SINGAPORE – To many Singaporeans, the Chinese city of Putian is closely associated with Hinghwa cuisine.
Putien restaurant chain founder Fong Chi Chung popularised this cuisine in Singapore, since he opened his first restaurant in Kitchener Road in 2000.
Now, the 54-year-old restaurant mogul, who also chairs two Hinghwa clan associations – the Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network and Putian Association (Singapore) – wants more Singaporeans to visit his home town.
Back from a familiarisation tour of Putian in June, he has curated tour itineraries and will lead about 200 locals to the picturesque coastal city in the south-east of Fujian, China, in November, with the help of travel agency Chan Brothers Travel.
“It’s a request that keeps popping up from my regular customers,” Mr Fong told The Straits Times.
“Having tasted Putian food, they asked me about the place, and suggested that I lead tours to my home town or help them trace their ancestral village.”
Ms Chan Guat Cheng, executive director of Chan Brothers Travel, said: “We are honoured to join hands with Mr Fong and the Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network in curating a truly meaningful expedition to Putian, China.
“With a resolute focus on tracing ancestral roots, immersing in the rich culinary traditions of Putian’s fine cuisine and unravelling the hidden scenic and cultural gems of Fujian – a province deeply intertwined with the heritage of Singaporean Chinese – this tour promises to forge unforgettable memories for each and every traveller.”
More tours to the city will be opened to Singaporeans after the inaugural trip.
Some of the exclusive highlights of the tours, which will range from seven to 10 days, include martial arts performances by the Shaolin monks of Nan-Shaolin Temple, a visit to the Xiuyu salt field and an overnight stay on Meizhou Island, which is believed to be the birthplace of the sea goddess Mazu in Chinese mythology.
Mr Fong will also help those of Hinghwa descent find their ancestral homes during the tour if they can furnish him with details such as an address in the city.
He said: “Often when people reach 50 years old, they start wondering about their roots. I am here to fulfil their wish.”
He has helped several second-, third- and fourth-generation Putian descendants find their ancestral homes, thanks to his wide network of contacts and deep knowledge of the coastal city.
One of them is advertising veteran Norman Tan, who accompanied Mr Fong on his familiarisation trip. He finally fulfilled his wish of over 30 years to find his ancestral home on June 3.
The Putien brand consultant, 61, said: “I’m still 100 per cent Singaporean, but it’s good to know where my grandfather and father came from.
“When I finally saw their birthplace, met my distant cousins and heard the Hinghwa dialect, it felt like I had travelled back in time to my childhood and reconnected with my past.”
Mr Fong and his clans will also organise the first Hinghwa food and cultural festival at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza from March 12 to 17, 2024.
The organisers hope that the Orchard Road venue will help draw many visitors because of its central location and promote greater cultural exchange among people of different dialect groups and ethnicities.
The six-day festival will feature Hinghwa cuisine, cultural performances and handicrafts such as wood carvings.
The Hinghwas first arrived in Singapore from Putian in the late 19th century.
According to the Census of Population 2020, there are about 27,000 Hinghwa people here.
Mr Fong believes there are more – about 100,000 – but many are categorised as belonging to the Hokkien dialect group instead.
There are about five Hinghwa clans in Singapore but Mr Fong hopes to unite the community here.
“Each clan can keep its branding and legacy, but my hope is that the members, especially the younger ones, will step forward, unite and do something together for the community and Singapore.”
For more information on the tour, visit www.chanbrothers.com, call 6212-9686 or e-mail chinatour@chanbrothers.com.sg.
