Hsu Yun Tsiao

Hsu Yun Tsiao (Chinese: 許雲樵; pinyin: Xǔ Yúnqiáo; birth name Chinese: 許鈺; pinyin: Xǔ Yù; 1905 – 17 November 1981) was a scholar of Overseas Chinese and Southeast Asian history.

Hsu Yun Tsiao
許雲樵
Born
Xu Yu (許鈺)

1905
Jiangsu Province, Qing China
DiedNovember 17, 1981(1981-11-17) (aged 75–76)
Singapore
Other namesMengfei (梦飞), 希夷室主
OccupationHistorian
Known forHistory of Southeast Asia; Chinese Overseas

Hsu was born in 1905 in Jiangsu Province, China. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after the death of his parents. In 1931, he migrated to Singapore.[1] He taught in Chinese schools in Johor and contributed to newspapers like the Nanyang Siang Pau.[2] Between 1933 and 1938, he taught in Thailand, where he met his wife (née Liu).[1][3] He taught at Nanyang University from 1957 to 1961.[4] Between 1963 and 1971, he worked at the Southeast Asian Research Centre (新加坡东南亚硏究所), and was the editor of its Journal of Southeast Asian Researches (《东南亚硏究》), which published seven volumes between 1965 and 1971.[2][5] He later taught at Ngee Ann College (today's Ngee Ann Polytechnic) between 1973 and 1976.[2]

In addition to his teaching and editorial work, Hsu was noted for translating Malay and Thai texts, such as the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), into Chinese.[1] He was a founding member of the South Seas Society in 1940, and was the first editor-in-chief of the society's Journal.[6]

Hsu died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Singapore on 17 November 1981. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and seven sons.[4]

Library

Before his death, Hsu offered to sell his collection of 30,000 books to the Malaysian Chinese Association for $150,000, as the books were reportedly declined by institutions in Singapore. He intended to use the money to fund a trip to China. To keep the collection in Singapore, a Singaporean businessman, Kho Bak Weng, formed a company to buy the books from Hsu and set up a private library.[7] The library was eventually transferred to the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, which donated it to the National Library of Singapore in 2014.[8]

References
  1. Lombard-Salmon, Claudine. "Hsu Yun Tsiao (1905-1981)". Archipel (in French). 25 (1): 3–5. doi:10.3406/arch.1983.1799.
  2. "许云樵 (Hsu Yun Tsiao)". National University of Singapore Chinese Library. September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  3. Wong, Nicholas Y. H. (2019). "Thai, Chinese and Malay Modern: Civilisational and Textual Discourses in Hsu Yun-Tsiao's 1933 Diaries in Patani". Chapters on Asia : selected papers from the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship (2017-2018). National Library Board Singapore. pp. 95–137.
  4. "CHINESE SCHOLAR DIES OF HEART ATTACK". The Straits Times. 18 November 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  5. "NUS Libraries Sierra Live Server (linc.nus.edu.sg) /All Locations". linc.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  6. "南洋学会 South Seas Society (Singapore)". www.southseassociety.sg. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  7. "Private library to be set up here for scholar's books". The Straits Times. 12 March 1981. p. 7. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  8. "许云樵珍贵藏书 落户国家图书馆". 联合早报网. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-10-11. http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5de4db230102wqdl.html

Further reading
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