The Province Wellesley Taochiews not only played a big part in the 14 years of Larut war. They not only asserted their presence in Penang by contributing towards to building of the Guangdong Theng cemetery by contributing collectively $234 Spanish dollars).
The Province Wellesley Taochiews( Pronounced Teochew or Taochew or Teochiew but not tau cheong) were involved in the political intrigues of Johore during the reign of Sultan All ibni Sultan Husain Syah in 1844.
Malaysian Chinese History and Relic Survey (MCHRS) deputy director Ong Seng Huat went further to say that in 1860's they expanded from Province Wellesley to Perak.
Owning over 20,000 hectares of land, the Province Wellesley Taochiews growing sugar cane and have an employment of not less than 9,000 workers.
Source from Xiao organization on preserving cultures in Malaysia. Look at Xiao En magazine, Cultural Conservation, A formidable Community.
"Tai Pu, which was once known as Ghee Aun, was regarded as the hometown of the Teochews during the reign of Qin emperor Shih Huang Ti," Ong said.
By the early 1736, an estimated 1.5 million Teochews had left their homes from Cheng Hai, Tai Pu, and Zhou An to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia.
Cheng Hai and Zhou An, located at the river mouth of the Han Chiang River, are well-known sugar cane-producing areas since the Qin Dynasty (255BC-206BC).
In 1844, the Taochiew dominated the Ghee Hin secret society which played an important role in shaping the outcome of Johor's history.
The society was entangled in the web of intricate power politics involving Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim and Sultan Au ibni Sultan Husain Syah.
That year, Ibrahim had attracted the Teochews to settle in Johor by giving them land to develop under the Kang Chu system.
The same year, the Teochews in the Ghee Hin secret society under Tan Kai Soon backed Ibrahim against his political enemies.
Subsequently with Ghee Hin's support, Ibrahim was appointed by the Sultan to be the minister in charge of police. There was no mention of Khaw Boo Aun Ghee Hin backing in the Johore intricate political power struggle.
Tan was later appointed as the top police official of Johor. In March 1855, with the support of the 400-strong Ghee Hin members, Ibrahim founded Johor Baru. "In that year, Sultan Ali also surrendered his powers to Ibrahim", Ong said.
Photos courtesy from David Teoh, text of my forefathers are gathered from some yesteryears Chinese Media with the compliments from David Teoh. 1876 Historical Personalities of Penang.
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