27 Facts About Loke Yew

Loke Yew CMG, born Wong Loke Yew, was a Malayan business magnate of Cantonese descent.

Loke Yew was the only son in a family of four children, and spent his childhood working as a farm hand before he decided to set sail to Malaya to seek his fortune.

Loke Yew's 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 Yew scrimped and managed to save $99 after 4 years of hard work.

Loke Yew's 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.

Loke Yew 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.

Loke Yew was the largest shareholder in Pahang Motor Car Service, owned shares in the Raub Straits Trading Company, Straits Steamship and Federal Engineers, partly owned Burmah Rice Mill, made investments in properties all over Singapore and Malaya.

Loke Yew played a leading role along with his nephews named Cheong Yoke Choy and Cheong Yoke Choong in establishing Kwong Yik Bank, which opened in July 1915.

Loke Yew went into partnership with Thamboosamy Pillai in managing the New Tin Mining Company in Rawang.

Loke Yew was unusual for his era in that he was a serial monogamist when polygamy was more commonly practised and accepted.

Loke Yew married four times upon the deaths of each of his prior wives.

Loke Yew adopted a hardworking employee named Hon Chow as a son during this marriage.

In total the elder Loke Yew had 11 children from all 4 marriages, including his adopted son.

Loke Yew sent some of his children to Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, Scotland, for their formal education that was unfortunately interrupted by the onset of World War I whereupon they returned home to British Malaya.

Loke Yew arrived in Kuala Lumpur in the late 1880s and stayed there for the last thirty years of his life.

Loke Yew 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 Yew Wan Yat, one of his less mentioned sons, was a real estate developer and the co-owner of Penang Realty Ltd based in Penang.

Loke Yew was a canny businessman, who was excessively cautious with petty expenditure.

Loke Yew donated to many charitable causes, including the establishment of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

Loke Yew's philanthropy earned him a seat on the Selangor State Council and many honours.

Loke Yew helped organize the collection of $55,000 for the endowment fund in 1912 for The University of Hong Kong and made a loan of $500,000 to the university interest-free for 25 years dating from 1915.

Loke Yew was the first Chinese to be awarded an honorary degree by the university, and Loke Yew Hall in HKU was named in his honour.

One of the sport houses in the Victoria Institution is named Loke Yew and is assigned the colour brown.

Loke Yew died on 24 February 1917 from malaria and his funeral was one of the grandest of those times.

Loke Yew was buried at Hawthornden Estate in Setiawangsa constituency in north-eastern Kuala Lumpur, presently close to where army quarters of the Ministry of Defence are located, and a bronze statue of him was erected in front of his grave.

Loke Yew contributed to the Chinese communities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

The Loke Yew tombs follow the traditional Fujian style of a square front courtyard with granite carved Imperial guardian lions for the purpose of "guarding" the graves.