Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Rural Childhood

As children, our method of having fun was simple.We catch spiders, and we catch brown, smooth-bodied "click beetles"... yet our time is spent mostly in the rougher games...these games develop a man's fighting spirit and will to win.I don't know if this prepared me for political activities in the future, but it is a good training for one's ability to survive. One of the earliest childhood events that I remember most clearly is that my ears were pulled and my head was pressed against the railing of a well in the fence of a house.The house is on what is now Dunbarring Road.Our whole family lived there at the time and I was about 4 years old.

I have always been naughty.My father was furious when I made a mess of an expensive bottle of 4711 brand light green aromatic pomade.Father's temper has always been very violent.He was really angry that night, grabbed me by the nape of the neck, pulled me from the house to the well, pulled my ears, and pressed my head against the well fence.I always wondered why my ears were so flexible that they didn't get torn off and I didn't fall into the well. Fifty years later, in the 1970s, I read an article in Scientific American explaining that when a person is in pain and shock, the brain secretes neuropeptides, which make all The experience gained is deeply recorded in the brain cells and will not be forgotten for a long time.

Before this happened, I had heard from my parents about where I was born, where I lived, and how I grew up.Their stories are borne out by sepia-colored old photographs and faded documents.My mother told me that I was born on September 16, 1923 in a two-storey floating foot building in Singapore.This floating foot building is owned by my grandfather. It is located at No. 92 Kampong Java Road, opposite to the Bukit Timah River.At that time my mother Cai Zhenniang was 16 years old and my father Li Jinkun was 20 years old.Their parents matched their marriage a year ago, and they both thought it was a match made in heaven.

My father is a son of a rich family.He often bragged to us that when he was young, his grandfather had opened unlimited accounts for him in two of the leading department stores in Raffles Place - Robinsons and Randy.He can buy suits and other things he likes as he likes, and just pay the bill.He was educated in English at St. Joseph's College.It is a Catholic mission school founded in 1853 by Friar De La Salle.According to his father, formal education ended when he completed his Junior School Diploma.It was a lifelong regret for himself and my mother.Later, when the Great Depression came and the property of both families was wiped out, he could only find a job as a warehouse manager in Shell Oil Company because he had no professional training.

For me, our family history begins with our great-grandfather Li Muwen.He is a Hakka.The Hakka people belong to the Han nationality, originated in North China and the Central China Plain, and moved to Fujian, Guangdong and other provinces in South China about 700 to 1,000 years ago.Due to the late migration to the south, they can only be squeezed into the hilly areas where the land is relatively barren and undeveloped by the locals.According to the inscription on the tombstone behind a house built by his great-grandfather in his hometown in China, he was born in Tangxi Village, Dapu County, Guangdong Province in 1846.When I grew up, I came to Singapore on a sailboat.The route he traveled to the south back then was probably to take a small boat and sail 120 kilometers downstream along the Han River to Shantou, the nearest port in Guangdong Province, and then sail to Nanyang from there.Since then, little has been heard about his whereabouts.Until the 1870s, he married a Chinese girl named Xiao Huoniang.Xiao Huoniang was born in Singapore as the daughter of a Rong family shopkeeper.

In 1882, great-grandfather made enough money and decided to return to the village where his Chinese ancestors lived, build a big house for himself, and appear as a country gentleman.However, the great-grandmother was unwilling to leave her children in Singapore and go to a strange place alone.My grandfather and aunt told me when I was a child that they (grandfather was about 10 years old at the time) and great-grandmother ran to hide at the grandfather's house in Alfred Road.So, great-grandfather had to go back to China by himself.He married a second wife in China, built a big mansion, and later donated a small official.He had someone draw a portrait of him in official uniform and send it to Singapore.At the same time, there was also a painting of a mansion.The house in the painting is a traditional Chinese-style building with gray tiles on the roof and a courtyard, which is beautiful and magnificent.It is a pity that this painting is lost, but the portrait of the great-grandfather is still preserved.

My grandfather Li Yunlong (I usually call him father-in-law) was born in Singapore in 1871.According to my father, my grandfather studied at Raffles Institution until number 5, which is equivalent to junior high school today.He himself told me that after leaving school, he got a job as a pharmacist (not a qualified pharmacist).After a few years, he changed his job as purser of a steamship.The ship was operated between Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, and belonged to Xie Rong Mao Shipping Company.The proprietor of Xie Rongmao Shipping Company is Huang Zhonghan, a Chinese millionaire and Javanese sugar king.

