Cheong Fatt Tze
Encyclopedia
Cheong Fatt Tze (1840-1916) was a Chinese businessman and politician born in 1840 in Dabu, Guangdong Province in South China
. He was a powerful Nanyang industrialist and a first-class Mandarin
in the Manchu government; he was made Consul-General in Singapore and economic advisor to the Empress Dowager. As he came from a poor Hakka
family, he started working at an early age as a cowherd back in his village. In 1856, civil war
ravadged much of China, and in that same year another war had broken out between the Emperor of China
and the English
, known as the Second Opium War
(1856-1862). The people had experienced hardship and suffering during the war. As a result Cheong Fatt Tze migrated to South-East Asia together with other coastal Chinese families to seek their fortune.
He started as a water-carrier and then became a shopkeeper in Indonesia
. After his marriage, he established a trading company with the help of his father-in-law. Gradually, he began to accumulate his wealth through hard work and perseverance. In 1877, he expanded his business from Jakarta
to Medan
. His business was based on agricultural products such as rubber
, coffee
and tea
but he branched out to the financial sector by acquiring a bank. This move made him a wealthy man.
In 1886, he expanded again to Penang
, Malaysia. As his business grew, he owned three ships which plied between Penang and Sumatra
. In the course of his work, he occasionally resided in Penang and owned a mansion
in Leith Street, which stands to this day.
In 1890, in recognition of his hard work and contribution, he was appointed the Chinese Consul, based in Penang. This office was shifted to Singapore
when that city became established as a well-known trading port in South-East Asia. As the Chinese Consul, he worked tirelessly for the interests of overseas Chinese residents through diplomatic channels with the British
authorities.
In 1899, he was summoned to China twice by the Emperor of China
and instructed to present a national development plan, which was well received by the Qing Dynasty
Government. As a result, he was promoted to be the Minister for agriculture, industries, roads and mines for the provinces of Fujian
and Guangdong
. Later he was instructed to conduct a study of trade and education in Penang and Singapore. Subsequently, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce was established. In 1904, he established the first Chinese school in Southeast Asia, the Chung Hwa Confucian School.
In 1912, the Republican
s overthrew the Qing Dynasty Government and took over the administration of China
. Cheong was appointed as a member of the Legislative Assembly so that he could be actively involved with politics. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Chinese national Chamber of Commerce, which was well received by all parties.
In 1915, he was sent to the United States
to study all aspects of industrialization of that nation. During his journey, when he stopped over in Hong Kong
, he was awarded a Ph.D.
in Law
.
Cheong Fatt Tze died in Indonesia
in 1916. His body was sent back to China to be buried. On its final journey through Penang, Singapore and Hong Kong, the overseas Chinese were greatly saddened by the loss of this great personality. The Chinese government sent a high-ranking official to his funeral and ordered the National Archives to record his life in historical documents so that his contributions would always be remembered. Both the British and the Dutch authorities ordered flags to be flown at half mast to honour the man who was known as "the Rockefeller
of the East". He had eight wives and owned many residences throughout his trading empire (mostly Southeast Asia
) but made Penang his base, where he raised his six sons.
hosted in his own gardens, in the name of Vice Consul Chang, Pi Shih (Cheong Fatt Tze), a dinner to welcome Admiral Ting (see Battle of Yalu River (1894) and Battle of Weihaiwei) and the Chinese Imperial Fleet of warships that he commanded.
A street, formerly Hong Kong Street was renamed after him.
China
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...
. He was a powerful Nanyang industrialist and a first-class Mandarin
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
in the Manchu government; he was made Consul-General in Singapore and economic advisor to the Empress Dowager. As he came from a poor Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
family, he started working at an early age as a cowherd back in his village. In 1856, civil war
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
ravadged much of China, and in that same year another war had broken out between the Emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
and the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, known as the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
(1856-1862). The people had experienced hardship and suffering during the war. As a result Cheong Fatt Tze migrated to South-East Asia together with other coastal Chinese families to seek their fortune.
He started as a water-carrier and then became a shopkeeper in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. After his marriage, he established a trading company with the help of his father-in-law. Gradually, he began to accumulate his wealth through hard work and perseverance. In 1877, he expanded his business from Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
to Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
. His business was based on agricultural products such as rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
but he branched out to the financial sector by acquiring a bank. This move made him a wealthy man.
In 1886, he expanded again 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...
, Malaysia. As his business grew, he owned three ships which plied between Penang and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. In the course of his work, he occasionally resided in Penang and owned a mansion
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is located at 14 Leith Street, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The mansion's indigo-blue outer wall makes it a very distinct building in the area....
in Leith Street, which stands to this day.
In 1890, in recognition of his hard work and contribution, he was appointed the Chinese Consul, based in Penang. This office was shifted to 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...
when that city became established as a well-known trading port in South-East Asia. As the Chinese Consul, he worked tirelessly for the interests of overseas Chinese residents through diplomatic channels with the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
authorities.
In 1899, he was summoned to China twice by the Emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
and instructed to present a national development plan, which was well received by the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Government. As a result, he was promoted to be the Minister for agriculture, industries, roads and mines for the provinces of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
and 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...
. Later he was instructed to conduct a study of trade and education in Penang and Singapore. Subsequently, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce was established. In 1904, he established the first Chinese school in Southeast Asia, the Chung Hwa Confucian School.
In 1912, the Republican
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
s overthrew the Qing Dynasty Government and took over the administration of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. Cheong was appointed as a member of the Legislative Assembly so that he could be actively involved with politics. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Chinese national Chamber of Commerce, which was well received by all parties.
In 1915, he was sent to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to study all aspects of industrialization of that nation. During his journey, when he stopped over in 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 was awarded a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
Cheong Fatt Tze died in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in 1916. His body was sent back to China to be buried. On its final journey through Penang, Singapore and Hong Kong, the overseas Chinese were greatly saddened by the loss of this great personality. The Chinese government sent a high-ranking official to his funeral and ordered the National Archives to record his life in historical documents so that his contributions would always be remembered. Both the British and the Dutch authorities ordered flags to be flown at half mast to honour the man who was known as "the Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
of the East". He had eight wives and owned many residences throughout his trading empire (mostly Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
) but made Penang his base, where he raised his six sons.
Trivia
In 1894, Chung Keng QueeChung Keng Quee
Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee was the founder and administrator of modern Taiping. He was a millionaire philanthropist and known as an innovator in the mining of tin. He was involved in many other industries including farming, pawnbroking and logging. He was respected by both Chinese and European...
hosted in his own gardens, in the name of Vice Consul Chang, Pi Shih (Cheong Fatt Tze), a dinner to welcome Admiral Ting (see Battle of Yalu River (1894) and Battle of Weihaiwei) and the Chinese Imperial Fleet of warships that he commanded.
A street, formerly Hong Kong Street was renamed after him.
External links
- Mansion, Cheong Fatt Tze
- Video of a 3D model of Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion from Google Earth