Yeap chor ee
Encyclopedia
Yeap Chor Ee was a businessman and philanthropist. He was born in the village of Nan'an, Fujian, China, in 1867. Armed only with indefatigable energy and strong business acumen, he came to Penang at a mere age of 17 in the 1890s and grew to become Penang's richest man of his time and one of the State's greatest philanthropists. Yeap passed on in 1952 at the ripe old age of 85. By then, he was known as The Grand Old Man of Penang, well loved for his old world courtesy, humility, generosity and integrity.
He had arrived in Penang, Malaysia
, from China, virtually penniless, but left a vast empire after his death. As a result of hard work he rose to become one of the richest men in Penang. He married a local girl, Lee Cheng Kin, by whom he had two sons, Datuk Yeap Hock Hoe and Yeap Hock Hin. They lived in a mansion called ‘Homestead’ at No 54 Northam Road which was their family house. He founded the Ban Hin Lee Bank and many other companies. Therefore his life epitomizes the true rags to riches
story.
Over a course of thirty years, he built an empire with real banking, real estate
and commodities trading activities. Yeap Chor Ee remained the only individual who single-handedly funded the establishment of a bank in that era, His record still holds-to-date.
With the fortune he made, he turned to philanthropy with particular interest in education. His elegant mansion, Homestead, was donated to the Wawasan Education Foundation in 2006.
Yeap Chor Ee disowned Francis Yeap. In 1942 Datuk Yeap married a woman called Julia Phang who gave birth to a daughter, Angela Yeap. Julia Phang later left Homstead and re-married. However, Angela Yeap remained in Homestead and grew up there.
During the Japanese Occupation
Datuk Yeap married Hooi Kum Chee, then still in her teens, who lived in Homestead. Although there is no evidence of Kum Chee’s marriage, Yeap Chor Ee recognized her as Datuk Yeap’s wife. She seemed to be acknowledged as the principal wife of Datuk Yeap. She gave birth to three daughters and one son, Yeap Leong Huat. During his marriage to Kum Chee and sometime in 1943, Datuk Yeap met Yam Kim Lian at the Wembley Arcade where he frequented regularly. Eventually, she became his secondary wife in 1944 and bore him two daughters and four sons, namely, Leong Theam, Leong Keng, Leong How and Leong Chin. Kim Lian and her children lived at Selamat Lane whilst Datuk Yeap and Kum Chee continued to live with his parents in Homestead.
Kum Chee died in 1948 after an operation. She was still in her early twenties, leaving behind four young children, the eldest of whom was five years old and the youngest barely two years. Datuk Yeap was deeply grieved by her death. Some three years later, on 22 December 1951 Datuk Yeap married Kum Chee’s younger sister Hooi Sooi Wan, then 20 years old. The marriage was conducted in Homestead according to Chinese rites and custom in the presence of Yeap Chor Ee and Lee Cheng Kin and others. The bride was given a signed marriage certificate
. It is not in dispute that Yam Kim Lian also took part in the marriage ceremony and was also given a marriage certificate. In 1957 Datuk Yeap married another wife, Gan Chiew Hiang, who gave birth to three daughters.
To a traditionalist such as Yeap Chor Ee, it was not surprising that Kim Lian was recognized as a wife when by 1949 she had given birth to two sons. This recognition did not mean that she was accepted as a principal wife. She had never moved in to live in Homestead where Datuk Yeap resided. One would expect a principal wife to live in Homestead with her husband. It is hardly an accepted arrangement for a principal wife and her husband to live in separate houses, especially when he lived with his parents in the family house. The fact that another son of Yeap Chor Ee lived outside his family house with his principal wife is neither here nor there. Apparently, this was with the consent of his parents.
A family tree
is also displayed in the gallery, and other descendants of Yeap Chor Ee can add themselves to the tree by writing in.
He had arrived in Penang, Malaysia
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...
, from China, virtually penniless, but left a vast empire after his death. As a result of hard work he rose to become one of the richest men in Penang. He married a local girl, Lee Cheng Kin, by whom he had two sons, Datuk Yeap Hock Hoe and Yeap Hock Hin. They lived in a mansion called ‘Homestead’ at No 54 Northam Road which was their family house. He founded the Ban Hin Lee Bank and many other companies. Therefore his life epitomizes the true rags to riches
Rags to riches
Rags to Riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, or sometimes from obscurity to fame. This is a common archetype in literature and popular culture ....
story.
