Biography of Dr Chen Su Lan
Physician, anti-opium fighter, philanthropist and social
reformer, Dr Chen Su Lan, was one of Singapore
Methodism's most distinguished leaders: a legend in his
time. He lived in China during his growing up years
which was towards the end of the Qing dynasty. During
that period, he saw first-hand the harmful effects of
opium consumption which had been forced upon the Chinese
by the British consequently as a result of the Opium
Wars, and dreadful crimes were committed to support its
abuse. |
| |
|
Born in Fuzhou in 1885, he was a third generation
Methodist, brought up by his deeply devout mother, a
widow who sincerely believed that Jesus taught about
God. But it was only when the young lad began to read
the Bible in "Baihua" which was the spoken language did
he realise that there were underlying messages behind
those written words and they became meaningful to him.
He enrolled himself at the |
 |
|
 |
Anglo-Chinese College in Fuzhou, at the age of 15, and at a revival meeting held
by the visiting Bishop Bashford he prayed that God would
use him as an instrument like Moses and even pledged to
become a preacher one day. |
|
|
[Back to top] |
|
His Achievements
Not long after, like many young men in those days, he
set sail for Singapore, and joined the first batch of
students at the newly opened Medical College. Although,
he was very busy with his medical practice after his
graduation, he served in a number of important
committees: The Tan Tock Seng Hospital Management
Committee; The Central Midwives Board; and The Council
of the King Edward VII College of Medicine. He also
founded the Alumni Association of Medical College and
was elected President for the Malayan Branch of the
British Medical Association. Most people would have said
that it was enough work for one man but not for this
relentless man.
|
| |
 |
In Singapore, as in China, opium addiction was a
grim social problem. The Colonial government
monopolized the sale of the drug as a means to
"control" its use. Remembering his early
experience in China, he decided to fight the
menace, even though this was considered
"disloyal" by the British and |
|
|
could have led to his banishment. He courageously spear-headed the anti-opium
drives in 1929, and founded the Anti-Opium Clinic which
treated many poor labourers who had been addicted. Some
even gave away their daughters for adoption because they
could not stop smoking the drug. |
|
Unfortunately, the Clinic had
to close its doors due to the outbreak of war in
China in 1937, which subsequently led to the donations
from Singapore being diverted to the China Relief Fund.
However, after World War II, the British Government decided to ban the sale of opium, limiting its use to medical and scientific purposes. Perhaps,
Dr Chen Su Lan's efforts may have helped, after all. |
 |
|
|
[Back to top] |
|
His experience of God’s presence
When the Pacific War broke out in December 1942, the Japanese army
wreaked havoc on Singapore and the rest of Southeast
Asia. The Malay
|
 |
Peninsula was quickly occupied,
and Dr Chen Su Lan, anticipating that Singapore
would surrender, decided to flee on one of the
last ships leaving the "fortress" on Friday 13th
February 1942. But the ship was attacked, bombed
and set on fire; the passengers |
|
|
abandoned the ship and it seemed like the end but not for Dr
Chen Su Lan. |
|
|
|
While floating and drifting helplessly, he shivered terribly from prolonged immersion in the cold sea water and thought he was going to die. In the midst |
|
of his plight, he began to
wonder and asked himself, “What have I done to
deserve this?” His answer was to review his
past. In the eyes of the world, he might have
been considered to be successful; but he saw
himself as having fallen short of what he had
set out to be and wanted to do in his life. He recalled the pledge he had made to be
a |
 |
|
|
preacher and to be of service to God, and
in that dreadful moment, he realized that his
independence from God had actually created a barrier
between them, resulting in him not being able to fulfill
the commitment he had made as a youth many years ago. He
thought it was sinful of him for not keeping his promise
and decided that he would henceforth live fully for the
glory of God and not for himself. |
|
|
|
He fervently told himself "My old self had sunk to the bottom of the sea some 60 miles south of Singapore and out of the watery grave has now risen a regenerated soul to prove to the world the simple but eternal truth: Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit " (John 12.24). |
 |
|
|
Miraculously, he was washed onto a sandy beach, and a
place of safety for which he had prayed for during those
despairing moments when he faced imminent death. He did
not die, but in fact he was born again. |
|
|
|
  |
His experience of being at the brink of death had a profound effect on him as did another crisis when he returned to "Syonan" which was the Japanese name for Singapore. He was detained by the dreaded Kempeitai for questioning because an informant had told the Japanese that he and other Methodist Church leaders were conspiring against the Japanese government. Again, he was miraculously preserved from physical punishment. Although the Japanese searched his home, they were not able to find any documents which would have incriminated him, but instead their informant was made to look foolish. During such fearful moments he had thought of |
|
|
Biblical passages such as "Your father know what
things ye have need of before ye ask Him " (Matthew :
6.8); " When ye pray, believe that ye shall receive them
" (Mark 11:24); and “ Nevertheless, not as I will, but
as Thou wilt. " (Luke 22:42) |
|
[Back to top] |
|
His Vision and Mission
After the Japanese occupation ended, he found new life and commitment to serve the Lord and having been invited by the British Military Administration to join the Advisory Council, he made use of the opportunity to speak out fearlessly on social problems which had been a result of the four years of Japanese occupation. Determined to resolve these perennial issues in a practical way, he founded the Chinese YMCA between 1945 and 1946 with the aim of providing demoralized youths in Singapore with an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves. |
|
|
|
 |
Stemming from his personal interest and commitment to the growth of Christian organizations in our community, he formed Chen Su Lan Trust in 1947 which disbursed funds and land to organizations such as the Scripture Union. This in turn led to the birth of
|
|
|
Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home which was named after him. Here, children from broken families could grow up in a Christian family environment. It helped to raise needy children who have themselves grown up and raised their own families. Many of whom have become very active in our churches today. |
|
|
|
Although Dr Chen Su Lan’s prayer of wanting to be a "preacher" of the Word of God did not become a reality, his whole life was dedicated to serving the needs of God's children: by feeding his sheep, and washing the feet of those |
 |
|
|
who gathered at the table of
Lord, hungering and thirsting for the bread and
water of life. He steadfastly served the Lord in the
spirit of the quotation which he lived - "Not to be ministered
unto, but to minister”. |
|
[Back to top] |
|
A tribute to this exceptional human being
The selfless deeds of Dr Chen Su Lan have benefited many children and many more are still benefiting today from this extraordinary man’s desire to foster a better life for the needy children in our society. This courageous and compassionate man may have passed on but his spirit still lives on, and continues to inspire and touch the hearts and minds of many hurting children in Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home. |
|
[Back to top] |