During the voyage, my grandfather married my grandmother Qiu Nianniang in Semarang, Central Java.A Dutch document dated March 25, 1899 issued by the Semarang Orphan Court agreed to allow 16-year-old Qiu Nianniang to marry 26-year-old Li Yunlong.The document also states that their wedding took place on March 26, 1899. Father was born in Semarang in 1903.In other words, he was born in the Dutch East Indies.But because his grandfather was from Singapore, he became a British citizen by virtue of his descendants.Soon after my father was born, my grandfather brought my grandmother and child back to Singapore and never returned.Because the grandfather gained the trust of Huang Zhonghan, the money gathered more and more.Huang Zhonghan appointed him as an agent to handle the business in Singapore.He told me several times that Wong Chung Han trusted him so much that in 1926 he was able to allocate $150,000 from the Wong Chung Han Foundation to Raffles College at his own discretion.This number was not small at the time.

Which one I admire more, father or grandfather, is self-evident.My grandfather loves me very much and indulges me very much.My father pays great attention to discipline at home, so he is very strict with me.Grandfather acquired a great fortune; father was just a rich man with nothing to show for it. However, when the world economy was in the Great Depression and the family was in decline, my grandfather suffered a particularly severe blow.At that time, that is, between 1927 and 1930, the price of gum fell from 8 cents per pound to about 2 cents.I think his sense of business is not as good as that of his grandfather Cai Jinding.During this period, the assets of the Cai family also suffered losses.My grandfather not only invested in gum plantations, but also speculated in the gum market.In addition, my grandfather was also engaged in real estate business and owned several markets and some shophouses, so he did not fail like his grandfather.By 1929, my parents moved from my grandfather's residence on Dengbering Road to my grandfather's messy mansion in Telok Kurau.However, I always visit my grandfather during school holidays and weekends.At first I visited him on Dunbranch Road, and when he was forced to abandon the great house, he went to Balestier Road.He lives with his daughter and son-in-law in a row house down the road.Every time I visit him, he always gives me 5 cents or 1 yuan as pocket money.Every time I will stay for a few days.

My grandfather's life was very westernized.This is the result of his being the chief purser on the ship and getting along day and night with the British captain, first mate and chief engineer.He likes me very much and often tells me about his experiences.These stories all illustrate how important it is to maintain discipline on board.For example, no matter how high the temperature and humidity in the tropics, the captain and other officers, as well as him as the purser, must wear white cotton twill jackets with button-up tops at dinner, neatly arranged on the table Plates, cutlery and napkins are provided.From his narration of the voyage in this area, I believe that the indelible impression left by the British officers on him is: emphasis on order, strength and efficiency.

