Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

The thrush without feet turns not to roost,Your younger sister with feet can’t go beyond.These tell the story of a husband who has crossed the seas,leaving his forlorn wife in lamentation. Another couplet whichruns:“Upon seeing the green willows by the sea shore,She regrets her husband seeking officialdom”is written also for these women. The history of the last fewhundred years of overseas Chinese endeavours is a story of theirblood, sweat and tears. But what made this history was money.Ouyang Hsiu the poet has said that everyone who has attainedto riches and honour should naturally want to return home. If thatis true then the Chinese of the South Seas are generally opposedto this principle. For though they have become rich they wouldnot necessarily return to China. The Cantonese who came to theSouth Seas still maintain the sentiments for home, “like leavesreturning to the roots”. Although they may not think of return inthe present, they keep sending money home from their earningsand frugality to buy land. So, there’s a big sum remitted everyyear. As to the Hokkiens these mostly stay behind refusing to gohome. The reasons are of course more than one, for the SouthSeas are as comfortable as heaven, where livelihood is easy, thegovernment is good, the land peaceful – a sharp contrast withChina. The greatest reason is that since they find clothing andfood here they become rooted to the soil, making the South Seastheir second home. We Chinese have a special nature which isadaptability to mingle with the different races. For example, thosewho enter inland Borneo to make a living in time would marryDyak women and thereby become Dyaks in every way. Hokkiensof the third and fourth generations may be found everywhere.These descendants are now become entirely Indonesian. Theycannot speak Chinese. They could not tell what and where theirhomes in China were. Some simply regarded their birth-place to78