Lee Choon Seng
Encyclopedia
Lee Choon Seng was a Chinese
community leader and philanthropist
during the pre-independence era of Singapore
. He was known for his various initiatives in helping the Chinese community and Sun Yat-Sen
's revolutionary cause in China
. He was one of the early Buddhist pioneers responsible in promoting the growth of Buddhism
in Singapore for setting up or supporting various Buddhist institutions such as the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Singapore Buddhist Lodge and Poh Ern Shih Temple
. In 2008, Lee's life and his numerous contributions to society, are being commemorated in a permanent memorial hall at the historic Ee Hoe Hean Club
.
. His siblings consisted of an elder stepbrother and a younger sister. His father, Lee Lip Chai (1854—1914) was born in the county of Yong Choon too during the reign of Emperor Daoguang
. Lee senior was orphaned at an early age and was brought up by relatives who were poor. As a result, he did not have much education and sufficient funds to marry until he was 32. His wife, Madam Ng Tze Hui later bore him 2 sons.
In order to seek better fortunes, Lee Lip Chai emigrated to South East Asia and managed to find employment in Negeri Sembilan
, Malaysia. With his hard-earned savings, Lee Lip Chai started a horse-driven transport service to ferry passengers and goods and a provision shop later. With his increasing wealth, Lee Lip Cha initiated a series of charitable acts both in his hometown and overseas such as the setting up of a clan association
, schools, construction and repairing of bridges and roads et cetera. As such, he was later bestowed the honorific title Respectable Sir of Tao Yuan by his community.
During his formative years, Lee witnessed and participated in many of his father's charitable projects for their community that would subsequently ingrained deeply on the mind of the younger Lee. In his youth, Lee joined his father in Negri Sembilan in helping to run their family business. Eventually he was sent to Singapore to set up another branch called Thye Hin Limited. He had a natural acumen for business and so started up a biscuit factory called Thye Hong Biscuit, as well as a property firm, Thye Ann Investment. He became successful in various business endeavours and was highly regarded as a Chinese community leader in Singapore till his demise on 5 June 1966.
Lee became the Managing Director of Ho Hong Bank in 1931 when it ran into difficulties and underwent a management change. He held the position until Ho Hong Bank merged with two other banks to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
(OCBC). He then became a director in the First Board of Directors of OCBC until his death in 1966 as the Chairman of the Bank.
Lee was an ardent supporter of the Kuomintang
in their struggle against the Japanese
and later the Communists
in China. He was involved in secret meetings with Dr Sun Yat-Sen
in the early 1900s, the "Father of Modern China" in Wan Qing Yuan (now Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
) in Singapore and in the raising of funds in South East Asia amongst the Chinese diaspora
to support Dr. Sun’s movement for the creation of a Chinese Republic in China.
In 1937, Lee, together with five other Chinese community leaders, Messrs Lee Kong Chian
, Lee Chin Tian, Tan Ean Kiam, Chew Hean Swee and Yeo Kiat Tiow, bought the Wan Qing Yuan at Tai Gin Road (Dr. Sun had stayed at the villa
on three occasions) and presented it to China's trade representative office in Singapore to be preserved as a historical site.
During the Japanese Occupation
(February 1942 — September 1945), the villa was used as a communications centre by the Japanese army. After the war, it functioned briefly as a branch for the Kuomintang till 1951. After that, it was handed over to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
which renovated and turned it into a place of historical interest for the public in 1964.
) as General Secretary initially and progressed on to become their President in 1931. He continued to serve the Chamber of Commerce in various capacities till 1967 owing to poor health as one of their Honorary Presidents.
During the Japanese Occupation, the Overseas Chinese Association (OCA) was set up in March 1942 to act as a bridge between the Japanese military administration and the Chinese community to serve Japanese interests. Despite that, the OCA tried its best to alleviate the hardship of its community. The OCA was led by Dr. Lim Boon Keng
, with its headquarters at the old Chinese Chamber of Commerce at Hill Street
. Lee was one of the six members representing the Hokkien
group.
to persuade the new Chinese settlers to return to their work on the rice farms and rubber plantation. As the settlers were constantly threatened or killed by the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) until they were afraid to venture outdoors to work. Lee's convoy was ambushed by the MPAJA and shot at — everyone was killed except Lee. A bullet hit a Buddhist medallion which he was carrying on his chest, thus saving his life. This close shave with death would later re-affirmed his Buddhist faith that would spurred him on to more fervent contributions to Buddhism which culminated in the funding and construction of Poh Ern Shih Temple
after the war.
