許成溪 - Koh Cheng Khee (Lao Sua)

This unique headstone was found in Lao Sua. Let's go through the inscription first and then the theory behind its design that makes it a unique find. 

許成溪墓/ Tomb of Mr. Koh Cheng Khee

Using Gemini AI assistance.

Ancestral Origin

金門 (Kinmen / Quemoy)

後浦 (Houpu)

Meaning: This identifies the ancestral hometown of the deceased as Houpu, Kinmen (an island group off the coast of Fujian, China, which was a very common place of origin for early Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia).

Main Inscription 

許成溪墓

Tomb of Mr. Koh Cheng Khee (or Xu Chengxi in Mandarin pinyin).

許 (Koh / Xu): The family surname. In the Hokkien dialect, it is commonly spelled as Koh or Khoo.

成溪 (Cheng Khee / Chengxi): The given name.

墓 (Tomb / Grave): Indicates that this is the resting place of the individual.

This specific stone's highly elongated, slender neck and rounded crown have similar characteristics of a Southeast Asian flat-style batu nisan. Because the characters explicitly name a Chinese man from Kinmen (Mr. Koh Cheng Khee), this is an "enigma stone" for me. My theory is that Chinese tombstone carvers which operated workshops nearby Kheam Hock Road made tombstones for all communities, meaning they were highly familiar with both Muslim and Chinese designs. This may have been a blank batu nisan template that was repurposed.

Location of tomb

8RJF+PQP Singapore