Wee Cho Yaw
Born 10 Jan 1929 & died 3 Feb 2024 (aged 95)
Wee Cho Yaw DUBC (Chinese: 黃祖耀; pinyin: Huáng Zǔyào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ûiⁿ Chó͘-iāu; 10 January 1929 – 3 February 2024) was a Singaporean banker, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He served as chairman emeritus and honorary adviser of the United Overseas Bank (UOB), and chairman of the UOL Group. Wee joined the board of directors of the United Chinese Bank (now the United Overseas Bank) in 1958. He was appointed managing director of the bank two years later; and when his father Wee Kheng Chiang, founder of United Chinese Bank, retired in 1974, Wee succeeded him as chairman. His son Wee Ee Chong succeeded him as chief executive officer of UOB. He died on 3 February 2024, at the age of 95.
Wee had been appointed chairman of the Nanyang University council in 1970, and he led efforts to modernise the university by updating its curriculum and establishing English as its medium of instruction. After the government merged Nanyang with the University of Singapore in 1980, Wee was appointed to the council of the newly formed National University of Singapore. In 2004, he became pro-chancellor of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). In February 2009, the Wee Foundation was set up with an initial S$30 million endowment from the Wee family. The charitable foundation focuses on education and welfare for the underprivileged, and also promotes the Chinese language and culture as well as social integration. Wee was the chairman of the joint School Management Committee for Chung Cheng High School (Main), Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) and Nanyang Junior College. He also held chairmanship of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan.
In 1971, the Singapore government awarded him the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star), and he was named Singapore Businessman of the Year in 1990 and 2001. In 2006, for his contributions to the banking sector, he was presented with the inaugural Credit Suisse-Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award. Wee received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Singapore in July 2008. In 2009, for his contributions to the banking industry and broader community, Wee was awarded The Asian Banker Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, Forbes listed him as Singapore's wealthiest individual with a net worth of S$4.2 billion. Wee received the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Distinguished Service Order) in recognition of his work with the SFCCA and as pro-chancellor of NTU.
Run Run Shaw
Born 19 Nov 1907 & died 7 Jan 2014
Sir Run Run Shaw GBM CBE (19 November 1907 – 7 January 2014), also known as Shao Yifu and Siu Yat-fu, was a Hong Kong businessman, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He was one of the foremost influential movie moguls in the East Asian and Hong Kong entertainment industry. He founded the Shaw Brothers Studio, one of the largest film production companies in Hong Kong, and TVB, the dominant television company in Hong Kong.
A well-known philanthropist, Shaw donated billions of Hong Kong dollars, HKD, to educational institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China. More than 5,000 buildings on Chinese college campuses bear his name, as does Shaw College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also established the Shaw Prize for Astronomy, Life Science & Medicine and Mathematical Sciences. Shaw was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, Qing China as the youngest of the six sons of Shanghai textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen (邵行銀) (1866–1920) and his wife Wang Shun Xiang (黃順香) (1871–1939). His name at birth was Shao Renleng (邵仁楞), which was later changed to Shao Yifu (邵逸夫) because he thought that the average Chinese person would not know how to pronounce the character 楞 (léng). There are a number of explanations given for the use of his English name Run Run Shaw, but Shaw reportedly said that it was simply a transcription of his birth name Shao Renleng in the Ningbo dialect. He celebrated his birthdays on the 14th day of the 10th month of the Chinese calendar, which fell in November 2007, his 100th Lunar Calendar birthday. However, the 14th day of the 10th month of the Chinese calendar corresponds to 19 November 1907 on the Gregorian calendar, which according to China Daily was his birthdate. As a child, his family moved to Shanghai. He graduated from the Shanghai YMCA School, where he learned English.
