Loke Yew
Loke Yew | |
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陆佑 | |
Lim Cheng Kim (4th wife; b. 1895, d. 1981) | |
Children | 11, including Loke Wan Tho |
Relatives | Nancy Kwan |
Loke Yew | |
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Tâi-lô | N̂g Jû-iū |
Loke Yew CMG (simplified Chinese: 陆佑; traditional Chinese: 陸佑; pinyin: Lù Yòu; Jyutping: Luk6 Jau6; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lio̍k Iū; 1845–1917), born Wong Loke Yew, was a Malayan business magnate of Cantonese descent.[1] During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fathers of Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.
Early life
Loke was born of humble parentage in Dongjiang village,
Businesses
The ambitious young man took great risks in his new venture in Perak, and lost nearly $60,000 in his first four years. But he persisted in keeping the business going until he found a rich tin deposit in Kelian Bahru in Perak. His tin-mining business suddenly took an upswing, and Loke then went on to acquire and own many more tin mines, and rubber and coconut plantations in Perak. He also ventured into supplying provisions to British troops during the Perak War, running a pawnbroking business, and even obtained monopoly for liquor sales, gambling licences and other privileges from the colonial government.[3]
Loke's other assets included several hundred hectares of land, real estate and properties in both Singapore,
Loke also went into partnership with
In 1936, his son,
Family life
Loke Yew was unusual for his era in that he was a serial monogamist when polygamy was more commonly practised and accepted. He married four times upon the deaths of each of his prior wives. His first wife, Leung Suet, bore him three sons: Wan Piu, Wan Chok and Wan Chiew. His second wife, Leung Jun, bore him a daughter, Yuen Hing. He also adopted a hardworking employee named Hon Chow as a son during this marriage (this adopted son subsequently changed his surname to Loke but left his given name unchanged and so was the only son without the
Loke Yew arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the late 1880s and stayed there for the last thirty years of his life.[4] The Loke Mansion situated at No. 273A, Jalan Medan Tuanku, was built by Loke Yew over 12 years from 1892, the year he bought over the residence of tin miner and leader of the Cantonese community, Mr Cheow Ah Yoke. The Loke Mansion in its present form was completed in 1904 and was part of the former sprawling 11-acre (4.5 ha) Loke Estate. The Cheow home which was built between 1860 and 1862 with the famous Ching dynasty "Painted Gate" has been incorporated into the rear portion of the current Loke Mansion.[5] Loke made sure his mansion became one of the most prestigious residences in Asia and was reputedly the first residence in Malaya to receive electricity. Loke's family lived there until the 1930s.
The Loke Mansion, accessible within walking distance from the MR9
The Loke Mansion should not be confused with Loke Hall, Kuala Lumpur (which is now occupied by Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia or PAM) or Loke Villa, Penang (which is still a private residence owned by the Loke family and is visible to the public from Gurney Drive). Loke Villa in Penang was one of the first houses in South East Asia to possess an intercom system linking all the main rooms due to its sprawling nature.
Loke Wan Yat, one of his less mentioned sons, was a real estate developer and the co-owner of Penang Realty Ltd based in Penang.
Contributions
Loke Yew was a canny businessman, who was excessively cautious with petty expenditure. Despite his wealth he was least expensively dressed man in his own office, owned second-hand motorcars and often went to work by rickshaw instead. There is a story that one rainy day his wife went in their car to fetch him home from their estate and found him soaking wet, with a hoe in hand showing a coolie how to dig. This showed his humility, and willingness to help others in need.
The successful businessman also strongly believed in the importance of education and was one of the founders, together with
Loke also helped organize the collection of $55,000 for the endowment fund in 1912 for
Honours
Loke Yew's many contributions to education and the growth of
Loke Yew was also conferred an honorary
In tribute to the man's enormous contributions to society, the name "Loke Yew" has become identifiable with street names such as
One of the sport houses in the Victoria Institution is named Loke Yew and is assigned the colour brown.[7]
Loke Yew Professorship in Pathology
In the spirit of continuing education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) celebrated its Third Inauguration of Endowed Professorships on 17 April 2008, with the inception of the "Loke Yew Professorship in Pathology". This Professorship was established through the generosity of Mr Loke Yew's grandchildren, Ms Ruby Loke Yuen-Kin and Professor Charlie Loke Yung-Wai, as a testimony of the strong ties between the Hong Kong university and the Loke Family.[8]
Death
Loke Yew died on 24 February 1917 from malaria and his funeral was one of the grandest of those times. He was buried at Hawthornden Estate (a rubber estate he owned) in Setiawangsa constituency in north-eastern Kuala Lumpur, presently close to where army quarters of the Ministry of Defence (MinDef) are located, and a bronze statue of him was erected in front of his grave. Loke Yew also contributed to the Chinese communities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Loke Yew left an estate estimated at over £10 million[9] a business empire composed of rubber plantations, factories and banks.
Loke Yew Family Graveyard
The Loke Yew Family Graveyard was built in 1910. The graveyard was originally located at what was known as Hawthornden Estate (3°11′1″N 101°43′57″E / 3.18361°N 101.73250°E), and today it is surrounded by
The tomb complex is oriented to the West, the vertical axis of Loke Yew's tomb and bronze statue are inline, while the other three tombs (
See also
- Dato Loke Wan Tho
- Lim Cheng Kim
- Cheong Yoke Choy
- Cathay Building
- Cathay Organisation
- University of Hong Kong
- Victoria Institution
References
- ^ malaysiafactbook.com
- ^ a b Debbie, Chan (2 June 2007). "Road named after a man with rags-to-riches story". The Star. Malaysia. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
- ^ a b Po-yin Stephanie, Chung (2008). "A New Chapter in the Cathay Story" (PDF). Hong Kong Film Archive. Retrieved 24 March 2008. [dead link]
- ^ ISBN 978-967-908-028-5.
- ^ Hwang, Andrew (December 2006 – January 2007). "The Sad State of Loke Mansion, Medan Tuanku, KL" (PDF). Badan Warisan Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Story of the Houses". Victoria Institution Web Page. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "Press Release: The Third Inauguration of Endowed Professorships of HKU" (PDF). The University of Hong Kong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
- ^ Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-cultural View – Google Book Search at books.google.com.my
- ^ British Malaya – Google Book Search at books.google.com.my
External links
- Biography of Loke Yew – Andrewkidz Collections Library[permanent dead link]
- The Demise of the Revenue Farm System in the Federated Malay States
- When the `towkay' reigned
- Honoree: Choo Meileen
- The original media man, INVESTOR DIGEST
- The original media man
- Interview with the grandson of Loke Yew and Reproductive Immunologist Dr. Charlie Loke Yung Wai by Alan Macfarlane, 22 February 2007 – Interview provides insight into his grandfather Loke Yew and the family.
- Kington among men, by Allan Koay, The Star Online, 26 March 2003 – Obituary on Dato' Kington Loo (d. 21 March 2003)