早期下南洋的永定下洋华侨落地生根研究

On Settlement of Overseas Chinese from Xiayang in Yongding in Southeast Asia in Early Years

福建永定下洋虽地处山区,但下洋人从宋元时代就开始向沿海发展。这是因为,从宋代开始,闽西往沿海的汀江和九龙江航道就已开通,凭借二江之便,有水陆通道可连接沿海和海洋,使下洋人不仅熟悉沿海熟悉海洋,而且很早就“系着一条裤头带”走出山门,走向沿海,甚至飘洋过海走向世界。有据可查最早过番的下洋人是思贤村吴集庆,他于康熙十七年(1678年)南渡至马来亚。下洋人较大规模过番则在乾嘉年间(1736—1820)。至19世纪末,下洋藉华侨已有人在南洋地区创业成功,落地生根,如槟城侨二代胡泰兴和吴德志,前者是槟城“胡椒大王”,后者则是当地“百货大王”。而下洋古洋人陈洪魅,则在槟城打铁创下一份家业之后,联络当地永定、大埔侨民成立了永大会馆,并捐出一间门店作会所,为后来蜂拥而至的永大乡侨奠定了落地生根的基础。但更多早期下南洋的下洋人,虽然未能成功创业,却也默默无闻地在南洋落地生根,成为族谱中的“往番殁”者。其原因是:当地生存环境恶劣;远隔重洋,交通不便;乡人开辟了新居地。

Although Xiayang in Yongding,Fujian is located in a mountainous area,the people in Xiayang began to develop along the coast from the Song and Yuan Dynasties.This is because since the Song Dynasty,the channels of the Tingjiang River and Jiulongjiang River have been opened to the coastalareas.With the convenience of the two rivers,there were land and water channels that connected the coast and the sea,so that the people in Xiayang were not only familiar with the coast and the sea,but also went out of the mountain to the coastal areas,and even crossed the sea to the outer world.Some early people from Xiayang laid a foundation for the subsequent influx of Yongda rural overseas Chinese.However,more early overseas Chinese who went to Southeast Asia failed to start their businesses,but they also settled down and became the forerunners in the outside world.There are three reasons for this phenomenon:firstly,the local living environment was poor;secondly,it is far away from the ocean and the traffic was inconvenient;thirdly,the villagers opened up new homeland.