Neo Ao Tiew (; 1884 – 1975), MBE, S.C.H, was a Chinese businessman, philanthropist and

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

from

Nan'an, Fujian Nan'an () is a county-level city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City and as of 2010, had a total population of 1,500,000. More than 4,000,000 overseas Chinese trace their ances ...

. He is best known for developing the

Lim Chu Kang Lim Chu Kang is a planning area located in the northwestern part of the North Region of Singapore, bordering the Western Water Catchment to the west and south, Sungei Kadut to the east and the Straits of Johor to the north. History Lim Chu Ka ...

area of Singapore. Neo Tiew Road, located in the district of

, in the North-Western part of Singapore, is named in his honour.*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), ''Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern Universities Press,

Early life

Neo was born in Nan'an, Fujian,

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

in 1884. In 1914, Neo, then a young

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

in the Chinese Army, immigrated to Singapore. He built his home in the forests of Singapore and away from the main city. This house, which later became a travellers' inn, was the centre of Thong Hoe village, a village that Neo built up.

Career

Neo Ao Tiew, together with British and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

investors, constructed roads, houses and a

seaport A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...

in the

area. He also raised funds and built Lim Chu Kang Road, which was completed in 1929. With these developments, the population of Lim Chu Kang grew to 10,000 people. Neo played the roles of judge,

and mayor of the village he founded in Lim Chu Kang. As a sheriff, he ran his own

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

police force that meted out justice in the village. Neo's police force used heavy-handed methods to police the population; for example, they paraded thieves from house to house to publicly shame them. As a result of his policing, the village recorded no crime despite having a relatively large population of 10,000 people. In 1938, Neo founded Kay Hua School (the predecessor of the current-day Qihua Primary School) to cater to residents living in Ama Keng Village. It subsequently expanded to include 2 branch schools to serve more residents in the area. In 1980, Qihua Primary School shifted out of the Lim Chu Kang area to its current location in Woodlands. To further improve villagers' welfare, Neo also set up a

maternity hospital A maternity hospital specializes in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth. It also provides care for newborn infants, and may act as a centre for clinical training in midwifery and obstetrics. Formerly known as lying-in hospitals, m ...

with only one resident

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; ...

. He was also known to personally send expectant mothers to the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Neo actively raised funds from the Chinese community to support the anti-Japanese war effort. He also encouraged Chinese youths to join the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

in defending the

Kranji Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, bounded by Sungei Kadut to the north, Turf Club to the east, as well as Lim Chu Kang and the Western Water Catchment to the west. It is located about from the city centre and it came from Malay word ...

port defence line from the invading Japanese army. For his efforts in the war, he was appointed a

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. After the Japanese successfully invaded Singapore, Neo fled to China to escape the Japanese's persecution. His 45 relatives who remained behind were all killed by the Japanese conquerors. After the war, Neo returned to his former role of running the village. Neo died in 1975 at the age of 91 or 92.

Awards

Neo Ao Tiew was awarded the S.C.H. medal by King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

after World War II. He was also awarded the

medal by

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

in 1954. For his contributions in the development of the Lim Chu Kang area, the British colonial government named a 3.5 km stretch of road as '' Neo Tiew Road'' in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neo, Ao Tiew 1884 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Singaporean businesspeople Singaporean people of Hokkien descent People from Quanzhou Chinese emigrants to Singapore Members of the Order of the British Empire Businesspeople from Fujian