槟城、新加坡与香港开埠初期华人义冢之碑铭——华人移民社会的互助殓葬服务

Steles of charitable cemeteries in Penang,Singapore,and Hong Kong in their early stage:the charitable burial services of the Chinese Diaspora

18至19世纪，英国积极开拓印度至中国之间的海上商贸，槟城、新加坡、香港先后在英国统治之下发展成繁荣的海港城市。三地发展迅速，提供了大量工作机会。大量福建人、广东人移居三地，展开新生活。英国殖民政府只关心商业发展，并不理会民生，不会为槟、星、港三地华人劳工提供社会服务。所以，三地的华人移民社会需要自给自足，自发组织起来提供各种社会服务，包括墓冢、义葬。义山墓冢的碑文保留了大量资料提供研究。这些自发组织以语言和省份为团结基础，福建省泉州、漳州人以闽南话为本，广东人以广东话为本，槟城与新加坡都是如此。可是，这些基础在香港并不存在。香港的华人群体无法组成有效的自助组织，最终发生了“义祠丑闻”。所以，东华医院这个香港第一个华人非牟利慈善团体就在港英政府鼓励下成立，负责解决香港华人的医疗与殓葬服务。

The islands Penang, Singapore, and Hong Kong were developed into international ports since the British started their business between India and China. Those development provided a lot of job opportunities so that many Chinese, mainly Hokkien and Cantonese, migrated there. The British Colonial Governments of these three cities did not care the living standard of the local population but only commerce and interest. Therefore, the societies of Chinese disapora related themselves for all kind of social welfare services, included burial one. Steles of the charitable cemeteries provided many information about the system of the self-service of the Chinese diaspora. They concentrated together through their dialects, i.e., the Hokkien helps Hokkien, the Cantonese helps Cantonese. However, the system lost its function in Hong Kong so that the famous ＂I-Ts＇z Scandal＂ happened. Therefore, the establishment of Tung Wah Hospital was encouraged by the British Hong Kong Government.