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Main Page    E-mail   (This page copyrighted 2006 by Gary Veenschoten, MD)

Amoy Vignettes by Dr. Girard Veenschoten:
Gary's Father, Henry VeenschotenMy Story   Veenschoten Memorial Henry Stella Veenschoten Memorial Gary's Father, Henry VeenschotenDad's Practicality    Gary's Father, Henry VeenschotenAh Beng
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Ah Beng

by Girard (Gary) Veenschoten, MD, 2006 

Ah Beng came to us about 1925.

It seems that he was a soldier in the army of Yuan Shikai, the former chief of staff of the emperor of China, and who declared himself the first president of the republic of china in 1912. Yuan Shikai then proceeded to establish his claim and started working his way up the coast of china to Beijing, (Peking).

I used to call Ah Beng "Beng Ah" or, in English, "the clear", or perhaps in parenthesis, "the clear bell". Anyway, he married into a local Changchow family who wanted to marry off a daughter. Ah Beng stayed with us until dad and mother had to leave china in 1939. He came back after each furlough.

He could neither read or write, although mother tried to teach him anglicized Chinese. But he could speak five languages. And boy, was he a whiz in arithmetic.

Mother would have him go down the street to do the weekly buying. He would come back loaded with twenty or thirty items. And, because he could not put his figures down on paper, mother would give him the money beforehand, so he could pay cash. I think I remember that, in the early years anybody going to the market would carry strings of "cash". These are still in existence (I have some in my coin collection), although they are not in use. Ah Beng would have to convert the "cash" into lui. These were local copper coins. There were supposed to ten cash to one lui or copper. There were supposed to be ten coppers in a ten cent silver piece.

There were supposed to be ten silver dimes to one dollar, which could be a true dollar, or a "dud". One tested them by ringing them. The problem was that the exchange would vary from day to day.

The trouble also was that there was big and little money, so the dimes were worth more or less, each day. So there were big dimes and little dimes. Big dimes were worth maybe 32 coppers. Little dimes would be 28 coppers. Also the number of coppers in one true dollar might be 283 or 250 coppers. So mother would be sure to do accounts with him each night after supper. But sometimes she would be down to Xiamen (Amoy) over night teaching music to high schools there. She would always do accounts with him that evening, so he would not have to remember as long. He would always be accurate down to the penny!!

But it all came down to the exchange. If the exchange was 286 coppers to the dollar, and he told her it was 285, he could keep the change. He always made it so that he profited about 10%.  

And mother did all this within her head of with pen and paper. She would go down to the market once in a while "just to keep him honest"! But, at least, he was "more honest¡± than the other cooks who served missionaries on the station.

Please Help the "The Amoy Mission Project!" Please share any relevant biographical material and photos for the website and upcoming book, or consider helping with the costs of the site and research materials.   All text and photos will remain your property, and photos will be imprinted to prevent unauthorized use.  Thanks!  

Dr. Bill   Xiamen University MBA Center
E-mail: amoybill@gmail.com  
Snail Mail: Dr. William Brown 
Box 1288  Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian  PRC   361005

