Xiamen University
Monday, May 4, 2009
Social Contributions
Social Contributions
Along with his business ventures, Tan was also instrumental in contributing to various educational endeavours. In Singapore he helped set up schools like Ai Tong, Nan Chiau Girls', Chong Hock Girls' and Kong Hwa. In 1918, he founded the first Chinese secondary school in Singapore - the Nanyang Chinese High School, which was opened in March 1919. Originally located at Niven Road, it moved to to a bigger premise at Bukit Timah Road six years later. Furthermore, he donated large sums of money to two English-medium institutions - the Anglo-Chinese School and Raffles College. He was also co-founder with Tan Lark Sye in the start-up of the Nanyang University. He also developed key educational institutions in China, establishing the Amoy University in Fujian in 1921 as a private University and maintaining it for the next 16 years.
Tan was also a social activist during tumultuous times, aiding relief efforts such as the Fujian and Guangdong Flood Relief Fund and was closely associated with the Kuomintang and the Nationalist movement. During World War II, he helped recruit Chinese to assist the British. However, his support for the Chinese Communist Party led the British to deny him re-entry to Singapore after the war. He lived the rest of his life in the Fujian Province.
Along with his business ventures, Tan was also instrumental in contributing to various educational endeavours. In Singapore he helped set up schools like Ai Tong, Nan Chiau Girls', Chong Hock Girls' and Kong Hwa. In 1918, he founded the first Chinese secondary school in Singapore - the Nanyang Chinese High School, which was opened in March 1919. Originally located at Niven Road, it moved to to a bigger premise at Bukit Timah Road six years later. Furthermore, he donated large sums of money to two English-medium institutions - the Anglo-Chinese School and Raffles College. He was also co-founder with Tan Lark Sye in the start-up of the Nanyang University. He also developed key educational institutions in China, establishing the Amoy University in Fujian in 1921 as a private University and maintaining it for the next 16 years.
Tan was also a social activist during tumultuous times, aiding relief efforts such as the Fujian and Guangdong Flood Relief Fund and was closely associated with the Kuomintang and the Nationalist movement. During World War II, he helped recruit Chinese to assist the British. However, his support for the Chinese Communist Party led the British to deny him re-entry to Singapore after the war. He lived the rest of his life in the Fujian Province.
Schools Set up
Schools in
1907 : Set up Tao Nan.
1912 : Set up Ai Tong.
1915 : Set up Chung Fook Girls' School.
1915 : Set up Chung Poon.
1918 : Set up
1919 : Donated S$100,000 to the proposed Anglo-Chinese College but this monies were transferred as S$30,000 paid subscription to the physics and chemistry fund in the Anglo-Chinese School when plans for the former was aborted.
1929 : Donated S$10,000 to
1941 : Set up
1947 : Set up Nan Chiao Girls' High School.
1955 : Founded
Schools in
1913 : Set up
1918 : Set up
1919 : Set up Jimei kindergarten.
1919 : Set up
1920 : Set up
1921 : Set up
Timeline
Timeline
1890 : Came to Singapore to work at his father's sundry shop, Chop Soon Ann (Shun'an) Rice Company.
1891 - 1892 & 1894 - 1898 : Takes over the management of Chop Soon Ann, including that of a sago factory and a pineapple factory.
1903 : Family embezzlement led to the decline of his father's business and the closure of Soon Ann.
1904 : Set up a pineapple cannery, Sin Lee Chuan (Xinlichuan) on a limited budget of $7,000 and bought over Jit Sin after his partner dies.
1905 : Purchased 500 acres of jungle land in Singapore, initially for pineapple plantations but in the next year, used for rubber planting, making the Hock Shan Plantation, as it was named, Tan's golden goose. From here, Tan launched into the rubber business.
1906 : From the profits of his pineapple cannery, he set up Khiam Aik (Qianyi) Rice Mills.
1917 : Khiam Aik was converted into a rubber mill.
1919 - 1925 : Founded Tan Kah Kee Co. in 1919 and business peaked during this period with his empire stretching to Thailand and beyond to China. In the 1920's, he was known as the "Henry Ford of Malaya".
1920 : With help from his brother, Tan Keng Hean, the company set up the Sumbawa Rubber Manufacturer, a manufacturing complex at Sumbawa Road, creating various rubber goods from toys to tyres.
1925 : Tan Kah Kee & Co. was valued at an estimated S$7.8 million and noted as a pioneer in industrial development in Southeast Asia.
1929 - 1931 : The impact of the Great Depression affected Tan's company. The bank required that the organisation convert to a limited company.
Feb 1934 : Tan Kah Kee Ltd wound up after conflicts between the board and Tan concerning the rubber business. Despite major losses, Tan continues to finance the various schools he had thus far supported.
