Tan Yu

Tan Yu (Chinese: 鄭周敏; pinyin: Zhèng Zhōumǐn; 5 April 1927 – 12 March 2002) was a Chinese-Filipino philanthropist and businessman who founded the Asiaworld Internationale Group[1] and established the KTTI Foundation, which provided scholarships to and supported the education of thousands of young students. In 1997, Forbes listed Tan Yu as the 7th wealthiest person in the world, estimating his net worth to be about $7 billion. He was placed amongst the top 10 in the world on the Forbes List of World Billionaires 1997,[2][3] making him wealthiest man in the Philippines.[4]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Tan.
Tan Yu
鄭周敏
Born5 April 1927
Shishi, Quanzhou, Fujian, China
Died12 March 2002 (2002-03-13) (aged 74)
Houston, Texas, United States
CitizenshipPhilippines
Net worth$7 Billion (Forbes 1997)

Early life

Originally from Fujian province in China, Yu and his family moved to the Philippines at a young age. He began making a living in the province of Camarines Norte through selling bread buns in the streets and doing some fishing. He graduated from University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, and in 1997, received an honorary doctorate of science degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.[5] By the age of 18, he had established a successful textile business.[6]

Business Interests

During his lifetime, he planned to develop his private islands Fuga and Barit, two northernmost islands in the Philippines, into a resort in the Pacific for businessmen and tourists.[7] Under the company Asiaworld, he possessed more land in the Philippines than the government, as well as possessing overseas assets in the form of property,[8] hotels[9] and banks.[10]

His key holdings included the Asiaworld Plaza Hotel in Taiwan, over 200 Hectares of prime land in Manila Bay and the Islands of Fuga and Barit.[11]

Personal life and death

Tan Yu died of heart failure in Houston, Texas, in 2002 at the age of 74. Jose de Venecia, the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Philippines, commended his achievements as a great businessman and as a philanthropist, for providing jobs to a number of Philippine people.[12] He was posthumously honored with the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award for Excellence.[13]

His children continue to live in the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong.[14]

In the Story Arc 2078 edition of the Philippines comic strip series Pugad Baboy, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was named as Tan Yu International Airport (TYIA).

References
  1. Philippe, Lasserre. "Players in Asia-Pacific: A Profile". INSEAD Euro-Asia Centre.
  2. "Bill Gates Tops Forbes List of Billionaires". Los Angeles Times. 1 July 1996.
  3. "Gates Stays On Top Of Forbes' Richest List -- Asian Tycoons Move Up In Rankings". The Seattle Times. 1 July 1996.
  4. Bay-Hansen, C.D. (2011). Power Geopolitics in the Pacific Age. Inkwater Press. ISBN 9781592995806.
  5. "CNN Asiaweek Interview". CNN Asiaweek. 30 November 2000. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  6. "Tycoon, Philanthropist Tan Yu dies at 75". Philippine Headline News.
  7. "From Backwater to Fantasy Isle: Filipino-Chinese Tycoon Makes an Audacious Move". CNN Asiaweek. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  8. "Taiwanese Billionaire Tan Yu building homes in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012.
  9. "Forbes Asia Financial Report". Forbes Magazine.
  10. "Tan Yu's $12 Billion Empire". CNN Asiaweek. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  11. Studwell, Joe (23 September 2008). Asian Godfathers - Money and Power in Hong Kong and South East Asia. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 9781555848927.
  12. "Jose de Venecia Jr. Mourns the Loss the Tycoon". Philippines Star. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012.
  13. "2008 Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards for Excellence; Search for Outstanding Chinese-Filipinos". The Manila Times Internet Edition. Archived from the original on 19 April 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  14. "Lessons from a Tycoon". Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012.
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