KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaya historian Prof Datuk Danny Wong Tze Ken hopes more people will undertake documenting their family history.
He said it is only through the examination of one's own past that one could come to terms with their existence either in the present or even into the future.
"The appeal of examining one's past, in this case, through the family's story, provides a platform to interrogate, if not appraise the relationships between the family and the community, and even the nation," he said at the launch of a book titled "Qin Qing (Family Ties)" at a hotel here.
The three-volume book set totalling 1,420 pages and priced at RM700 was written by Datuk Chan Chew Lun. It is about the Chan's family stories spanning back to eight generations.
Despite the growing trend for memoirs and autobiographies, Wong said efforts in carefully documenting family history are rare and Chan's book was a notable addition to the corpus of work.
'Family Ties' is a most interesting historical documentation that should be read in order to appreciate not only the story of the Chan family in Sandakan but also to understand the history of the Chinese community in Sabah and Malaysia, he said.
Chan, who is the founder of Natural History Publications and a botanist, said it took great dedication and persistence from him to complete the books which he started in 2008.
"During writing, I gave up once and realised how difficult it was to regain momentum to continue.
"In the process of preparation, I have visited cemeteries, the Sabah State Archives and visited my ancestral kampung in JiuJiung in southern China four times," said Chan, who dedicated the books to his parents Chang Kwong Choi and Yee Wai Chin.
For the first time in history, Chan also included a brief story of the Light Industry area at Bus Stop No 9 along the Leila Road in Sandakan, which has never been documented before.
"One significant enterprise that my father co-founded was the Borneo Times, of which the first issue was issued in 1956.
"Interestingly, an English edition was published 1961 but that, unfortunately, ceased publication on Dec 31, 1963.
"My family lived above the Borneo Times press until we moved to Sanny Estate, also in Sandakan, in 1966," recalled Chan, 11 years old then.
Another interesting bit Chan shared was his grandmother's chest, which they kept for 90 years before it was opened.
"As we were told by grandma before she passed on, the contents are two well-wrapped packets of clothes belonging to my grandparents.
"To keep it dry, plenty of pepper seeds were placed at the bottom and a packet of firecrackers was included to keep the insects away," said Chan.
The chest and the clothing were in pristine condition were on display at the launch.
Chang Yeen Hing, the eldest sister of Chan's nine siblings, was given the honour to launch the family's memoirs.