take an auspicious name When I was born, my family invited a friend who has a lot of research on naming names to give me an auspicious name.He suggested to take KuanYew Eryu.This is pronounced in dialect, written as "Guangyao" in Chinese.However, out of admiration for the British, my grandfather added a foreign name Harry (Harry), so my full name became HarryLeeKuanYew (Harry Lee Kuan Yew).My younger brothers Jin Yao and Tian Yao also took Christian names respectively, the former is Dennis (Dennis) and the latter is called Freddy (Freddy).At that time, non-Christian Chinese seldom took Christian names.Later, when I went to school, I always felt that I was a strange kid who actually took a foreign name like Harry.So, when my younger brother Xiangyao was born in 1933, I persuaded my parents not to give him a Christian name, because we are not Christians after all.They are willing to accept my opinion. Although the grandfather lost his money and could not live and dress in style, he still had some belongings from the past.For example, the beautiful and solid furniture, which was imported from England by the Robinson Company or the Ranlizhi Company at the beginning of this century; The door of the wardrobe is also engraved with the English letters LHL representing his name.Some items, like the small cupboard in my daughter's room, remain to this day.He also kept his photographs in beautiful silver frames: well-mannered, dressed like an English gentleman, jacket, old-fashioned tie, stiff collar, striped trousers, shoes with spats attached.In addition, he is also a person who pays attention to food and drink.Dining with him is simply a pleasure.Grandma is good at cooking and cooks well.She browned the steak, still juicy, and served it with freshly grated cardamom, and served it with French fries that were golden brown but not greasy.Grandpa pays special attention to greasy food.The impression he gave me was: a person who strives for success and also a person who knows how to enjoy life. Grandfather and maternal grandfather Cai Jinding formed a sharp contrast.My grandfather had no formal English education, nor had he dealt with British captains or Chinese sugar kings.He came from humble beginnings, born in Singapore in 1865 into a Hokkien family from Malacca.After a lot of hard work, saving money from living frugally and saving money, he saw the right time and invested in rubber and real estate to become rich. He married three wives in succession.The first two passed away successively, and the third was the grandmother Liang Yashun.She is a tall, broad-shouldered Hakka woman from Pontianak, Dutch Borneo.My grandmother speaks Hakka and Indonesian Malay every day.She was a young widow with two children when she married her grandfather.Her first husband died shortly after the birth of her second child.She gave birth to seven children in total to the Cai family and died in 1935.My maternal grandfather withdrew from Singapore during the Japanese occupation in 1944. My mother was the earliest crystallization of this marriage. When she got married at the age of 15 in 1922, the financial resources of the two families were not bad, and she even had a little maid as part of the dowry.The work of this maid includes serving the hostess to bathe and wash her feet, and at the same time put on and take off the hostess' shoes.By the time I became sensible at the age of four or five, all these symbols of wealth had disappeared without a trace.But fond memories of my early days remain in old photos of me wearing over-fancy western-style children's clothes imported from England, or sitting in expensive prams. My grandfather's house in Telok Kurau was a large brick-and-timber building on floating feet, which was divided into two parts.All the children born to him and his third wife live in this pontoon building.As the eldest daughter, my mother shared a large bedroom with my father and five children. I refused to study hard, and my parents were very worried.So my mother gave uncle Qingxi a task, asking him to supervise me every day to prepare for the next day's homework.Thus, three times a week, I would sit with him for an hour after dinner.Even at the time I thought he was the least educated among several uncles, but it was so absurd that he should be sent to supervise my homework.Nor can I say how such supervision has done me any good.But he was the only one who was free after all, and he was my uncle--Chinese families are usually very particular about seniority. In a traditional Chinese family, a married daughter living with her husband and children is usually not tolerated by society.Because the daughter's children are grandchildren, they cannot become members of the natal family.However, among the Peranakans from Malacca, it is not uncommon for daughters to live with their natal families.The grandfather's family is an example.Our family is one big happy family.We live together in harmony, and sometimes frictions are unavoidable, most of which are caused by the naughtiness and quarrels of the grandchildren. I grew up in this environment with three younger brothers, a younger sister and seven cousins.Since they were younger than me, I often went to play games with Chinese fishermen and Malay children from neighboring villages.This village is in an alley opposite my grandfather's house, and there are twenty or thirty wooden houses covered with attap leaves or zinc sheets.On weekdays, fishermen in the village fish off the coast of Siglap, about 200 meters away.After a day's catch, they would hang the nets, with their individual cork floats, on the lot behind my house to dry, and then dye the nets with a dark brown liquid.The liquid is squeezed from the bark of a mangrove tree. As children, our method of having fun was simple.We caught spiders and also "click beetles" with brown smooth bodies.The habits of this insect are very strange.When you put it on the matchbox and press its back, it will knock on the matchbox and make a "Toto" sound.Our fun was to see whose "click beetle" made the loudest "toto".Yet most of our time is spent in rougher games. We fight fish.We usually catch fighting fish in the shallow ditches that line Changi Road.When catching fish, a kind of "dustpan" made of wicker is used.Road builders use it to move dirt, but we use it to catch fish and put them in glass jars.The fighting fish is 25 mm to 40 mm long, and it is deep red and purple in color. When it is provoked, it opens its fins, showing dazzling red, orange and blue colors, which is extremely beautiful.We put two glass jars, each containing a fighting fish, side by side.As soon as the two fish came into sight, the fighting instinct was triggered.Then, as if in a battle dance, they flapped their fins in a posture ready to fight.At this time, we poured this one into the glass bottle of the other, and let them fight until one of them was defeated and fled. In panic, the dazzling color on the body disappeared suddenly.The owner of the winning fish