Cheng Family in Tamsui

This three-volume 淡水鎮志Tamsui Town History is in amazing detail, published in June, 2013, now available online [here]. It contains parts of the more recent Cheng Family history.

The biographies of EyeDoc's granduncle (鄭木筆, a physician who gained fame for curing a stomach ailment of the defender of Tamsui, General 孫開華, immediately after the Sino-French war) and second uncle (鄭嘉昌, principal of Wen-hua and Tamsui elementary schools) appear on pp 306 and 304 in Vol 3, respectively.

Members of EyeDoc's paternal grandmother side of family, 忠寮李家, are mentioned in quite a number of places, and the most recent entry, engineer turned Tamsui landscape artist 李永沱. Most important is the record of arrival in Tamsui, from 福建同安, of the first 李 generation in 1751.

An old group photo, class of 1937/8 of 淡水女子公學校Tamsui Girls Elementary School from this blog [here] is quoted on p 300 in Vol 2.

The Cheng family of Tamsui, belonging to 蓮宅鄭 [The Cheng House of Lotus], was originally from 泉州南安石井 later re-settled in 同安. This branch descends from one of the survivors of the 1661 Qing Imperial edict of 誅三族, which was to execute not only 鄭芝龍 [鄭成功Koxinga's father, who had surrendered, after ignoring Koxinga's plea for him not to, to the Qing in 1646], but also three generations of the Cheng Clan including 鄭芝龍's parents, brothers and sons and their wives. Only his principal wife Lady 顏Yan and a brother 鄭芝豹 were spared. His grandchildren, fortunately, were left untouched.

Cheng Family record listing 鄭芝龍's sons, daughters-in-law, and grandsons;
鄭成功 is identified by his given names, 森 and 大木.

In the 1930s, 鄭木筆, better known in Tamsui as 木筆先Master Vo-Bi, had returned to 泉州 to pay respects to Cheng ancestors whose grave sites could only be located by landmarks because of previous destruction of the tombs by the Qing - a way of punishing Koxinga, in addition to killing his father and brothers, for his refusal to yield.

After the fall of Tung-Ning Kingdom東寧王朝 in 1683, Koxinga's direct descendants were held hostage in Beijing, pressed into military service, forbidden to return to their hometown in 泉州 where all their properties were already confiscated. Other surviving branches of the Cheng Clan continued on in Hokkien; one, as noted above, had moved to Tamsui, now into the 8th generation since the arrival.

Re-dedication of Baron Su Temple

The main altar

This year marks the arrival of the original Baron Su in Tamsui, from Hokkien, 318 years ago. The temple, 淡水忠義宮蘇府王爺廟, after extensive renovation, was re-dedicated yesterday complete with an elaborate Taoist ceremony.

Front entrance - the wooden plaque above the central gate was relocated from interior of the temple

Baron Su Nos 1, 2, and 3, originally only No 1

The Black Ship on which lost souls sailed back to China

Baron Su was the guardian deity, not only for Tamshui-lang but also for 淮軍 commanded by General 章高元. The latter fought French fusiliers marins in the Battle of Fisherman's Wharf in Tamsui during the Sino-French War in 1884. They had stationed in the nearby Hobè Fort and come to the temple to pray.

Local legend has it that Baron Su had sent divine soldiers to help defeat the French. The story is recorded in the panel above the central gate:

To the left on the ship were the French invaders, to the right is 章高元 and his army, and above the cloud is Baron Su and his divine soldiers

People of Tamsui have never forgotten the bravery and the sacrifice of soldiers from China, 湘軍 led by General 孫開華 and 淮軍 by 章高元. And our condolences to the families of the worthy French opponents who died fighting under the command of Adm Sébastien Lespès.

Photo credits: here (12/20/2013)

The original post on the history of this temple can be seen here

Happy Holidays to all our friends

Duck Pond, Winchester, MA