Zhao Yu Memorial / 趙煜墓園.
Location:-Kuala Lumpur Kwong Tong Cemetery / 吉隆坡广东义山.
I came to know about this grave on my evening visits. And decided to do a bit of research on who this huge grave belong too. And upon doing some searches, I discover that this person is a trusted allied and a close friend cum relative of the late Kapitan Yap ah Loy / 葉亞來. He is also made in charge of business affairs and as a secretary in Yap ah Loy’s administration. This grave/memorial is a stone throw away from Yap’s grave, that shows how good buddies they were back then.
Zhao Yu / 趙煜 also knowns as Chew Yoke, Chew Yeok, Chiew Yoke, from GuangDong Taishan Lonxi Village / 广东台山龙溪村.
Born in 1843, Zhao Yu is naturally talented and smart with a high ambitions. He received his childhood education from private tutors but his family was poor and couldn’t fulfill his ambitions. So at the age of 17, he along with his brothers came to Malaya. He first worked in Penang for a brief period and later moved to Taiping to work as a tin miner.
In the early 1860s, Tin mine were discovered in many places of Selangor. When Zhao Yu heard the news, he was very excited and driven by this news of great development, he moved to Selangor. In search of rich tin ore, he arrive at Sungai Puteh mines and later to richer mines in Klang. He seek many old friends from Taiping and Penang to co-operate and to become shareholders in his ventures.
In 1868 a Civil war broke out in Selangor and Klang suffered the worst damage. Much of Zhao Yu’s mines were also destroyed in that war. It was during this time he met Yap Ah Loy, which in turn became a transition point in his life journey. He assisted Yap in solving problems that arise during the civil war. Then on, he became a close ally and relative to Yap Ah Loy.
It was after the civil war that Zhao Yu’s career began to smooth sail. His business grew tremendously and he owned one of the largest mines within the state of the Selangor.
When the Selangor government decided to build a railway line from Klang town to Kuala Lumpur in 1883, there were an issue of shortage in laborers . Zhao Yu decided to transfer few hundred miners from his rich mines to help complete the rail line construction.
In 1887 Zhao Yu along with others form the Selangor Kwong Siew association. He donated generously a piece of land to use as the association premises and loaned out an amount of RM 9,000.00 + to the association for operating expenses.
Much of his deed is written on an engraved marble by the memorial. He even help in the building and funding of this Kwang Tung Cemetary too.
Zhao Yu passes away in 1892 at the age of 50.
I found a site that says he passes away on 11 月2 日. A conversion from the lunar date would be Dec 20th. Or maybe it’s 2nd November after all.
Below:- Engraved here are list of Zhao Yu’s philanthropic deeds during his lifetime.
My Time – my.72dragon.com – A web blog cataloging chinese temples in malaysia / 記錄馬來西亞廟宇文化.
