WHY NOT? say China neighbours
Huang Na's mum is adding another floor to her 2-storey house in China. Critics have questioned whether it is the right thing to do
By Dawn Chia
October 11, 2005
SHE brought her daughter to Singapore, hoping to give her a better future.
But her hopes were crushed by the tragic murder of her 8-year-old girl exactly one year ago today.
The poignant tale of Huang Na's short life and sudden death moved Singaporeans to donate generously to Madam Huang Shuying.
Now she and her husband, Mr Zheng Wen Hai, could be using that money, which some say could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, to renovate her house in Putian city, China.
Their construction of another storey to their two-storey home in Houfeng village has drawn criticism from some of their own countrymen.
They feel the money from Huang Na's funeral donations should not have been used to do up their home.
And a prominent Singaporean has questioned 'the gullibility of Singaporeans' for donating to seemingly unfortunate families in the news.
'But what good is that money to Huang Na who has died?' asked Associate Professor Lee Wei Ling, in a letter to The Straits Times forum page. (See report on facing page.)
Others, including Madam Huang's neighbours and Singaporeans have defended her actions, saying it's their business how the money given to them in goodwill is used and no one else's.
When The New Paper team visited Madam Huang, 33, last December, she talked about adding a third storey to the house so that she could see Huang Na's tomb from her home.
The view of the tomb - halfway up a mountain about 20 minutes from the village - was blocked by a nearby house.
Madam Huang said then: 'Things are different in the village - we build simple houses as roofs over our heads. If we can afford it or need the space, we add another storey to it.
'Not everyone can afford to tear down their house and rebuild.'
WORK STARTED
Neighbours said that work started about two months ago, after Madam Huang returned from testifying against her daughter's murderer in Singapore.
Took Leng How was sentenced to death for the murder after a high-profile trial in July.
Speculation about how much money the couple received first surfaced after Huang Na's funeral last November.
They refused to reveal how much they received, further stoking the fires of gossip.
Latest news reports quoted some villagers who criticised the couple for spending the money on their house.
Some were more sympathetic.
Their immediate neighbour, Mr Lin Guo Long, 50, told The New Paper in Mandarin: 'I don't understand why people are so obsessed about how much bai jin (Mandarin for white gold - contributions towards funeral expenses) they received.
'I'm sure they would rather have Huang Na with them than receive that sort of money. What they do with it is their business, and we have no right to ask for any explanation.'
Madam Huang declined to say how much she would spend on renovations, but Mr Lin estimated that it would cost as much as 'hundreds of thousands of renminbi' (100,000 renminbi is worth about $21,000).
He said it was more likely that she wanted to add the third storey to see Huang Na's tomb than as a necessity to accommodate the family of five.
Madam Huang, Mr Zheng, their 2-year-old daughter, Xuan Yu, and Mr Zheng's parents live in the spacious, yet modestly-decorated house.
Madam Huang, 33, is two months pregnant now.
The family's living quarters are on the second floor - slightly bigger than a basketball court. The first floor is used for cooking, dining and storage.
After the renovation, the total floor area of their house would be the equivalent of three five-room HDB flats.
By comparison, their home is not the biggest in the village.
Madam Sally Ho, who runs Direct Singapore Funeral Services with her husband, visited the couple last month.
Madam Huang told her the renovations would be completed in December.
The couple had handled Huang Na's funeral for free, and Madam Ho had gone to China to offer prayers to her.
She said: 'The house was very dusty and we had to stay in a hotel nearby.
'They would have asked us to stay with them if not for the renovations. They were apologetic about it.'
She added that Mr Zheng was busy with his electronics business, and not unemployed as people said.
Mr Roland Tay, her husband, added: 'We've done what we can for the little girl, and now it's up to the parents to do what they deem fit for themselves and their family.
'They may appear to be living a good life, but we don't know what they have done or are doing for work - they may be working very hard back home.
'Do we expect them to always live in the past and not move on?'
Attempts to contact Madam Huang were unsuccessful.
