Seow poh leng
Encyclopedia
Seow Poh Leng one of the first few Peranakan
Baba
s at Emerald Hill
, was a prominent and successful Singapore
an banker, founding member of the Ho Hong Bank
, member of the committee of the Straits Settlement (Settlement of Singapore), philanthropist
and benefactor of public development works. He was a strong advocate of limited liability trading and promoted the advantages of the Limited Liability Company system.
. After passing his Senior Cambridge
examinations, he decided to become a teacher. He competed for the Queen's Scholarships in 1902. He failed to win the much-coveted prize, and attributed his failure to the fact that he had to divide his time between his duties as a pupil teacher and preparing for the examinations.
In order to help support his family, he was forced to take up additional work. After school each day he would sell nonya cakes and nasi lemak
cooked by his mother and sisters. One day, when he saw some of his pupils in the distance, he threw all of his food away fearing they would see him and lose respect for him. He was punished when he returned home.
Later, Seow moved on from teaching to become the manager of the Ho Hong Bank
. He was also a cashier at John Little
& Co for many years, before he entered the rice
business. His chequered career included stints as a chemist's assistant, schoolmaster, lawyer's clerk, stock-broker, insurance agent and company liquidator.
He was one of the promoters of the Eastern United Assurance Corporation Ltd. (EUA), Chinese Commercial Bank (CCB) and Ho Hong Bank
(HHB). He founded HHB in January 1917 together with Lim Peng Siang
, Dr Lim Boon Keng
and others, and served as its secretary and general manager. HHB was the first Straits Chinese institution to enter the field of worldwide banking and established connections with London
, New York
, Hong Kong
, Shanghai
, Batavia and many others, in order to facilitate direct trade between the Chinese in Malaya
and people in other parts of the world. Later, HHB was amalgamated with CCB and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC).
According to government archives, Seow was responsible for the development of a row of nine terrace houses along Cairnhill Road. The same records show that he owned bungalows in Emerald Hill Road and Lorong 20 Geylang Road, and had additions and alterations done to them.
A love of theatre
ran in the family. According to Sir Song Ong Siang, Seow took part in amateur theatricals in the 1930s. He was a lover of Shakespeare and named his seaside bungalow in Siglap “Titania” and his house on Emerald Hill Road, “Oberon.” He was considered modern and loved artistic activities such as acting and singing, and served as the Hon. Secretary to the Straits Chinese Recreation Club in 1905.
Seow was a keen sportsman on the football field and in club sports, a tennis player and a chess player. He was one of the early members of Tanjong Katong Swimming Party, now the Chinese Swimming Club, where he once held the office of vice-president. During the early years of the volunteer movement, he served in its ranks.
In 1936 His Excellency The Governor appointed him to be a member of the Council of Raffles College.
In 1937 he was elected to membership of the Council of the King Edward VII College of Medicine.
Apart from The Hawker Bill, in which he played a major role, he was also associated with other subjects he believed to be of importance to the common man like championing pedal rickshaws and the abolition of water meter rents.
had been considered by some people to be a nuisance. In 1903, a bill was drafted by the Chinese Protectorate to provide licensing of hawkers and setting aside spaces where hawking was allowed. In 1905, Municipal Commissioners asked that the Municipal Ordinance be amended to provide them with the necessary powers to register hawkers and bring them under control, but this was refused by the Governor. There were numerous other activities through the years intended to regulate and control the number and activities of hawkers. The view among some people was that the evils of hawking were becoming more serious year on year.
In 1931, the Governor of Singapore appointed a committee "to investigate the hawker question in Singapore and to make recommendations as to any change in policy in this respect which may be considered advisable", consulting and taking evidence from the Municipal Health Officer, the police, Superintendent of Town Cleansing, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Clerical Union, Teo Chew guilds, Indo-Ceylon Club and the Straits Chinese-British Association.
Seow championed the plight of hawkers who he felt were being treated callously and without any regard for the social benefits they were bringing, or for their own precarious economic situation. Through articles in the newspaper, including a self-composed poem, depositions and meetings with the committee. He sought to achieve a fair and balanced outcome that would take into consideration the needs of the masses who were not European, and who relied on the lower-priced food and non-food merchandise provided by the street hawkers of Singapore, exposing in the process the constant brutality hawkers faced from the authorities and bribery hawkers often had to resort to in order to continue to operate.