Hong Choon , the eminent abbot of Kong Meng San Temple acted as a spiritual mentor not only in developing Lee’s spiritual path resulting in his conversion to Buddhism from Taoism
but also in his various Buddhism inspired projects locally and abroad.
Chwee Chian Hill and the surrounding area was the scene of the fiercely fought Battle of Pasir Panjang
during World War II in Singapore. As such, many Japanese and British soldiers and innocent civilians died in the crossfire and bombings. On an advice from Venerable Hong Choon, Lee purchased Chwee Chian Hill from the British colonial government to build a Buddhist temple called Poh Ern Shih (“Temple of Thanksgiving” in the Hokkien dialect) that is dedicated to the Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva
with a noble aim of liberating the spirits of the people who were sacrificed during the Japanese invasion. Poh Ern Shih
was incorporated by Lee in 1950 under the Singapore Companies Act as a limited Company without shares. The freehold land consisted of 46938 square feet (4,360.7 m²) in area. On April 1954, Lee officiated its opening:
But the membership gradually grew to over 2000. To meet the needs of the larger member base, Zhang Jia Mei and Zhong Tian Shui decided to rent bigger premises at 17 Kim Yam Road in 1946. In 1950, the 8th President of the Lodge, Zhang Shu Yuan and Lee donated S$10,000 and started a fund-raising drive to purchase the rented premises. Since then, the Lodge continued to increase its membership with spiritual guidance provided by Venerable Hong Choon.
In the long run, such trend was not healthy as growth and resources are limited.
On 31 July 1949, Lee invited representatives from all Chinese temples to the Singapore Buddhist Lodge to discuss the formation of an umbrella organisation. On 30 October 1949, the Singapore Buddhist Federation was officially registered with 5 guiding principles as follow:
Its Management Committee consisted of 5 Sangha members and 5 lay members. Lee was elected as the chairman while Venerable Hong Choon was the vice-chairman. When Lee step down due to old age in 1964, Venerable Hong Choon succeeded him as Chairman. During its first 10 years of formation, some of SBF notable achievements are:
, that he would like to restore a dilapidated Chinese temple in Sarnath
that was built by a Chinese Emperor
of the Tang Dynasty
, in the 8th century AD. It is located beside the famous Deer Park where Sakyamuni Buddha gave his First Sermon after his Enlightenment
. Unfortunately Venerable Tao Chiai died before he could accomplish this task. However, Lee offered to provide his personal funds to his chief disciple, Venerable Teh Yue to help him to continue the restoration project. He went on a pilgrimage to India with Venerable Teh Yue and brought along an English
engineer, A. H. King to assess and assist in the restoration works. This Temple still stands today in Sarnath and it is called simply The Chinese Temple in Sarnath.
at Bukit Pasoh Road. The memorial hall located at the ground floor of the century-old club house honours early Chinese community leaders, who were prominent public figures and philanthropists such as Chinese patriot Tan Kah Kee
, businessman Lee Kong Chian
and mining magnate Lim Chwee Chian. Lee was a former Chairman of the club from 1933–1935 and 1941-1945.
Chinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
community leader and 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...
during the pre-independence era 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 was known for his various initiatives in helping the Chinese community and Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
's revolutionary cause in China
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 one of the early Buddhist pioneers responsible in promoting the growth of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Singapore for setting up or supporting various Buddhist institutions such as the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Singapore Buddhist Lodge and Poh Ern Shih Temple
Poh Ern Shih Temple
Poh Ern Shih is located on a small hilltop at Chwee Chian Road, off Pasir Panjang Road, on Singapore's southern coast. The Buddhist temple was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Pasir Panjang in 1942, villagers as well as Allied and Japanese soldiers...