In 1925, Shaw's brothers, led by the eldest brother Runje Shaw, established Tianyi Film Company (also called Unique Film Productions) in Shanghai and Run Run Shaw began his film career doing odd jobs for the company. In 1927, Run Run Shaw, then 19 years old, went to Singapore to assist his third elder brother Runme Shaw in their business venture there, initially to market films to Southeast Asia's Chinese community. They established the company that would later become the Shaw Organisation, and were involved in distributing and producing films in Southeast Asia. Tianyi produced what is considered the first sound-on-film Chinese talkie in 1931 and made the first Cantonese sound film in 1932. It was highly successful, and Tianyi established a branch in Hong Kong in 1934
Runme Shaw
Born 1 Jan 1901 & died 2 Mar 1985 (aged 84)
Runme Shaw, K.St.J (Chinese: 邵仁枚; pinyin: Shào Rénméi; 1 January 1901 – 2 March 1985) was the chairman and founder of the Shaw Organisation of Singapore. Runme Shaw and his brother, Run Run Shaw, together known as the Shaw Brothers, were pioneers in the film and entertainment industry in Singapore and Malaya, and brought to life the movie industry in Asia, especially the Southeast Asian region. They established the company that would later become the Shaw Organisation, and were involved in distributing and producing films in Southeast Asia.
Runme Shaw was also a philanthropist who started the Shaw Foundation, a charitable organisation. In addition, Runme was the chairman and president of several government boards, and a patron of many organisations. As a result, Runme won many local and foreign awards for his philanthropic work and contribution to the movie industry in Southeast Asia.
Runme Shaw set up the philanthropic Shaw Foundation in 1958. The foundation's main purpose was to "return" his company's profits to society. The Shaw Foundation donated millions of dollars to many charitable organisations and causes. Many of the beneficiaries were schools, such as Maris Stella High School, Anglo-Chinese School and St. Patrick's School, where a part of its buildings are now named after the Shaw Foundation. As the chairman of the Singapore Turf Club for 19 years, Runme instituted the club's charitable use of funds for medical research and charitable purposes. He was also involved in the St. John Ambulance.
Tan Lark Sye
Born 1897 & died 11 Sep 1972
Tan Lark Sye (simplified Chinese: 陈六使; traditional Chinese: 陳六使; pinyin: Chén Lìushǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân La̍k-sái; 1897–1972) was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist based in Singapore. Tan was born in a Hoklo peasant family of seven in Jimei of Tong An in Fujian, China. Born into of very limited means, and orphaned young, he had little chance of an education before he made his way to Nanyang in 1916 together with his brothers, at the age of 18.
Tan's most outstanding contribution, however, was the initiating of the founding of Nanyang University in 1953. The idea of a Chinese university in Singapore to provide higher education to the Chinese community was first mooted by Tan Lark Sye in 1953, then chairman of the Singapore Hokkien Association. A fund was set up for this purpose, drawing donations from people of all walks of life and with Tan himself donating $5 million. The Singapore Hokkien Association donated 500 acres (2 km2) in the western Jurong area, which was then largely undeveloped rural land. He donated S$5 million to its building fund, as well as 523 acres (2.12 km2) of land for its campus on behalf of the Hokkien Huay Kuan. Between 1953 and 1963, he was Chairman of Nanyang University's Executive Committee, and was in charge of various aspects of the university by building, teaching staff, research facilities, library, student welfare and others. Nanyang University was later merged with The University of Singapore in 1980 to form the current National University of Singapore.
The establishment of Nanyang University had a lasting influence on Chinese education in the region and beyond. It pioneered the establishment of Chinese Studies departments in Ngee Ann College, the University of Singapore and the University of Malaya. The establishment of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Southern University College in Johor, Malaysia, were also inspired by the ideals underlying the founding of Nanyang University. In 1974, a Tan Lark Sye scholarship was set up, and in 1998 the Tan Lark Sye professorship in Chinese language and culture was established to honour Tan.
Tan Kah Kee
Born 21 Oct 1874 & died 12 Aug 1961 (aged 86)
Tan Kah Kee (Chinese: 陳嘉庚; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Kah-kiⁿ; also spelled as Chen Jiageng; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore and the Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou.
