Eu Tong Sen
Encyclopedia
Eu Tong Sen was a leading businessman in Malaya
, Singapore
and Hong Kong during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was the son of Eu Kong Pui and Kong Pui's first wife, Madam Leung in Foshan, China. He was vice-president of the Anti-Opium Society and a member of the Kinta Sanitary Board.
immigrant from Foshan
, Guangdong
to Penang
to work as a grocery shop assistant. He had a wife in Foshan, Madam Leung, and a wife in Malaya, Madam Man.
He built his fortune by acquiring from the British, monopolies for tax or revenue farming (opium, alcohol or spirits, gambling and pawn broking) in Perak in the 1880s and when tin started to boom, he acquired land for mining tin. He expanded this to retailing and taxing goods from China that he sold to the miners he employed and set up in Gopeng
, Perak
, a grocery shop that was later expanded to include a Chinese dispensary to treat Chinese immigrants. He operated his businesses under the mark Chop Yan Sang. He had two younger brothers, Eu Kong Chun and Eu Kong Tak. His business partner was Chiu Tong Hin and his attorney was Mr. Grant Mackie of the Straits Trading Company.
In 1890 or On 24 March 1891 at only thirty eight years of age, Eu Kong Pui died, suddenly.
While he was still a child, Eu Tong Sen had been sent back to his mother in Foshan, China, to study. However, with the sudden death of his father, he found himself, at only thirteen years of age, heir to the family estates and tin mining businesses. He returned to Malaya in 1892 but his stay with his two uncles and his step mother was short. He moved to the home of Mr. R. Butler and lived there for two and a half years, taking private tuition in English from Mr. F. W. Harley. From there he moved to Ipoh and enrolled in a Government school. Later he would move to Singapore where he lived for some time before moving to Hong Kong when business conditions changed.
In 1898, at the age of twenty one, he took over his father's estate from Mr. Mackie and discovered the business to be in decline. Over the next ten years he was to expand the family business and multiply his fortune many times over. He expanded his business empire in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong and, at thirty years of age, was one of the richest men in the region.
In Malaya and the Straits, when tax farming was abolished and tin prices started to fall, Eu Tong Sen ventured into rubber plantations in British Malaya and remittances between Malaya and Hong Kong.
manufacturer Eu Yan Sang
into Hong Kong
; he felt it was necessary to diversify out of the tin industry, which was coming under increasing government regulation. He transformed the business his father left him, originating from that single dispensary in Gopeng, into a chain of traditional medicine shops. In 1908 his medicine shops in Kampar and Gopeng were flourishing.
He set up the Sang Woh Foundry and extended his business into the manufacture and export of tin-made items which he shipped to China and Southeast Asian countries.
In 1914, he expanded the remittance
business to reach throughout Malaya as well as the Dutch East Indies
, Hong Kong, and southern China. In the 1920s when the rubber business in Malaya deteriorated, Eu Tong Sen shifted his focus to the remittance business in Hong Kong.
farms in Singapore and Penang.
, a performing hall for Cantonese opera
, and for forming an opera troupe to perform there, all in order to entertain one of his wives who was a fan of Cantonese opera. Later, he would become the first non-European commoner to be admitted to the Royal Ipoh Club.
.
were "blood" brothers. They went through Chinese ceremony to become "Keet Bye Heng Tai". When Chung Thye Phin travelled to Hong Kong, he stayed in Eu Tong Sen's villa there and they kept an account of his expenses in the company's account books. Eu Tong Sen's villa in HK was called "Eucliff". It has been torn down. It was built at Repulse Bay, HK, overlooking the sea. The property was huge. It was built with stone like a castle. It included within its walled area a tennis court and also a swimming pool. Eu Tong Sen and Chung Thye Phin had common interests – motorcars, racehorses, country houses, etc. 1903 when the Ipoh Gymkhana Club was founded, both of them decided to enter their thoroughbreds regularly in the Ipoh races. They jointly built a weekend retreat, “Forest Lodge”, at Gopeng Road with a large stable. When Eu Tong Sen was appointed to the Federal Council, Chung Thye Phin
sold his half-lot to Eu Tong Sen who desired grander accommodations following the latter's elevation in status. Chung Thye Phin
in turn bought Drummond’s Hill in Taiping, a 50 acres (202,343 m²) estate and the former Residency of Sir Hugh Low
. In 1908, together with Chung Thye Phin he built a large Chinese theatre in the important mining town of Kampar near Ipoh. Chung Thye Phin's Penang firms served as the agent for Eu, Tong Sen in Penang before he (Eu) opened a branch on the island. Eu Tong Sen's Penang branch, at least according to business directories, was the latest in his branch office network. It seemed to have opened only in 1920. Eu Tong Sen and Chung Thye Phin were also members of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Smelting Company, Ltd along with Ng Boo Bee, Ong Hung Chong, Khaw Joo Tok and his nephew Khaw Bian Kee.
