Tan Eng Kim (Chen Yongjin)
In brief. Tan Eng Kim 陈永金 (Chen Yongjin; c. 1910 – 16 March 1978) was a Hui'an-born businessman who founded the firms Kun Seng 坤成 and Ngee Heng 义兴 in Singapore. According to his funeral notice he was born at Shangpu Village (上浦村), Luoyang District (洛阳区), Hui'an County, Fujian, traded in Kinmen as a youth, and later came to Nanyang. He died at 3.30 pm on 16 March 1978, aged 69 by Chinese reckoning, and was buried on 22 March. His wife 陈门杨氏早娘 died in 1997 and his four sons, Guocheng, Chaoren, Guoqiang and Guoxin, were described as prominent local businessmen. This page gives the funeral notice, the newspaper notices of 1977–1997 that name the family, and a reading of the family's generation names.
- Deceased
- 陈永金 Chen Yongjin (English form Tan Eng Kim from the researcher's post; not found in the English-language press)
- Died
- 16 March 1978, 3.30 pm (funeral notice)
- Burial
- 22 March 1978, 2 pm, at 佛教山
- Wife
- 陈门杨氏早娘 (Buddhist name 普志), d. 18 September 1997 aged 88 by Chinese reckoning
- Sons
- 陈国成 · 陈超仁 · 陈国强 · 陈国新
- Sources
- The 1978 funeral notice (researcher's transcription); Nanyang Siang Pau, 1977–1978; Lianhe Zaobao, 1992 and 1997
Tomb Inscription 墓碑銘文
Tomb Location 墓碑位置
| Cemetery | 佛教山 (Fo Jiao Shan), as printed in the funeral notice |
| Block No | |
| Division | |
| Plot No |
The notice says burial was at 佛教山之原, "the plain of Fo Jiao Shan" This should be in Choa Chu Kang, now cleared and tombs exhumed. His widow's 1997 notice names a different place, the Kong Meng San (光明山) crematorium, because she was cremated, not buried.
Timeline 年表
| Date | Event | Source |
| c. 1910 | Born at Shangpu Village, Luoyang District, Hui'an County, Fujian. "Aged 69" in March 1978 by Chinese reckoning points to 1909 or 1910. | Funeral notice, 1978 |
| Youth | Runs a business in Kinmen (Jinmen); later "went south" to Nanyang. No dates given. | Funeral notice, 1978 |
| 陈永金, three of his sons and two nephews join 坤成公司 and the jewellery firms 金宝芳 and 宝发 in a condolence notice. | NYSP, 11 Dec 1977 | |
| Condolence advertisement lists 坤成公司 and 义兴公司 among the senders, with 陈永金 and sons. | NYSP, 3 Jan 1978 | |
| Dies at 3.30 pm. Wake at 737 Mountbatten Road. | Funeral notice, 1978 | |
| Three separate Chinese condolence notices addressed to 陈超仁 appear in the paper. | NYSP, 18 Mar 1978, p. 6 | |
| A further notice names all four sons. | NYSP, 20 Mar 1978 | |
| Funeral at 2 pm (Wednesday); burial at 佛教山. A final condolence notice appears the same day. | Funeral notice; NYSP, 22 Mar 1978, p. 6 | |
| The four sons, 陈肇基, 黄当进 and 黄鸿钧 jointly congratulate the opening of 金宝芳金铺珠宝行 at 河畔大厦. | LHZB, 29 Feb 1992, p. 28 | |
| His wife 陈门杨氏早娘 dies at 8.05 pm, aged 88 by Chinese reckoning. | LHZB, 20 Sep 1997, p. 71 | |
| Cortege leaves 99 Branksome Road at 1 pm for cremation at Kong Meng San. | LHZB, 20 Sep 1997, p. 71 |
Newspaper Archives 報章記載
