Famous Peoples

Tan Kah Kee

Tan Kah Kee a.k.a Chen Chia Keng , was born in Jimei, Xiamen, Fujian, China on 21 October 1874 .When he was 17 years old, he went to Singapore to help out at his uncle`s sundry shop .But Sadly, in 1903 , his father`s business collapsed due to family embezzlement but he did not give up. He set up a pineapple cannery ,which was Sin Lee Chuan [xinlichuan]with only a limited budget of $7000 in 1904 and in 1905, he bought 500 acres of jungle land in Singapore initially for pineapple plantations but soon changed his mind next year to use it for rubber plantation[Hock Shan Plantation] and was named Golden Goose and from then on, he started launching in rubber businesses.From the profits he made from it , he set up Khiam Aik [Qianyi] Rice Mills and was soon converted into a rubber mill. He set up Ai Tong School , Tao Nan School , Chung Fook’ Girls School , Chung Poon School ,Singapore Girls` High School ,Nanyang Normal School , Nan Chiao Girls` High School ,Jimei Primary , Normal and Secondary , Kindergarten ,marine school and Commerical School ,Amoy University, Xiamen University and Kong Hwa. His donations include $10000 to Raffles College and $100000 to the proposed Anglo-Chinese School but this monies were transferred as $30000 paid subscription to the physics and chemistry fund in Anglo-Chinese School when plans for the former was aborted.
His father was Tan Kee Hian ,while his wife was Teo Po Ke,and his brother was Tan Keng Hian which was his younger brother.Tan Kah Kee passed away on 12 August 1961 and was given a state funeral upon his recognitions of contributions by the Government.