And here's the story behind the tomb...(unconfirmed)
"(Source: an informant who is said to be related to the family
descendents of the deceased of the tomb)
Many years ago, there wasn't any reservoir at where it is now
called McRitchie reservoir. It was a very scenic hill. And who can
guess the eerie tomb where most people shun away nowadays was once
a romantic alcove? It was a protruding lookout point in the middle
of a hiking track along the slope of a hill. From there the view
was spectacular as it over looked a lush hilly landscape like a
flowery meadow over the valley. Birds and wild monkeys over the
hills sang in orchestra and the nature sounds filled the air.
The above mentioned romantic alcove was a meeting place for Fann
and Lok (both are not real names). The alcove witnessed the most
drastic emotions of mankind, put up by this couple, through life
and death, joy, romance, betrayal, grief and tragedy.
The story happened near the end of 18th century. Fann was a sole
daughter of a rich and famous family who run an import trading
business with the British. Fann grew up in Britain and always loved
nature. Her grew-up environment shaped her to be a bold and
open-minded person. That was somewhat opposite to her father that
was very traditional and rigorous - a typical Chinese business man
who calculates gain and loss more than anything else. Since Fann
was young, her family had arranged a marriage for her, that was
common in the old days, with a son of a tycoon called Tai.
Obviously building a marriage with a tycoon's son would benefit
lifting Fann's family business to a new height.
However, Fann never wanted to submit to her fate. Being a girl of
20 years ago, she was autonomous enough to manage her own life. She
left home from time to time and she would like to hang out at the
scenic walks in McRitchie reservoir (that wasn't a reservoir in
those days). That was a perfect place for some quiet moments, away
from troubles. It became Fann's favourite sanctuary whenever she
felt depressed.
Fann met her Mr. right at the reservoir one day. That was Lok. We
didn't know much about Lok, not even our informant. We were told
that Lok was a charismatic communist, a leader of some political
group before the war who regularly organized gatherings near
McRitchie reservoir area. It is their destiny that they bumped,
they clicked and fell in love though they came from quite a
different background.
Their dating at McRitchie reservoir lasted for some period of time.
This couple always met there, fell in love and they vow to get
married there with the witness of heaven and earth (the sky and the
valley in McRitchie reservoir). They courted each other more and
more often, until one day Fann's family got wind about this. As
expected, Fann's father was very angry about this affair because
her daughter was disobeying him, let alone the fact that Lok was a
communist clan leader that was a natural enemy to a Pro-British
business man. Fann's father and Tai's father plotted to do
something patching up the situation. The arranged marriage had to
proceed in only few months time anyway. They wouldn't allow Lok to
interrupt about it.
On one fateful evening, as usual, Fann was expecting to meet Lok at
their favorite spot in McRitchie reservoir. Instead of Lok, his
fellow came and delivered her a letter. Nobody knows what was the
content of the letter and who had actually written it. However, on
the next morning, Fann's body was found dead at the bottom of the
valley, just right under the lookout point where Fann always hanged
out. Again, nobody knows whether she jumped down, pushed down or
fell down by accident.
After Fann's death, the wedding arranged between the two families
of course had to be cancelled. Hence, Fann's family business,
without the help of tycoon Tai, plunged down very soon and
eventually got bankrupt.
But still, the tycoon's son, Tai loves Fann very much. That was
what the public could have seen about. He spent a lot of money and
took Fann to be buried at the lookout point with a splendid tomb.
The grand tomb had a very superb facing, overseeing the hills
across the valley. Many years later, however, McRitchie reservoir
was developed into a water catchments area, and the valley turned
into a water reservoir as it is of today. Water filled up the
valley, to the level of the tomb, flooding even the lower part of
it. This is how the name water tomb came about.
How our informant knows so much about? She claimed that she was a
relative to Tai but refused to elaborate more. The concealment led
us to speculate that there was something dirty that the Tai family
had done but we just cannot verify without any evidence.
Under much persistence, our informant finally admitted that Tai's
family had done something to intervene into Fann's relationship
with Lok, but not with any intent to have her killed. The informant
told us another secret too, relating to the choice of location
where Fann was buried.
Most people would think that Tai so loved Fann (although it was one
way) that he had been so nice to build her a posh tomb. The truth
was otherwise.
We were told that Lok was actually murdered in the same year after
Fann died, and Fann's body was found to be pregnant by the doctors
in hospital. People know that Lok was killed too in a riot but it
was actually a plot arranged in purpose. Here is the most
intriguing thing. Lok's body was buried in Bukit Brown cemetery
(aka Kopi Hill cemetery). That was the idea by his dialect clan
leader who in turn was controlled by Tai's family. And Fann's body
was offered to be buried at the lookout point that happened to be
on the opposite site of the hill.
In other words, Fann and Lok were buried between and separate by a
hill, back-to-back. So they never face each other. All these were
arranged by Tai! You can see how jealousy turned into hatred, and
into revenge.
Since then, Fann's grave was nicked as water tomb. Even more
frightening, people believe that is very haunted. Sightings of a
female apparition emerging from water are common at night. Some
call it Shui Gui (water ghost).
Our informant continued telling. Nowadays the decedents of Tai's
family realized what their grandfather had done is tremendously
wrong. They feel guilty about it, especially after they heard that
the Shui Gui which is believed to be Fann's spirit was haunting the
reservoir. They used to invite monks to perform rituals trying to
appease the soul but that doesn't help. Till now, Tai's family has
been funding a contractor to come and sweep the tomb regularly.
Every year they will bring offerings by themselves to the tomb
during festivals like Ching Ming and July Hungry Ghost Month.
This is a fair world, when planting a good deed, you will receive a
good reward. Likewise a crime will invite mishap. God knows what
they have done. Tai's family seems to be cursed. The grandfather
and the father were both drown to death, though not in McRitchie
reservoir. It wasn't long ago. The father at his late age had
developed some mental problem. He was kept at home all the time.
But for some unknown reason, one day he sneaked away alone, and
found drown in a sewage drain mysteriously. It was classified as an
unnatural death by the police, and was reported on news last
year.
One last thing that the informant told us. If we want to know
whether Fann's spirit is around, throw a coconut into the water. If
it floats, that means no spirit. If it sinks, that shows Fann's
spirit is around!
That is all our informant shared with us. She looked quite sad at
the end of the interview. She kept murmuring to herself "Wrath,
such is wrath, how I wish Fann's spirit will be in peace". Yes, SPI
too, wishes Fann's spirit would rest in peace."