, whom he had worked for on a part-time basis. When Lim heard that Lilian LuckNeo Tan's family were looking for a groom for her, he recommended Seow to them. Lilian's family wanted a kind and good man for her and it did not matter to them if he was from a poor or rich family. Lilian was the great grand daughter of famous philanthropist Tan Tock Seng. Her father was Tan Soon Toh and her mother was Lin Neo (Jambol) Seow. Tan Soon Toh's father was Tan Kim Ching
, Siamese Consul General in Singapore and the person who introduced the schoolteacher, Anna Hariette Leonowens, to the King of Siam. Tan Kim Ching was the son of Tan Tock Seng
.
Lilian Tan was a refined lady, spared from having to do household chores. Her family lived in a three-storey house along River Valley Road. When the time came for her to be bethrothed, her parents decided the groom should marry into their family which was a common practice at the time. This meant that her husband would come and set up home in her family's house. Their marriage produced three children - (Duke Seow Sieu Jin
, Amy Seow Guat Cheng and Betty Seow Guat being - later Mrs Betty Lim Koon Teck
).
One evening, Lilian was out riding in the family's horse carriage and happened to pass by Bidadari, the Christian cemetery. She noted how peaceful it looked and mentioned that she would like to be buried there when her time came. When the first influenza
epidemic hit Singapore, Lillian succumbed to the virus. She died at the age of 32. In accordance with her wish for a Christian
burial, Seow asked a pastor to baptise her and she was buried at Bidadari. Lilian's mother later converted to Christianity.
Seow remarried a few years after Lilian's death. His new wife, Polly Tan Poh Li (daughter of Tan Boo Liat
) was his niece. Lilian's mother thought it would not be a bad thing for Seow to marry her. His children by Polly were Eugene Seow Eu Jin and Rosie Seow Guat Kheng.
of the Anglo Chinese School, Seow instituted a medal in 1936 to be awarded to the top ACS boy at the Senior Cambridge/GCE “O” Level Examinations.
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
Baba
Baba
- Geography :* Baba, Masovian Voivodeship * Baba, Mogilno County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship * Baba, Rypin County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
s at Emerald Hill
Emerald Hill, Singapore
Emerald Hill is a neighbourhood and a conservation area located in the planning areas of Newton and Orchard in Singapore. Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan community, it is located near Orchard Road. Many of its homes feature Chinese Baroque architecture...
, was a prominent and successful 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...
an banker, founding member of the Ho Hong Bank
Ho Hong Bank
The Ho Hong Bank was a Malayan bank, established to provide banking services that, until 1912, were solely delivered by European banks. The bank was founded in 1917 and in 1932 merged with two other banks in Singapore to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation .-Ho Hong's roots: The Chinese...
, member of the committee of the Straits Settlement (Settlement of Singapore), philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and benefactor of public development works. He was a strong advocate of limited liability trading and promoted the advantages of the Limited Liability Company system.
Background
Seow Poh Leng, the second son of Seow Chye Watt, came from humble beginnings. He spent two years in a Chinese school and completed his schooling at the Anglo-Chinese SchoolAnglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
. After passing his Senior Cambridge
Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...
examinations, he decided to become a teacher. He competed for the Queen's Scholarships in 1902. He failed to win the much-coveted prize, and attributed his failure to the fact that he had to divide his time between his duties as a pupil teacher and preparing for the examinations.
In order to help support his family, he was forced to take up additional work. After school each day he would sell nonya cakes and nasi lemak
Nasi lemak
Nasi lemak is a dish sold in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Riau Islands and Southern Thailand. The dish is considered the national dish and a national heritage of Malaysia. It is not to be confused with Nasi Dagang sold on the east coast of Malaysia or Terengganu and Kelantan although both dishes...
cooked by his mother and sisters. One day, when he saw some of his pupils in the distance, he threw all of his food away fearing they would see him and lose respect for him. He was punished when he returned home.
Later, Seow moved on from teaching to become the manager of the Ho Hong Bank
Ho Hong Bank
The Ho Hong Bank was a Malayan bank, established to provide banking services that, until 1912, were solely delivered by European banks. The bank was founded in 1917 and in 1932 merged with two other banks in Singapore to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation .-Ho Hong's roots: The Chinese...