A prominent figure in the overseas Chinese community in Singapore and wider Southeast Asia during the 20th century, he was responsible for gathering much support from the community to aid China in major events such as the Xinhai Revolution (1911), the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition (1926–28), and the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–45). Apart from donating most of his assets and earnings to aid China in those major events, Tan set up funds in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and contributed to the establishment of several schools in Southeast Asia and China's Fujian Province, including Xiamen University.
In recognition of Tan's contributions to education and society throughout his lifetime, there are places and establishments in China and Southeast Asia named after Tan or built to commemorate him, including: the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum in Tan's hometown in Jimei; the Tan Kah Kee Foundation, which offers postgraduate scholarships; the Tan Kah Kee MRT station along the Downtown MRT line in Singapore, next to the current site of Hwa Chong Institution. The schools in the Anglo-Chinese School family have houses named after Tan. Chongfu School's Main Hall is named after him. Tan Kah Kee Hall at the University of California, Berkeley, is also named after him. The asteroid 2963 Chen Jiageng is named after him.
Khoo Teck Puat
Born 13 Jan 1917 & died 21 Feb 2004 (aged 87)
Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat (Chinese: 邱德拔; pinyin: Qiū Débá; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khu Tik-pua̍t; 13 January 1917 – 21 February 2004) was a banker and hotel owner, who, with an estimated fortune of S$4.3 billion (US$3,195,953,500), was the wealthiest man in Singapore at one point. He owned the Goodwood Group of boutique hotels in London and Singapore and was the largest single shareholder of the British bank Standard Chartered. The bulk of his fortune came from shares in Standard Chartered, which he bought up in the 1980s to help thwart Lloyds Bank's proposed acquisition which many financiers deemed hostile. The Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore, built in 1900, is a restored historic landmark.
Around the period of his death in 2004, Khoo was ranked as the 108th richest person in the world by the business magazine Forbes. Khoo's estate has donated S$80 million to Duke–NUS Medical School. In 2004, after Khoo died at Mount Elizabeth Hospital from a heart attack, it was revealed that he has a bigger stake in three of his listed companies Goodwood Park, Hotel Malaysia and Central Properties than it was disclosed to the Singapore Exchange. His daughters, Jacqueline and Elizabeth, who were in management positions at the companies, were fined a total of S$500,000. Khoo left his Standard Chartered stake, then approximately 11.5%, to his children.
In March 2006, they sold it to Singapore's Temasek Holdings. In 1981, Khoo set up the Khoo Foundation, a charity fund, with an initial S$20 million. The foundation donated S$125 million towards the construction and operation of a hospital, Alexandra hospital @ Yishun, in Yishun, Singapore. In 2007, the hospital was subsequently renamed after Khoo as Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in recognition of the contribution by the Khoo foundation.
Lee Kong Chian
Born 18 Oct 1893 & died 2 Jun 1967 (aged 73)
Lee Kong Chian PMN SPMJ SJMK (Chinese: 李光前; pinyin: Lǐ Guāngqián; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Kong-chiân; 18 October 1893 – 2 June 1967), also known by his alias Lee Geok Kun (Chinese: 李玉昆; pinyin: Lǐ Yùkūn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Gio̍k-kun), was a prominent Chinese Singaporean businessman and philanthropist based in Malaya and Singapore between the 1930s and the 1960s.
He was the founder of the Lee Foundation and one of the richest men in Southeast Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also a son-in-law of Tan Kah Kee, another well-known Chinese businessman and philanthropist based in Southeast Asia. He is affectionately known today as the "founding father" of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation.
Like Tan Kah Kee, Lee poured his wealth into education and other philanthropic efforts. He set up the Lee Foundation in Singapore and Malaya in 1952 and 1960 respectively. In 1965, the Lee Foundation Limited was established in Hong Kong. Lee also spearheaded free public library services for Singapore when he donated S$375,000 through the Lee Foundation to allow the Singapore Government to build the Old National Library building at Stamford Road. The old building was eventually demolished and replaced by a much larger new building, a project that also received substantial financial backing from the foundation. The reference library that occupies the 7th to 13th floors of the new building was named in his honour.
