新會古井泗冲鄉仁和里人湯家豪家譜

 

A BRIEF FAMILY HISTORY OF HOWELL TONG

新會古井泗冲鄉仁和里人湯家豪家譜

湯偉

 

湯偉乃河南安陽村盆逕人，官至方伯（=地方長官)，其後裔遷至河南開封府祥符縣黨（=湯）居村珠璣巷。

Wai TONG, of Poon Lane, On Yeung Village, Henan, China, was a district officer. In Song Dynasty, his descendants moved to Zhu Gay Lane, Tong Geoi Village, Cheung Fu County, Kaifeng, capital of the Song Dynasty.

 

（0) 湯貴
河南開封府祥符縣黨居村珠璣巷人，湯偉曾孫。宋代官拜廣東雄州別駕 (副縣長）。故湯貴公祠聯有曰：「始遷粵嶺，別駕雄州」。宋欽宗靖康2年（1127年）因金兵攻占開封，湯貴舉族南遷，經河南商丘入安徽，一路輾轉跋涉，最終經江西南安（大余縣）小梅關翻越大庾嶺定居于廣東南雄保昌縣牛田坊敬宗巷，為懷念故里，更名為「珠璣巷」。後因黃貯萬-蘇妃事件，被南雄府學廩貢羅貴解救，於1131年𣿬同其它37姓98戶上千人口結伴遷徏到珠江三角洲一帶。湯貴及其子孫南遷定居于廣東岡州大良（今廣東新會），繼而成為廣東望族。娶馬氏，生湯綱、湯維、湯統、湯紀。

Kwai TONG, born around  A.D. 980 in the Song Dynasty in Zhu Gay Lane, Tong Geoi Village, Cheung Foo County, Kaifeng, (now) Henan Province, China, was a grand-son of Wai TONG. He was appointed a government official of the fifth rank (-there were nine ranks in the civil service) around 1003 in Song Dyasty, (sort of) deputy mayor of Hungzhou city in (now) Nam Hung City, Guangdong Province (雄州別駕). [The title 別駕 literally means a separate carriage, referring to the fact that the rank is senior enough to merit a separate/individual carriage, a sort of first class compartment.] In the temple in his honour, there was the couplet `first migrant over the Guangdong peak; separate carriage in Hungzhou.'

 

In the second year of the reign of Yungzhong in the (Northern) Song Dynasty, i.e. 1127, Kwai led his clansmen to join the mass southward migration to escape from the Jin (a tribe in northern China) invasion, which was reaching Kaifeng, the capital of Northern Song. (The Northern Song migration was the third major mass migration in the history of China.) They started from their ancestrial home in Zhu Gay Lane, Tong Geoi Village,  Cheung Fu County, Kaifeng 開封府祥符縣黨（=湯）居村珠璣巷. They first went past Sheung Yau of Henan Province 河南商丘, then entered Anhui Provicne 安徽,   Finally they climbed Dai Yu Peak 大庾嶺 in Jiangxi Province, went through the historic May Pass 江西南安（大余縣）小梅關  and finally reached the county of Nam Hung 南雄 in northern Guangdong. They settled in Ging Chung Lane, Au Tin Fong of Bo Cheung district 南雄保昌縣牛田坊敬宗巷. The lane was renamed Zhu Gay Lane珠璣巷 in memory of their ancestrial homeland in Kaifeng.

 

Several yaers later, according to folklore, there was an incident, in which a kind-hearted imperial concubine called SO (later changed to WU) was found missing. After her escape, she was married to a wealthy merchant Chu Man WONG 黄貯萬 in Zhu Gay Lane. Later the Imperial Court was informed of her whereabouts, which led to possible persecution of the entire Zhu Gay Lane. This led to mass migration of the inhabitants. The TONG brohters and their families left the lane. In order to maximize the chance of survival of the TONG clan, the four brothers separated. The eldest went to Nam Hoi  in Guangdong 南海石湖 ,the second  went to Chung Shing in Guangdong 增城, the youngest returned to Kaifeng, and the youngest but one, i.e. Toong, went to Dai Leung area in Sunwui  新會大良. The Tongs did very well in the Pearl River Delta, becoming a pillar of the society there. Although historical records reveal no identity of Madame So, local people honoured her for her deeds by building a pagoda in her honour in the Yuan Dynasty in 1341. The pagoda was restored in 1984 by the Nam Hung county government.