A · Funeral notice, March 1978
讣告 — Funeral notice for 陈永金 (transcribed by the researcher)
Newspaper not named by the researcher; scanned notice, March 1978
敬告知交
本邦商界闻人陈国成、超仁、国强、国新、贤昆仲之令尊永金老先生，出生於福建省惠安县洛阳区上浦村。少年在金门经营商业，及壮南渡，辛劳奋斗，克勤克俭，长袖善舞，自创坤成及义兴公司于大坡吻基五十号，由於经营得法，业务遍及星马暨东南亚各地。先生一生热心公益，对於教育及慈善公益，素不後人，历任各社团之要职，哲嗣国成昆仲等，均能秉承父志。方期克享退龄，颐养天年，讵料天不假年，痛於一九七八年三月十六日下午三时半，寿终正寝，积闰六十有九岁，噩耗忽传，亲友咸悲。兹悉丧家订於三月廿二日（星期三）下午二时，卜葬於佛教山之原，凡与陈府有交谊者，届时敬希前往执绋，以表哀悼，特此敬告。
陈府治丧委员会谨启
治丧处：加东蒙巴登律门牌七三七号（737 Mountbatten Road, Singapore 15） 电话：四〇一八二六（Tel: 401826）
丧家泣辞花圈、挽轴、赙仪，如蒙厚意，请购慈善礼券。 Summary: the father of four businessmen, born in Shangpu Village, Luoyang District, Hui'an. He traded in Kinmen, came south, and founded Kun Seng and Ngee Heng at 50 Boat Quay (吻基五十号). His business ran across Singapore, Malaya and Southeast Asia, and he held office in many associations. He died at 3.30 pm on 16 March 1978, aged 69 by Chinese reckoning. Funeral at 2 pm on Wednesday 22 March, burial at 佛教山. Wake at 737 Mountbatten Road. The family asked that charity coupons be bought in place of wreaths, banners and cash gifts.
一新加坡商界闻人陈永金与世长辞 星期三下午发引还山 — News obituary with portrait
Nanyang Siang Pau, 19 March 1978, Page 14 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
新加坡商界闻人陈永金先生，不幸於本月十六日 […] 逝世 […]
[…] 陈氏少年南来，克勤克俭，长袖善舞，自创坤成及义兴公司，经营得法，业务遍及东南亚。陈氏一向热心公益，尤对教育与慈善，历任各社团要职，素不后人。哲嗣国成昆仲等，均能秉承父职。兹丧家订于三月廿二日（星期三）下午二时，卜葬于佛教山之原。陈氏生前交游广，届时素车白马，必有一番哀荣。丧居：加东蒙巴 […]
Summary: the paper's own obituary, with a portrait of Chen Yongjin. It repeats the funeral notice (came south as a youth, founded 坤成 and 义兴, office in many associations, sons carrying on the business, burial at 佛教山 on 22 March at 2 pm) and adds that he had "many friends", so that a large funeral was expected. The first lines, giving the date of death, are partly legible only; read from the page image, with […] for unread parts. The portrait is not reproduced here.
B · Condolence notices, 1977–1978
Condolence advertisement to 陈超仁 (one of three on the page)
Nanyang Siang Pau, 18 March 1978, Page 6 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
陈超仁先生令尊永金老先生千古 福寿全归 […] 吉隆坡苏记运输私人公司 郭金发 林其[…]
Summary: a vertical condolence notice from a Kuala Lumpur transport company, addressed to Chen Chaoren on the death of his father. Two more notices addressed to him are on the same page (articles nysp19780318-1.2.19.25 and 19.21); one is from a hardware and machinery firm. Such notices show the reach of the family's business network, but they carry no biographical facts.
Condolence notice naming the four brothers
Nanyang Siang Pau, 20 March 1978 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
[…] 陈国成 陈超仁先生 [昆仲] 陈国强 陈国新 陈永金老伯千古 福寿全归 […]
Summary: text partly illegible in the search snippet and not fully read. It confirms the same four sons as the funeral notice. Another notice, on 22 March 1978 (article nysp19780322-1.2.20.7), repeats 陈超仁先生令尊陈永金老先生千古.
