Coming home - Part 4

[Above: Fu-Ling Tample in LuKang鹿港福靈宮]

Were there Taiwanese in Penang in the late 1700s? It appears so. Fung-yin provided one fairly prominent example:

"。。。居同安白礁（今属龙海县，早属泉州，清末民初属厦门）。元朝至正年间（公元1341年），十九世孙辜志明由白礁迁泉州打锡巷。志明九世孙辜旺于明崇祯（1628年）由泉州迁惠安洋埔，是为惠安辜氏一世公。旺之六世孙邦变（洋埔三房）于清乾隆初年移居惠安上坂（昔称象坂）东村，蕃衍生息：长子水英、次子尚、三子宗。辜宗于乾隆四十年（公元1775年）趁开海禁携眷赴台谋生，择居鹿港。辜宗四子之一辜礼欢又赴马来西亚槟榔屿拓展，为英属马来西亚首任甲必丹（地方首领）。辜礼欢生八子三女，其子之一辜安平自小送回国内读书。中进士后，为林则徐幕僚，后调任台湾并定居鹿港。安平之孙辜显荣为台湾巨富，被誉为“百年昌盛家族”。辜显荣即是辜振甫之父。安平胞兄弟龙池之孙为辜鸿铭，故辜振甫称辜鸿铭为“鸿铭伯”。上坂辜氏，历经坎坷， 以小手艺谋生，又属小姓，旧时怕受欺凌，曾一度恢复林姓。1952年又复辜姓。"

In short, a Gu family member, 辜宗, migrated to Taiwan in 1775 and settled in LuKang. One of 辜宗's four sons, 辜礼欢 then moved south to Penang to seek and in fact found more fortune. He became the first Kapitan of the British Malaya and raised a large family with 8 sons and 3 daughters. One of them 辜安平 was sent back to China to study who eventually returned to LuKang. And in 1895, one of his grandsons 辜顯榮 (1866－1937) invited the Japanese invading force to enter Taipei to keep peace as Taipei was then being looted by the retreating Qing soldiers. In return, the Japanese rewarded him with various trading rights. Gu became immensely wealthy as a result. And this branch continues on, active in Taiwan banking and commerce to this day. It is, however, unclear as to the fate of the branch in Penang, most likely as wealthy and influential as the Taiwan branch. In stark contrast, those who stayed behind in China did not fare so well.

It should be noted that LuKang was the stronghold of 洪門天地會Hong-Men Heaven and Earth Society rebels led by Lin Shuang-Wen林爽文 (1756-1788). The 福靈宮 (pictured above) honors one of Lin's generals, Wang Shun平海大將軍“王勳”.

The activities of 洪門天地會 in Penang, reported by the British Admin in 1799, now appears a matter of course.