 

（1）湯統
廣東南雄保昌縣牛田坊珠璣巷人，湯貴三子，宋高宗建炎元年（1127年）農歷二月二日生，宋光宗紹熙4年（1194年）朝廷慕名授湯統為廣州路郡守，統未肯就任。遂遷新寧岡州（今台山）羅塘湯邊村開基，被稱為廣東台山一世祖。宋寧宗嘉泰元年（1201年）農曆八月十五日病逝，享年74歲，葬于台山縣白沙鎮朗南鄉胡姓學新村後山（龍山）。娶黃氏，生湯鼎、湯清、湯銘。

Toong TONG, born between 1-3 a.m. on 2nd February 1127 (the first year of the reign of Gohzhong, Song Dynasty), was the third son of four of Kwai.

 

The Tong clan, under the leadership of Toong's father, Kwai,  joined the mass southward migration from Kaifeng, Henan. This migration, a consequence of the Kin invasion from the north in 1127,  was one of the major ones in the history of China. The Tongs  started from their ancestrial home in Zhu Gay Lane, Tong Gui Village,  Cheung Fu County, Kaifeng 開封府祥符縣黨（=湯）居村珠璣巷. They first went past Sheung Yau of Henan Province 河南商丘, then entered Anhui Provicne 安徽,   Finally they climbed Dai Yu Peak 大庾嶺 in Jiangxi Province, went through the historic May Pass 江西南安（大余縣）小梅關  and finally reached the county of Nam Hung in northern Guangdong. They settled in Ging Chung Lane, Au Tin Fong of Bo Cheung district 南雄保昌縣牛田坊敬宗巷. The lane was renamed Zhu Gay Lane珠璣巷 in memory of their ancestrial homeland in Kaifeng. The lane was also inhabited by other new migrants, altogether thirty or forty clans. The lane was more like a stop-over for many new migrants.

 

As a consequenc of the So affair, Toong migrated to Dai Leung area in Sunwui  新會大良. He was doing very well in Sunwui, enjoying an excellent reputation, so much so that  Imperial Court appointed him as Governor of Guangzhou in 1193. It was a time of much trouble within the Imperial Court, so he declined and moved to Toishan, and founded the Tongbin Village in Toishan County 台山羅塘湯邊村.

 

He married a Miss WONG 黃氏, who bore him three sons, and a Miss HO 何氏. There was no record of either. It was said that Wong and Ho went to Gum Lay district to arrange a marriage for their nephew but did not return and went missing due to local unrest.

 

He died on 15th August 1201, aged 74. He was buried in Dragon Hill, Luo's Village in Long Nam, White Sand Town of Toishan County 台山白沙顉朗南鄉胡姓學安新村後山（龍山).

 

（2）湯鼎
廣東新會大良人，湯統長子，宋孝宗淳熙3年（1176年）生。宋光宗紹熙年（1191〜1194年）隨父親湯統遷居湯邊村。寧宗慶元年間（1195〜1200年）欽賜為太學生。宋理宗寶慶元年(1225年）逝，享年49歲。娶梁氏，生湯孟先。

Ding TONG, eldest son of Toong, was born on 5th September 1166 (i.e. the second year of Kin Doa in the reign of Hauzhong, Sung Dynasty). In 1193-4, he accompanied his father, Toong, and moved to Tongbin Village in Toishan County, Guangdong Province. Around 1195〜1200, he was a state appointed graduate during the reign of Ningzhong. He passed away in December in 1219 (i.e. the twelveth year of Garding of the reign of Ningzhong, Song Dynasty), aged 53. He was survived by his son, Meng Sin.