Condolence advertisement listing 坤成公司 and 义兴公司
Nanyang Siang Pau, 3 January 1978 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
[…] 坤成公司 · 大林企业(私营) · 协和源私人有限公司 · 联利建筑 […] 金宝发金舖 · 宝芳 […] 陈永金 · 冯新民 · 陈国成 · 陈国新 · 陈超仁 · 陈国强 […]
Summary: a list of firms and individuals sending condolences to a bank manager in Singapore on his mother's death in Thailand. It places 坤成公司 and 义兴公司 (the two firms named in the funeral notice) in the same advertisement as Chen Yongjin and his sons, ten weeks before his death. The notice is read from the page image; column order is not preserved above.
Condolence notice for 沈耕墨, sent jointly by the Chen family and four firms
Nanyang Siang Pau, 11 December 1977 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
沈耕墨先生千古 哲人其萎
坤成公司 · 金宝芳金铺私人有限公司 · 宝发金铺私人有限公司 · 协和源私人有限公司 仝敬挽
陈永金 · 陈国成 · 陈超仁 · 冯新民 · 何成春 · 陈国民 · 陈国欣 · 陈国强 · 叶维谋 敬挽
Summary: a condolence notice to the family of 沈耕墨 sent jointly by 坤成公司, two jewellery firms (金宝芳 and 宝发) and 协和源, together with 陈永金, three of his sons, and the 陈国民 and 陈国欣 who are named as nephews in the 1997 notice. Three months before his death it shows 坤成 and the two jewellery firms acting together with the Chen family, which supports a family link between them. The clipping does not say who owned the jewellery firms.
C · The family, 1992–1997
Congratulatory advertisement: opening of 金宝芳金铺珠宝行, 河畔大厦
Lianhe Zaobao, 29 February 1992, Page 28 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
恭贺 河畔大厦金宝芳金铺珠宝行 开幕志庆 大展鸿图
陈国成 · 陈超仁 · 陈国强 · 陈国新 · 陈肇基 · 黄当进 · 黄鸿钧 同敬贺
Summary: the four sons, with 黄当进 and 黄鸿钧 (named as sons-in-law in the 1997 notice) and 陈肇基, congratulate the opening of a jewellery shop at 河畔大厦 (Riverside Building). The advertisement does not say whether the family owned the shop.
讣告 — Death notice of 陈门杨氏早娘
Lianhe Zaobao, 20 September 1997, Page 71 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
讣告
哀启者：先慈陈门杨氏早娘（法名：普志）五代大母太夫人，恸于1997年9月18日（星期四）（丁丑年八月十七日）下午八时零五分寿终内寝，享寿积闰八十有八。儿孙等随侍在侧，亲视含殓，即日遵礼成服。泪涓于1997年9月22日（星期一）下午一时出殡，由丧居扶柩发引至光明山火化场举行火化。 泐属
姻亲世族友 谊 哀此讣闻
夫：陈永金（已故）
孝男：陈国成 · 陈超仁 · 陈国强 · 陈国新
孝媳：颜美丽 · 何亚美 · 吴美宋
孝女：陈宝珠 · 陈宝凤 孝女婿：黄当进 · 黄鸿钧
侄男：陈国华（已故） · 陈国民 · 陈国欣 · 陈宝源 · 陈秀琴 · 陈秀英 · 陈嘉义 · 陈嘉和
侄媳：蔡秀芳 · 萧锦秀 · 刘淑慧 · 林振盛 · 林斌官 · 石金凤 · 汤玉燕
内孙男：陈嘉兴 · 陈嘉财 · 陈嘉庆 · 陈嘉寿 · 陈嘉来 · 陈嘉伟 · 陈屿良
内孙女：陈佳莹 · 陈佳慧 · 陈佳霞 · 陈佳素娟 · 陈佳芬 · 陈佳菁 · 陈介璇 · 陈介文
内孙媳：杨金梅 · 何廷玉 · 黄妙兰 内孙婿：倪富孔 · 王根福 […]
外孙男：黄时甸 · 黄时麦 · 黄时亨 · 黄思明 外孙女：黄彤妮 外孙婿：陈志贤
内曾孙男：陈杰凯 · 陈杰旋 · 陈杰勋 […]
内曾孙女 / 外曾孙: […]
[…] 尚有内外侄孙男女暨海外亲戚众多，未能尽录 同泣启
丧居：99, Branksome Road, S'pore 439621 电话：3441826 敬辞挽词、花圈，请购慈善礼券
Summary: the death notice of Chen Yongjin's widow. It names him as her late husband (夫：陈永金（已故）), gives four sons, three daughters-in-law, two daughters, two sons-in-law, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and says the cortege left 99 Branksome Road at 1 pm on 22 September 1997 for cremation at Kong Meng San. Read from a page image at about 1,400 px: names marked […] were not read. The notice appears in the Zaobao article as an image with a photograph of the deceased.
