Tai Thean Khew Circus - Mr Sun Si Ting (Bukit Brown)

Mr Sun Si Ting (孙锡亭) passed away at the age of 61 in 1944. What caught my eye was the inscription in English that states that he was the owner of Tai Thian Kew Circus, Nanking China. On the tomb are inscribed the following:

Tombstone of Mr. Sun Si Ting, Proprietor of Tai Thian Kew Circus. Nangking China.

Erected by his sorrowful sons, Thian Chok and San Keng. Daughters, San Pow and See Eng

sons-in laws, Peng Sang, Su Pai and Grandsons, Ming Chuan and Ming Lee

Year died 10th day of the 4th moon 33 year of the Chinese Republic.

Sun Si Ting

Sun Si Ting of Tai Thean Kew Circus

I do not have much information about Sun Si Ting in his earlier years other than he was a textile merchant, but there were accounts from the book, "Life Beyond the Big Top" of Sun Si Ting (a widower) meeting Cheng Kao Shih (Gao Er-Gu), by then a widow in China in 1910 and they became partners and companions. Sun Si Ting adopted her children and family as her own. Madam Cheng Kao Shih (her name is referred as Gao Er-Gu in the book Life Beyond the Big Top) was descended from a long line of female acrobats and with their union both Sun Si Ting and Cheng Kao Shih became founders of the Tai Thean Kew All Female Acrobatic Troupe. It was so successful that they expanded the troupe to include animals and other performances, taking on the new name of Tai Then Kew All Female Circus in 1925.

In the chinese newspaper article the story is slightly different, but what is sure, both are the founders of Tai Thean Kew Chinese Circus.

沈奶奶 - Cheng Kao Shih (Gao Er-Gu)

Madam Cheng Kao Shih

MadameCheng Kao Shin passed away on 28 September 1948.

From China to Singapore

Seeing a huge market gap and the growing wealth in Nanyang (South Seas or Southeast Asian region were the Chinese migrants settled and became prosperous), in 1932 moved the family from China to Singapore and chose Teluk Kurau area as their home and place of business. The circus continue to expand, doubling from the initial 50 artist and also included male performers. In 1934, the name was changed to - Tai Thean Kew Chinese Circus.

The split - Tai Thean Kew and Cheng Fu Circus

One of the key male performer of this circus was Sheum Cheng Fook ( 沈常福 / Shen Chang Fu). He was Madam Cheng Kao Shih son from a previous marriage. Sheum Cheng Fook sought permission from his mother and stepfather to allow him to set-up his own circus. Both gave their blessing and from there was born another famous circus troupe, Chang Fu Circus or also known as Sheum's Circus. Half of the troupe from Tai Thean Kew went over over with him including his biological sisters and her daughters. Both troupe as we know it, continue to co-exist post war.

In the early 1930's , Sun San Bao (Sun San Pow), the third adopted daughter of Sun Si Ting and Cheng Kao Shih married Sze Bing Shen (Sze Peng Sang), who was then the ticket circus boy who became Sun Si Ting business apprentice. Sun San Bao retired early from her circus acrobatic career. She promised that her first-born female daughter will join the circus troupe. That child was Sze Ling Fan (grandmother of Adele Wong -author of the book Life Beyond the Big Top who contributed many photographs and her own oral account of the family story). Sze Ling Fen was born in 1934 and join the circus troupe on her 6th birthday on September 1940.

Surviving the Japanese Occupation.

Sun Si Ting decided to disband the circus with the fall of Singapore and split the circus family up and sent them across to Malaya to take refugee and increase the chances of survival. Heart broken, he didn't survive to see the Japanese surrender but made his children and son-in-law promise to rebuild his legacy.

Tai Thean Kew Circus in action post war

After the war, son-in-law, Sze Bing Shen (Sze Peng Sang) gathered those who he can find and from the hose of his mother-in-law (Madam Cheng Kao Shih) house in Teluk Kurau set in motion for the revival under the new name that we are all familiar with today - Tai Thean Kew Circus. It started with small performances and it took 2 years to gather all the equipment to launch the proper circus.

In the registrar of business dated 17 August 1948, the proprietors of this circus troupe were;

Sze Peng Sang
Young Su Pak
Sun Thean Chok
Sun Seong Keng

Another valuable insight was the address of the home in Teluk Kurau - 78 Teluk Kurau Road.

While skimming through the old paper archives i discovered, interestingly enough, that this circus donated a lion to the "new Johore zoo" in 1965 indicating probably its shows traveled beyond Singapore and covered Malaysia as well. In fact after reading through various sources, this circus troupe has traveled widely beyond this shores to include China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.