 

（3）湯孟先
廣東台山湯邊（羅塘）人，宋寧宗嘉泰元年（1201年）生，宋理宗寶慶元年（1225年）舉文學為太學生上舎生，因其淡泊名利，放棄仕途，而治經濟學，因其善于貿易，家業興旺，每年可收租谷38000餘石，成為當地首富。宋恭帝德佑元年（1275年），元軍大舉南侵，誓在滅宋。孟先在國破家亡中病逝，享年74歲，和元配合葬於得行里三冊黃沙坑。正娶泥涌黄氏（生於嘉泰甲子年三月十七日）黃氏卒於淳佑甲辰年十二月初二，享年41歲；續娶小梅陳氏（嘉定己舛年十二月十八日，卒於德佑丙子年三月十二日，享年59歲）。孟先有五子叫湯國球、湯國式、湯國表、湯國華、湯國瑞。

 

Meng Sin TONG, The only son of Ding, born on 12th January 1204, i.e. in the first year of the reign of Ningzhong (at between 1a.m. to 3 a.m.),  was appointed, in 1225, as one of the 100  imperial (state supported) graduates in the Song Dynasty  上舍生. Because he was not interested in the civil service, he took to commerce, in which he excelled. He was a leading land owner in his area, with an annual income of the equivalent of 18,000 sheks(石), i.e. 1.75 million kilograms, of grains. In the first year of the reign of Gungdai（1275年），the Mongols invaded the Song Empire with the intention of destroying it. Meng Sin died in despair on 1st September 1278, aged 74. He was buried with his first wife, nee WONG, from Laichung district, who was born on 17th March 1201 and died 2nd December 1244. Meng Sin re-married a Miss CHAN from Siu Miu area, who was born on 18th December 1219 (3-5 p.m.) and died on 12th March 1276, aged 56. He was survived by 5 sons, Gok Kau, Gok Sik, Gok Biu, Gok Wah and Gok Seoi.

（4）湯國華
廣東台山湯邊（羅塘）人，湯孟先四子，宋理宗寶祐元年（1253年 農歷八月二十三日亥時）生，遷台山福山村開基。宋恭帝德佑2年（1276年）正月元軍統帥伯顏攻占宋都臨安（今杭州）。宋恭帝投降。陳宜中、張世杰等在福州擁立宋端宗繼位，組織抗元。湯國華參加抗元斗爭，功封為府郡司戶。1278年3月宋端宗逝于岡州（新會），張世杰改立衛王趙昺為宋帝。6月宋帝退守廣東新會海外80里的厓山，岡州成為京畿之地。湯國華率領家鄉子弟兵, 稱湯家軍，保衛聖駕安危。1279年2月厓山保衛戰失敗，陸秀夫背負8歲宋帝投水而死，南宋滅亡。湯國華終于元朝成宗延祐七年庚申，即公元1320年農歷三月初五，享年66歲，葬于大江鎮蠶山。國華湯公祠1927年重建，座落台山大江鎮福田村。「文化大革命」期間公祠受到嚴重破壞，於1973 年被折掉。在2005年重建。湯國華有六子，叫湯元伯、湯元明、湯元輔、湯元吉、湯元用、湯元德。

