TONG Yen Tien 钟衍燊
Traditional Chinese Medicine in Singapore,
Accession Number 003315
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 21
Total Reels
- Jesley Chua Chee Huan
Interviewer
- 18:41:31
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 21
Metadata
- 28 May 2008
Recording Date
- 00:54:00
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
* Family’s TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) background. Grandfather came from Hainan. Operated a small hotel in Beach Road with some friends. Grandfather rented a room within the hotel to be his clinic. His father’s and uncle’s educational background. Father learnt TCM from grandfather. Grandfather died postwar. Mother came to Singapore in 1947. Mother helped father to brew herbs. How parents make hou jiao (猴胶)for sale. Had to stop making it when killing of monkey was banned. Why father moved to Kembangan. Their living environment. Villagers used to help cars trapped in the mud. How they used to play with the public tap. Father used to take care of their many relatives. Family’s financial situation. Childhood games interviewee played. Interviewee was in primary school when he encountered racial tension in Singapore. How the problem was settled. Open cinema in Kembangan. Hokkien movie was popular in those days. Racial composition in Kembangan area.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 21
Metadata
- 28 May 2008
Recording Date
- 00:52:29
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
How they catch earthworms from drains. How they sterilized chickens. Ticket prices of open air cinema. Hawkers around the open air cinema. Provision shop used to reward clients with soft drinks during Chinese New Year. Interviewee’s educational background and school days. Father used to treat fits in children. Interviewee’s hobbies. Manner in which father was strict with their upbringing. Interviewee used to be proud of being disciplined by his teachers. Types of punishment interviewee went though when young. Elaboration on how they prepared themselves during the period of racial riots. How father started Tong Jum Chew. Interviewee asked father to settle all his relationship ‘debts’ before taking over the family business. How father dealt with gangsters who asked for protection money. Father’s financial situation improved only after interviewee started working.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 21
Metadata
- 4 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:54:13
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Father was well-known amongst the Hainanese. Interviewee believes in TCM as he saw results from his father’s treatment. Father died at the age of 89. Elaboration on racial riots. Learnt lesson on the importance of communication from the riots. Elaboration on the living environment in Kembangan. Why interviewee went Zhen Li Xiao Xue (真理小学). His comment on his primary schools - Jing HuaXue Xue (静华小学) and Zhen Li Xiao Xue (真理小学). Why he opted for Anglican High School. Strict discipline within Anglican High. His views on balloting during funfair in Anglican High. He felt that some teachers mixed history with fiction. His love for history and literature. His ambition was to be a secondary school teacher. Why he dislike TCM. More than half of his secondary three class failed in the examinations including interviewee.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 21
Metadata
- 4 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:54:20
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
His reactions towards repeating secondary three. Interviewee was posted to Yuying Secondary for his pre-university education. His initial sense of lost in Yuying subsequently turned to ease. Felt that Yuying had good teachers. Interviewee used to skip classes because he does not like English lessons. Joined the Police Force during pre-U. Duties he performed twice a week at night.Told how couples in cars by the beach were forced to pay extortion money. Picked up smoking during his beach patrol duties. Why he smoked. Common to smoke during National Service (NS). Why he joined the part-time Police Force towards end 60s, early 70s. His personal pre-NS preparation. Why he entered the army alone without family sent-off. Advantage of NS. How his superiors penalized them. Re-learnt English in NS. Was made section leader. How he relate to gangsters in his section. Interviewee was in the infantry when he first joined the army. Missed his family during his first three-month confinement. How he felt when he returned home.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 21
Metadata
- 13 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:53:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
His reactions towards repeating secondary three. Interviewee was posted to Yuying Secondary for his pre-university education. His initial sense of lost in Yuying subsequently turned to ease. Felt that Yuying had good teachers. Interviewee used to skip classes because he does not like English lessons. Joined the Police Force during pre-U. Duties he performed twice a week at night. Told how couples in cars by the beach were forced to pay extortion money. Picked up smoking during his beach patrol duties. Why he smoked. Common to smoke during National Service (NS). Why he joined the part-time Police Force towards end 60s, early 70s. His personal pre-NS preparation. Why he entered the army alone without family sent-off. Advantage of NS. How his superiors penalized them. Re-learnt English in NS. Was made section leader. How he relate to gangsters in his section. Interviewee was in the infantry when he first joined the army. Missed his family during his first three-month confinement. How he felt when he returned home.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 21
