Mr. Chen Jiageng
After 1926, Chen Jiageng's economic strength began to decline due to economic crises and other reasons, but his social prestige increased day by day. In the 1920s, as a member of the two major overseas Chinese associations of the Hokkien Guild hall and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Tan Kah Kee hoped to establish a more representative new organization that could unify the leadership of the affairs of all expatriates in Singapore and Malaysia. To this end, he published an article in nanyang business daily, proposing to change the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce into the Chinese Association. He pointed out: "Today, when the revolution of the motherland is successful (referring to the establishment of the National Government in Nanjing), at the beginning of construction, Pepsi Restoration. Overseas Chinese should also take advantage of the time to rise up and make great unity in an organized and orderly manner. On the one hand, it strictly abides by local laws and expresses the civilization of the Chinese people, and on the other hand, it creates public utilities and is fortunate for the welfare of overseas Chinese. ”
In the article, he also put forward suggestions on the allocation of staff quotas and the construction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, but the conservative Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce rejected Tan Kah Kee's proposal. In 1928, Chen Jiageng was elected president of the Fujian Guild Hall. Under the leadership of Chen Jiageng, the Fujian Guild Hall has become a large community of overseas Chinese with strong cohesion and strong combat effectiveness, and Chen Jiageng's leadership position among overseas Chinese has also been greatly strengthened.
In 1928, in order to preemptively control Jinan, three Japanese infantry squadrons invaded Jinan on April 20, building fortifications on various roads in the city, picking quarrels and shooting, killing many Chinese soldiers and civilians. On May 3, Japan launched a large-scale military offensive against the garrison of the Kuomintang Northern Expeditionary Army, and committed adultery and plunder in Jinan. On May 3 alone, more than a thousand Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed by Japan. Cai Gongshi, a special negotiator of the Nationalist government, was also brutally killed after being destroyed by all kinds, and the entourage escaped only once. This is the Jinan massacre that shocked China and foreign countries.
When the news reached Nanyang, the crowd was indignant, and Chen Jiageng came forward to lead the "Shandong Disaster Relief Association", and he delivered an impassioned speech at the conference: "Zha Shandong is unfortunate, the guest years have suffered natural disasters, millions of refugees, no food and no clothes, and the misery is indescribable. Although the distant neighbor of the United States has raised 10 million yuan to fund disaster relief... Although Japan is adjacent to our country... And never heard of him donating a penny to relief a grain of rice. Now and further, invading our sovereignty and killing my countrymen... Its ambitions are fierce, sinister and arbitrary, which is unprecedented in the world. Although our country is weak today, the hearts of the people are not dead, and the axioms still exist, and they will be treated equally. ”
This was the first time that Chen Jiageng stood up and led overseas Chinese to carry out political campaigns. Under his leadership, the "Shandong Disaster Relief Association" was established for more than 9 months, raising a total of 1.17 million yuan, most of which was transferred to the Nanjing government, and some of it was used to help Cai Gongshi's family. The length of this campaign and the extent of the mobilization of the population are unprecedented in the entire history of Singapore. For the first time, the new and Ma overseas Chinese, regardless of ethnic group, regardless of provincial nationality, regardless of class, enthusiastically donated money under the propaganda of Chen Jiageng and the colleagues who raised relief.
Overseas Chinese in Singapore not only actively participated in the fundraising activities, but also enthusiastically launched a boycott of Japanese goods. During this time, the trade between overseas Chinese in Singapore and Japan was almost completely cut off, and the clinics, barber shops, and shops opened by Japanese overseas Chinese in Singapore could not see the figure of overseas Chinese. This caused hatred by the Japanese government, not only Chen Jiageng himself was on the blacklist of the Japanese, but the Japanese government also organized and planned the use of price reduction or dumping methods to carry out vicious competition with overseas Chinese enterprises in various industries such as rubber, sugar, tin, iron, and hemp, and Chen Jiageng's own rubber factory was set on fire and burned, with a loss of up to 500,000 yuan. This act was unanimously seen as retaliation by the Japanese.
In 1929, the "Tanaka Fold" was promulgated, and Japan's militarist ambitions were revealed to the world. Chen Jiageng was convinced that this was a great exposure of Japan's militarism to China's aggressive ambitions, and in order to expose japan's conspiracy and arouse the patriotic enthusiasm of overseas Chinese, he printed 5,000 copies of Tanaka's music at his own expense and distributed them among overseas Chinese. This attracted the attention of the British colonial authorities in Singapore at the time, who warned Tan Kah-kee: "The Executive Council, taking into account the behavior of some Chinese leaders associated with the Shandong Relief Society, has decided to write to Mr. Tan Kah Kee to remind him that his actions have been noted by the Governor-General, and that if there are similar acts in the future, he will face serious consequences." ”
The British colonial authorities did not frighten Chen Jiageng, and the country was in trouble, and he had long put his personal safety aside. Although he had been granted British citizenship by the colonial authorities, he always considered himself an authentic Chinese. It was during this period that Chen Jiageng began to transform from a legendary businessman to a leader who dared to take responsibility and took the world as his responsibility.
In 1931, after the "918 Incident", Chen Jiageng changed the Chinese newspaper Nanyang Shang Bao, which he founded in 1923, from a noon newspaper to a morning newspaper, in order to report the war in China to readers all over Singapore and Malaysia at the first time. After the "July 7 Incident", this newspaper became the center of public opinion and spiritual guide for the anti-Japanese activities of overseas Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia.