Gok Wah TONG, the fourth son of Meng Sin, born on 23rd August 1253 (9-11 p.m.) in Tongbin Village, Toishan County, Guangdong Province, China, moved to Fook Shan Village, Toishan County, as founder of a branch of Tongs. The Mongols under Kublai Khan attacked China during 1268-1279.  In January 1276,  the invaders commanded by Bayan captured the Southern Song capital (now Hangzhou). The Song Emperor Gungzhong surrendered. However, Chinese resistance continued under the leadership of loyal ministers such as Yi Chung Chan, Sai Kit Cheung and others, with Doon Zhong as the emperor. Gok Wah participated in the resistance and was appointed a provincial registrar (possibly in charge of supply) by the imperial court. In  March 1278, Doon Zhong died in Sinwui, and Sai Kit Cheung put Prince Wai, Chiu Bing, as the emperor and continued the resistance.  In June, the Song emperor retreated to Ngaai Shan Island 厓山, some 80 miles outside Sunwui and Sunwui became the provisional capital of the dying Song empire. Gok Wah raised a private army, called the Tong's army, and organised resistance and the protection of the young emperor in this area. In February, 1279, the Song army was defeated at a huge sea battle defending Ngaai Shan Island. Minister Sau Fu Luk drowned himself with the 8-year-old emperor on his back. Southern Song was conquered. Gok Wah died on 5th March 1320, aged 62. He was buried with his first wife in Deng Chung Chaam Mountain in (now) Dai Gong Town, Guangdong Province. There was a memorial temple in his honour, called Gok Wah Tong's Temple, in Fuk Tin Village,  Dai Gong Town, Toishan County, Guangdong Province,  which was rebuilt in 1927. The temple suffered serious damage during the Cultural Revolution and was demolished in 1973. In 2005, it was rebuilt with donations from descendants of Gok Wah.

 

Gok Wah married a Miss YAU (born on 11th June 1254, at 5-7 p.m. and died on 15th March 1300 aged 45), who bore him 5 sons. After her death Gok Wah married a Miss MAK (born on 23rd October 1259, at 7-9 p.m. and died on 15th August 1310, aged 50), who bore him one son, Yun Tak. Gok Wah was buried with his first wife at Deng Chung Chaam Mountain, Chan Bin district, Dai Gong Town and survived by six sons, Yun Baak, Yun Ming, Yun Gut, Yun Fu, Yun Yung and Yun Tak, who were settled separately at Lo Tong of Toishan, Gu Cheng and Goon Tin of Sunwui, Dong Koon and Heng Shan (Chung Shan), all in modern Guangdong Province.

 

（5）湯元用
廣東台山湯邊（羅塘）人, 湯國華五子。明洪武初年（1368〜）與子湯惟質遷居廣東新會古井北到（又稱：仕路、古魯)。

Yoon Yung TONG, the fifth son, born on 19th March 1297 in the Yuan Dynasty, married a Miss CHAN of Gu Pok Village (born on 28th May, 1298; died in May 1340, aged about 42).  He had three sons. He moved from Lo Tong of Toishan County to Saychung Village of Sunwui County, Mencheng Village of Ngzhou and Sunhing County in Yunping, Guangdong. He was buried with his wife in Siushi Hill, Waiyun Lane of Sunwui County  on 17th May 1343, aged 46.

（6）湯惟質
廣東台山湯邊（羅塘）人，湯元用子。與其父遷居廣東新會古井北到。(0)~(6) ,（9）和（18） 諸位的名字皆在廣州市中山五路桂香街中山書院內湯氏石碑上刻彫記下。（中山書院解放後被市政府拆幷入一間中學，但是中山別墅尚存。）

 

Wai Zat TONG, the eldes son of three, born in 1326 in the Yuan Dynasty, moved with his father from Tongbin Lane of Toishan to Gudou Sunwui and later to Saychung District in Gudou. He married a Miss WONG, after whose death he re-married a Miss Tam of Sintung (born in 1332 in the Yuan Dynasty; died on 1st October1400, aged 68), who bore him three sons. He died on 22nd March, 1394 in the Ming Dynasty, aged 68.

 

His name, as well as Toong's, Wo's, Yi Yum's and others, was carved in a stone in the Tong's Chungshan College at Gwai Heng Street, Chungshan 5th Avenue, Guangzhou, China.  (The college existed till its demolition by the Communist government of China after 1949 but its constituent villa still exists as of 2013. Tongs' descendants are applying to the government for its return to the Tong Clan. )

 

