Tan Tock Seng

Kapitan China Tan Tock Seng (Chinese: 陳篤生; pinyin: Chén Dǔshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-seng; 1798–1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist, who served as acting Kapitan China of Singapore (government-appointed head of the Chinese community). The present day Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Jalan Tan Tock Seng in the hospital area are named after him.

Kapitan China

Tan Tock Seng
陳篤生
Kapitan China of Singapore
Preceded byKapitan Choa Chong Long
Succeeded byKapitan Tan Kim Ching
ConstituencySingapore
Personal details
Born1798
Malacca, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died24 February 1850 (aged 52)
Resting placeOutram Road, Singapore[1]
Spouse(s)Lee Seo Neo (李淑娘)
ChildrenKapitan Tan Kim Ching,
Tan Teck Guan
and Tan Swee Lim
ParentsTan Guat Teong (father)
Kow Geok Neo (mother)
Known forTan Tock Seng Hospital[2]
In this Chinese name, the family name is Tan.

Overview

Born in Malacca in 1798[3] to an immigrant Hokkien father and Peranakan mother, Tan Tock Seng rose from humble origins.[4] In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and became a notable businessman. He was famous for contributing money to build a hospital called "Tan Tock Seng Hospital[5]" as he saw many poor and sick people.

Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road as the building at Pearl's Hill was too old and small to cater to enough patients. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from Fujian, China.

Legacy

Tan died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed S$36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya...

References
  1. "Tan Tock Seng". National Library Board. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  2. "Tan Tock Seng Hospital".
  3. One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore
  4. Leo Suryadinata (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981-4345-21-0.
  5. "Tan Tock Seng Hospital". streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
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