Among the reading materials for the people published by Balai Pustaka, the publishing house set up by the Dutch East Indies government in 1908, we find some ninety-odd titles published in Madurese, the language of the people of the island of Madura and the easternmost part of East Java, where people from the island have been migrating for centuries.

Among this collection of publications, we find two volumes written in Javanese script, containing the Chinese love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, a story that has been quite popular among the different peoples living in the Archipelago. The volumes are numbered 840 and 840a, and comprise a unified whole. On the title-page we read, besides the title in roman script, the subtitle Tresna Dhunnya Aherat, which means “Eternal Love” (lit. Love in this World and the After-life), Further, we can read that it is an ancient story in China (dhungeng kona e naghara Tiong Kok), written in Madurese (eangghit něng bhasa Madhura) by (biq) R. Ahmad Wongsoséwojo (Ra. Ahmad Wongsasewaya). There are six illustrations signed by an S. Hadi interspersed in the two volumes. The Javanese script used is of the standing and cursive print styles, with the latter style being used only in the captions underneath the illustrations and the fine-print phrases on the title page. All Chinese names are printed in roman script, with typographical errors in some places. (See Plates 40 and 41.)

The core story is a love story between the girl Zhu Yingtai, who disguises herself as a boy to be able to go to school, and the boy Liang Shanbo, whom she meets on the way and later falls in love with, which ends in tragedy because she has been given into marriage by her parents to someone else of the Ma family. Liang Shanbo dies and later on Zhu Yingtai prays at his grave and jumps in when it splits open. In China, where it originated, the story has been known since the fourth century A.D. Out of this core story many versions have been spun following diverse imaginative interpreters in China itself and in other lands.

An American Sinologist, Stephen W. Durrant, in a short note in 1979 raised the question of the importance of studying Manchu and Mongolian translations of old Chinese novels. Indeed, a close study of these translations, the majority of which are preserved in the form of manuscripts, can contribute much that is new not only to the history of Manchu and Mongolian literature or to the study of literary relations in the Far East from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, but also, to a certain extent, to the history of Chinese literature itself. It would be ideal of course to study Manchu and Mongolian translations of Chinese novels simultaneously, since the Mongols often translated from Manchu rather than from Chinese. However, this study would go beyond the capabilities of the author of the present article, who has limited his task to the study of Mongolian translations only.

If, for example, Manchu translations of Chinese novels, undertaken from the mid-seventeenth to the beginning of the nineteenth century remained a fact of translated Manchu literature itself, Chinese novels, having found their way to the Mongols on the one hand with their plots gave life to a special genre of oral Mongolian tales — the bensen üliger, Mongolian song-narrative works based on Chinese novels, and these novels on the other hand became a basis for the creation in the mid-nineteenth century of the first Mongolian novels such as Köke sudur, “The Blue Chronicle”, Nigen dabqur asar, “The One-Story Pavilion”, Ulaghan-a ukilaqu tingkim, “The Scarlet Pavilion of Tears” and Tabun ǰuwan, “Five Tales”. It is known, for example, that in “The Blue Chronicle” by Wangcinbala and his son Inǰannasi, there are episodes inspired by corresponding passages from Luo Guanzhong 's “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, while “the One-Story Pavilion” by Inǰannasi is a creative reworking of Cao Xuejin 's “Dream of the Red Chamber”.

The first information on the existence of Mongolian translations of Chinese novels was obtained by accident. At the end of the last century, the famous German Sinologist Wilhem Grube purchased in Beijing an old Mongolian manuscript — a translation of the Chinese novel Fan Tang yanyi “Tale of the Revolt against the Tang Dynasty”.

In a previous article on the literary life of the Peranakan Chinese in Makassar, we offered a general outline of their contribution to the development of the local literature (especially in Makassarese) for 1930–50, a period which seems to be particularly rich. Here we will only focus on their translation activities.

