Picture Credit: straitstimes.com
Chinese President Xi Jinping learnt that the Malaysian King had great grandmother, Huang Yajiao, who hailed from Taishan in Guangdong, China.
NEWS FEATURE . . .
The Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, became emotional when he told Chinese President Xi Jinping about the son who died in 2015 after battling liver cancer.
Sultan Ibrahim, who was in China on a four-day state visit that began on Sept 19, shed tears when he mentioned Tunku Abdul Jalil Iskandar Ibrahim to Mr Xi during their meeting on Sept 20 at the Great Hall of The People.
The King expressed gratitude to China for assisting the late prince in undergoing a liver transplant at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in the southern province of Guangdong on Dec 10, 2014.
The fourth of six siblings, Tunku Abdul Jalil was battling stage four liver cancer. Although the operation was successful, he eventually died a year later at the age of 25.
Both Mr Xi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was also present at the meeting, were “deeply moved”, reported Malaysia’s Chinese daily Sin Chew.
“They all felt Sultan Ibrahim was a father who loves his son very much,” Sin Chew quoted Malaysia’s Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming as saying.
First State Visit
National news agency Bernama reported that this was the first state visit by a Malaysian King to China in 10 years, marking a significant moment for both nations as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
During the meeting, Sultan Ibrahim commended China for its advancements, saying the country’s development has been impressive.
He also invited Mr Xi to visit Malaysia.
Great Grandmother
Mr Nga, who was part of the Malaysian delegation, also revealed that Sultan Ibrahim told Mr Xi that his great-grandmother was from Guangdong and her name was Huang Yajiao. “This means our King has Chinese ancestry,” Mr Nga said.
Upon hearing this, Mr Xi immediately instructed officials to go to Guangdong to trace Sultan Ibrahim’s family tree, he added.
It's stated in https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Ah_Fook
that Huang Yajiao was from Taishan in Guangdong.
She, named Maharani Fatimah, was Sultan Abu Bakar's favourite wife. Muar was named after her.
Wong Ah Fook, Sultan Abu Bakar's brother-in-law, was a very successful businessman and contractor. He was said to have built the royal residences in Bandar Maharani and one more in Johor Bahru.
Wong, close friend of Sultan Abu Bakar, introduced the sister to the Sultan.
Jalan Wong Ah Fook, named after Wong, runs through the centre of Johor Bahru.
Sumatran And Peranakan Chinese
In a related piece in the Sun Daily, Lim Teck Ghee's "Another Take", recalled Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah describing her ancestral background as a mix of Sumatran and Peranakan Chinese. The Queen said that it was important to recognise the diversity of Malaysian society, brought about by centuries of inter- racial and interfaith marriages, and communication.
This open acknowledgement of mixed ancestral background was unprecedented.
Raja Zarith's address took place during the “Voices of Peace, Conscience, and Reason” conference, an event which Lim attended on Nov 16, 2010, in Kuala Lumpur.
The rest of the story on Raja Zarith can be read here . . .
https://thesun.my/opinion-news/malaysia-s-royalty-extraordinaire-DK12094106
The King's China visit first appeared here . . .