（7）湯英麟

（8）湯斯立

（9）湯和 

廣東新會古井北到（仕路、古魯）人。古井鄉䝨清軒公。天資聰慧，樸實憨厚，學富五年。明憲宗成化年（1465〜1487年）歲貢，另一說係明朝景泰年間（1450〜1456年）歲貢，授廣東瓊州定安縣知縣，多惠政，廉潔公正，深受百姓擁戴。後升任瓊州都銓。曹椽向其索賄，湯和說：「我祇飲定安一口水，安得常例錢哉？」遂拂袖拒而辭官，隨身僅有家禮二冊，章服一具。湯和解冠後，與新會白沙村的嶺南心學大師陳獻章同游，以半農半儒自娛。歸鄉後設帳授徒，為著名敎育家。曾收留一曾城少婦及其七月早產的嬰男。原來該少婦被其湛姓族人認為早產不貞，將母子放下小艇，放流河中，任其漂流，竟至新會上岸，趴至湯和家簷廊下 ，被湯和發現然後收飬。後來少婦在兒子未成年時，因過於累勞或過於鬱抑而死去。湯和悉心培育小孩，視為己出，更讓他以湯姓參加各種考試，並改變他的原名「逆水」為「若水」。後來若水學成官至尚書，萬分尊重湯和，稱他為誼父，並將湯和生平事跡上報朝庭。又據傳，廣州西關有一繁華地段叫九曲街，該街狹窄故得其名。該街因為生意十分旺盛，所以交通阻塞。有人建議將它拆改修直，以利交通。可能因為計劃未能照顧該街商戶的利益，所以反對人數眾多。當時適值湛若水尚書駐節廣州主政。人們求助已經隱居的湯和。湯和素性利群，慨允眾請。官差拆卸之日，端坐街口，恭候尚書駕到，竟然說服了尚書不拆。街坊額手稱讚，並自動籌集鉅資銀兩酬謝湯和，但是湯和歷來耿直，婉言拒收。從此九曲街一帶群眾有口皆碑。又據傳，湯和隱居仕路，被保舉崇祀鄉賢後，官府送來朝庭恩賜富有特別權力的竹柝一具，據說將此柝擊響，聞聲之地，即歸持柝者所有。湯和不做不仁之事，佔他人土地，於是馬上將柝丟入坑尾，以成全皇恩又不佔他人土地。從此蛇山坑，成為湯家產業。但自湯族於清康熙甲辰三年（1664年）遷居泗冲後，數百年來，亦未使用過該批土地。而該期間，該批土地的使用，則為鄰近的霞路趙姓，雖然湯族有清一代，數百年來，上交納國家土地賦稅，並無間斷，直到民國二十多年（1932〜年）方止。

 

Wo TONG, the eldest son of Si Laap TONG, was intelligent and hardworking. During the reign of Ging Tai（1450〜1456）of the Ming Dynasty, he passed the imperial examination and was selected as one of the annual (or tri-annual) quota of scholars supported by the imperial court to further their study at the empire's highest educational institution. Later, as recorded in two annals of the local town and county,  he was appointed Governor of the Ding On County 定安縣. He was much respected by the local people for his efficiency, fairness and honesty. Later, he was promoted to govern the modern equivalent of a province. An officer tried to bribe him. Wo replied, 'I only drink water at Ding On and not its money?' Disgusted, he resigned his post bringing with him two volumes on etiquette, one personal seal and one set of clothing.

 

Freed from government work, Wo often travelled the country with his friend from White Sand Village in Sunwui, Hincheung CHAN, who was a leading scholar in Southern China. He amused himself as a half-farmer-half-scholar and set up a school. He became a famous educationalist.

Once he gave shelter to a young woman and her premature baby boy of seven months old. She was married to the Zaam clan. Her relatives  regarded her premature baby as a sign of unfaithfulness and forcefully put the young mother and her premature baby into a boat, letting it take its course down the river.

Thus they were discovered by Wo when their boat landed in Sunwui and the lady crawled, with her baby, to Wo's house. Before the boy grew to adulthood, his mother died due to sadness and overwork. Wo took care of the boy, treating him like one of his own sons. He changed the boy's name from Yiksui (meaning against the flow of water) to Yurksui (meaning flow like water) and encouraged him to take all sorts of examination. Under the care of Wo, Yurksui was appointed to high positions, rising to the rank of a minister of state. Yurksui had great respect and affection for Wo, calling him his foster-father, and reported the latter's charitable act to the emperor.

