Sun Si Ting 孫錫亭

孫錫亭

Tombstone of

Sun Sze Ting (Sun Si Ting, Sun See Ting)

founder of the Tai Thean Kew Circus.

南京

上元縣

民國三十三年甲甲潤四月

初十日壽終享壽六十一歲

男

天竺 Thian Chok

雙庚 Sang Keng

女

三寶 Sang Pow

仕英 See Eng

婿

史炳生 Peng Sang

楊少柏 Su Pai

孫

明權 Ming Chuan

明利 Ming Lee

Tombstone of Mr. Sun Si Ting , Propeirter(sic) of Tai Thian Kew Circus. Nanking, China. Erected by his sorrowful sons, Thian Chok and Sang Keng | Daughters, Sang Pow and See Eng, Sons-in-law, Peng Sang and Su Pai and Grandsons, Ming Chuan and Ming Lee. Year died 10th day of the 4th moon 33 year of the Chinese Republic. (1945)

This essay, in a book of stories from old Singapore that were originally published in Lianhe Zaobao, tells the story of how Sun abandoned his business selling fabrics in China to travel around looking for his abducted son. When Sun got to Hong Kong, he met a group of acrobats and they travelled to Southeast Asia together. After seeing a western circus perform, Sun thought it was neat and decided to form his own circus.

During the Japanese invasion, his equipment was destroyed and the animals either died or ran away. Before Sun passed away, he asked his descendants to revive the circus, which they did after the war. The article states that Sun died in 1942, which doesn’t match the date on the tombstone.

華北同鄉會及中華公學歡迎孫錫亭君李澤崙謂大天球馬戲團得有今日全由孫君待人以誠團員樂於服從

南洋商报, 22 March 1937, Page 6