One of the first villages with a significant Ann Kway population was Hong Kah Village. The name of the village comes from the Hokkien and Teochew term for "bestowing a religion" which was also the colloquial name for Chinese Christians. In 1876, a Chinese Christian convert, Tay Hong Seng contributed 3 acres of land for a church at the 11th milestone. St. John's Church was completed in 1884 and consecrated and dedicated under the name of St. John on 4 February 1884. It held services in Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka. According to oral account , the village was established when parishioners approach the Church pastor who applied to the colonial land bureau and was granted 60 acres of land and 10 families established what was known as "Hong Kah Choon" (Christian Village in Teochew and Hokkien dialect). An 1890 article mentions the mission in Jurong is stable and growing owning to the Christian population that cultivates the soil in that area.
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| source: Jurong Heritage Trail |
From the digitised map of National University of Singapore, i did an overlay of the 1983 and present 2021 map. From there you can make out the location of a Church / Chapel. With the Tengah Estate and HDB development taking place, it will be a matter of time this place disappears and be truly forgotten.
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| Location of St. John's Church (1983 overlay with 2021 OpenStreetMap) |
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| 1914 Mass schedule for St. John's Church, Jurong |
The Church is no longer there, but the concrete steps that lead up to the chapel still remains and on its grounds is a cemetery with some tombs remaining. One of the exhumed tombs even have the name of the tomb mason that constructed the tomb (Lim Choon Seng of 81 Selegie Road). The Anglican church has moved to Farrer Road and is known today as St. John's Chapel at 111 Farrer Road.
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| 105 steps leading to the church |
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| Tomb of Ng Ah Yam (died 23 September 1944) |
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| Christian Tomb |
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| Tomb remnants of Madam Chng Eng Tiew (1890-1957) |
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| Tomb Mason - Lim Choon Seng 81 Selegie Road Singapore |
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| Teochew tomb |
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| "Forest Town" - Tengah HDB coming up just beyond the hill |
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| A beautiful stream that runs along Old Jurong Road. |
References
Former Hong Kah Village. (website). Roots
St. Andrew's Mission. (1890, April 8). Straits Times Weekly Issue, page 1
Advertisement. (1914, August 1). Malaya Tribune, page 5
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