Sham Tseng was once a prosperous small community. It was home to numerous factories and shops, as well as a sizeable Chaoshanese population.
Yiu Chi-ming, President of the Sham Tseng Chiu Chow Kaifong Welfare Association, remembers that the manager of the former brewery, Mr Waller, was on especially good terms with the Chaoshanese of Sham Tseng. He not only arranged for them to work at the brewery, but also enthusiastically supported them in holding the Yu Lan Ghost Festival. He even donated a piece of land to them so that they could build a clubhouse.
Unfortunately, as the times changed, the Chaoshanese of Sham Tseng gradually moved away, causing the clubhouse to fall into disrepair. Consequently, a group of second-generation Chaoshanese residents raised funds to renovate it. Yiu Chi-ming’s younger brother, Yiu Chi-kit, remembers that a fellow Chaoshanese man who ran a small business unexpectedly donated $30,000 towards the project. He was deeply moved by this gesture.
Yiu Chi-ming’s biggest wish is to revitalise Sham Tseng. Someone has partly realised this wish on his behalf in recent years. Hui Pak-kin, a Chaoshan dialect and culture teacher, has rented the building of the now defunct Sham Tseng Trade Association which had been left vacant for quite some time. He has revitalised it into a Chaoshanese tea parlour to promote the culture of his ancestral home.
The Sham Tseng Chiu Chow Kaifong Welfare Association celebrates the birthday of the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, and also holds an elderly appreciation event on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year annually. In addition to promoting Chaoshanese culture, the festivities also pay tribute to the previous generation of Sham Tseng Chaoshanese.
