Biography of Tan Kah Kee

Tan Kah Kee (a.k.a. Chen Chia Keng) (b. 21 October 1874, Jimei, Tong'an, Quanzhou, Fujian - d. 12 August 1961, Beijing, China). Prominent Chinese pioneer and philanthropist, nicknamed "Rubber King". He contributed extensively in financing schools both in Singapore and in Xiamen.Tan's birthplace - Jimei (Chip Bee, Chi Mei) in Fujian was a few miles from Xiamen Island. Both counties were to receive extensive donations for educational institutions from Tan. He himself was schooled between the ages of 8 to 16 at his village school in Jimei, departing for Singapore immediately after his graduation.Tan made his way to Singapore as a penniless 17-year old to work at his father's sundry shop. It had been managed by an uncle but Tan took on its management when the uncle returned to China soon after Tan's arrival in Singapore. For the next 50 years, he was to multiply the fortunes and expand the business enterprise moving into pineapple canning, brickworks, shipping but principally rubber manufacturing and processing. Noted businessmen and later sons-in-law, Lee Kong Chian and Oon Khye Hong were his employees.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.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.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 Singapore Chinese High School.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 Raffles College which became University of Malaya.1941 : Set up Nanyang Normal School.1947 : Set up Nan Chiao Girls' High School.1955 : Founded Nanyang University in Singapore.1913 : Set up Jimei Primary School.1918 : Set up Jimei Normal School and Secondary School.1919 : Set up Jimei kindergarten.1919 : Set up Xiamen University, the first Chinese to have founded a major modern university.1920 : Set up Jimei Marine School and Commercial School.1921 : Set up Amoy University.