Imagine living your whole life in Singapore, not knowing that you might be the heir to a profitable plot of land in China.
Well, you might be this very lucky fellow.
The Family’s History
Lin Yuan Shui, a 60-year-old construction worker from Anxi, Fujian, told news reporters that he wished to find the descendants of his grand-uncle and have them inherit S$140,000 worth of land back in China; all of this to repay a debt of kindness long ago.
The debt dates back to the end of the 19th century when his grand-uncle came to Singapore for work. After his great-grandfather passed away in his 30s, Lin’s father was raised by his grandmother alone.
His grand-uncle, after learning about the death, sent money to their hometown almost every month for 20 years, as well as investing a large sum of money in building two houses for all his relatives to live in.
However, after the Japanese army invaded China in 1937, both families lost contact with each other.
In 1952, the local government registered the two houses under the name of one of his grand-uncle’s sons, Lin Tian Fu. Currently, the two houses were demolished due to the dilapidated house renovation project implemented by the State.
Lin revealed that according to local policy, his grand-uncle and his immediate family members or descendants have the right to inherit the land.
He notes that the land is located in a prime location on Zhongshan Street and has a market value of S$140,000 today.
Lin got to learn of his family’s debt to his grand-uncle through his parents, who had already passed away.
His father often told him that without his grand-uncle, the family would not have been where they are now.
Lin flew to Singapore on 19 May and has been on the search ever since. He shared that he knows the identity of his grand-uncle’s three sons; Lin Tian Fu (林添福), Lin Tian Fa (林添法) and Lin Tian He (林添河).
However, he is unsure if they are still alive today. He estimated that the next generation of the three uncles should be in their 70s.
So far, he has uncovered that the descendant might be residing in the Jurong area.
He hoped to receive good news before leaving on 15 June. Until then, he’ll not give up so easily and will continue searching.
He adds that even if he can’t the descendants this time, he’ll come back again in the future to continue his search.