Eu Tong Sen was also the pioneer of Singapore to bring in calf racing. Calf racing evolves around 2 men and 2 calfs(young of a cow. Then, they will ride the calf through a series of obstacles before finally falling into a water body. The men then will have to finally swim to land and run back to the starting point, the first becoming the winner
in his honour. The honour was given in recognition of his contributions of a scout fighter plane called No. 1 Eu Tong Sen, and 6,000 pounds for a tank that had two "eyes" to further the British efforts in World War I. Mr. Addison, the Minister of Munitions commissioned a painting of the tank and presented the painting to Eu Tong Sen.
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Hong Kong during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was the son of Eu Kong Pui and Kong Pui's first wife, Madam Leung in Foshan, China. He was vice-president of the Anti-Opium Society and a member of the Kinta Sanitary Board.
Origins
His father, Eu Kong Pui (1853) also known as Eu Kong, was a ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
immigrant from Foshan
Foshan
Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
to Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
to work as a grocery shop assistant. He had a wife in Foshan, Madam Leung, and a wife in Malaya, Madam Man.
He built his fortune by acquiring from the British, monopolies for tax or revenue farming (opium, alcohol or spirits, gambling and pawn broking) in Perak in the 1880s and when tin started to boom, he acquired land for mining tin. He expanded this to retailing and taxing goods from China that he sold to the miners he employed and set up in Gopeng
Gopeng
Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, District of Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Ipoh, the state capital. The town is located on the west side of the North-South Expressway stretch of Tapah-Simpang Pulai...
, Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, a grocery shop that was later expanded to include a Chinese dispensary to treat Chinese immigrants. He operated his businesses under the mark Chop Yan Sang. He had two younger brothers, Eu Kong Chun and Eu Kong Tak. His business partner was Chiu Tong Hin and his attorney was Mr. Grant Mackie of the Straits Trading Company.
In 1890 or On 24 March 1891 at only thirty eight years of age, Eu Kong Pui died, suddenly.
While he was still a child, Eu Tong Sen had been sent back to his mother in Foshan, China, to study. However, with the sudden death of his father, he found himself, at only thirteen years of age, heir to the family estates and tin mining businesses. He returned to Malaya in 1892 but his stay with his two uncles and his step mother was short. He moved to the home of Mr. R. Butler and lived there for two and a half years, taking private tuition in English from Mr. F. W. Harley. From there he moved to Ipoh and enrolled in a Government school. Later he would move to Singapore where he lived for some time before moving to Hong Kong when business conditions changed.
In 1898, at the age of twenty one, he took over his father's estate from Mr. Mackie and discovered the business to be in decline. Over the next ten years he was to expand the family business and multiply his fortune many times over. He expanded his business empire in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong and, at thirty years of age, was one of the richest men in the region.
In Malaya and the Straits, when tax farming was abolished and tin prices started to fall, Eu Tong Sen ventured into rubber plantations in British Malaya and remittances between Malaya and Hong Kong.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Aside from his involvement in the tin mining and rubber industries, he was also responsible for extending the family business of traditional Chinese medicineTraditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
manufacturer Eu Yan Sang
Eu Yan Sang
Eu Yan Sang is a company that specialises in traditional Chinese medicine. It currently runs more than 160 retail outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Malaysia, and Singapore, plus two factories in Hong Kong and Malaysia...
into Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; he felt it was necessary to diversify out of the tin industry, which was coming under increasing government regulation. He transformed the business his father left him, originating from that single dispensary in Gopeng, into a chain of traditional medicine shops. In 1908 his medicine shops in Kampar and Gopeng were flourishing.