Condolence notice to the brothers on their mother's death
Lianhe Zaobao, 21 September 1997, Page 45 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
陈国成 陈超仁先生 贤昆仲 令堂 陈国强 陈门杨氏早娘太夫人灵右
淑德长昭
新加坡 叶登高夫妇 吉隆坡 黄茂锦夫妇 同敬挽
Summary: a short condolence from friends in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It confirms 陈门杨氏早娘 as the mother of the brothers. A further article, 23 September 1997 (lhzb19970923-1.2.87.7), is a notice of thanks that also names the sons; it was not read in full.
D · Charity and the Hui An Association, 1977–1978 (headlines read, text not yet read)
殷商陈永金逝世 佛教施诊所中华与同济医院共得善款一万元
Nanyang Siang Pau, 31 March 1978 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
Summary: the headline says that on Chen Yongjin's death the Buddhist Free Clinic, Chung Hwa Free Clinic and Thong Chai Medical Institution together received $10,000 in donations. This matches the funeral notice's request for charity coupons in place of wreaths. A separate research report adds that $1,565 of Thong Chai vouchers were bought (Sin Chew, 25 March 1978) and $1,000 went to the Singapore Buddhist Lodge (Sin Chew, 1 April 1978); I have not opened those two.
惠安公会暨互助部本届新职员经选出
Nanyang Siang Pau, 18 December 1977 · read the full article on NewspaperSG
Summary: the Singapore Hui An Association's officers for 1978–79 (26th term), with its mutual-aid section. NewspaperSG returns this article, and a Sin Chew article of the same day (scjp19771218-1.2.35.3), for a search on 陈永金 and 坤成. A separate research report says he was an executive committee member and that the association's condolence notice of 18 March 1978 called him a 乡贤; I have confirmed only the article titles, not his post.
Published Sources 文獻記載
The Hui'an community in Singapore
"Carving Cultural Imprints: The Hui'an in Singapore," BiblioAsia 17, no. 3 (Oct–Dec 2021), National Library Board, Singapore
This article places Hui'an migrants in the construction trades, in quarrying and stone carving, and records the founding of the Singapore Hui An Association in 1924. It does not mention Kun Seng, Ngee Heng, Shangpu or Luoyang village, so it gives background to Chen Yongjin's origin and no evidence about him.