Tan Tock Seng
Born 1798 & died 24 Feb 1850 (aged 56)
Tan Tock Seng (Chinese: 陳篤生; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-seng; 1798 – 24 February 1850) was a Malacca-born merchant and philanthropist from Singapore. Tan became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be appointed Justice of the Peace by Governor William John Butterworth. He was also granted the title of Kapitan Cina (Captain of the Chinese) for settling feuds and assisting new Chinese immigrants upon their arrival to Singapore. The founding of Thian Hock Keng temple was led by Tan for the Hokkien community and still exists at Telok Ayer Street today.
His most famous donation was a $5,000 contribution to the construction of the Chinese Pauper Hospital in 1844, which was named after its benefactor on its opening and referred to colloquially as "Tan Tock Seng hospital".[3] The hospital later relocated to the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road in 1860, and a female wing was funded by Tan's widow Lee Seo Neo in 1867
Tan died on 24 February 1850 at the age of 52 after falling ill, leaving behind his wife, three sons and three daughters. His initial burial location is unknown but his remains were re-interred at Outram Hill around 1882. The modern day Tan Tock Seng Hospital and adjacent road Jalan Tan Tock Seng still bears his name.
Aw Boon Haw
Born 1882 & died 1954 (aged 72)
Aw Boon-Haw (Chinese: 胡文虎; pinyin: Hú Wénhǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ô͘ Bûn-hó͘; 1882 in Rangoon, British Burma, British Raj – 1954 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States), OBE, was a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian, China.
In 1954, at the age of 72, Aw died from a heart attack following a major operation in Honolulu while on a trip to Hong Kong from Boston, US. He is remembered through his work with Haw Par Villas throughout Asia, with locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Fujian province of China. In 1932, Aw and his brother Aw Boon Par founded St. John Hospital (Hong Kong) on Cheung Chau island. As of 2023 the original building, a historical landmark, continued to serve the approximate 12,000 residents of the island. His sons took over his businesses after Aw's death.
Aw had an adopted daughter, Sally Aw, a Hong Kong businesswoman and former politician. The daughter of Aw Boon-Haw and his fourth wife, Aw Seng (胡星), resides in Singapore and has set up a company under her father's name, Aw Boon Haw Pte Ltd, to continue the heritage and legacy of her father. Aw Boon-Haw's fourth wife died on 10 April 2012 in Vancouver aged 100.
Gan Eng Seng
Born 1844 & died 9 Sep 1899 (aged 55)
Gan Eng Seng (simplified Chinese: 颜永成; traditional Chinese: 顏永成; pinyin: Yán Yǒngchéng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gân Íng-sîng; c. 1844–1899) was a Chinese businessman and philanthropist who was one of the early pioneers of Singapore. He is known for his generosity to many charitable causes in Malaya and Singapore during the British colonial era. Some of his most recognised contributions were the setting up of Gan Eng Seng School, the Thong Chai Medical Institution, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and the Ee Hoe Hean Club.
Although Gan had little education, he realised its value as he prospered and became wealthy. His dream to build a school for the poor which taught both English and Chinese (Hokkien, as Mandarin was not commonly used in Southeast Asia then) was fulfilled in 1885, when he built the Anglo-Chinese Free School for boys in some shophouses in Telok Ayer Street (not related to the Anglo-Chinese School founded a year later by Bishop W.F. Oldham). In 1923, it was renamed to Gan Eng Seng School (GESS) in his honour. Gan Eng Seng School is unique among the schools in Singapore being the only one initiated, established and maintained by a local citizen with a gift of freehold property, buildings and adequate funds until his demise. Most other schools of the time were established by missionary or communal organisations. Before it became a government school in 1938, it had on its board of trustees fellow Chinese pioneers such as Tan Keong Saik, Ho Yang Peng, Wee Theam Tew, Lee Cheng Yan, S.J. Chan, Wee Swee Teow, Song Ong Siang, and Lim Boon Keng. Under their management, Gan Eng Seng School was able to serve the local community as a self-funded school for nearly forty years without interference.
