Lee Youn Chin
Lee Youn Chin
Lee Youn Chin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1903 Guangdong, China |
| Died | 1991/10/07 Kolkata, India |
| Burial place | Baptized a Christian. Chinese Cemetary Kolkata India |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Board member of | The Chinese Tannery Owners Association
The Overseas Chinese Commerce Association of India Seong Pow - Overseas Chinese Daily Newspaper The New Pei May High School, Kolkata India |
| Spouse | Koo Tek Siu |
| Children | Lee Shiu Fong, Li Chun Fang, Lee Yam Fong, Lee Sin Fong, Lee Siu Fong, Lee Tung Hsing (son), Li Kin Fang
Lee Hok Seong (son 1935-1969); Lee Jun Fong (daughter deceased 1992); Lee Chun Hsiang (son deceased 2010) |
| Parent | Lee See Shan (father) Choo Kyuk Yin (mother) |
| Relatives | (Uncles) Lee See Kam, Lee See Sham, Lee See Lim, Lee See Chim |
Lee Youn Chin (1903 - 1991) was a visionary and a distinguished Chinese Hakka community leader for over half a century in India. Born in the Hakka village of Meixian in Guangdong, China. At eighteen together with the next wave of migrants he embarked on a voyage to British India’s east coast of Bay of Bengal, Queen Victoria crown city Calcutta then (Kolkata). He went back to China one last time to wed his wife Koo Tek Siu and returned with her to Kolkata. From very early on his great mind, his intellect was noticed by a few elders who would seek his advice. Slowly in time his reputation and popularity within the community grew and quickly, he found himself to become their voluntary leader for over fifty years. He was instrumental in initiatives that would have a profound impact for the Hakka Chinese settlement in India, until his death in 1991 (age 88).
His Life
Lee Youn Chin was born in 1903 in Guangdong, China. The fourth of five children of Lee See Shan and Choo Kyuk Yin, consisting of one older sister and four brothers. At six years of age his father died, and he was raised by his humble mother and relatives. He was a man of books but could not continue further after high school, as he was encouraged to join the next wave of migrants to British India. At eighteen he embarked on a sea voyage arriving in the Bay of Bengal capital, Calcutta then (Kolkata). With confidence he disembarked and set foot on foreign soil. The Chinese people in India had earlier pioneer but the first to Kolkata was thought to have been Yang Tai Chow.
Lee Youn Chin had uncles already settled in Kolkata who gave him shelter. At his uncle’s shoe shop, he worked and also took other apprenticeship. He saved enough money in a few years to visit China and married his wife Koo Tek Siu. The young couple labored, and his wife proved to be of great help in their merchandise business of products used in tannery. With their savings he purchased a large plot of marsh land. This marsh was transformed to dry and raised over tons of poured dirt. He built his house where he raised ten children of seven daughters and three sons. He later built and established his company, the Lee Youn Chin Tannery beside it.[1] His mother Koo Tek Siu joined him arriving on a flight and she lived in his care to a ripe age of a hundred.
In 1947, the British Raj was over with an independent young India. In 1950s, he applied and was granted Indian citizenship. His oldest son, by now a well-read young man fluent in English and Bengali, was a tremendous help to him and to the community in filing for the Indian Permanent Residency Permit or Indian Citizenship Application.
Community Leader
Lee Youn Chin[2] managed on the board of The Chinese Tannery Owners Association[3]; The Overseas Chinese Commerce Association of India[4] and the local Chinese Seong Pow newspaper. When the old Pei May school outgrew, he leased the land and built a bigger The New Pei May[5] Chinese High school. The need for the community burial land was also bought.
Acquiring a track of land and built the Chinese Tannery Owners Association in (19?)
- Centralizing a tanner market for owners to benefit in the procurement of the highest market price for finished leather.
- Introduced carbon footprint (recycling) ahead of his time by reducing the collective byproduct wastage of hide shavings, by curing it and selling it for profit.
Allocating space for The Overseas Chinese Commerce Association of India in (19??) within the compound of the Chinese Tannery Owners Assoc.
- Launched the Overseas Chinese Commerce newsprint, a local Seong Pow Chinese newspaper to disseminate community announcements, local and overseas news in (1969).
The New Pei May School (19?)
- Acquired the land, built and founded the New Pei May High School for the growing education needs of the community young generation.