 

According to another legend, in wester gate of Guangzhou there was a very busy street called the Nine Twisting Street for its narrow and numerous twists. The street was always so busy that traffic jams were commonplace. It was decided that the street should be widened. Unfortunately, no compensation was considered for the loss of business to the local shop-owners, which affected their livelihood, and the inconvience to the local residents. It so happened that Yerkshui was put in charge of the project, so people appealed to Wo for help. Wo agreed. On the day of demolition, Wo put himself at the head of the street. When Yerkshui arrived, Wo persuaded him to curtail the project, with success. He refused to accept any gift from the local people, who wanted to thank him. Ever since then, his name was known to all at the Nine Twisting Street.

 

Yet another folklore. After his resignation as a senior civil servant, he lived in Sunwui.  In response to the numerous pleads/recommendations from local dignitaries, the emperor bestowed a special bamboo pole to Wo. The pole authorized Wo to claim all land within hearing distance of the sound created by the banging of the pole. Wo had no intention of claiming other people's land, so he threw the pole into the bottom of the Snake Valley in order not to offend the emperor. Although the Snake Valley belonged to the Tong clan, the clan had never taken possession of the land since the settlement of its clansmen in Saichung Village in 1664.  The land was actually used by the neighbouring Chius in Haar Lou Village. The Tongs, however, continued to pay the necessary land duty till 1932.

 

（10）湯克仁

（11）湯鏞

（12）湯守正

（13）湯加傳

（14）湯騰耀

（15）湯建祥

（16）湯世啟

（17）湯次令

（18）湯以任 

廣東新會古井北到人。于清康熙甲辰三年（1664年）他很可能有份參加以湯國式後裔湯以亮為首的同輩創立泗冲村。該村位在新會座南向北的龜山尾。，其時原居地的劉姓人家遷往別處不久。湯姓後裔於乾隆36年（1771年）從這裡發展出仁和里和龍坑里。

Yi Yum TONG was the second of three sons of Chi Ling TONG.

 

In 1664, it was quite probable that he co-founded with Yi Leung TONG (descendant of Gok Sik TONG) Sai Chung Village, which is situated at the tail end of Tortois Mount which runs south-north in Sunwui. The Tongs moved there shortly after the Laus vacated the area. Starting from 1771, the Tongs development the area into Yunwo Lane and Loonghung Lane.

 

（19）湯紀千

（20）湯宗緒

（21）湯裔長

（22）湯因健

（23）湯義超

新會古井泗冲人。生於清朝晚期。年青時遠赴澳州謀生，後攜積蓄冋到泗冲仁和里買田購屋，聽說他曾經被推為村長。生四子二女，男叫定作、定盤、定偉、定？，女的不詳。

Chiu Yi TONG was the third of 5 sons of Yun Kin TONG. He went to Australia when he was young. He returned to China with his savings and bought houses and land in his village; he lived at Yun Wo Lane, Say Chung Village, Gu Cheng Town of Sunwui County, Guangdong Province. He had 4 sons and 2 daughters.

（24）湯定偉
新會古井泗冲鄉仁和里人。字位南。清末年生，很可能生于泗冲仁和里。其父在他身上投以鉅資，祈望他學業有成，登上仕途。本來聰明大有前途的他，因為受不了壞風氣的影響，自甘墮落，最終成了鴉片煙病鬼。據說他未墮落之前，曾參加鄉試，本來成功，但他貪錢，竟將成績賣給他人，說「我明年一定可以再成功嘛！」那知道政制的變遷，鄉試就在這一年後被廢除掉。他的夫人趙玉容因為痛心其丈夫的墮落，最後患上精神憂鬱症而終。定偉在二戰期間住在祖屋之一。不肖的他，因為煙癮，竟圖將大屋主樑拆賣。其子琪光力阻其所為，最後引到父子不和，打上官司。玉容生二男二女，叫榮光（關明）、尚珠（女）、心姫（女,又名慕貞）、淇光（關德）。

Ding Wai (Wai Nam) TONG, the youngest of 4 sons of Chiu Yi TONG, born in the dying days of the Ching Dynasty, was more fortunate than his siblings in that his father was able to invest much in his education, with savings from his time working in Australia. He was a clever young man; there was much expectation of a bright career. Unfortunately, fell into bad company and along with many his kinsmen he became addicted to opium. It was said that he took the annual county examination (possibly in 1904) and succeeded only to sell his results to others for opium money, saying, 'Don't worry. I'll take the examination next and will successful.' Little could he foresee the abolition of the 'civil service' examination system in 1905.