Zupu analysis: three zupu leads and the family's generation names 族譜分析
1 · The three zupu leads
| Zupu | What it is and what to test | Where held |
| 《惠安陈氏族谱》, ed. 陈成春 (2010; also 2012 and 2014 editions) | A joint genealogy of all the Hui'an Chen in six branches: 将军派, 南院 (太傅) 派, 涵江 (蒲阳) 派, 太丘派, 江州义门派 and 飞钱派. Look in its origin, lineage-table and ancestral-hall sections for the branch that Shangpu belongs to. The companion 《中华舜裔陈氏大世系表——惠安篇》 (2014) gives the branch tables. | 中国闽台缘博物馆 (Quanzhou); 湖北省图书馆; 上海图书馆 (2010 edition, XP24612) |
| 《屿头前草村陈氏谱志》, ed. 陈赞法 (2014) | The only Chen village zupu found from Luoyang town (屿头 is on its list of 25 villages). Founder 均震 moved from 岑兜 in early Ming; three branches 裕, 富, 禄. Compare its generation characters with 国 and 嘉 below. It is a neighbouring lineage, not Shangpu's. | Listed under 上海图书馆, 中国闽台缘博物馆 and the Utah Genealogical Society (the catalogue does not say which holds which) |
| 《屿头杨氏族谱》, ed. 杨文坤 (2001) | A Yang lineage settled at 屿头村, Luoyang, in the Ming. Chen Yongjin's wife was a Yang (陈门杨氏) and her home village is not stated, so this is a lead for her side only. A grandson in the 1997 notice is named 陈屿良, which is no evidence of a link. | As above |
2 · Generation names in the 1997 death notice
| Generation (from the 1997 notice) | Shared character | Examples | Comment |
| Sons and their male cousins (侄男) | 国 | 国成, 国强, 国新; cousins 国华, 国民, 国欣 | The same character runs through the brothers and their cousins, which is what a clan generation poem would produce. 超仁 is the exception: it may be a different given name or a second name. |
| Daughters | 宝 | 宝珠, 宝凤; a male cousin 宝源 | 宝 is used by both sexes in this set, so the character looks generational. |
| Grandsons (内孙男) | 嘉 | 嘉兴, 嘉财, 嘉庆, 嘉寿, 嘉来, 嘉伟 | 屿良 is the exception. Two cousins listed as 侄男, 嘉义 and 嘉和, also bear 嘉, so they are probably of the grandsons' generation. |
| Granddaughters (内孙女) | 佳 | 佳莹, 佳慧, 佳霞, 佳素娟, 佳芬, 佳菁 | 佳 and 嘉 are both read jia: the same sound is written 嘉 for the boys and 佳 for the girls. 介璇 and 介文 use 介 instead. |
| Great-grandchildren | 杰 · 玮 · 洁 | 杰凯, 杰旋, 杰勋; 玮婷, 玮玲, 玮静; 洁敏, 洁薇 | Each character is shared by one set of siblings, so the pattern here is by sibling set, not by clan generation. |
Biography 生平
Chen Yongjin was born around 1910 at Shangpu Village, Luoyang District, Hui'an County, in Fujian. His funeral notice says that he ran a business in Kinmen as a youth and then came south to Nanyang, where "through hard work and thrift" he prospered. The notice names the two firms he founded, Kun Seng (坤成) and Ngee Heng (义兴), at 50 Boat Quay (吻基五十号), and says their business spread over Singapore, Malaya and Southeast Asia. It adds that he took "key posts" in many associations and supported education and charity.
He died at 3.30 pm on 16 March 1978. The wake was held at 737 Mountbatten Road and the burial took place on Wednesday 22 March at 2 pm. Nanyang Siang Pau printed condolence advertisements to his son Chen Chaoren on 18, 20 and 22 March, and earlier advertisements of December 1977 and January 1978 show 坤成公司 and 义兴公司 listed with him and his sons, which supports the notice's account of the firms.
The family were Buddhists on the evidence of the sources: he was buried at 佛教山, his wife had a Buddhist name, and the gifts made in his memory went to the Buddhist Free Clinic, the Chung Hwa and Thong Chai hospitals (Nanyang Siang Pau, 31 March 1978). The Hui An Association's 1977 officer lists match his name, and a separate research report says he sat on its executive committee.
