VOA慢速英语--Meet Singapore’s Royals: Just Like Us

Meet Singapore’s Royals: Just Like Us

In the modern nation of Singapore, several average people working in offices or driving taxis claim to be of royal blood. They say they are descendants² of a 19th century ruler who gave up the island to the British.

But few members of Singapore's cities know about their true royal past. This is difficult for Tengku, or Prince Shawal. He is considered by some members of his family as the leader of "the house of Singapore'.

"They still exist?" is the answer the 51-year-old says he often receives when he tells people he is one of the descendants of Sultan Hussein Shah. Hussein Shah signed treaties³ with Britain that led to colonial⁴ rule. Singapore became an independent city-state in 1965.

Shawal is one of several Singaporeans who have the royal name Tengku. It means⁵ prince or princess in Malay. They claim links to the Sultan.

Until about 20 years ago, possibly 14 of them still lived in their ancestral home, a crowded and damaged palace. They were removed from the home by the government, which turned it into a museum.

At the time, the government said about 79 descendants were offered money as part of a colonial-period agreement to provide for the Sultan's family. Many of the others were living in other countries, it said.

The descendants' names were not made public, making it difficult to know who really is royalty⁶. The government told Reuters that all but one of the payments⁷ have been made.

‘Not a dynasty'

Shawal showed Reuters letters from the government that identified him as a descendant¹. He said he often visits the palace that was turned into a museum.

He faces personal problems because of the coronavirus pandemic. But, Shawal said he tries to keep the Sultan's history alive by wearing traditional royal clothing and attending celebrations⁸.

Other descendants warn⁹ about the dangers of living in the past or are too busy with their normal lives. "We are not a dynasty. It is not important whether you are a descendant of the royal family or not," said Tengku Indra. Now 67, he lived in the palace as a child.

Indra was described as the great-great-great-great grandson of Sultan Hussein in an article by the government organization Friends of the Museums Singapore last year.

Indra's son is 40-year-old businessman Tengku Azan. He has a two-year-old daughter who would be one of the youngest descendants.

He thinks future generations will not take much interest in the Sultan's history. "The past...remains¹⁰ uncherished," he said.

For others who lived in the former palace, life in the outside world was difficult. Tengku Faizal said after he left the palace in 1999 he took a job as a cleaner in an apartment building. He was often called the prince who deals with the waste.

He now drives a taxi, but said he is struggling to make enough money. To help out, his wife works¹¹ a part-time job at McDonald's. "We are not smart, we are not rich," Faizal said, speaking in English.

Of seven Singapore claimants Reuters talked to, Shawal was the most interested in celebrating his history.

But even he had his own doubts about passing on the royal name. He did not give it to his daughter when she was born.

Words in This Story

descendant– n. someone who is related¹² to a person or group of people who lived in the past

palace– n.the official home of a king, queen, or royalty

pandemic– n. the fast spread of an infectious¹³ disease¹⁴ over a very large geographical¹⁵ area

dynasty– n. a family that rules over a country over a long period of time

uncherished– adj. to remember or hold an idea, belief or thought in a deeply¹⁶ felt way

apartment building.–n. a large building that has many apartments, or hom

1 descendant   

n.子孙，后裔，弟子

参考例句：

• He is a descendant of Confucius.他是孔子后裔。
• He is a lineal descendant of the company's founder.他是公司创始人的直系后裔。

2 descendants   

n. 后代，后裔 名词descendant的复数形式

参考例句：

• They were the direct descendants of the Dutch settlers. 他们是荷兰移民的直系后裔。
• They are the descendants of Queen Victoria. 他们是维多利亚女王的后裔。

3 treaties   

n.条约( treaty的名词复数 )；协议，协商

参考例句：

• These unequal treaties were made under duress. 这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The imperialist powers forced the Qing Dynasty to sign a series of unequal treaties. 帝国主义列强迫使清王朝签订了一系列不平等条约。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

7 payments   

n.支付，付款，缴纳，报酬( payment的名词复数 )；付出的[要付出的]款项；报答，报偿

参考例句：

• Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业，即停发福利救济。
• The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。

8 celebrations   

n.庆祝( celebration的名词复数 )；庆祝会（仪式）

参考例句：

• The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations. 市长的光临为庆祝活动增辉。
• Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations 维多利亚女王登基50周年庆典

9 warn   

vt.警告，注意，远离；vi.提醒

参考例句：

• I must warn you that my patience is almost at an end.我必须警告你我已经没有耐心了。
• If you warn me in advance,I will have your order ready for you.你若预先通知我，我就能给您准备好了。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

13 infectious   

adj.传染的，有传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
• What an infectious laugh she has!她的笑声多么具有感染力啊！

14 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

15 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

16 deeply   

adv.深刻地，在深处，深沉地

参考例句：

• I do feel deeply the strength of the collective.我确实深深地感到了集体的力量。
• We're deeply honoured that you should agree to join us.您能同意加入我们，我们感到很荣幸。