Newspaper mentions (2024 - Heng San Teng Boundary Marker)

2024 ended with an icing on the cake, with another newspaper mention of us and this time is with regards to a boundary marker that was accidentally discovered by Raymond Goh when we were exploring Kopi Sua on 14 December 2024 in search of tombs based on request on descendants.

Heng San Teng Boundary Marker / 恒山亭界碑

Chinese text of the Zabao article:

本地寻墓小组在咖啡山发现约有百余年历史的“恒山亭”界碑，历史学者认为这个界碑提供珍贵的实物史料，证明恒山亭曾搬迁到大巴窑一带。
寻墓者吴安全（60岁）与另外三人上星期六（12月14日）在惠德里路（Whitley Road）附近一带的咖啡山寻墓时，无意间发现了一个刻着“恒山亭界”字眼的界碑。由于附近最古老的墓碑立于1890年，他推测这个界碑至少有130多年的历史，相信惠德里路一带的坟山属于大巴窑新恒山亭的管辖范围。
“当时我们受人委托来这里寻找几个墓碑，走了一个多小时的路程，突然发现有一处看起来不像是墓碑的石碑，走近隐约看到恒山二字，再撒上一些面粉才看清刻在碑上的字。其实，我们好几次来这座坟山都没有发现这个界碑，在杂草丛生的情况下，这次能够发现它真的很幸运。”
咖啡山指的是靠近泛岛高速公路的快乐山路（Mount Pleasant Road）和安莱盖路（Onraet Road）那片坟山过去是福建会馆产业；惠德里路一带被高速公路隔开的一小片坟山也属于原本的咖啡山。
恒山亭是我国历史最悠久华人古庙之一
恒山亭是我国历史最悠久的华人古庙之一，至少在1828年前已建成，是我国开埠初期福建社群的最高领导机构。福建人创办恒山亭，主要负责办理乡侨的丧葬，管理福建坟山。正规的福建人聚会、议事，也都在恒山亭举行。
受访本地历史学者柯木林指出，1890年代，原址位于石叻路（今惹兰红山）的恒山亭坟山满额后，福建会馆便另寻新址，包括位于中峇鲁、大巴窑，以及武吉布朗一带的墓地，是为新恒山亭。
吴安全说：“以前我们在武吉布朗附近见过的三个界碑只是刻有‘恒山亭’，这次还是第一次看到这样高，并刻有‘恒山亭界’的界碑。这个新界碑证明了惠德里路这一片坟地当时属于恒山亭的管辖范围，也有可能是这片坟山的一个起点。”
这个界碑约高一米，长约25公分；其他三个较小的界碑则分布在武吉布朗坟场附近。
证明恒山亭从原址迁到大巴窑一带历史
柯木林说，界碑的作用在于标明领地的范围，如今它作为一个文物，证明了恒山亭从原址迁到大巴窑一带的历史，是珍贵的实物史料。
他说：“作为历史研究，除了文献资料之外，最重要的就是实物史料。这为历史学者提供了研究恒山亭一个珍贵的实物史料，从这里可以看出恒山亭历史的变迁，以及当时新加坡在土地利用方面的一些情况。”

Translated text (using AI)

Local heritage enthusiasts discovered a century-old "Heng San Teng" boundary stone on Kopi Sua. Historical scholars believe this boundary stone provides valuable physical historical evidence proving that Heng San Teng once relocated to the Toa Payoh area.
Tomb researcher Raymond Goh (60) and three others were searching for tombs on Kopi Sua near Whitley Road last Saturday (December 14) when they accidentally discovered a boundary stone inscribed with "Heng San Teng Boundary." Since the oldest tombstone in the area dates back to 1890, he estimates this boundary stone is at least 130 years old and believes the burial grounds around Whitley Road were under the jurisdiction of the new Heng San Teng in Toa Payoh.

"At the time, we were helping descendants to find several tombstones here. After walking for over an hour, we suddenly discovered a stone marker that didn't look like a tombstone. Upon approaching it, we faintly saw the characters for 'Heng San,' and after sprinkling some flour, we could clearly see the inscription. Actually, we had visited this burial ground several times before but never discovered this boundary stone. Finding it among the overgrown grass this time was really fortunate."

Kopi Sua refers to the burial grounds near the Pan-Island Expressway at Mount Pleasant Road and Onraet Road, which was previously property of the Hokkien Huay Kuan; a small section of burial ground separated by the expressway near Whitley Road was also part of the original Kopi Sua.

Heng San Teng is one of Singapore's oldest Chinese temples, established before 1828, and was the highest governing body for the Hokkien community during Singapore's early settlement. Founded by Hokkiens, it was mainly responsible for handling funeral matters of fellow provincials and managing Hokkien burial grounds. Formal Hokkien gatherings and meetings were also held at Heng San Teng.
Local historian Kua Bak Lim notes that in the 1890s, after the original Heng San Teng burial ground on Serangoon Road (now Jalan Hong Shan) reached capacity, the Hokkien Huay Kuan sought new sites, including areas in Tiong Bahru, Toa Payoh, and Bukit Brown, which became the new Heng San Teng.

"Previously, we had seen three boundary stones near Bukit Brown that were only inscribed with 'Heng San Teng,' but this is the first time we've seen such a tall boundary stone inscribed with 'Heng San Teng Boundary,' said Raymond. "This new boundary stone proves that the burial grounds around Whitley Road were under Heng San Teng's jurisdiction and might have been the starting point of this burial ground."

The boundary stone is approximately one meter tall and 25 centimeters long; the other three smaller boundary stones are distributed near the Bukit Brown Cemetery. Kua explains that boundary stones were used to mark territory boundaries. Today, as an artifact, it proves the historical relocation of Heng San Teng from its original site to the Toa Payoh area, making it valuable physical historical evidence.
He adds, "In historical research, besides documentary sources, physical historical evidence is most important. This provides historians with valuable physical evidence for studying Heng San Teng, revealing both the historical changes of Heng San Teng and Singapore's land use patterns during that period."