. He was also a cashier at John Little
John Little
John Dutton Conant Little is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Born in Boston, he earned a S.B. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at General Electric . His Ph.D. on Use of Storage Water in a Hydroelectric System used dynamic...
& Co for many years, before he entered the rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
business. His chequered career included stints as a chemist's assistant, schoolmaster, lawyer's clerk, stock-broker, insurance agent and company liquidator.
He was one of the promoters of the Eastern United Assurance Corporation Ltd. (EUA), Chinese Commercial Bank (CCB) and Ho Hong Bank
Ho Hong Bank
The Ho Hong Bank was a Malayan bank, established to provide banking services that, until 1912, were solely delivered by European banks. The bank was founded in 1917 and in 1932 merged with two other banks in Singapore to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation .-Ho Hong's roots: The Chinese...
(HHB). He founded HHB in January 1917 together with Lim Peng Siang
Lim Peng Siang
Lim Peng Siang or Lin Bengxian together with his brother Lim Peng Mao of Lin Bingmao, through their Ho Hong Group of companies,, founded in 1904, had interests in banking, shipping, parboiled rice, oil mills, cement, coconut and other businesses. President of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce...
, Dr Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng, OBE was a Chinese doctor who promoted social and educational reforms in Singapore and China. Lim was of Chinese Peranakan descent, with ancestry from Hai Teng district in Fujian, China.-Early life:...
and others, and served as its secretary and general manager. HHB was the first Straits Chinese institution to enter the field of worldwide banking and established connections with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 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...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Batavia and many others, in order to facilitate direct trade between the Chinese in Malaya
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...
and people in other parts of the world. Later, HHB was amalgamated with CCB and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC).
According to government archives, Seow was responsible for the development of a row of nine terrace houses along Cairnhill Road. The same records show that he owned bungalows in Emerald Hill Road and Lorong 20 Geylang Road, and had additions and alterations done to them.
Public life
Seow Poh Leng was concerned with public welfare and engaged in many different roles and activities in this area. He suggested constructing a short connection road between Emerald Hill Road and Cairnhill Circle. He was also involved with the Singapore and South Malaya Boy Scouts Association since its inauguration, holding the position of secretary and treasurer, and did much to interest parents in the movement. Other activities included organising charity and social concerts and entertainment. His contributions to the Straits Chinese Magazine dealt with such subjects as education and social reform.A love of theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
ran in the family. According to Sir Song Ong Siang, Seow took part in amateur theatricals in the 1930s. He was a lover of Shakespeare and named his seaside bungalow in Siglap “Titania” and his house on Emerald Hill Road, “Oberon.” He was considered modern and loved artistic activities such as acting and singing, and served as the Hon. Secretary to the Straits Chinese Recreation Club in 1905.
Seow was a keen sportsman on the football field and in club sports, a tennis player and a chess player. He was one of the early members of Tanjong Katong Swimming Party, now the Chinese Swimming Club, where he once held the office of vice-president. During the early years of the volunteer movement, he served in its ranks.
In 1936 His Excellency The Governor appointed him to be a member of the Council of Raffles College.
In 1937 he was elected to membership of the Council of the King Edward VII College of Medicine.
Apart from The Hawker Bill, in which he played a major role, he was also associated with other subjects he believed to be of importance to the common man like championing pedal rickshaws and the abolition of water meter rents.
Hawker Bill
HawkersHawker centre
A hawker centre or cooked food centre is the name given to open-air complexes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Riau Islands housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food...
had been considered by some people to be a nuisance. In 1903, a bill was drafted by the Chinese Protectorate to provide licensing of hawkers and setting aside spaces where hawking was allowed. In 1905, Municipal Commissioners asked that the Municipal Ordinance be amended to provide them with the necessary powers to register hawkers and bring them under control, but this was refused by the Governor. There were numerous other activities through the years intended to regulate and control the number and activities of hawkers. The view among some people was that the evils of hawking were becoming more serious year on year.
