Tan Lark Sye

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Tan Lark Sye (simplified Chinese: 陈六使; pinyin: Chén Liùshǐ) (1897, Fujian, China - September 11, 1975) was a prominent Singaporean Hoklo (Hokkien) businessman and philanthropist.

Born to a poor family, at the age of 18 Tan migrated to Singapore.

In Singapore he worked in one of Tan Kah Kee’s factories, and within half a year he was promoted to a responsible position in the elder Tan’s Khiam Aik (Qianyi) company. Not long after, he left the company to set up with his brothers a rubber enterprise which, however, lost half its capital in a year. Tan Lark Sye then went it alone and after several years’ struggle 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 industrialist peaked in the 1950’s when his company reaped huge profits from the rising rubber price.

He was an activist, and like other entrepreneurs of his time, believed in the value of education. As chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the 1950’s he fought for citizenship for the Chinese of Singapore and for the Chinese language to be counted as one of the official languages. As chairman of Hokkien Huay Kuan (Hokkien clan association) (simplified Chinese: 新加坡福建会馆; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Fújiàn Huìguǎn) he developed many schools under the auspices of the association: Kong Hwa School in Guillemard, Tao Nan School in Marine Parade, Nan Chiau School in River Valley and Chongfu Primary School in Yishun. He also contributed to financing the Jimei schools 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 he gave it $300, 000, and between 1950 and 1960 he contributed towards the building fund of schools of different language media.

His most outstanding contribution, however, was the initiating of the founding of Nanyang University in 1953. He donated personally $5 million to its building fund, as well as 523 acres of land for its campus on behalf of the Hokkien Huay Kuan. In the period 1953 – 1963 he was Chairman of Nanyang University’s Executive Committee, and gave of both effort and money to look after various aspects of the university – building, teaching staff, research facilities, library, student welfare and others. The campus of Nanyang University is now occupied by Nanyang Technological University.

The founding of Nanyang University was a highly significant act for the Singapore Chinese community. Chinese from all walks of life donated towards its building fund. It had an effect on Chinese education in the region and beyond. One may say the setting up of a Chinese Studies department in Ngee Ann College, the University of Singapore and the University of Malaya stemmed from it. The establishment of the Chinese University in Hong Kong, the Overseas Chinese Chongsheng University in Thailand and the Southern College in Johore, Malaysia, may also have been inspired by the ideals underlying the founding of Nanyang University.

Tan Lark Sye died in 1972 at age 76. 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 this peasant boy from China made good.