His wife, 陈门杨氏早娘, died on 18 September 1997 at 88 by Chinese reckoning and was cremated at Kong Meng San on 22 September. Her death notice lists four sons, two daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and names her late husband as 陈永金. Both parents were therefore born around 1910. In 1992 the sons joined their sons-in-law in congratulating the opening of a jewellery shop at 河畔大厦, and the jewellery firms 金宝芳 and 宝发 act together with 坤成 and the family in the condolence notices of 1977–1978, but the sources do not say who owned the shops.
Deceased 亡者
| Name (Chinese) | Name (Romanised) | Relationship | Dates |
| 陈永金 | Chen Yongjin; Tan Eng Kim (researcher's form, unconfirmed) | Subject of the funeral notice | c. 1910 – 16 March 1978 |
| 陈门杨氏早娘 | Madam Yang (杨 surname, by marriage 陈门杨氏), Buddhist name 普志 | Wife of the deceased | c. 1910 – 18 September 1997 |
| Clan / Family | 陈 Chen / Tan · born in Hui'an, Fujian (Shangpu Village, Luoyang District). The notice does not name a dialect group. | ||
Mourners 孝眷
| Name (Chinese) | Name (Romanised) | Relationship | In the newspapers |
| 陈国成 | Guocheng | 哲嗣 — son | Named in the 1978 notice, the 1992 advertisement and the 1997 notice |
| 陈超仁 | Chaoren | 哲嗣 — son | Addressee of the March 1978 condolence notices |
| 陈国强 | Guoqiang | 哲嗣 — son | Named in the same three items |
| 陈国新 | Guoxin | 哲嗣 — son | Named in the same three items |
| 陈宝珠 · 陈宝凤 | Baozhu · Baofeng | 孝女 — daughters | 1997 notice |
| 黄当进 · 黄鸿钧 | — | 孝女婿 — sons-in-law | 1997 notice; 1992 advertisement |
Features 特色
- A funeral notice that gives the village of origin (上浦村, 洛阳区, 惠安县), a rare detail for a Hui'an family of this period.
- Two firm names, 坤成 and 义兴, that can be followed in Chinese newspapers of 1977–1978.
- A widow's 1997 notice that names four generations and shows a generation-character pattern.
- A burial place, 佛教山, that is still to be identified.
Related Tombs & Further Reading 相關墓碑
- "Carving Cultural Imprints: The Hui'an in Singapore," BiblioAsia (2021)
- Other Chen / Tan tombs on the S.T.E.M. blog
Frequently Asked Questions 常見問題
Who was Tan Eng Kim (Chen Yongjin)?
Tan Eng Kim, written 陈永金 and romanised Chen Yongjin, was a Hui'an-born businessman in Singapore. His 1978 funeral notice says he was born around 1910 at Shangpu Village, Luoyang District, Hui'an County, Fujian, ran a business in Kinmen as a youth, and later came to Nanyang, where he founded the firms Kun Seng 坤成 and Ngee Heng 义兴. He died at 3.30 pm on 16 March 1978, aged 69 by Chinese reckoning. The English form Tan Eng Kim comes from the researcher's post and was not found in the English-language press.
When and where was Chen Yongjin buried?
His funeral notice set the funeral for Wednesday 22 March 1978 at 2 pm, with burial at 佛教山 (Fo Jiao Shan). The wake was held at 737 Mountbatten Road. The place 佛教山 has not been matched to a named cemetery, and his widow, who died in 1997, was cremated at Kong Meng San instead.
Who were Chen Yongjin's wife and children?
His wife was 陈门杨氏早娘, Buddhist name 普志, who died on 18 September 1997 aged 88 by Chinese reckoning. The notice of her death, in Lianhe Zaobao on 20 September 1997, names four sons (陈国成, 陈超仁, 陈国强 and 陈国新), two daughters (陈宝珠 and 陈宝凤), grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
What does the family's naming pattern show about their genealogy?
