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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