# Yeh Chi Yun

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{{Short description|Chinese newspaperman and poet}}
'''Yeh Chih Yun''' (21 July 1859 - 9 September 1921), also known as '''Ye Mao Bin''', '''Ye Ji Yin''', '''Yong Wen''', '''Ting Song Lu Shi Sun''' and '''Xing Er Sheng''', was a Chinese newspaperman and poet. He was the Chief Editor of ''[Lat Pau](/source/Lat_Pau)'', the first major Chinese newspaper in [Singapore](/source/Singapore_in_the_Straits_Settlements).

==Early life==
Yeh was born on 21 July 1859 in {{ill|Lantian, Anhui|zh|蓝田镇}}. He later moved to [Panyu, Guangzhou](/source/Panyu_District).<ref name = "Thong Chai">{{cite book|title= 同济医院150周年文集 (1867-2017)|pages= 206–213|isbn=9811139431|access-date=|author= 衣若芬|publisher= |year=2017}}</ref> He and his family moved to [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong), where his father went into trading.<ref name = "Straits Times">{{cite news |last= Tan|first= Ban Huat|date= 16 September 1977|title= Chinese newspaper pioneer in Southeast Asia -Mr. Yeh Chi-yun|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19770916-1.2.60.2|work= [The Straits Times](/source/The_Straits_Times)|location= Singapore|access-date= 17 July 2022}}</ref>

==Career==
At the age of 19, he became an editor at the ''[Hong Kong Chinese and Foreign Gazette](/source/Hong_Kong_Chinese_and_Foreign_Gazette)''.<ref name = "Reference@NLB">{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title= Yeh Chi Yun|url= https://reference.nlb.gov.sg/guides/singapore/people/yeh-chih-yun/|work= Reference@NLB|location= Singapore|access-date= 10 October 2022}}</ref> Four years later, he was hired by [See Ewe Lay](/source/See_Ewe_Lay) to become the Chief Editor of ''[Lat Pau](/source/Lat_Pau)'', the first major Chinese-language newspaper in Singapore.<ref name = "Thong Chai"/> On 2 July 1901, he founded the ''[Singapore Medical Daily](/source/Singapore_Medical_Daily)'', a weekly newspaper published on Tuesdays focusing on traditional Chinese medicine among other topics.<ref name = "Reference@NLB"/> It was the first weekly newspaper focusing on traditional Chinese medicine outside of China.<ref name = "Thong Chai"/> It was founded with the intention of promoting good healthcare. In 1906, he introduced a new feature to the newspaper which included the columns "Humorous Notes", which contained social gossip and scientific discoveries, and "Comments", which dealt with current affairs, as well as poems and miscellaneous notes.<ref name = "Straits Times"/> In 1905 or 1906, he co-founded the [Yeung Ching School](/source/Yeung_Ching_School), a Chinese medium school, with various other businessmen. He was also a founder of the General Chinese Trade Affairs Association, a precursor to the [Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry](/source/Singapore_Chinese_Chamber_of_Commerce_and_Industry).<ref name = "Thong Chai"/>

He retired from his position as editor of the ''Lat Pau'' 25 years after he had joined the paper. However, soon after he had left the paper, See died of a sudden heart attack. See's eldest son, See Tiow Hyong, repeatedly asked Yeh to return to the paper. Yeh eventually relented and returned to the paper.<ref name = "Straits Times"/> At the time of his death, a had written dozens of poems, many of which were well known for their writing and use of allusions,<ref name = "Wang"/> and was still serving as the chief editor of ''Lat Pau''.<ref>{{cite book|title=A General History Of The Chinese In Singapore|pages= 390–391|isbn= 9813277653|access-date=|last1= Chong|first1= Guang Kwa|last2= Bak|first2= Lim Kua|publisher=[World Scientific](/source/World_Scientific)|year=2019}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
He could [carve seals](/source/Seal_carving) and play the [zither](/source/zither).<ref name = "Reference@NLB"/> Prior to 1901, he lived on [Tofu Street](/source/Tofu_Street_(street)). In 1901, he moved to 38 [Mosque Street](/source/Mosque_Street%2C_Singapore).<ref name = "Thong Chai"/> He was on good terms with [Zuo Binglong](/source/Zuo_Binglong) and [Huang Zunxian](/source/Huang_Zunxian) and admired their efforts to establish literary societies.<ref name = "Wang"/> He died on 9 September 1921, at the age of 62.<ref name = "Reference@NLB"/>

==Legacy==
The addition of the feature into ''Lat Pau'' resulted in the wide usage of supplements in Chinese newspapers. The readership of ''Lat Pau'' began to decline after Yeh's death.<ref name = "Straits Times"/> Some of his poems were compiled in a book titled "The Remaining Poems of Yongweng" by Tan Yeok Seong.<ref name = "Wang">{{cite book|title=Classical Chinese Poetry in Singapore: Witnesses to Social and Cultural Transformations in the Chinese Community|page= 59|isbn= 149853516X|access-date=|last= Wang|first= Bing|publisher=[World Scientific](/source/World_Scientific)|year=2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:1859 births
Category:1921 deaths
Category:Singaporean poets

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Yeh Chi Yun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeh_Chi_Yun) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeh_Chi_Yun?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.