娘惹認同與跨國華人聯姻：張福英《娘惹回憶錄》、棉蘭張家與閩臺林本源家族

Abstract

張福英（Queeny Chang，1896-1986）是 19 世紀末、20 世紀初荷蘭東印度（印尼）蘇門答臘棉蘭華人鉅富與社群領袖張耀軒（1860-1921）長女。她因伯父張榕軒（1850-1911）生前與閩臺林本源家族安排，在 1912 年與林家第五代長子，古典詩人林景仁（1893-1940）成婚。她的英文自傳 Memories of a Nonya （《娘惹回憶錄》），詳細記載了從她六歲的 1902 年，到 1921 年張耀軒去世的生命經歷，包含她在棉蘭的童年、與林景仁成婚後遷徙至福建廈門，以及與丈夫周遊各地的生活和矛盾。 《娘惹回憶錄》在臺灣是學者研究林景仁的珍貴資料，但本文認為，這本作品的價值更在於張福英以土生華人女性的角度，在晚年回望成長時期的棉蘭張家，以及婚後身處的林本源家族。本文以「東南亞華人史／離散華人研究」、「身份認同」、「文化混雜性」、「自傳書寫」，以及「東南亞女性研究」五種研究方法與視角，深入探討張福英與她周遭的人物，以及在《娘惹回憶錄》所投射的跨地域、語言、與文化經驗。 張福英在一個華人、娘惹、土著、殖民政權文化交雜的環境中生長，她的「娘惹認同」可被視為是一個大框架，底下包含兩種認同：一為她的土生華人／娘惹認同，這包含她對出生地的認同，以及繼承外祖母與母親在當地長期居住後所擁有的特有文化。二為家族所灌輸給她的華人認同，這是由於家族男性成員張榕軒、張耀軒與外祖父 Lim Sam-hap，皆為新一批從中國移民到荷蘭東印度的托托克（totok）。他們將傳統華人文化於當地「再疆域化」，助長了張福英的華人認同。不過，他們在變化多端的政局下，為家族所作的政商抉擇，包含在政治上與荷蘭殖民者合作，都牽動著張福英「華人性」的變化。 張福英從小所接收的文化駁雜性，在婚後到廈門定居卻成為被攻擊的箭靶。她被視為「野蠻新娘」，外觀、言行、舉止都飽受責難，讓她很自卑。這段跨國婚姻也在兩年內就進入有名無實的階段，最終在 1931 年失敗收場。本文將探討兩人分道揚鑣的因素，包含婚姻觀的落差、在他鄉遇到的文化差異，以及兩人對於經商想法的歧異。

Queeny Chang (Tjong Foek-yin, 1896-1986) was the eldest daughter of Tjong A Fie (Tjong Yiauw Hian, 1860-1921), the most distinguished Chinese businessman and community leader in Medan, Netherlands East Indies, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Under the arrangement of her uncle Tjong Yong Hian (1850-1911), she married Lim King-jin (Lin Jingren, 1893-1940) in 1912, the eldest son of the Lin Pen-yuan family, which had a prominent business empire in Amoy (Fujian) and Taiwan. Her English autobiography, Memories of a Nonya, detailed her encounters from 1902 till 1921, the year which her father passed away. The contents include her childhood in Medan, her life in Amoy, her travel experiences, and the disputes she had with her husband. Her husband Lim King-jin was a renowned classical Chinese poet, who had published three books between 1920 to 1923 in Medan, Singapore, and Taiwan. Researchers in Taiwan regards Memories of a Nonya as a credible material in the study of his life and works. This paper seeks to discuss how Queeny penned her transboundary, language, and cultural experiences since her childhood in the Tjong family, and life after marriage from a Nonya (Nyonya, or Peranakan Chinese female) perspective. It analyzes how she writes about herself and the people around her from five aspects: History of Southeast Asian Chinese and the study of the Chinese diaspora, identity, cultural hybridity, autobiographical writing, and Southeast Asian women’s studies. Queeny Chang grew up in an environment diversified by cultures of the Chinese, Peranakan, Indigenous peoples, and the Dutch. This paper aims to explore her “Nonya Identity” as seen from the name of her autobiography, which is an assembly of two different identities. Firstly, a Peranakan Chinese/Nonya identity which includes how she identified with her place of birth, and a distinct culture inherited from her maternal family. This culture is a product of intermarriage and long-term interaction between Chinese migrants and the Indigenous peoples. Secondly, a Chinese identity instilled in her by her family. The male members of her family, Tjong Yong Hian, Tjong A Fie, and her maternal grandfather Lim Sam-hap, are Totoks, a group of Chinese migrants that arrived in the Indies after the demand of workers rose in the 1860s. They reterritorialized their traditional cultures after migration but worked closely with the colonizers at the same time, both politically and commercially. The actions by these male family members to safeguard their family’s interests in the everchanging political situation of both China and the Indies, had a direct influence on Queeny Chang’s identity. Queeny had received flak for her heterogeneity when she lived with the Lim family in Amoy after her marriage. She was deemed a “barbarian bride,” criticized for her appearance and behavior, thus causing her to feel inferior in the family. Her marriage went south within two years, and she left Lim King-jin in 1931 without an official divorce. This paper also aims to discuss the factors causing their separation, including their different perspectives on marriage, cultures encountered, and business management.