Loke Yew

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Loke Yew
陆佑
Lim Cheng Kim (4th wife; b. 1895, d. 1981)
Children11, including Loke Wan Tho
RelativesNancy Kwan
Loke Yew
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,

new name sounded more auspicious. His relatives recommended him for his first job at Kwong Man General Store, a provision shop in Market Street and earned $20 a month. The young Loke scrimped and managed to save $99 after 4 years of hard work. With the money, he started his own provision store called Tong Hing Loong. His business gradually grew and Loke left his staff, Cheong Yoke Choy, in charge of the store while he travelled to northern Malaya, particularly Perak to explore the tin mining business.[3]

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,

Kwong Yik Bank
, which opened in July 1915.

Loke also went into partnership with

Thamboosamy Pillai in managing the New Tin Mining Company in Rawang
. They were the first to use electric pumps for mining in Malaya.

In 1936, his son,

Lim Cheng Kim established Associated Theatres Ltd—later renamed Cathay Organisation. In 1939 the Loke conglomerate built Singapore's first skyscraper, the Cathay Building
.

Family life

The Loke Mansion, Loke Yew's final residence in Kuala Lumpur. This is an old photograph taken before the current restoration.

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

Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, Scotland, for their formal education that was unfortunately interrupted by the onset of World War II whereupon they returned home to British Malaya
.

Loke Mansion after restoration

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 

Medan Tuanku Monorail station
, was renovated and partially restored in late 2007 by the law firm Cheang and Ariff, who have leased the property from its owner. Managing Partner, Dato' Loh Siew Cheang, hopes to be able to restore the mansion to its full glory in the course of time.

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

Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur for them to build a field. He also donated to many charitable causes, including the establishment of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. His philanthropy earned him a seat on the Selangor State Council and many honours.[4]

Loke Yew Hall
of the University of Hong Kong

Loke also helped organize the collection of $55,000 for the endowment fund in 1912 for

Loke Yew Hall
in HKU was subsequently named in his honour.

Honours

Loke Yew's many contributions to education and the growth of

British Government in the 1915 New Year Honours, for his efforts and contributions on helping the people and the government of British Malaya
.

Loke Yew was also conferred an honorary

for his generous contribution and steadfast belief in the value of education.

In tribute to the man's enormous contributions to society, the name "Loke Yew" has become identifiable with street names such as

Besraya Expressway
's two toll plazas is named Loke Yew Toll Plaza, located just adjacent to the toll road's interchange with Jalan Loke Yew.

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 / 3.18361; 101.73250), and today it is surrounded by

bas-relief
, which were chipped off and otherwise damaged by unknown vandals and would entail wholesale replacement of the underlying material for complete restoration and thus would amount to desecration of the gravesite if done). The current location of the MinDef facilities surrounding the gravesite ensure future vandalism would be minimised if not altogether prevented.

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 (

Imperial guardian lions
for the purpose of "guarding" the graves (the Chinese strongly believe that lions are the guardian of buildings). Within this courtyard, the altar itself is protected by a circular concrete fence. The Tsui Lan Memorial Hall is a rare and uncommon building, the style of which is not found elsewhere.

See also

References

  1. ^ malaysiafactbook.com
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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]
  4. ^ .
  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.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "The Story of the Houses". Victoria Institution Web Page. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Hong Kong Cinema: A Cross-cultural View – Google Book Search at books.google.com.my
  10. ^ British Malaya – Google Book Search at books.google.com.my

External links

  1. Biography of Loke Yew – Andrewkidz Collections Library[permanent dead link]
  2. The Demise of the Revenue Farm System in the Federated Malay States
  3. When the `towkay' reigned
  4. Honoree: Choo Meileen
  5. The original media man, INVESTOR DIGEST
  6. The original media man
  7. 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.
  8. Kington among men, by Allan Koay, The Star Online, 26 March 2003 – Obituary on Dato' Kington Loo (d. 21 March 2003)