The Princess and Ming-huá

Hang Li Poh

The old mansion on Jalan Puteri Hang Li Poh (Princess Hang Li Poh Road) had been left vacant since the last owner had departed this life. Secured behind locked gates and high fencing, the house had remained vacant and abandoned for longer than most people could remember.

The history of the house had drifted into oblivion. Its glory days had passed as had all those who remembered them.

With the passing of time, suburban myths evolved regarding the former mansion. Never was there any first hand evidence of these happenings. The myths were always related by someone who had been told by someone else that they had heard or seen strange occurrences at the house on Jalan Peturi Hang Li Poh.

....................................................

Khoo Chong Seng was enjoying lunch with a group of friends at the Singapore Cricket Club. In conversation, one of the friends mentioned the abandoned mansion to Chong. The conversation on the subject was brief but it sparked his imagination. For some time, Chong had been thinking of purchasing a place in the Melaka region. He grew up there as a child and had good memories of the times he spent in Melaka with his grandparents.

He could vaguely remember the mansion, although he had not been back to the area since his early teens. Even then, the old mansion, as he recalled, was empty and derelict. Now, some thirty years later, he wondered what the place would be like.

The luncheon over, Chong returned to his office. The thought of the old mansion was still on his mind. He asked his PA to contact the company Solicitors to trace the ownership. Eventually, the owners were traced to China.

After some weeks of tracing and then haggling over a price, Chong purchased the property, sight unseen from its Chinese owners.