On 9 September 1899, Gan died at the age of 55 in his house at No. 87 Amoy Street. His total assets were worth an estimated S$550,000. He was buried at Leng Kee Sua somewhere on the hill by the side where Leng Kee Road runs today. Due to redevelopment of the area, his body was disinterred and reburied in a family grave at Bukit Brown Cemetery. After the death of his father, Gan Tiang Tok continued the family business for three years, though by the turn of century it was no longer so lucrative. Gan Tiang Tok was dogged by ill health from 1903 until his death in 1927 at the age of 68. In April 2008, Gan's life and generosity to many charitable causes are currently being showcased in a permanent gallery of the Peranakan Museum (former Tao Nan School building) at Armenian Street. The gallery titled Public Life: Making a difference (Level 3) honours Peranakans (Straits Chinese), who were prominent public figures and philanthropists such as Gan, Singapore pioneer Tan Kim Seng and former Cabinet Minister Lim Kim San. The Peranakan Museum presents a Southeast Asian-wide view of Peranakan culture and houses a comprehensive collection of Peranakan artefacts. The museum is the latest addition to the National Heritage Board's family of museums and is managed by the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM). The ACM staff consulted academics and collaborated with members of the Peranakan community to bring the museum to life.
Loke Wan Tho
Born 14 Jun 1915 & died 20 Jun 1964 (aged 49)
Tan Sri Loke Wan Tho (simplified Chinese: 陆运涛; traditional Chinese: 陸運濤; pinyin: Lù Yùntáo; Jyutping: Luk6 Wan6 Tou4; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lio̍k Ūn-tô; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Lu̍k Yun-thàu; 14 June 1915 – 20 June 1964) was a Malaysian-Singaporean business magnate, ornithologist, and photographer. He was the founder of Cathay Organisation in Singapore and Malaysia, and Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI) in Hong Kong.
Although Loke had inherited a vast fortune of tin mines, plantations and properties from his father, he went on to grow the company which his mother had formed together with him in 1935 called Associated Theatres Ltd. The Pavilion Cinema in Kuala Lumpur and the Cathay Cinema in Singapore were built. Partnerships were forged with Ho Ah Loke and others to form the Cathay cinema circuit that counted 80 cinemas at its peak. Associated Theatres Ltd later changed its name to Cathay Organisation in 1959. By 1953 Loke and Ho had started production of Malay films at the Cathay Keris Studios which were purpose built. Many classic films have come from these studios located out in East Coast Road Singapore – Pontianak, Orang Minyak, Bawang Puteh Bawang Merah, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and many more.
Loke also bought over an existing film studio in Hong Kong in 1955 and started to produce a library of Chinese films to supply to his chain of cinemas which stretched from Singapore, Malaya and Borneo to Bangkok. The films were also distributed to the region and Cathay stars like Ge Lan, You Min, Lin Dai and Yeh Fung became household names in Indochina, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Sarawak, Borneo and of course Singapore and Malaya. The Cathay Organisation, of which Loke was its chairman, not only owned and operated cinemas and film studios, produced Malay and Chinese films but also owned and operated hotels and restaurants in Singapore (The Cathay Hotel and Ocean Park Hotel and their attendant restaurants) and Fiji (The Grand Pacific Hotel Suva and The Cathay Hotel Lautoka). He also had interests in rubber, palm oil and coconut plantations in Malaysia.
Lim Nee Soon
Born 12 No 1879 & died 20 Mar 1936 (aged 56)
Lim Nee Soon (Chinese: 林義順; pinyin: Lín Yìshùn; 12 November 1879 – 20 March 1936) was a Singaporean banker and businessman who promoted social and community matters, and was a respected community leader in Singapore. Lim was of Peranakan descent, with ancestry from Chenghai District, Shantou in Guangdong, China.