. In 2008, Lee's life and his numerous contributions to society, are being commemorated in a permanent memorial hall at the historic Ee Hoe Hean Club
Ee Hoe Hean Club
Founded in 1895, the Ee Hoe Hean Club located at Bukit Pasoh Road in Chinatown, was one of the oldest millionaires' clubs in Singapore. Besides functioning as a social and business club, members of the club were actively involved in the political development of China during the pre-independence...
.
Life
Lee was born in 1888 in Yong Choon county, Fujian province of ChinaChina
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...
. His siblings consisted of an elder stepbrother and a younger sister. His father, Lee Lip Chai (1854—1914) was born in the county of Yong Choon too during the reign of Emperor Daoguang
Daoguang Emperor
The Daoguang Emperor was the eighth emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850.-Early years:...
. Lee senior was orphaned at an early age and was brought up by relatives who were poor. As a result, he did not have much education and sufficient funds to marry until he was 32. His wife, Madam Ng Tze Hui later bore him 2 sons.
In order to seek better fortunes, Lee Lip Chai emigrated to South East Asia and managed to find employment in Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....
, Malaysia. With his hard-earned savings, Lee Lip Chai started a horse-driven transport service to ferry passengers and goods and a provision shop later. With his increasing wealth, Lee Lip Cha initiated a series of charitable acts both in his hometown and overseas such as the setting up of a clan association
Chinese clan
A Chinese clan is a patrilineal and patrilocal group of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor and, in many cases, an ancestral home.-Description:...
, schools, construction and repairing of bridges and roads et cetera. As such, he was later bestowed the honorific title Respectable Sir of Tao Yuan by his community.
During his formative years, Lee witnessed and participated in many of his father's charitable projects for their community that would subsequently ingrained deeply on the mind of the younger Lee. In his youth, Lee joined his father in Negri Sembilan in helping to run their family business. Eventually he was sent to Singapore to set up another branch called Thye Hin Limited. He had a natural acumen for business and so started up a biscuit factory called Thye Hong Biscuit, as well as a property firm, Thye Ann Investment. He became successful in various business endeavours and was highly regarded as a Chinese community leader in Singapore till his demise on 5 June 1966.
Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation
In later years, Lee turned his sights to banking when he and his business associates found out that many newly arrived Chinese businessmen had difficulties in obtaining loans from the established Western banks because they demanded a “collateral security”, which most of them did not qualify due to insufficient assets locally. So Lee and his associates started together a few local Chinese banks, one of which was Ho Hong Bank which bankrolled their customers based on mutual trust and kinship.Lee became the Managing Director of Ho Hong Bank in 1931 when it ran into difficulties and underwent a management change. He held the position until Ho Hong Bank merged with two other banks to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited , abbreviated as OCBC Bank , is a publicly listed financial services organisation with its head office in Singapore. OCBC Bank is one of Singapore's leading local banks, with group assets of more than 224 billion SGD. It has one of the highest bank...
(OCBC). He then became a director in the First Board of Directors of OCBC until his death in 1966 as the Chairman of the Bank.
Sun Yat Sen Villa
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...
in their struggle against the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
and later the Communists
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
in China. He was involved in secret meetings with Dr Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
in the early 1900s, the "Father of Modern China" in Wan Qing Yuan (now Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Not to be confused with Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall . The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is a double-storey colonial villa at Balestier in Singapore...
) in Singapore and in the raising of funds in South East Asia amongst the Chinese diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
to support Dr. Sun’s movement for the creation of a Chinese Republic in China.
In 1937, Lee, together with five other Chinese community leaders, Messrs Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian , was a prominent businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Lee Foundation in Singapore. He was one of Southeast Asia's richest men in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the son-in-law of philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.-Early life:...
, Lee Chin Tian, Tan Ean Kiam, Chew Hean Swee and Yeo Kiat Tiow, bought the Wan Qing Yuan at Tai Gin Road (Dr. Sun had stayed at the villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
on three occasions) and presented it to China's trade representative office in Singapore to be preserved as a historical site.
