Granduncle Nam returned home......Granduncle Nam follow us home...... .)

"Uncle Nam returned home......." is a familiar notation when I stayed with her as she mentioned the same thing a few other times in different occasions. Uncle Nam is Wong Kee Nam who passed a way several years before and whom I never met. What has this big green grasshopper any thing to do with Uncle Nam returning to home ?.......

After more than 40 years, a more convincing answer was given to me (by National Geographic) : Traditional Chinese believe 3 places a human will go after dead : 1) Heaven 2) Hell and 3) Return to this world as a animal or insect.

There was really a big green grasshopper whom Grandma said wanted to follow us the long rail journey home though it did not made the final part to the wooden house where we lived and where Nam Suk-Gong often came to play Ma-Jiong.

Those days, in 1964, when Chinese tradition thinking was still strong, perhaps Grandmother really shown feeling to that green grasshopper as this little creature could be Uncle Nam wanted to ".......Return to this world as a animal or insect........."

(There is a program in Astro -25th February 2008 National Geographic Channel (10:00 to 11:00 PM) 'SPIRIT TALK' )

"....Another info that I heard today was that Pang Len Yin's older sister (name
unknown) married a Pastor, German Basel Missionary with the surname Yap,
their decendents, such as Yap Pak Kee, Yap Pak Liong, etc politicians,
previously director of JKR, lawyers, etc etc are mostly in Sandakan..."

Email from Shen December 2005

Yap, Pak Leong

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Datuk Yap Pak Leong is Independent Non-Executive Director of Timberwell Berhad since September 27, 2004. He is Chairman of the Company's Investment Committee and Member of the Executive Committee, Audit Committee, and Nomination and Remuneration Committees. He is Chartered Accountant by profession and holds a Bachelor of Economics University degree. He worked as State Minister in the Ministry of Manpower & Environmental Development of Sabah from 1976 to 1979 and Ministry of Local Government & Housing of Sabah from 1979 to 1982. He is presently the principal of P.L. Yap & Co. Chartered Accountants since 1962 and Chairman of Sandakan Turf Club since 1984. He does not hold any directorship in any other public company.

http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/officerProfile?symbol=TWEL.KL&officerId=616740

Phang Lien Yin is an educated lady unlike female at her time when majority of the girls in Chinese traditional families were deprived of education. She read Chinese Christian magazines and daily news.

She spoke Hakka not Mandarin as 100 years ago during China's 'Old Society' there is no such 'Mandarin' like the Chinese are using today. Mandarin was only used as 'Official Language' in Beijing.

I do not know much about her school days, what she learned in school. But around 1971-1972 in her house in Taman Luyang, Malaysia while during a casual Chet about 'Kiu Sie' 舊時 she mentioned very briefly her school days.

"........ Dekget muksu gao nai tan-kim.................." 德國牧師教我弹琴.

But I could not remember precisely whether it was a 鋼琴 or a 風琴.

A few names Phang Len Yin often mentioned :

骆润牧师

蘇佐洋牧師

1	Wong Syak Choi	黃錫財	11	Wong Nyuk Lan	黃玉蘭
2	Wong Syak Kee	黃錫基	12	Wong Shui Hiong	黃瑞香
3	Wong Syak On	黃錫安	13	Kong Set Moi	江雪梅
4	Wan Thau Khon	萬道寬	14	Wong Siew Yung	黃秀云
5	Kong Choi Soon	江財順	15	Wong Siew Mui	黃秀美
6	Wong Fook Nyen	黃福年	16	Wong Fook Tong	黃福堂
7	Wong Shui Yun	黃瑞云	17	Wan Ha Fui	萬霞飛
8	Au Pit Nyuk		18	Wan Tet Fah	萬德華
9	Phang Len Yin	彭蓮英	19	Wan Tet Tshung	萬德忠
10	Wan Set Fui	萬雪飛	20	Wan Teck Ken	江德權