took the defeated one as a trophy. In fact, there was no trophy at all, because its whole body was full of scars, not only its fins were bitten off, but also a large piece of flesh was bitten off. Lose.After this defeat, it is difficult to recover its fighting spirit. We also play kites.We use two slender bamboo pieces and special kite paper to make kites for fighting.It takes certain skills to make a kite that is light, maneuverable, well-balanced, and does not turn sideways.We stretched the kite string between two wooden poles and carefully spread paste mixed with broken glass on the string.The rougher and more gritty the shattered glass, the more likely it is to cut one's own finger when applied to a kite string, and the more likely it is to cut an opponent's kite string.This is the purpose of kite fighting.When the broken kite falls to the ground, whoever picks it up will own it.Later, when I was studying at Cambridge University, I learned that Roman law called such kites "property without owner". We race tops.The tops were bought from the shop, the most expensive kind being made of hard teak that would stand up to a hand's top without leaving any deep dents.In order to enhance the defense of the spinning top, we use copper thumbtacks to nail a layer of armor on the top of the spinning top so that it can block the opponent's attack. We also play marbles.In a firm piece of sand, we dig three holes in a line so that the bullets can be thrown into each hole in turn.When playing, use the index finger and middle finger of the left hand to put the marbles in the proper position, and then use the index finger of the right hand to eject the bullets.You can also attack your opponent's marbles.If the marble is close to the hole, you can use your marbles to smash it away as hard as you can, and it is best to break it.Cheap marbles are usually made of stucco, or a mixture of cement and gypsum.The marbles are easily split in two upon impact.Only the expensive ones, made of solid stone or real marble. These games can cultivate a person's fighting spirit and will to win.I don't know if this prepared me for political activities in the future, but it is a good training for one's ability to survive.Besides, we are not weak or spoiled.I didn't have fancy clothes and shoes back then, but today my grandson has them all.The lightweight sneakers they wear, modeled after the latest styles worn by adults, also feature batteries and light bulbs in the heels that flash green, amber and red.People of my generation wore simple rubber-soled canvas shoes, which cost four or five cents a pair, and most of them were made by local shoe factories.Later, Bada Shoes Company produced a kind of rubber shoes with better texture, which cost one yuan per pair.Every year, before or in the middle of the Chinese New Year in February, if I am lucky, my parents will go to the shoe store on Middle Road to buy me a pair of poor quality locally made leather shoes.The insole, even the unexposed heel, is filled with cardboard.If the leather shoes get soaked, they will loosen. The world was simpler back then.We are neither poor nor rich.We don't have a lot of toys, let alone a TV, and we need to read a lot and use our imagination to make ourselves witty.This helps us a lot in our pursuit of knowledge.But at that time there were not so many books for children to borrow, and the price of the books was very expensive.I usually buy cheap thrillers and follow up on the adventures of a group of boys like Harry Wharton and Billy Bunter at Greifels.Every Friday, I always wait eagerly for the cruise ship from England to enter the Tanjong Pagar Pier.British magazines and pictorials were brought in by mail, and the prices of these publications were not cheap.When I was a little older, I started using the Raffles Library.Every time I borrow a book from there, I can read it for two weeks.I read with an eclectic attitude, but prefer westerns to detective novels. When it comes to vacations, our family often goes to my grandfather Cai Jinding’s wooden house in the gum garden located in Caishi, and stays there for a few days or a week.We took a bullock cart from Changi Road to the Gum Plantation.The bullock cart is pulled by two oxen, and the driver is the grandmother's gardener.The wooden wheels of the bullock cart are hooped with iron rings, but there is no shock absorber, so when the cart is walking on the dirt road full of ruts, it always bumps very badly. Fifty years later, in 1977, when I took the Concorde and flew from London across the Atlantic to New York in three hours, I didn't know any passengers on the same plane who had experienced the fun of riding an ox cart. Our three meals are relatively simple and healthy.There were no fast food such as hamburgers and Italian pies, no unhealthy food and franchise restaurants, and no foreign cookies, but some locally baked pastries.Once a year, mothers and aunts would bake cakes for several days and fill glass jars to the brim for several days in preparation for Lunar New Year's Eve and the next two weeks of festivities.Back then, there were also locally produced "Hehe" biscuits, which imitated the products of the British Huntley and Palmer biscuit factories.As for British biscuits, only British bosses and wealthy locals can afford them.We were all well fed and never hungry.As far as I remember, I never saw obese children at home, in the fishing village, or later (between 1930 and 1935) in the Telok Kurau Ying School. mother is a brave woman Childhood life was not all joyous.Father would occasionally come home in a bad mood, usually because he had lost money on blackjack or other cards at the Chinese Swimming Club on Amber Road.He asked his mother to give him some jewelry, let him pawn and go back to try his luck.At this time, the two will have a terrible quarrel.My father became violent at times, but my mother was a brave woman who, no matter what, kept the jewelry her parents gave her as a dowry.She was strong, energetic, and resourceful, and 15 was way too early to marry.In her time, the task of a woman was to be a good wife and mother, to have more children, and to raise them into a good husband and wife in the future.Had she been born a generation later and received a secondary education, she would have easily become a shrewd and capable business executive. She spent her entire life raising her children so that they could receive a good education and become self-reliant professionals.For the great future of her children, she resolutely stood up to confront her husband.My brothers and sisters and I know that she made a lot of sacrifices for us.We feel that we cannot disappoint her no matter what, so we try our best to be worthy of her, let alone live up to her expectations of us.As I was the eldest son, she started talking to me about important family decisions when I was a little older.So as early as my teenage years, I became the de facto parent.This taught me how to make decisions in ordinary situations.