Over a course of thirty years, he built an empire with real banking, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and commodities trading activities. Yeap Chor Ee remained the only individual who single-handedly funded the establishment of a bank in that era, His record still holds-to-date.
With the fortune he made, he turned to philanthropy with particular interest in education. His elegant mansion, Homestead, was donated to the Wawasan Education Foundation in 2006.
Personal life
In 1933 Datuk Yeap Hock Hoe married Ida Oei, daughter of an Indonesian millionaire. The marriage ended in divorce shortly after the birth of a son, Francis Yeap. In his last willWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
Yeap Chor Ee disowned Francis Yeap. In 1942 Datuk Yeap married a woman called Julia Phang who gave birth to a daughter, Angela Yeap. Julia Phang later left Homstead and re-married. However, Angela Yeap remained in Homestead and grew up there.
During the Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation may refer to:*Occupation of Japan, the occupation of Japan by United States forces following World War II*Japanese occupation of Burma*Japanese occupation of Cambodia*Japanese occupation of Guam*Japanese occupation of Hong Kong...
Datuk Yeap married Hooi Kum Chee, then still in her teens, who lived in Homestead. Although there is no evidence of Kum Chee’s marriage, Yeap Chor Ee recognized her as Datuk Yeap’s wife. She seemed to be acknowledged as the principal wife of Datuk Yeap. She gave birth to three daughters and one son, Yeap Leong Huat. During his marriage to Kum Chee and sometime in 1943, Datuk Yeap met Yam Kim Lian at the Wembley Arcade where he frequented regularly. Eventually, she became his secondary wife in 1944 and bore him two daughters and four sons, namely, Leong Theam, Leong Keng, Leong How and Leong Chin. Kim Lian and her children lived at Selamat Lane whilst Datuk Yeap and Kum Chee continued to live with his parents in Homestead.
Kum Chee died in 1948 after an operation. She was still in her early twenties, leaving behind four young children, the eldest of whom was five years old and the youngest barely two years. Datuk Yeap was deeply grieved by her death. Some three years later, on 22 December 1951 Datuk Yeap married Kum Chee’s younger sister Hooi Sooi Wan, then 20 years old. The marriage was conducted in Homestead according to Chinese rites and custom in the presence of Yeap Chor Ee and Lee Cheng Kin and others. The bride was given a signed marriage certificate
Marriage certificate
In some jurisdictions a marriage certificate is the official record that two people have undertaken a marriage ceremony. This does include jurisdictions where marriage licenses do not exist...
. It is not in dispute that Yam Kim Lian also took part in the marriage ceremony and was also given a marriage certificate. In 1957 Datuk Yeap married another wife, Gan Chiew Hiang, who gave birth to three daughters.
To a traditionalist such as Yeap Chor Ee, it was not surprising that Kim Lian was recognized as a wife when by 1949 she had given birth to two sons. This recognition did not mean that she was accepted as a principal wife. She had never moved in to live in Homestead where Datuk Yeap resided. One would expect a principal wife to live in Homestead with her husband. It is hardly an accepted arrangement for a principal wife and her husband to live in separate houses, especially when he lived with his parents in the family house. The fact that another son of Yeap Chor Ee lived outside his family house with his principal wife is neither here nor there. Apparently, this was with the consent of his parents.
Today
Dato Sri Dr Stephen Yeap (also known as Yeap Leong Huat, Yeap Chor Ee's eldest grandson), had opened a private family gallery/museum in Penang about Yeap Chor Ee called "The Sire Museum Restaurant". The museum, traditionally known as the Kau Kheng Choo (Nine Houses), was originally the home of Yeap Chor Ee before Homestead. Yeap Leong Huat had opened it to celebrate the life and achievements of his grandfather. The gallery, located on King Street, Penang, Malaysia, displays the collection from Homestead and Yeap Chor Ee's other interests.A family tree
Family tree
A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
is also displayed in the gallery, and other descendants of Yeap Chor Ee can add themselves to the tree by writing in.