1942 : Escaped to Java, Indonesia, during World War II.
1950 : Retired to Jimei.
1890 : Came to Singapore to work at his father's sundry shop, Chop Soon Ann (Shun'an) Rice Company.
1891 - 1892 & 1894 - 1898 : Takes over the management of Chop Soon Ann, including that of a sago factory and a pineapple factory.
1903 : Family embezzlement led to the decline of his father's business and the closure of Soon Ann.
1904 : Set up a pineapple cannery, Sin Lee Chuan (Xinlichuan) on a limited budget of $7,000 and bought over Jit Sin after his partner dies.
1905 : Purchased 500 acres of jungle land in Singapore, initially for pineapple plantations but in the next year, used for rubber planting, making the Hock Shan Plantation, as it was named, Tan's golden goose. From here, Tan launched into the rubber business.
1906 : From the profits of his pineapple cannery, he set up Khiam Aik (Qianyi) Rice Mills.
1917 : Khiam Aik was converted into a rubber mill.
1919 - 1925 : Founded Tan Kah Kee Co. in 1919 and business peaked during this period with his empire stretching to Thailand and beyond to China. In the 1920's, he was known as the "Henry Ford of Malaya".
1920 : With help from his brother, Tan Keng Hean, the company set up the Sumbawa Rubber Manufacturer, a manufacturing complex at Sumbawa Road, creating various rubber goods from toys to tyres.
1925 : Tan Kah Kee & Co. was valued at an estimated S$7.8 million and noted as a pioneer in industrial development in Southeast Asia.
1929 - 1931 : The impact of the Great Depression affected Tan's company. The bank required that the organisation convert to a limited company.
Feb 1934 : Tan Kah Kee Ltd wound up after conflicts between the board and Tan concerning the rubber business. Despite major losses, Tan continues to finance the various schools he had thus far supported.
1942 : Escaped to Java, Indonesia, during World War II.
1950 : Retired to Jimei.
More on Tan Kah Kee
Tan Kah Kee was one of the most prominent ethnic chinese Malayans to financially support chinese efforts in the Second Sino-Japanese war which broke out in 1937 and organised many relief funds under his name. Tan Kah Kee also exercised considerable effort against the then-governor of the Fujian province, Chen Yi, for perceived maladministration.
Tan Kah Kee was also the de facto leader of the Singapore Chinese Community, serving as chairman for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and helped organise the Hokkien clan association. However he lost this role when the Chinese Civil War divided the Singaporean Chinese Community into Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Kuomintang sympathizers. Tan Kah Kee was a CCP supporter as he was disillusioned with the corruption within the Nationalists.
After the Communist Victory in China, he tried to return to Singapore in 1950 but was denied entry by British colonial authority which was concerned about the Communist influence in Singapore and Malaya.
Tan Kah Kee was also the de facto leader of the Singapore Chinese Community, serving as chairman for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and helped organise the Hokkien clan association. However he lost this role when the Chinese Civil War divided the Singaporean Chinese Community into Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Kuomintang sympathizers. Tan Kah Kee was a CCP supporter as he was disillusioned with the corruption within the Nationalists.
After the Communist Victory in China, he tried to return to Singapore in 1950 but was denied entry by British colonial authority which was concerned about the Communist influence in Singapore and Malaya.
Life
Tan Kah Kee was born in Jimei, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, and went to Singapore in 1890, when he was 16 years old, to work for his father's rice store. After his father's business collapsed in 1903, Tan started his own business and built an empire from rubber plantations and manufacturing, sawmills, canneries, real estate, import and export brokerage, ocean transport to rice trading. His business was at its prime from 1912-1914, where he was known as "Henry Ford of Malaya".
With the profit he made from his business empire, Mr Tan Kah Kee contributed greatly to the community, bothe in Malaya and his native Fujian Province. He was one of the 110 founding membersof Tao Nan School. He set up the Jimei schools, which is now known as the Jimei university, in 1913.In 1919, he set up The Chinese High School, now named Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore.While in 1921, he set up the Xiamen University and financially supported it until the Government of the Republic of China took it over in 1937. In 1920, he married his daughter Tan Ai Li to Lee Kong Chian, who worked under him and who later became a famous Singaporean philanthropist and businessman.
With the profit he made from his business empire, Mr Tan Kah Kee contributed greatly to the community, bothe in Malaya and his native Fujian Province. He was one of the 110 founding membersof Tao Nan School. He set up the Jimei schools, which is now known as the Jimei university, in 1913.In 1919, he set up The Chinese High School, now named Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore.While in 1921, he set up the Xiamen University and financially supported it until the Government of the Republic of China took it over in 1937. In 1920, he married his daughter Tan Ai Li to Lee Kong Chian, who worked under him and who later became a famous Singaporean philanthropist and businessman.
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