He was a rubber magnate and was nicknamed the "pineapple king" for being the leading pineapple planter in the region. He was also a banker, contractor and general commission agent. He was the first general manager of the Bukit Sembawang Rubber Company Limited, formed in 1908. Nee Soon and Company was formed in 1911. As a Chinese Peranakan, known as "Baba" locally, he was affectionately known as Bah Soon Pah (Chinese: 峇順芭; pinyin: Bā shùn bā). Bah Soon Pah Road was named after him.
Nee Soon Road was officially named in 1950 by the Rural Board to facilitate postal services. Nee Soon also owned a large plot of land in the area and several roads in this area are named after his business concerns and family members. For example, Chong Kuo Road is named after his eldest son Lim Chong Kuo, and Chong Pang City his second son Lim Chong Pang. The residential town of Yishun in the northern part of Singapore, is also named after him. Although originally named Nee Soon, the name was subsequently romanized to its current appellation, to reflect the Singapore government's move to use standardised Mandarin over the unstandardised Chinese variants prominent amongst local dialect groups.
Ee Peng Liang
Born 24 Nov 1913 & died 24 Aug 1994 (aged 81)
Ee Peng Liang, K.St.J (Chinese: 余炳亮; pinyin: Yú Bǐngliàng; 24 November 1913 – 24 August 1994) was a businessman and a philanthropist. He was the founding member and President of the Singapore Council of Social Service as well as the Community Chest. Known as the “father of charity” in Singapore, Ee Peng Liang was well known for his charitable nature and voluntary work, for which he received numerous accolades. Ee also held key appointments in over 50 public organisations ranging from Christian welfare agencies, reformative institutions, public welfare bodies, and even women’s and Malay/Muslim associations.
Ee was born to a poor ethnic Hokkien Peranakan family in 1913 and grew up at the Kallang gasworks area of Singapore in a family of eight siblings. His parents were named Ee Seng Watt and Lim Choon Neo. He was educated at St Joseph’s Institution and later was qualified as a chartered accountant. In 1947, Ee Peng Liang set up Ee Peng Liang & Co., which started out serving family businesses and grew to serve a sizeable portfolio of clients including public companies. His firm eventually merged with the then Turquand Youngs & Co. and Ernst & Whinney in 1974 and 1986 respectively, to become part of Ernst & Young.
Lee Seng Tee
Born 16 Apr 1923 & died 29 Jul 2022 (aged 99)
Lee Seng Tee FBA (Chinese: 李成智; pinyin: Lǐ Chéngzhì; 16 April 1923 – 29 July 2022) was a Singaporean businessman and philanthropist.
Born in Singapore in 1923, Lee was the second son of Lee Kong Chian and a maternal grandson of Tan Kah Kee. Lee graduated from The Wharton School with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1950. Lee was a director of the family's Lee Group of Companies, a Singapore-based conglomerate of firms in industries that include pineapple and investments; Lee was among the 40 richest people in Singapore primarily due to his stake in family businesses.
As a director of the Ernst & Young, Lee supported education, particularly higher education, around the world through personal donations towards building libraries and reading rooms, as well as supporting the acquisition of published resources for some of the most famous libraries in the world, which include the Needham Research Institute at the University of Cambridge and the Bodleian Library[4] at the University of Oxford. Lee was named an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals for his philanthropic support of libraries worldwide.
Lim Boon Keng
Born 18 Oct 1869 & died 1 Jan 1957 (aged 87)
Lim was born on 18 October 1869 in Singapore, Straits Settlements, as the third generation of a Peranakan with ancestry from Haicheng Town, Longhai City, Fujian Province based from his grandfather Lim Mah Peng who first immigrated to Penang, Malaya in 1839, where he married a Straits-born Chinese woman. Lim Mah Peng later moved to Singapore where his only son, Lim Thean Geow (Chinese: 林天堯; pinyin: Lín Tiānyáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Thian-giâu), the father of Lim Boon Keng, was born. Lim studied at Raffles Institution. However, the death of his parents during his childhood inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. In 1887, Lim became the first Singaporean to receive a Queen's Scholarship. He gained admission to the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 1892 with a first-class honors degree in medicine.
