Kiong Kong Tuan
Encyclopedia
Kiong Kong Tuan came from Penang
, where he had carried on business as a merchant and established himself in Singapore. He married a daughter of the well-known Choa Chong Long
, by whom he had an only son, Kiong Seok Wee, and several daughters, one of whom became the wife of Wee Bin
of the steamship firm of "Wee Bin & Co.
" Mr. Kong Tuan also figured as the Spirit Farmer for some years. He had a spirit factory at Pearl's Hill, and the site is still known among the Chinese as Chiu-long-san (the spirit factory hill). He was named, by Stamford Raffles
as the first Kapitan China
of Singapore
. He held the opium farms for a long time during the 1830s. He was also involved in coffee and real estate. In the 1840s he had 50 acres (202,343 m²) of coffee near Jurong. He held the spirit and opium farms in 1848. He was the last opium farmer in Singapore. He died at the age of 64 years on 16 January 1854.
Mr. Kong Tuan was the grantee of that large tract of land comprising 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) which has now become a thickly populated Straits Chinese residential quarter with Chin Swee Road as the main artery and Cornwall Street and Seok Wee Road as side streets.
(she married his son Tan Keck Geang). The youngest son of Mr. Seok Wee is Kiong Ching Eng, chief clerk and cashier at the General Hospital, a man of liberal education and a first-class player both in tennis and chess. Seok Wee Road is named after him. Aik Hoe Road is named after his shipchandlers firm Chop Aik Hoe.
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...
, where he had carried on business as a merchant and established himself in Singapore. He married a daughter of the well-known Choa Chong Long
Choa Chong Long
Choa Chong Long the distinguished son of Kapitan Chua Su Cheong, a Kapitan China under the Dutch, ventured to Singapore, but unlike most of the Chinese and Malays who went there to seek their fortune, Choa Chong Long was already rich. His daughter married Kiong Kong Tuan.He was an opium farmer...
, by whom he had an only son, Kiong Seok Wee, and several daughters, one of whom became the wife of Wee Bin
Wee Bin
Wee Bin born in China in 1823, was a far-sighted and enterprising Chinese migrant of the mid nineteenth century who, in his time, founded, Singapore's largest Chinese shipping firm. In 1856 at the age of thirty-three, Wee Bin was founder of Wee Bin & Co...
of the steamship firm of "Wee Bin & Co.
Wee Bin & Co.
Wee Bin & Co. chop Hong Guan, in Market Street, a firm that was rapidly becoming prominent in Singapore in the 1860s', was founded by Wee Bin. This firm carried on business as Merchants and Shipowners. The firm at first began business relations with various houses in Bali in the Dutch Indies, and...
" Mr. Kong Tuan also figured as the Spirit Farmer for some years. He had a spirit factory at Pearl's Hill, and the site is still known among the Chinese as Chiu-long-san (the spirit factory hill). He was named, by Stamford Raffles
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
as the first Kapitan China
Kapitan China
Kapitan Cina or Capitan China was originally a Portuguese title for the representative of a Chinese enclave. The 15th century rulers of Southeast Asia, such as Melaka and Banten , chose to deal with a single individual from each ethnic group under their rule...
of 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...
. He held the opium farms for a long time during the 1830s. He was also involved in coffee and real estate. In the 1840s he had 50 acres (202,343 m²) of coffee near Jurong. He held the spirit and opium farms in 1848. He was the last opium farmer in Singapore. He died at the age of 64 years on 16 January 1854.
Mr. Kong Tuan was the grantee of that large tract of land comprising 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) which has now become a thickly populated Straits Chinese residential quarter with Chin Swee Road as the main artery and Cornwall Street and Seok Wee Road as side streets.
Kiong Seok Wee
Kiong Seok Wee (龚菽惠 b: 1839 d: 1888) was the grandson of Choa Chong Long and son of Spirits Farmer Kiong Kong Tuan. He did not fancy spirit farming and instead went into business with his brother-in-law, Wee Bin, but the partnership was short-lived. In 1865 along with Wee Leong Hin, the firm of Leong Hin, Seok Wee & Co., chop Aik Ho, shipchandlers, was established at Boat Quay and another under the chop Joo Chin & Co. as General Merchants. "Aik Ho" was accidentally burnt down, and as it was not covered by insurance, Mr. Seok Wee sustained a severe loss which was augmented by the failure of Joo Chin & Co. He was at that time one of the proprietors of the Singapore Daily Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. In 1869 the affairs of Mr. Seok Wee and his partner were administered by the Court of Insolvent Debtors. He died in 1888 at the age of 49 years leaving six sons and two daughters, the elder of whom, Ms Kiong Hoon Neo, became a daughter-in-law of Mr. Tan Kim ChingTan 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...
(she married his son Tan Keck Geang). The youngest son of Mr. Seok Wee is Kiong Ching Eng, chief clerk and cashier at the General Hospital, a man of liberal education and a first-class player both in tennis and chess. Seok Wee Road is named after him. Aik Hoe Road is named after his shipchandlers firm Chop Aik Hoe.
See also
- The Singapore Encyclopedia
- A social history of the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya, 1800-1911 By Chʻing-huang Yen ISBN 0195826663, 9780195826661
- Guardian of the South Seas: Thian Hock Keng and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan By Xinjiapo Fujian hui guan by Xinjiapo Fujian hui guan published by Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, 2006