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Tan Lark Sye

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Tan Lark Sye
Born1897
Jimei, Tong'an County, Xiamen, Fujian, Qing Empire
Died11 September 1972
Singapore
Known forNanyang University
RelativesTan Eng Joo[1]
Tan Lark Sye
Traditional Chinese陳六使
Simplified Chinese陈六使
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChén Lìushǐ
Southern Min
Hokkien POJTân La̍k-sái

Template:Chinese name

Tan Lark Sye (simplified Chinese: 陈六使; traditional Chinese: 陳六使; pinyin: Chén Lìushǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân La̍k-sái; 1897 - 11 September 1972) was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist active in Singapore.

Early life

Tan was born in a Hoklo peasant family of seven in Jimei of Tong An in Fujian, China.[2] Born into of very limited means, and orphaned young, he had little chance of an education before he made his way to Nanyang in 1916 together with his brothers, at the age of 18.[2]

Career

In Singapore, Tan worked in one of Tan Kah Kee's factories, and within half a year he was promoted to a responsible position in Tan Kah Kee's Khiam Aik (Qianyi) company. Not long afterward, he left the company to set up a rubber enterprise with the help from his brothers, but the enterprise lost half its capital in a year.

Tan then ran it alone and after several years, he built up his Aik Hoe (Yihe) rubber company and became one of the leading rubber industrialists of the region. He expanded his business to all parts of Malaya, Thailand and India and diversified into insurance, paper and cement industries. His career as an industrialist peaked in the 1950s, when his company reaped huge profits from the rising price of rubber.

Later life

Tan was stripped of his Malayan citizenship in Singapore in 1963 by the Malaysian Federal Government as a suspected communist, and remained stateless since then.[3] Tan died in 1972 in Singapore at the age of 76, leaving behind 11 sons and 3 daughters.[4][5]

Contributions and Legacy

Tan was an activist, and like other entrepreneurs of his time, he believed in the value of education. As chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the 1950s,[6] he fought for citizenship for Chinese people in Singapore and for the Chinese language to be one of Singapore's official languages.

As the long-time president of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, Tan Lark Sye contributed generously to charitable and educational causes throughout his life. He provided strong support for educational institutions under the auspices of the association, including Kong Hwa School, Tao Nan School, Nan Chiau Girls' High School, and Chongfu School. He also contributed to financing the institutions in Jimei founded by Tan Kah Kee.

In 1957 he donated considerable sums to Thailand's Hokkien clan association to build overseas Chinese schools. His contributions to education, however, were not confined to Chinese schools. In 1949, when the University of Malaya was set up, Tan donated S$300,000, and between 1950 and 1960 he contributed to the building of schools of different language mediums.

Tan's most outstanding contribution, however, was the initiating of the founding of Nanyang University in 1953. He donated S$5 million to its building fund, as well as 523 acres (2.12 km2) of land for its campus on behalf of the Hokkien Huay Kuan.[7] Between 1953 and 1963, he was Chairman of Nanyang University's Executive Committee, and was in charge of various aspects of the university by building, teaching staff, research facilities, library, student welfare and others.[8] Nanyang University was later merged with The University of Singapore in 1980 to form the current National University of Singapore.

The establishment of Nanyang University had a lasting influence on Chinese education in the region and beyond. It pioneered the establishment of Chinese Studies departments in Ngee Ann College, the University of Singapore and the University of Malaya. The establishment of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Southern University College in Johor, Malaysia, were also inspired by the ideals underlying the founding of Nanyang University.[2]

In 1974, a Tan Lark Sye scholarship was set up, and in 1998 the Tan Lark Sye professorship in Chinese language and culture was established to honour Tan.[9][10]

Honours

Tan Lark Sye Library, New Era University College, Malaysia was named after him.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Tan Eng Joo". Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "History of Singapore Pioneers: Tan Lark Sye (Chen Liu Shi)". singaporepioneers.blogspot.sg. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  3. ^ "The Nantah legacy that Tan Lark Sye left behind". If Only Singaporeans Stopped to Think. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Funeral of Tan Lark Sye". Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Simple funeral for Lark Sye on Sunday". The Straits Times. 13 September 1972. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  6. ^ "LEADERS OF BUSINESS IN MALAYA (9)". Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  7. ^ Elgin, Toh (21 September 2017). "Remembering Tan Lark Sye". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Tan Lark Sye & Nanyang University (陈六使与南洋大学)". Youtube. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Tan Lark Sye Professorship in Chinese Language and Culture". Nanyang Technological University. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Tan Lark Sye". National Library Board. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Tan Lark Sye Library".
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