The community bestowed on him the role of a mediator. As young man how his first hearing out a dispute and the way he resolved it between two warring parties, the news spread, and he gained prominence. More people brought their problems to him, he heard it out before the gathering and gave his judgement. Daily there would be an audience not only at his office at the Chinese Tannery Owners Association, but there would also be others who followed him when he returned home. "As a man, he avails himself everywhere with little to no time to spend with his family." This complain was voiced by his wife.
The community would come to him to settle their grievances. He was a man of great mind, an intellect with good judgement settling hundreds of disputes. For which he often received great admiration and appreciation from the community at large but also had a few fall-out with his judgement. Lee was a man of conviction with a conscientious mind. When an inaccuracy in a bookkeeping kept by another was reported to him, he questioned their record keeping. In turn, he was accused by them and there was yet another fall-out.
His oldest son, Lee Hok Seong, an educated young man with a promising future was assassinated by a grenade thrown on his back (1969). Shortly thereafter, he survived an assassination attempted with a knife when a youth was sent to his house on a pretext to deliver him a personal letter. A criminal case was filed by him in court on the death of his son. Speaking no English and little Bengali himself and with his 'right hand man' son gone, he had entrusted a friend with his court case. Kept in the dark when asked about upcoming court dates he would later be stunned to learn that the court had dismissed his case for three times of no show at court.
Lee Youn Chin[6] on a journey to complete the tasks before him was not thwarted by adversaries nor sought for accolades. He continued his work intertwined with community service and personal life in honor, valor, grace, wisdom, courage and strength. His conscience with him from the beginning to his end. He left behind a legacy of distinguished works both within the Hakka community and to his children. In his lifetime the community grew strong to over 15,000.
Sino-Indian war repercussion on the community
When the Sino-Indian war broke out in 1962, the livelihood of a few thousand Chinese were disrupted. The Chinese in Calcutta were eyed with suspicion by the Indian government. Those Chinese who were considered stateless or with Chinese documentation were caught and sent to camps in the west coast of Deoli in Rajasthan, India. [7] [8][9] Lee for long through his son had been helping the community with their application submission and follow-up years before when the war broke out, had their Permanent Indian Residency papers and were not rounded. The community went through some of its darkest and disruptive time under this internment.[10] After the war, the community with resilience, returned to restoring their homes and business and thrived the twenty years until Lee's death in 1991. Another harassment on the community came by the order of the Supreme court 1995 to relocate the Kolkata tanneries[11], further caused more Chinese community to leave India. An unofficial census in 2020 estimate the remaining Hakka Chinese to over 2000.
Lee You Chin, together with a team of selfless contributors had the longest and most influential impact on the Hakka Chinese and its community. Under his leadership the Hakka Chinese Community saw its height of growth, prosperity and stability in Kolkata, India.
Notable Hakka Community Team
His team loyalists journeyed with him in the vested interest of the community. Just to name a few are:
| Lee Youn Chin's collaborators | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chen zhan Sin | Chung Yit Shing | Chung Lee Ming | Liu San Nyan |
| Chung Kwi Sheen | Lee See Yim | Lee Van Yao | Liu Dhou Nyan |
References
- ^ Bureau, India Labour (1958). Large Industrial Establishments in India. Manager of Publications.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Is this the end for India's last Chinese-language newspaper?". TODAY. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ^ Pathak, Nilima (2018-01-01). "Chinese newspaper that's Made in India". Gulf News. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Staff, Homegrown. "Kolkata's Tannery Neighbourhood Is Home To India's Only Chinese Language Newspaper". Homegrown. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Gupta, Abir (2016-06-30). "The Story of Chinese People in Kolkata and How it Gave Us Our Favorite Chinese Food". StoryPick. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ Roy, Rajdeep Datta (2008-07-26). "News from Tangra". Mint. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ gateway (2017-11-01). "Indian Chinese diaspora: from Calcutta to Toronto". Gateway House. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Ghosh, Sanchali. "DIASPORA AND NATIONAL IDENTITY: LOCATING THE INDIAN CHINESE IN A POSTCOLONIAL NATION".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "The 1962 jailing of Chinese Indians". Open The Magazine. 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "Charting Ethnic Violence through the Lens of Heritage: Engaging with the Indo-Chinese Population of Kolkata". Prace Etnograficzne. 45 (2). 2017. ISSN 2299-9558.
- ^ GB Get Bengal, Information Desk (2019-02-20). "How did the Hakka Chinese Community learn Bengali". GB Get Bengal. Retrieved 2023-03-11.