During the Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
(February 1942 — September 1945), the villa was used as a communications centre by the Japanese army. After the war, it functioned briefly as a branch for the Kuomintang till 1951. After that, it was handed over to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a business chamber in Singapore.-History:Established in 1906 as the General Chinese Trade Affairs Association, the SCCCI's original purpose was to look after the interests of the Chinese business community, but it has expanded its scope...
which renovated and turned it into a place of historical interest for the public in 1964.
Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Since 1927, Lee was actively involved with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce (now Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and IndustrySingapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a business chamber in Singapore.-History:Established in 1906 as the General Chinese Trade Affairs Association, the SCCCI's original purpose was to look after the interests of the Chinese business community, but it has expanded its scope...
) as General Secretary initially and progressed on to become their President in 1931. He continued to serve the Chamber of Commerce in various capacities till 1967 owing to poor health as one of their Honorary Presidents.
During the Japanese Occupation, the Overseas Chinese Association (OCA) was set up in March 1942 to act as a bridge between the Japanese military administration and the Chinese community to serve Japanese interests. Despite that, the OCA tried its best to alleviate the hardship of its community. The OCA was led by 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:...
, with its headquarters at the old Chinese Chamber of Commerce at Hill Street
Hill Street
Hill Street is a street in the downtown of Singapore starting from Eu Tong Sen Street and ending at Stamford Road, where the road becomes Victoria Street...
. Lee was one of the six members representing the Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
group.
The 'Endau Incident'
During an OCA assignment to the Endau Settlement in MalayaBritish 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...
to persuade the new Chinese settlers to return to their work on the rice farms and rubber plantation. As the settlers were constantly threatened or killed by the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) until they were afraid to venture outdoors to work. Lee's convoy was ambushed by the MPAJA and shot at — everyone was killed except Lee. A bullet hit a Buddhist medallion which he was carrying on his chest, thus saving his life. This close shave with death would later re-affirmed his Buddhist faith that would spurred him on to more fervent contributions to Buddhism which culminated in the funding and construction of Poh Ern Shih Temple
Poh Ern Shih Temple
Poh Ern Shih is located on a small hilltop at Chwee Chian Road, off Pasir Panjang Road, on Singapore's southern coast. The Buddhist temple was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Pasir Panjang in 1942, villagers as well as Allied and Japanese soldiers...
after the war.
Poh Ern Shih Temple
VenerableVenerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Hong Choon , the eminent abbot of Kong Meng San Temple acted as a spiritual mentor not only in developing Lee’s spiritual path resulting in his conversion to Buddhism from Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
but also in his various Buddhism inspired projects locally and abroad.
Chwee Chian Hill and the surrounding area was the scene of the fiercely fought Battle of Pasir Panjang
Battle of Pasir Panjang
The Battle of Pasir Panjang, which took place between 13 and 14 February 1942, was part of the final stage of the Empire of Japan's invasion of Singapore during World War II...
during World War II in Singapore. As such, many Japanese and British soldiers and innocent civilians died in the crossfire and bombings. On an advice from Venerable Hong Choon, Lee purchased Chwee Chian Hill from the British colonial government to build a Buddhist temple called Poh Ern Shih (“Temple of Thanksgiving” in the Hokkien dialect) that is dedicated to the Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
with a noble aim of liberating the spirits of the people who were sacrificed during the Japanese invasion. Poh Ern Shih
Poh Ern Shih Temple
Poh Ern Shih is located on a small hilltop at Chwee Chian Road, off Pasir Panjang Road, on Singapore's southern coast. The Buddhist temple was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Pasir Panjang in 1942, villagers as well as Allied and Japanese soldiers...
was incorporated by Lee in 1950 under the Singapore Companies Act as a limited Company without shares. The freehold land consisted of 46938 square feet (4,360.7 m²) in area. On April 1954, Lee officiated its opening:
Singapore Buddhist Lodge
The Singapore Buddhist Lodge was officially set up on 30 June 1934 but had a fixed address only in September 1934 when Lee donated a double storey house at 26 Blair Road for its use. He also contributed an additional S$1,000 for furniture and other expenses, a considerable sum at that time. At the point of setting up, the Lodge had only a small membership of over hundred but most of the members were from the Chinese social elite.But the membership gradually grew to over 2000. To meet the needs of the larger member base, Zhang Jia Mei and Zhong Tian Shui decided to rent bigger premises at 17 Kim Yam Road in 1946. In 1950, the 8th President of the Lodge, Zhang Shu Yuan and Lee donated S$10,000 and started a fund-raising drive to purchase the rented premises. Since then, the Lodge continued to increase its membership with spiritual guidance provided by Venerable Hong Choon.