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AMOY MISSION LINKS
Click to help Amoy MIssion Project with photos, text, donations
The Reformed Church of China (Amoy Mission, started by the Reformed Church of America (Dutch) in Amoy Hea-mun (aka Ameouy )A.M. Main Menu
List of Amoy Mission Reformed Church of America (Dutch) Missionaries in ChinaRCA Miss'ry List
Reformed Church of China's Amoy Mission 1877 Report by DuryeaAmoyMission-1877
Fifty Years in Amoy Story of Amoy Mission by Philip Wilson Pitcher Reformed Church of ChinaAmoyMission-1893
David Abeel Father of the Amoy Mission, and China's first education for girls and womenAbeel, David
Henry and Sarah Beltman, Amoy Mission 1902-1928?Beltman
Boot Family of the Amoy Mission,South Fujian ChinaBoot Family
Ruth Broekema Amoy Mission 1921 1951Broekema, Ruth
Henry and Sarah Beltman, Amoy Mission 1902-1928?Bruce, Elizabeth
William Burns, Scottish Missionary to China, visited Amoy Burns, Wm.
John Caldwell China Coast Family Caldwells
Henry and Kate Depree Amoy Mission 1907 to 1948DePree
Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Develder, Wally
   Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Wally's Memoirs!
Douglas CarstairsDouglas, Carstairs
Elihu Doty RCA Missionary to Amoy ChinaDoty, Elihu
Rev William Rankin Duryea, D.D. The Amoy Mission 1877Duryea, Wm. Rankin
Joseph and Marion EstherEsther,Joe & Marion
Katherine Green Amoy Mission 1907 to 1950Green, Katherine
Karl Gutzlaff Missionary to ChinaGutzlaff, Karl
Stella Girard VeenschotenHills,Jack & Joann
. Stella Girard VeenschotenHill's Photos.80+
..Stella Girard VeenschotenKeith H.Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Homeschool
Richard and Johanna Hofstra of the Amoy MIssion ChinaHofstras
Tena Holkeboer Amoy Mission, Hope HospitalHolkeboer, Tena
Dr. Clarence Holleman and his wife Ruth Eleanor Vanden Berg Holleman were RCA missionaries on AmoyHolleman, M.D.
Hope Hospital Amoy on Gulangyu (Kulangsu, Koolongsoo, etc.)Hope Hospital
Stella Girard VeenschotenJohnston Bio
Rev. and Mrs. Joralman of the Amoy MissionJoralmans
Wendell and Renske KarsenKarsen, W&R
Edwin and Elizabeth Koeppe Family, Amoy Mission ChinaKoeppes, Edwin&Eliz.
Dr. Clarence Holleman and his wife Ruth Eleanor Vanden Berg Holleman were RCA missionaries on AmoyKip, Leonard W.
William Vander Meer Talmage College Fukien Christian UniversityMeer Wm. Vander
Margaret Morrison, Amoy Mission 1892-1931Morrison, Margaret
John Muilenberg Amoy MissionMuilenbergs
Jean Neinhuis, Amoy Mission Hope Hospital Gulangyu or Ku-long-sooNeinhuis, Jean
Theodore Oltman M.D. Amoy Missionary DoctorOltman, M.D.
Reverend Alvin Ostrum, of the Amoy Mission, Fujian ChinaOstrum, Alvin
Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Otte,M.D.Stella Girard VeenschotenLast Days
Henry and Mary Voskuil Amoy MissionPlatz, Jessie
Reverend W. J. Pohlman, Amoy MIssion, Fujian ChinaPohlman, W. J.
Henry and Dorothy Poppen, RCA Missionaries to Amoy China Amoy Mission Project 1841-1951Poppen, H.& D.
Reverend Daniel Rapalje, Amoy Mission, Fujian ChinaRapalje, Daniel
Herman and Bessie Renskers Amoy Mission 1910-1933Renskers
Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Talmage, J.V.N.
Lyman and Rose Talman Amoy Mission 1916 to 1931Talman, Dr.
Stella Girard VeenschotenVeenschotens
. Nelson VeenschotenHenry V.Stella Girard VeenschotenStella V.
. Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital Girard V.
Jeanette Veldman, Amoy Mission ChinaVeldman, J.
Henry and Mary Voskuil Amoy MissionVoskuil, H & M
Jean Walvoord Amoy Mission 1931-1951Walvoord
A. Livingston WarnshuisWarnshuis, A.L.
Nellie Zwemer Amoy Mission 1891-1930Zwemer, Nellie
"The MIssion Cemetery of Fuh-Chau" / Foochow by Rev.J.W. Wiley , M.D. (also mispelled Wylie )Fuh-chau Cemetery
Dr. John Otte and Hope Hospital City of Springs
   (Quanzhou, 1902!!)
Xiamen Churches Protestant Catholic Seventh Day Adventist Amoy Mission Missionaries AbeelXM Churches
Xiamen Churches Protestant Catholic Seventh Day Adventist Amoy Mission Missionaries AbeelChurch History Xiamen International Christian Fellowship Expat Nondenominational interdenominational
Opium wars in Xiamen, Fujian China. Opium Wars
Amoy Mission Bibliography A.M. Bibliography
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