Unlike Java where we have evidence of increasing interest among the Peranakan in their ancestral culture as early as the mid-nineteenth century, in Makassar we have not been able to trace translation of a Chinese work before the late 1920s. However, until recently the specialists in Makassarese and Buginese literature have ignored works derived from the Chinese. To the best of our knowledge no text emanating from China or a Chinese is listed in the extant catalogues of Makassarese and Buginese manuscripts. The first article to commemorate the contribution of the Chinese to Makassarese literature was written in 1956 by Yo Kao Tjio, himself a writer born in Makassar.

1. Historical Background

As a matter of fact the history of the Peranakan Chinese of Makassar does not differ very much from that of their counterparts in Java. They were placed under the supervision of a Chinese headman or Captain before the beginning of the eighteenth century. Until the end of the nineteenth century, very few Chinese women left their country and immigrants had to marry local women. The newcomers did not take readily to the local customs, and their wives consequently adopted Chinese ones, which was easier for them because descendants of Chinese often intermarried. The result was the development of a community straddling two cultures. For the end of the nineteenth century we have some information on a few wealthy families of long standing in Makassar like the Nios, the Thoengs, the Yos, the Lies and the Angs. These families produced the Chinese officers, who were appointed by the Dutch authorities.

As in Java, the last years of the nineteenth century were characterized by a revival of interest in Chinese culture in these Peranakan circles. Several big traders such as Wang Jue (born in Yongchun Fujian, in 1866), who settled in Makassar in 1886, played a significant part in the revival of Chinese education.

Businessman and community leader Baey Lian Peck was playing a game of badminton at his classmate's Grange Road home 54 years ago when he caught sight of his friend's sister and fell instantly in love.

The 21-year-old was so smitten with the 15-year-old student that he would drive her to school every day to make sure other admirers had no chance of winning her heart.

“It was love at first sight on my part. She's such a beautiful and caring girl, and she had many admirers. I was naturally worried,” he told The Sunday Times.

Fifty years, four children and 13 granchildren later, they are still together.

Last night, Dr Baey and his wife, Daisy, celebrated 50 years of marriage with 600 guests, including President S R Nathan and Mrs Nathan, with a lavish dinner party at the Ritz-Carlton.

The couple founded American International Industries Group, the oilfield equipment company now run by their son, Henry, though Dr Baey still serves as chairman.

He has also sat on several government boards, served 19 years as president of the Singapore's Anti-Narcotics Association and was one of the founders of the NTUC FairPrice supermarket chain.

It's a far cry from the days when Mrs Baey's younger brother would chaperone the couple to Koek Road to eat porridge and ice kachang.

He popped the question — on a bench in a reservoir park one evening — two years into their courtship.

The couple married on May 27 in 1956 and threw a wedding dinner for about 300 guests in a Chinese restaurant in Middle Road.

Last night's dinner was a more multinational affair, attended by the couple's four children, a handful of government ministers and relatives, friends and business associates from Brunei, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Sri Lanka and the United States.

The night began with a video slideshow to the tune of Elvis Presley's Hawaiian Wedding Song, showing footage of their wedding in 1956.

Guests, decked out in tuxedos and flashy gowns, were full of admiration.

Mr Ricky Sim, chief operating officer of Suntec Investment Group, said: “They're one big happy family”.

“It's excellent that they've managed to keep it going for 50 years”.

MY CHILDHOOD

My father Baey Kim Swee had three wives. That was not strange in those days. Many men had many more. My grandfather also had three, incidentally.

Now, my father separated from my mother, who had two sons and four daughters by him. I wanted to be different on that score, and when I married many years later, I wrote a letter to myself when my wife was pregnant with our first child, to be opened twenty years later. And in that, I promised myself that I would not have more than one spouse (see Appendix I).

When I opened it before the family twenty years later, I had of course forgotten its contents. My daughter took strong objection to a paragraph: “If you have to womanise, pay for it”.

On reading the letter, I saw that I had accomplished much more than I had set out to do. To be sure, Singapore as a whole had developed during that time beyond what anyone could have dreamt of. Such were the times. I then typed another letter — eight-pages long — to myself, to be opened ten years hence. That, I am afraid, I should not publish. There are people who would take offence at the things mentioned therein.