The Tin Business
At its peak his businesses owned a total of 11 mines and employed 12,000 miners. The tin business, however, was in a state of decline by the time he took over management. By 1908 he owned two mines at Kampar, three at Gopeng, one at Tronoh, one at Chenderiang, and one at Papan, together employing about 8,000 coolies. In Selangor he owned one mine at Ampang and one at Kancheng, together employing 3,000 coolies. In Batang Benna, Negri Sembilan he owned one mine employing 1,000 coolies.He set up the Sang Woh Foundry and extended his business into the manufacture and export of tin-made items which he shipped to China and Southeast Asian countries.
The Rubber Business
In 1908 he commenced planting two estates of 450 and 250 acres (1 km²) and eventually grew his fathers business from their original two estates of 450 and 550 acres (2.2 km²) until his rubber estates covered more than 283 hectares of land.Remittance Business
Under Eu Tong Sen, Yan Sang shops in Gopeng and Kampar, extended to providing remittance services, allowing Chinese miners and plantation workers to send their earnings home. As the remittance and medicines businesses expanded, branches were set up in Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1909 Eu Tong Sen established a branch in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong. As his branches increased and his business spread out geographically, his potential market grew accordingly.In 1914, he expanded the remittance
Remittances
A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to his or her home country. Note that in 19th century usage a remittance man was someone exiled overseas and sent an allowance on condition that he not return home....
business to reach throughout Malaya as well as the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, Hong Kong, and southern China. In the 1920s when the rubber business in Malaya deteriorated, Eu Tong Sen shifted his focus to the remittance business in Hong Kong.
Eu Tong Sen Limited And Hong Kong
By the late 20s the most profitable part of the Eu Yan Sang medicine shop business was in remittances not medicines. Eu Tong Sen moved from Singapore to Hong Kong in 1928. On January 7, 1932, he formed Eu Tong Sen Limited in Singapore but controlled it from Hong Kong where his remittance business was showing the best potential.Banking
In 1920, at forty two years of age, Eu Tong Sen, together with Wu Sing Pang, a rich Cantonese merchant in Singapore, founded the Lee Wah Bank with business operations in Guangdong, Singapore and Malaya. The bank was a "Cantonese" bank as opposed to the Hokkien banks like the Ho Hong Bank etc., meaning it was set up to cater mainly to the Cantonese (or Cantonese-speaking) community.Revenue Farms
His other commercial interests included shareholding in opiumOpium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
farms in Singapore and Penang.
Cinema and Theatre
Outside of his businesses, Eu was an early admirer of the Shaw Brothers and invited them to Singapore as his guests. He had a large family, with three wives and twenty-five children. He also organised and oversaw the 1928 construction on that same street of the Majestic TheatreThe Majestic, Singapore
The Majestic is a historic building on Eu Tong Sen Street in Chinatown, Singapore. Located between the People's Park Complex and Yue Hwa Building, it was known as Majestic Theatre, which was a Cantonese opera house.-Early history:...
, a performing hall for Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
, and for forming an opera troupe to perform there, all in order to entertain one of his wives who was a fan of Cantonese opera. Later, he would become the first non-European commoner to be admitted to the Royal Ipoh Club.
Federal Council of the Federated Malay States
In May 1912 he was appointed a permanent Unofficial Member of the Federal Council of the Federated Malay States, the seat having fallen vacant on the demise of Leong FeeLeong Fee
Leong Fee is the Hakka name for Liang P'i Joo , a Kar Yin Hakka from Guangdong Province in China came to Malaya in 1876. He arrived in Penang and half a year later moved to Perak where he began to make his fortune in tin...
.
Chung, Thye Phin and Eu, Tong Sen
Eu Tong Sen and Chung Thye PhinChung Thye Phin
Kapitan Chung, Thye Phin , MSC, JP was a wealthy Malayan tin miner and rubber planter of Hakka ancestry who was raised on the island of Penang in the state of the same name in Malaysia, known at that time as British Malaya. He was a member of the Perak Advisory Board and the last Kapitan China of...
