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Amy Nip

Vivienne Chow

Eating well may be the key to good health; but having a good heart, good family genes and being surrounded by a loving family seem to be the real  secrets to a long and happy life. 
These are the rules of thumb from the Jin sisters - Jin Suwen, Jin Quan - who lived well past 100 - and Jin Suyu, the youngest, who is now 101.
Ten years ago, when Suwen, the eldest of the three, celebrated her centennial,  more than 100 family members spanning  five generations gathered at a hotel function in her honour.   It was an unforgettable night, and a phenomenal  amount of lai see was given out by  Suwen to  her family.  
Suwen died in her sleep aged  110 on  December 17.  Quan was 104 when she died  five years ago. 
Suyu, whose hair is still dark, still lives in the  Prince Edward home  she shared with her  sisters for three decades. A  stroke  two years ago has impaired her  mobility and speech, but has had little  impact on her  mind. 
Longevity is somehow in the family's blood, said Chau Chun-yuk, 90, Suwen's eldest daughter.  The  sisters' father lived till 80, and their mother was 93 when she died  nearly half a century ago. It was considered very long life back then, Chau said. 
The three sisters from Suzhou were born when China was still under the rule of the Qing dynasty. The  family later  moved to Shanghai. Suwen  married at  18, and gave birth to Chau two years later. 
Suwen's eldest son, Chou Wen-hsien, an  entrepreneur  dubbed  king of Doll Noodles because of the instant noodles brand he founded, was the first one from the family to move to Hong Kong in the 1940s. 
In 1957, Suwen came to Hong Kong, bringing grandson John Chow Wai-wai. That was after Mao Zedong started a series of  campaigns to rid the cities of corruption and to consolidate the Communist Party's power. Quan and Suyu then moved to Hong Kong in the late '70s.
Suwen had sent money and provisions  to Shanghai during the years of instability, family members recalled. 
'Her relatives in Shanghai lived a hard life. She sent them money every month until their situation became better,' said Chau. 
When Chau was little, she went to the market to buy groceries with her mother and her generous nature was evident even then. Suwen suggested they  not demand  big discounts from vendors. 'She said we should let them earn something,' Chau said. She was also kind to her domestic helper, who stayed with her for more than 20 years. 
Suwen was  much loved by her six children, who visited frequently.  '[Chou] used to visit his  mother a few times a week. He took her out for meals to keep her happy,' Chau said. 
Once  in the '80s, Suwen became ill. A search in Hong Kong failed to find the right doctor  for her illness. It was Chou who came to the rescue, taking his  mother to the United States for medical treatment. On the plane, he sat in economy class, but she travelled first class.  
When it came to food, Chau said, the Jin sisters practically ate whatever they liked, from deep-fried food to fatty pork and desserts, though they usually kept  to a simple diet. 
'[Suwen] still ate fatty pork when she was over 100 years old,' John Chow said. On the other hand, she  was never short of healthy food, as Chou also sold health supplements such as Lingzhi mushrooms and made sure his mother had her share.
Chinese doctors are  constantly reminding women to stay away from cold drinks and cold foods such as  watermelon, but  the Jin sisters took little heed of such advice. 
'Everyday my mother drank cold watermelon juice and cold orange juice daily,  even when she was old,' Chau said,  adding it was  a habit she had also picked up.
The three sisters loved going  out, and they loved  mahjong - particularly the challenging Taiwanese style. Even when they were in their 80s or 90s they would play for 10 hours or more.  The hours became shorter in later years, but  'my mother still won a lot', Chau said with a laugh. 
Today, the family bids farewell to Suwen. Many family members - including 25 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren - from  around the world made their way  to Hong Kong  to attend last night's vigil at the Hong Kong Funeral Home, where the family tree was illustrated on both sides of the hall.
Suwen's body will be cremated at Cape Collinson Crematorium and Columbarium this morning.



Family love, plenty of good food and lots of mahjong vital to Jin sisters' longevity