See Ewe Lay

Introduction

Born in 1851, See Ewe Lay (薛有礼; 1851, Malacca–1906, Singapore) was a descendent of the See Clan, a well-known and wealthy Peranakan family in Malacca. Born in Malacca, See moved to Singapore to join the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank as a comprador. In 1881, he started Lat Pau, Singapore’s first major Chinese newspaper, and insisted on publishing it despite facing a financial crisis in 1890. He even turned down an invitation from the Singapore Municipal Commission to be elected as its board member in 1892, so that he could focus on publishing Lat Pau. See passed away in Singapore in 1906.

Selected books on See Ewe Lay

• 衣若芬. [Yi, R.] (2016). 《南洋风华: 艺文· 广告· 跨界新加坡》 Singapore: 八方文化创作室, pp. 33–37. Call no.: RSING C814.3 YRF. This title features the background of Lat Pau, Singapore’s first major Chinese newspaper that was published by See Ewe Lay. It also explores See’s working relationship with Yeh Chih Yun, Lat Pau’s chief editor whom he had hired from Hong Kong.

• Chong, A. (Ed.). (2015). Great Peranakans: Fifty remarkable lives. Singapore: Asian Civilisation Museum, p. 119. Call no.: RSING 305.895105957 GRE. This book presents the biographies of 50 Straits Chinese (Peranakan) personalities in Singapore from 1819 to 1889. An introduction on See Ewe Lay and the Chinese newspaper, Lat Pau, are also included.

• 柯木林. (主编). [Ke, M. L. (Ed.).] (1995). 《新华历史人物列传》 [Who’s who in the Chinese community of Singapore]. 新加坡: 教育出版公司, p. 212. Call no.: RSING 959.570092 WHO-[HIS]. This book contains the biographies of 1,175 Chinese personalities in Singapore, covering the period from 1819 to 1990. Each biography presents information on the birth and death dates, dialect group, occupation and affiliated organisations of the Chinese personality. A short biography of See Ewe Lay is also included.

• 方百成 & 杜南发. (编委主任). [Fang, B. C. & Du, N. F. (Eds.).] (2012). 《世界福建名人录, 新加坡编》 [Prominent figures of the world Fujian communities: Singapore]. 新加坡: 新加坡福建会馆, pp. 297–298. Call no.: RSING 920.05957 PRO. This book presents the biographies of 155 Chinese Hokkien personalities in Singapore from 1819 to 2012. See Ewe Lay’s biography is also included and features his contributions to the Chinese community as the publisher of Lat Pau, as well as his sense of mission and patriotism in publishing it.

Selected articles on See Ewe Lay

• 柯木林. [Ke, M. L.] (2012). “薛氏家族 · 《叻报》 · 闽帮文化” [Web blog post]. Retrieved from Kua Bak Lim Sina website: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5de4db2301016hid.html

• 柯木林. [Ke, M. L.] (2013).“ 薛佛记家族对新华社会的贡献”[Web blog post]. Retrieved from Kua Bak Lim website: http://kuabaklim.blogspot.com/2013/07/blog-post_8031.html

• 柯木林. [Ke, M. L.] (2017). “‘青山一道同云雨’: 从古庙碑刻看新呷两地渊源” [Web blog post]. Retrieved from Kua Bak Lim Sina blog website: http://xh.5156edu.com/html3/5484.html. These are a series of articles written by Singapore historian Kwa Bak Lim (Ke Mu Lin) on See Ewe Lay’s founding of the Lat Pau, as well as the See clan.

• 柯木林. [Ke, M. L.] (2014). 大时代的“风向标”——新华甲午人物五个人. 收录于《怡和世纪》，新加坡：怡和轩俱乐部, pp. 80-82. Call no.: RSING SER 369.25957 OPEHHC. See Ewe Lay was determined to publish Lat Pau, the first major Chinese language newspaper in Singapore, and hired renowned editor, Yeh Chih Yun, from Hong Kong to be its chief editor. In this article, the writer explores how Lat Pau responded to news about China during the Qing regime and after the Qing government was overthrown.

Selected newspaper articles on See Ewe Lay

• 柯木林. [Ke, M. L.] 探索与解密: 新华先贤第一份遗嘱. (2017, September 17). 《联合早报》 [Lianhe Zaobao]. Retrieved from Lianhe Zaobao website. Kwa Bak Lim’s detailed narrative provides insight into the will of See Hoot Kee, See Ewe Lay’s grandfather, as well as its significance to the Singapore Chinese community.

• 游学华. [You, X. H.] 薛佛记一门数杰. (1997, June 1). 《联合早报》 [Lianhe Zaobao], p. 54. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. This is a short account of various descendants of the See clan who made remarkable achievements, including See Ewe Lay.