were "blood" brothers. They went through Chinese ceremony to become "Keet Bye Heng Tai". When Chung Thye Phin travelled to Hong Kong, he stayed in Eu Tong Sen's villa there and they kept an account of his expenses in the company's account books. Eu Tong Sen's villa in HK was called "Eucliff". It has been torn down. It was built at Repulse Bay, HK, overlooking the sea. The property was huge. It was built with stone like a castle. It included within its walled area a tennis court and also a swimming pool. Eu Tong Sen and Chung Thye Phin had common interests – motorcars, racehorses, country houses, etc. 1903 when the Ipoh Gymkhana Club was founded, both of them decided to enter their thoroughbreds regularly in the Ipoh races. They jointly built a weekend retreat, “Forest Lodge”, at Gopeng Road with a large stable. When Eu Tong Sen was appointed to the Federal Council, Chung Thye Phin
Chung Thye Phin
Kapitan Chung, Thye Phin , MSC, JP was a wealthy Malayan tin miner and rubber planter of Hakka ancestry who was raised on the island of Penang in the state of the same name in Malaysia, known at that time as British Malaya. He was a member of the Perak Advisory Board and the last Kapitan China of...
sold his half-lot to Eu Tong Sen who desired grander accommodations following the latter's elevation in status. Chung Thye Phin
Chung Thye Phin
Kapitan Chung, Thye Phin , MSC, JP was a wealthy Malayan tin miner and rubber planter of Hakka ancestry who was raised on the island of Penang in the state of the same name in Malaysia, known at that time as British Malaya. He was a member of the Perak Advisory Board and the last Kapitan China of...
in turn bought Drummond’s Hill in Taiping, a 50 acres (202,343 m²) estate and the former Residency of Sir Hugh Low
Hugh Low
Sir Hugh Low, GCMG was a British colonial administrator and naturalist. After a long residence in various colonial roles in Labuan, he became the first successful British administrator in the Malay Peninsula. His methods became models for future administrators. He made the first documented ascent...
. In 1908, together with Chung Thye Phin he built a large Chinese theatre in the important mining town of Kampar near Ipoh. Chung Thye Phin's Penang firms served as the agent for Eu, Tong Sen in Penang before he (Eu) opened a branch on the island. Eu Tong Sen's Penang branch, at least according to business directories, was the latest in his branch office network. It seemed to have opened only in 1920. Eu Tong Sen and Chung Thye Phin were also members of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Smelting Company, Ltd along with Ng Boo Bee, Ong Hung Chong, Khaw Joo Tok and his nephew Khaw Bian Kee.
University of Hong Kong
He donated HK$55,000 to the University of Hong Kong during one of his visits there in 1918.A 1923 Description Of His Homes In Perak
"Eu Tong Sen is a notable with his twenty-five millions of gold dollars. He has two palaces in Ipoh; one more in Kampar, and a castle with a garden and lake in Singapore. Art treasures selected in Europe by himself fill these various residences of the great Chinese tin magnate; the marble for his houses was brought from Italy." -- Herman NordenSports
Eu Tong Sen took a keen interest in horse-racing, motoring and rifle-shooting. He imported the first motor car into Perak.Eu Tong Sen was also the pioneer of Singapore to bring in calf racing. Calf racing evolves around 2 men and 2 calfs(young of a cow. Then, they will ride the calf through a series of obstacles before finally falling into a water body. The men then will have to finally swim to land and run back to the starting point, the first becoming the winner
Eu Tong Sen Street (1919)
In 1919, Singapore's Wayang Street was renamed to Eu Tong Sen StreetEu Tong Sen Street
Eu Tong Sen Street is a one-way road located in the central part of Singapore in the planning areas of Outram, Singapore River and Bukit Merah...
in his honour. The honour was given in recognition of his contributions of a scout fighter plane called No. 1 Eu Tong Sen, and 6,000 pounds for a tank that had two "eyes" to further the British efforts in World War I. Mr. Addison, the Minister of Munitions commissioned a painting of the tank and presented the painting to Eu Tong Sen.
Qing Government Title
He purchased an official title from the Qing Government in 1903. He sold it back in 1906His Passing
In May 1941, in Hong Kong, at the age of sixty three, Eu Tong Sen died of a heart attack. However, before that fatal heart attack, Eu Tong Sen survived multiples of heart attacks and suffered a 5-day collapse a few times. He also had lung cancer but was cured of immediatelySee also
- Correspondence related to the appointment of Chung Thye Phin to the position of Unofficial Member of the Federal Council of the Federated Malay States during the temporary absence on leave of the EU TONG SEN by SIR ARTHUR HENDERSON YOUNG then High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States.
- Eu Kong Papers, National Archives of Singapore