Lim led his remaining years in recluse in Singapore as an ordinary citizen. He died on 1 January 1957, two months after his 87th birthday.[10] He was buried at Bidadari Cemetery in Singapore. His wife Grace died in 1972 and was buried there as well. The area now known as Boon Keng, including Boon Keng MRT station, Boon Keng Road and Upper Boon Keng Road are named after Lim.
Tan Boo Liat
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Tan Boo Liat (1875-1934) son of Tan Soon Toh
Tan Boo Liat (Chinese: 陳武烈; pinyin: Chén Wǔliè, 1875–1934) was a wealthy Singapore philanthropist. He was the son of Tan Soon Toh (Chinese: 陳純道; pinyin: Chén Chúndào), grandson of Tan Kim Ching and great-grandson of Tan Tock Seng.
Educated locally, he was a member of the Singapore Volunteer Infantry and was among the contingent present at King Edward's coronation. As a descendant of the illustrious Tan Tock Seng family, he was the leader of the Hokkien Chinese community in Singapore, and chairman of the Po Chiak Keng (Chinese: 保赤宮; pinyin: Bǎo Chì Gōng) Temple's Committee of Management, which the temple was built as the Tan clan ancestral temple and association. He was also a strong supporter of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, being a member of the Singapore T'ung Meng Hui along with Lim Boon Keng and Dr. S. C. Yin and a president of the Singapore Kuomintang. He headed the Fukien Protection Fund together with Tan Kah Kee collecting $130,000 during a nine-month campaign.
He was a trustee of the Anglo-Chinese School's Boarding School, and together with Dr. Lim Boon Keng, Sir Song Ong Siang and a few other Straits-born Chinese leaders, he initiated the Singapore Chinese Girls' School. He also proposed the establishment of the Tao Nan School
Tan Kim Seng
Born 18 Nov 1805 & Died 14 Mar 1864 (aged 57)
Tan Kim Seng JP (18 November 1805 – 14 March 1864), was a prominent Straits-born Chinese[1] merchant and philanthropist in Singapore in the 19th century.
Born in Malacca in 1805 to Tan Swee Poh (Chinese: 陳瑞布; pinyin: Chén Ruìbù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Sūi-pò͘), he was the grandson of Tan Sin Liew (Chinese: 陳臣留; pinyin: Chén Chénliú; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Sîn-liû), one of the early pioneers of Malacca.[2] Tan came to Singapore where he made a fortune as a trader. He started his firm, Kim Seng and Company, in 1840 and amassed a large fortune in his lifetime. His public acts of charity includes endowing a Chinese Free School, supporting the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and improving the public waterworks in 19th century Singapore. Tan donated generously to the building and maintenance of a school for boys known as Chui Eng Institute (Chinese: 萃英書院; pinyin: Cuìyīng Shūyuàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chūi-eng Su-īⁿ). The school was originally taught in Hokkien and was known as the top school in Singapore at the time.
The Tan Kim Seng Fountain at the Esplanade Park was built to commemorate Tan Kim Seng's contributions to the first public waterworks in Singapore. One of Tan's best-known donations was the sum of $13,000 in 1857 towards building Singapore's first public waterworks to ensure a better freshwater supply to the town. The Tan Kim Seng Fountain was erected by the Municipal Commissioners to commemorate Tan's donation. However, his donation was squandered away by the Government Engineer, who hoped to make water run uphill through water pipes. In 1882, possibly out of shame and to mark the British colonial government's appreciation, the fountain was installed in Fullerton Square to perpetuate his name. The fountain was moved to Battery Road in 1905 and later in 1925 to the Esplanade Park where it currently stands.