In 1931, the Governor of Singapore appointed a committee "to investigate the hawker question in Singapore and to make recommendations as to any change in policy in this respect which may be considered advisable", consulting and taking evidence from the Municipal Health Officer, the police, Superintendent of Town Cleansing, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Clerical Union, Teo Chew guilds, Indo-Ceylon Club and the Straits Chinese-British Association.
Seow championed the plight of hawkers who he felt were being treated callously and without any regard for the social benefits they were bringing, or for their own precarious economic situation. Through articles in the newspaper, including a self-composed poem, depositions and meetings with the committee. He sought to achieve a fair and balanced outcome that would take into consideration the needs of the masses who were not European, and who relied on the lower-priced food and non-food merchandise provided by the street hawkers of Singapore, exposing in the process the constant brutality hawkers faced from the authorities and bribery hawkers often had to resort to in order to continue to operate.
Personal life
Seow's family lived in a shop house along Emerald Hill Road opposite Dr Lim Boon KengLim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng, OBE was a Chinese doctor who promoted social and educational reforms in Singapore and China. Lim was of Chinese Peranakan descent, with ancestry from Hai Teng district in Fujian, China.-Early life:...
, whom he had worked for on a part-time basis. When Lim heard that Lilian LuckNeo Tan's family were looking for a groom for her, he recommended Seow to them. Lilian's family wanted a kind and good man for her and it did not matter to them if he was from a poor or rich family. Lilian was the great grand daughter of famous philanthropist Tan Tock Seng. Her father was Tan Soon Toh and her mother was Lin Neo (Jambol) Seow. Tan Soon Toh's father was Tan Kim Ching
Tan Kim Ching
Singapore-born Tan Kim Ching who lived from 1829 to Feb 1892 was the eldest of the three sons of Tan Tock Seng, the founder and financier of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was consul for Japan, Thailand and Russia, was a member of the Royal Court of Siam. He was one of Singapore’s leading Chinese...
, Siamese Consul General in Singapore and the person who introduced the schoolteacher, Anna Hariette Leonowens, to the King of Siam. Tan Kim Ching was the son of Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 to an immigrant Fukien father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl...
.
Lilian Tan was a refined lady, spared from having to do household chores. Her family lived in a three-storey house along River Valley Road. When the time came for her to be bethrothed, her parents decided the groom should marry into their family which was a common practice at the time. This meant that her husband would come and set up home in her family's house. Their marriage produced three children - (Duke Seow Sieu Jin
Seow Sieu Jin
Seow Sieu Jin was a prominent and successful Singaporean banker brought up in a banking family, trained in China and England and was an important contributor to the growth and development of the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation during its early years.Seow Sieu Jin's great-grandfather was from...
, Amy Seow Guat Cheng and Betty Seow Guat being - later Mrs Betty Lim Koon Teck
Lim Koon Teck
Lim Koon Teck was a lawyer and politician in Malaya and Singapore.-World War II:In 1941 Lim Koon Teck was a magistrate in Penang, a member of the "Straits Settlements Legal Service", created to satisfy local demands while preserving the purity of the Whites-only "Colonial Legal Service"...
).
One evening, Lilian was out riding in the family's horse carriage and happened to pass by Bidadari, the Christian cemetery. She noted how peaceful it looked and mentioned that she would like to be buried there when her time came. When the first influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
epidemic hit Singapore, Lillian succumbed to the virus. She died at the age of 32. In accordance with her wish for a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
burial, Seow asked a pastor to baptise her and she was buried at Bidadari. Lilian's mother later converted to Christianity.
Seow remarried a few years after Lilian's death. His new wife, Polly Tan Poh Li (daughter of Tan Boo Liat
Tan Boo Liat
Tan Boo Liat was a wealthy Singapore philanthropist. He was the son of Tan Soon Toh, grandson of Tan Kim Ching and great-grandson of Tan Tock Seng. He was educated locally. He was a member of the Singapore Volunteer Infantry and was among the contingent present at King Edward's coronation. He was...
) was his niece. Lilian's mother thought it would not be a bad thing for Seow to marry her. His children by Polly were Eugene Seow Eu Jin and Rosie Seow Guat Kheng.
Seow Poh Leng medal
An alumnusAlumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
of the Anglo Chinese School, Seow instituted a medal in 1936 to be awarded to the top ACS boy at the Senior Cambridge/GCE “O” Level Examinations.