 

He married Yuk Yung CHIU of Haar Lo Village, Gu Cheng Town, Sunwui, Guangdong Province. She bore him three sons and two daughters. In her later life, she was very unhappy, disappointed with her husband and suffered from depression.

 

Before WW2, he often came to Hong Kong. He was then jobless and survived by begging his relatives. He sank so low that people who did not know him well, including his youngest son, Ki Kwong, thought that he was illiterate. Ki Kwong only realized that his father was a very learned man by chance. One day, Ki Kwong was crying. His father asked him what the matter was. On learning that it was  because the page of Chinese classics that Ki Kwong had to recite to his teacher the following morning had been eaten away by insects, he told his son, 'Get me a piece of page and a brush pen.' He then wrote a passage in exactly the same style and size as in the book and told his son to paste it to his book, saying, 'Learn this page by heart and you will be fine tomorrow.' Half believed, Ki Kwong had no choice! The following morning, he was much relieved when he did not receive any caning while he was reciting the replaced page! Another day, he returned home and heard some Chinese music. He was so amzed to see his father was one of the musicians and the others were all professional musicians. Ding Wai's eldest son once directed the compiler of this tree  to a 3'x5' silk plate in red bearing two Chinese characters, which were the alias given to him when he came of age-an ancient Chinse custom. (Almost all Chinese men before 1911 had at least two names, one given at birth and another when he came of age. Aliases are the names to be used in their daily business with the names at birth only known to their immediate families.) He pointed out that those two characters were written by his father with a brush pen designed for Chinese characters of much smaller size; Ding Wai had pawned all his large brush pens! Ding Wai went to Sunwui with his youngest son, Ki Kwong, in 1940. His opium addiction was so bad that one day he wanted to sell a large structural hardwood beam of the ancestral home. Ki Kwong wanted to prevent him from doing so. The father and son argued, ending up in court.

 

Ding Wai died in Sunwui in 1941 after he caught sunstroke. He seemed to realize that he was dying because he told his son, Ki Kwong, that there was no need to call a doctor. He  was survived by

 

Wing Kwong, Sheung Zu, Sum Kay and Ki Kwong. The other son, Ming Suen, had been adopted by his uncle.

（25-4) 湯琪光
新會古井鎭泗冲鄉仁和里後裔。字關德，湯定偉二子。1920年11月16日生于香港。為人善良耿直，勤奮好學，性頗聰敏， 身手敏捷過人，尤善書法，西洋交際舞亦無師自通。性格善於應付新環境和新挑戰，但不善生意經濟之道。慨慷好客，不諳城府之術，故往往容易受他人古惑以損己。自少喜愛武術，以為健身。娶新會李氏，生家豪、家驥、璧瑜、家強、寶瑜。

Ki Kwong, alias Kwan Tak, was born in Hong Kong on 16th November, 1920. He was a kind and upright person. Slight in stature, he hated bullies from a very young age. Industrious and moderately clever,  he was  especially gifted in Chinese calligraphy and martial arts. He taught himself ballroom dancing, which he regarded as another form of Taichi. He was sociable and friendly. After inintial setbacks, he became good  at adapting himself to new environments and tackling new challengess, but had a poor head for business. Generous but unskilled in detecting trickeries, he was often the victim.

 

Ki Kwong died on 19th March 2002, aged 81. He was survived by his wife and 5 children (3 sons, and 2 daughters), Howell (1944), Keith (1946), Pik Yu (1947), Kenneth (1949) and Po Yu (1953).