Singapore Buddhist Federation
After the war, the growth in the number of Buddhist temples and Buddhists doubled that of pre-war period. However, there was no single umbrella organisation that could claim to represent all Buddhist temples and monasteries. Each temple, headed by a chief monk or a management committee conducted its own affairs in its own way and relied on itself for financial support.In the long run, such trend was not healthy as growth and resources are limited.
On 31 July 1949, Lee invited representatives from all Chinese temples to the Singapore Buddhist Lodge to discuss the formation of an umbrella organisation. On 30 October 1949, the Singapore Buddhist Federation was officially registered with 5 guiding principles as follow:
- To promote world peace
- To promote the Dharma
- To expand Buddhist education
- To carry welfare services
- To raise the quality of the SanghaSanghaSangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
members
Its Management Committee consisted of 5 Sangha members and 5 lay members. Lee was elected as the chairman while Venerable Hong Choon was the vice-chairman. When Lee step down due to old age in 1964, Venerable Hong Choon succeeded him as Chairman. During its first 10 years of formation, some of SBF notable achievements are:
- Success in having VesakVesakVesākha is a holiday observed traditionally by Buddhists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia...
Day gazetted as a public holiday in 1955. - Between 1955 - 1956, it succeeded in getting government approvals to set up a Buddhist cemetery of about 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) at 16 milestone Chua Chu Kang Road.
- Management and running of Maha Bodhi SchoolMaha Bodhi SchoolMaha Bodhi School is a government-aided double-session mixed primary school in Ubi, Singapore. Subjects offered are co-curricular activities, Chinese, Social studies, higher Chinese, English language, Mathematics, Music, Art, Health education, PE, Science, Civics and Moral education.The Principal...
and Mee Toh School in 1950 and 1953 respectively.
The Chinese Temple in Sarnath
In early 1930s, Lee heard from Venerable Tao Chiai after the latter return from a pilgrimage to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, that he would like to restore a dilapidated Chinese temple in Sarnath
Sarnath
Sarnath or Sārnātha is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India...
that was built by a Chinese Emperor
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...
of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, in the 8th century AD. It is located beside the famous Deer Park where Sakyamuni Buddha gave his First Sermon after his Enlightenment
Bodhi
Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
. Unfortunately Venerable Tao Chiai died before he could accomplish this task. However, Lee offered to provide his personal funds to his chief disciple, Venerable Teh Yue to help him to continue the restoration project. He went on a pilgrimage to India with Venerable Teh Yue and brought along an English
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer, A. H. King to assess and assist in the restoration works. This Temple still stands today in Sarnath and it is called simply The Chinese Temple in Sarnath.
Commemoration
On 9 November 2008, Lee's life and his numerous contributions to society, are being commemorated in a permanent gallery called The Pioneers' Memorial Hall in Ee Hoe Hean ClubEe Hoe Hean Club
Founded in 1895, the Ee Hoe Hean Club located at Bukit Pasoh Road in Chinatown, was one of the oldest millionaires' clubs in Singapore. Besides functioning as a social and business club, members of the club were actively involved in the political development of China during the pre-independence...
at Bukit Pasoh Road. The memorial hall located at the ground floor of the century-old club house honours early Chinese community leaders, who were prominent public figures and philanthropists such as Chinese patriot Tan Kah Kee
Tan Kah Kee
Tan Kah Kee was a prominent businessman, community leader, and philanthropist in colonial Singapore, and a Communist leader in the People's Republic of China.- Early years :...
, businessman Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian , was a prominent businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Lee Foundation in Singapore. He was one of Southeast Asia's richest men in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the son-in-law of philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.-Early life:...
and mining magnate Lim Chwee Chian. Lee was a former Chairman of the club from 1933–1935 and 1941-1945.