My grandfather — a Hokkien — was the one who came from China. He was a rice merchant, and I remember him being served opium, which was a drug for the upper classes. He died when I was three or four years old, and I remember him only vaguely.

My father was born in Singapore, and unlike his siblings, studied English. According to him, kids in those days could only study for six years locally. After that, they had to go off to England if they wished to do more studying. Before the war, he had a shop in Kallang Road. That was where I was born, on 13 July 1931.

He also started a petrol kiosk in Crawford Street that year. He knew Lee Kuan Yew's father, who also worked for the Shell Company.

Singapore's current inflation rate is the highest in three years. But there is no cause for alarm as the price increase here is among the lowest in the world.

Latest figures from the International Monetary Fund show that the nation's inflation is running lower than three of its Asean partners and its arch Asian export rival, South Korea and Taiwan.

Also, the rise in consumer prices is slower than the average of the industrialised nations.

For the first seven months of this year, the nation's consumer price index, according to government statistics, rose by 5.3 per cent which is higher than increases for the past three years.

IMF statistics show that the annual increase of Singapore's consumer prices for April is 5.1 per cent against 7.2 per cent for the Philippines, 9.1 per cent for Thailand, and 10.9 per cent for Indonesia. April figures for Malaysia are not available yet.

The inflation rates for Taiwan and South Korea are 8 per cent and 12.4 per cent respectively.

The consumer price rise for 14 industrialised nations averages 6.4 per cent, reports the IMF. These countries are the US, Canada, Japan, Britain, Switzerland, West Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Norway.

Economists have predicted that Singapore's consumer prices will rise between 4¼ and 5¼ per cent for the whole of this year. Last year, the CPI increased by 3.2 per cent.

The main reasons for the hike in local consumer prices this year are increases in the cost of food, transport and miscellaneous items such as medical fees and cinema admission charges.

The barmy days of rock-bottom inflation rates in Singapore (consumer prices rose at annual rates of not more than 2 per cent in the 1960s and early 1970s) ended when prices soared to 22.9 per cent in 1973 and 22.3 per cent in 1974.

Without a doubt, the oil crisis triggered off spiralling inflation in the world economy. But its underlying causes stemmed from the lack of world financial discipline, resulting in deficit financing and easy credit creation, something which had been going on for two decades.

Metke: “Our goal is a restart without Baey”

Halberstadt (wb). The Industrial Union of Metal Workers sees a good chance for a successful new start of Maschinenbau Halberstadt GmbH (MBH). According to IG-Metall head Mr Rainer Metke, the goal is to achieve a restart out of bankruptcy. So far, three parties would be interested and negotiations would have to be conducted within the upcoming months.

“First of all it is crucial which kind of bankruptcy procedure will be chosen”, said Metke. While the first kind provides for a procedure with the shareholders, the Union strives for a so-called übertragende Sanierung.In order to do so, a new company with new shareholders, which would take over employees and knowhow of the previous Maschinenbau GmbH would have to be set up. The Union tries to avoid that the current shareholder, Gaspower Ltd. Singapore, of the former director Dr Baey Lian Peck takes part in the restart of the company. “Only without Baey will there be an opportunity for a successful restart of machine building in Halberstadt”, said Metke. This point of view is shared and supported by the Ministry of Economics in Magdeburg as well as by the local authorities and municipality of Halberstadt.

The Maschinenbau GmbH had to file for bankruptcy last month after main shareholder and director Baey did not succeed in obtaining even a single noteworthy order for motor production within the three years since the acquisition of the company.

For years Mr Baey had announced orders from Asia worth several hundreds of millions of dollars, which the 180 employees were waiting for to no avail. In November the top management subsequently had tried to remove valuable blueprints of an 18-cylinder gas engine from the firm. The work council and the Union were able to stop this for the most part. The police and the department of public prosecution have since been investigating the incident.