Metadata
- 13 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:53:34
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaboration on their practical training. His experiences with an uncooperative mate in the army. How interviewee got scolded because of this person. Lesson interviewee learnt from the incident. How his language handicap affected him. He was not afraid of making mistakes when speaking English. How he felt when he graduated from Officer Cadet Course. Felt that his personality helped him to cope with army life. Passing out parade in Padang. Interviewee belonged to the 11th batch of Cadet Officer. Why he did not enter the university after his (National Service) NS. He did not take up any job offers. Why he became untidy after leaving NS. How he met his wife. Why he joined his father’s business. Started with only four people working in Tong Jun Chew. Interviewee let his mother and subsequently his wife handled all his finance.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 21
Metadata
- 20 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:53:53
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee started helping father in his business during his pre-U days. They used to sell expensive herbs. Interviewee had no interest in family business initially. Why father went into TCM distribution business in early 70s. Father’s goal was to establish a one-stop TCM supply centre. TCM physicians used to patronize their shop. Mentioned names of main TCM suppliers in the past. Father’s character and personality. Illustration of father’s tidiness. Father began making money only after they started their distribution business. Tong Jum Chew used to package TCM to be sent to China. His father’s business comprised four different areas. Second sister mentored interviewee on customer service. Popular TCM in those days. Interviewee had no regrets joining family business though he was not prepared for it initially. Used to be bullied by their old employee when he first started. He did not retaliate but learnt from his lesson. Why he did not tell father about employee’s misconduct. How he spent his time after work during his initial years. Interviewee was at a loss when their old employee quit.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 21
Metadata
- 20 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:53:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee’s first day at work. His initial good sales result boosted his confidence. Why people buy from Tong Jum Chew. Interviewee used his own network when he took over Tong Jum Chew. His reaction to sales rejection. Worked hard to secure sales orders which subsequently established his foundation of network. Only 20% of his competitors were left from his early days of business. Interviewee got married at the age of 26. How interviewee and wife worked hard for their business. Interviewee did a lot of parallel importing from HongKong when he was 26-35 years of age. Reasons why. Tong Chew Jum was seen as traitor by Singapore Chinese Medicines & Health Products Merchant Association but they subsequently invited him to join their association. Reactions from competitors when they did parallel import. Problems of finding suitable workers in this trade. Lessons he learnt from National Service (NS) which he applies to his work. Interviewee gave up parallel import when he joined the association. Learnt much from those in the association.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 21
Metadata
- 20 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:53:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee had greater exposure and contact after joining Singapore Chinese Medicines & Health Products Merchant Association. His first experience in China Import & Export Fair. Why he chose Anhui Medicines & Health Products I/E Co, Ltd(安徽省医药保健品进出口公司) Interviewee had advantage of good market knowledge. How he entertained his business contact in China. How he gave up smoking overnight in Guangzhou. Smoking was a social activity then. Lessons he learnt from the seniors in Singapore Chinese Medicines & Health Products Merchant Association. Things to watch out for when dealing with the Chinese. How he got the distributionship for xia sang ju(夏 桑 菊) in 1996. He sent out legal letters to his imitators but did not take them to court. Offers of distributionship poured in after he took over xia sang ju’s distribution. Interviewee took over the family business around 30 years of age. Moved his company to Blanco Court in 1980. Divided family business into two areas : distribution and retail.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 21
Metadata
- 26 Jun 2008
Recording Date
- 00:54:04
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaboration on the type of medicine they used to sent to China. Some of the household stuff they sold in Blanco Court. Roped in help from family members when his business expanded. Left the retail business to his sister and sister-in-law while interviewee and wife moved to Alexandra Distripark. His sister was a popular saleswoman. Why his business in Blanco Court was good. TCM physicians used to order liquid medication from them. His views on TCM shop selling non-TCM stuff. He enjoyed the advantage of market knowledge. Why he believes in advertising. How work was divided in the company. Moved out of Blanco Court in 1998. Elaboration on why people flocked to his shop. Did they own grading for Amercian ginseng. How their ginseng were produced and shipped to Singapore. Difference between wild and cultivated ginseng.
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