The 1997 notice shows a generation character shared across cousins: 国 for the sons and their male cousins, 嘉 for the grandsons and 佳 for most of the granddaughters, with new characters (杰, 玮, 洁) for the great-grandchildren. This suggests a generation poem in the Chen zupu of Shangpu Village, but no printed genealogy of that lineage has been found. Chinese Wikipedia confirms that 上浦村 is one of the 25 villages of Luoyang town in Hui'an, so a village or lineage genealogy can be sought there; until then the pattern remains an inference from the names.
Sources 資料來源
- "Condolence notice for 沈耕墨," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1977-12-11.
- "Condolence advertisement," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-01-03.
- "新加坡商界闻人陈永金与世长辞 星期三下午发引还山," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-03-19, p. 14.
- "Condolence advertisement to 陈超仁," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-03-18, p. 6.
- "Condolence notice," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-03-20.
- "Condolence notice," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-03-22, p. 6.
- "Congratulatory advertisement, 金宝芳金铺珠宝行," Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 1992-02-29, p. 28.
- "讣告 (death notice of 陈门杨氏早娘)," Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 1997-09-20, p. 71.
- "Condolence notice to the Chen brothers," Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 1997-09-21, p. 45.
- "殷商陈永金逝世 佛教施诊所中华与同济医院共得善款一万元," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1978-03-31.
- "惠安公会暨互助部本届新职员经选出," Nanyang Siang Pau 南洋商报, 1977-12-18.
Raymond Goh, "Tan Eng Kim 陈永金 (Chen Yongjin)," Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials (S.T.E.M.) 新加坡墓碑銘集录, first published 30 October 2026, revised , https://tombs.bukitbrown.org/2026/10/blog-post_30.html.
Tomb inscription transcribed on site; newspaper texts transcribed from NewspaperSG (National Library Board, Singapore) and reproduced for research and educational purposes. Translations are the author's and are approximate.
About this record
This entry is part of Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials (S.T.E.M.) 新加坡墓碑銘集录, a digital documentation project recording historical tomb inscriptions in Singapore. S.T.E.M. entries transcribe inscriptions and, where available, compare them with burial records and contemporary sources. Its focus is Bukit Brown Cemetery 武吉布朗坟场, the adjoining Hokkien Huay Kuan burial grounds of Lao Sua and Kopi Sua 羔丕山, and other early Chinese burial grounds.
Research note
Rests on the researcher's transcription of the 1978 funeral notice, which also appeared as a Sin Chew news item of 20 March 1978 that I did not read in full. The newspaper items were read from page images at 1,000–1,800 px and some names in the 1997 notice are marked as unread. The English name Tan Eng Kim is not confirmed by any English-language source (51 NewspaperSG hits for the name, none for this man). The address 吻基五十号 is 50 Boat Quay, as confirmed by the researcher; the place 佛教山 was not identified. No zupu of the Chen lineage of Shangpu, Luoyang, Hui'an was found: the Shanghai Library genealogy catalogue (searched 30 October 2026) has no entry for 上浦 or 上埔, only the umbrella 《惠安陈氏族谱》 (陈成春, 2010–2014), the Luoyang village zupu 《屿头前草村陈氏谱志》 (2014) and, for the wife's side, 《屿头杨氏族谱》 (2001), none of which has been read; Chinese Wikipedia lists 上浦村 among Luoyang's 25 villages. A separate AI research report (29 October 2026) supplied further leads: a Hui An Association executive-committee role, a fifth son 陈贤, charity gifts, and a warning that a Hainanese 陈永金 of Sembawang (PBM 1973, d. 2005) is a different man; I verified only the article titles for these. A Lianhe Zaobao obituary of 31 August 2018 for a 陈超仁 and one of 9 March 2013 are locked to NLB library terminals and were not read. Block, Division and Plot are blank because they come from field notes only.
Keywords
Tan Eng Kim, Chen Yongjin, 陈永金, Hui'an, 惠安, Luoyang, Shangpu, Kun Seng, 坤成, Ngee Heng, 义兴, funeral notice, Singapore Chinese genealogy, generation names.
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