On July 7, 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident, which occurred outside Wanping City, broke out. Chen Jiageng learned of the Japanese attack on the Lugou Bridge from his son Chen Guoqing, and he reacted calmly, but he really did not expect that this conflict would soon turn into a long-term war between China and Japan.
Under the call of Chen Jiageng, the vast number of overseas Chinese in Nanyang rose up to resist Japan and save the motherland
With the rapid expansion of the war in North China, the overseas Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia were indignant and the anti-Japanese sentiment was high, and they called the Nanjing government one after another to urge Chiang Kai-shek to resist the war. Overseas Chinese in Nanyang have set up anti-Japanese rescue groups one after another to pool funds to help the wounded soldiers and refugees of the motherland. Some overseas Chinese leaders asked Chen Jiageng to come forward to lead the fundraising matters, but Chen Jiageng's attitude was very calm, he believed that "the war has not yet been revealed, if it can be stopped, there is no need to raise funds; if a war is started, it is related to the survival of the country and the nation, the incident is extremely serious, and the meeting to raise funds should be quite planned, and it is not appropriate to rush and take it lightly." Words must be believed, deeds must be fruitful, is Chen Jiageng's character.
The war continues to expand. On August 13, 1937, the Japanese launched a major attack on Shanghai, and the Chinese defenders rose up to resist. Chen Jiageng realized that the moment of life and death of the Chinese nation had finally arrived. Famous Singaporean overseas Chinese leaders Ip Yuk Dui, Li Juncheng, Tan Yanqian, Zhou Xianrui, Li Guangqian, Chen Liuling and others persuaded Tan Kah Kee to come forward to lead the singapore horse relief work, but Tan Ka Kee did not agree because he thought he had quit the business world. However, these overseas Chinese leaders all believed that Chen Jiageng's prestige at this time was higher than before, and many people in the business community had been promoted and cultivated by Chen Jiageng, and he was the most suitable person to lead the anti-Japanese salvation movement.
Chen Jiageng and other overseas Chinese leaders were also worried that the British authorities in Singapore would hinder their patriotic behavior, but since Japan's all-out war of aggression against China directly affected British interests in China, the Singapore Department of Chinese Affairs and the British Governor in Singapore quickly agreed that Tan Kah-geng would lead the affairs of the Singapore Relief Society. Subsequently, Tan Kah Kee was successively elected as the interim chairman of the Singapore Relief Association and the chairman of the Malaysian and Singapore Overseas Chinese Relief Committee for The Refugees of wounded soldiers in the motherland.
After becoming chairman, Chen Jiageng took the lead in donating money, taking the initiative to say that he would donate 2,000 yuan per month until the end of the war. Overseas Chinese leaders also generously donated money to give the people a good start, so that the relief campaign quickly began in various parts of Singapore and Malaysia. Chen Jiageng led the fundraising meeting to complete the task of raising 500 million yuan of national salvation bonds issued by the Nanjing government in just over two months. In a letter to Mr. Chen Cunmu, he said: "At the last moment of the life of this nation, Yu Wei hates that there are no millions of funds now, otherwise he will also buy all the bonds for the salvation of the country, and he will not hesitate."
The Anti-Japanese Salvation Movement greatly increased the enthusiasm of overseas Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia to participate in politics, and people formed an unprecedented cohesion under the leadership of the Relief Committee chaired by Chen Jiageng. Chen Jiageng also won the respect of the Kuomintang, Communists, and overseas Chinese social groups. But he wanted to establish a larger community organization to fully lead the charity fundraising and anti-Japanese salvation movement of overseas Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia.
On October 10, 1938, more than 160 representatives of more than 40 patriotic groups from all over Nanyang gathered at the Overseas Chinese Secondary School in Singapore to announce the establishment of the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Relief Of The Motherland Refugee Association", referred to as the "South Overseas Chinese Association", and Chen Jiageng was elected as the chairman.
The Association of Overseas Chinese in Nanyang calls on overseas Chinese in Nanyang to "do their best, do their best, self-encouragement, self-encouragement, enthusiasm and generosity, and contribute to the country!" "The birth of the Association of Overseas Chinese in Nanyang is a major event in the history of overseas Chinese in Nanyang, and it marks the formation of a situation of patriotic unity among overseas Chinese under the banner of anti-Japanese resistance.
Under the leadership of the Association of Overseas Chinese in The South China, the Nanyang Anti-Japanese Salvation Group mushroomed and increased to more than 700 on the eve of the outbreak of the Pacific War. They carried out a variety of anti-Japanese rescue activities, of which the most prominent achievements were fundraising. In 1938 and 1939 alone, the local branches of the Association of Overseas Chinese raised a total of more than 140 million yuan, accounting for 70% of the total donations of overseas Chinese in the same period, and were remitted back to the motherland to support the needs of the War of Resistance in a timely manner.
Overseas Chinese in Nanyang not only donated money, but also actively donated clothing needed for the War of Resistance. The Association of Overseas Chinese donated 200 cars of various kinds, and the Overseas Chinese in the Philippines donated 15 aircraft in the National Salvation Movement around the world, named "Philippine Overseas Chinese Aircraft Fleet". (Authors: Li Gongzi, Chen Chen.) Published by China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese magazine "Inside and Overseas")