Kapitan China Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...

Ong Ewe Hai (c. 1830–1888), was a prominent businessman and community leader in

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

Family history

Generations of the Ong family played a prominent role for the Hokkien community in Sarawak. Ong himself was a prominent Kapitan Cina to the Hokkien community of Sarawak, and a successful businessman in multiple fields. His son,

Ong Tiang Swee Kapitan China Ong Tiang Swee, , (; 3 August 1864 – 19 October 1950) known as the Grand Old Man, was a renowned businessman and philanthropist in Sarawak. Regarded as the most prominent and successful Chinese community leader in Sarawak, he ...

also succeeded him as Kapitan Cina, and subsequently, his grandson,

Ong Kwan Hin Kapitan China Ong Kwan Hin (1896-1982) was a prominent businessman and community leader in Sarawak. Family history Ong is the son of Ong Tiang Swee (1864-1950), renowned businessman and the most prominent and successful Chinese community ...

. Both Ong Tiang Swee and Ong Kwan Hin were the first two Chinese people nominated to the Sarawak Council Negri (Legislative Council) in 1937. His great-grandson,

Ong Kee Hui Tan Sri Datuk Amar Ong Kee Hui ( zh, c=王其輝, poj=Ông Kî-hui, p=Wáng Qíhuī, first=poj; 19 August 1914 – 19 April 2000) was a Malaysian Chinese politician and founder cum first president of the Sarawak United People's Party which ...

, also went into business and subsequently public service, where he co-founded the

Sarawak United People's Party The Sarawak United Peoples' Party ( abbrev: SUPP; ) is a multiracial local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hian. He succeeded the post from his predecessor, Peter Chin Fah Kui in 2014. Establish ...

(SUPP),

's first political party in 1959. Kee Hui later served as the Minister of Local Government and Housing, and established the Ministry of Science Technology & Environment under Tun Razak's Cabinet, serving as a Federal Minister.

Early life

Ong set foot in

1846 when he was merely 16. Remarkably, he arrived from Singapore where he was born in 1830 not as a labourer as many of his age did then, but as a trader. Circumstances forced the young Ong to venture into business early in life because his father, Ong Khoon Tian, had left him and his siblings impoverished when he passed when Ong himself was seven. He received very little education because being the eldest sibling, he had to help support his family from an early age.

Career

Venturing into business at such a young age, he had to turn to an older man, Lim Eng Moh, for guidance. His mentor told of good business opportunities in barter-trading with the natives of Sarawak. Throwing caution to the wind, he joined Lim in setting out to the newly-established state of Sarawak to seek his fortune. He gained the friendship of a local chief in

Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...

and with credit granted by Singaporean companies, he became very successful. Within 10 years, he established two firms, Kay Cheang, Ewe Hai & Co in Singapore and Ewe Hai, Moh & Co in Kuching. In 1872, he consolidated the two firms into Ewe Hai & Co, turning it into one of the leading companies in Sarawak. One of the firm's main businesses was transporting sago starch from Mukah to Kuching, pre-processed and also the trade of gambier and pepper. The success of his export business subsequently brought him closer to the first

Rajah Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

, whose government relied largely on export taxes. His close relationship Sir

James Brooke James Brooke (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajahs, White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868. Brooke was born and ra ...

earned Ewe Hai the appointment of

Kapitan Cina Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...

. In 1857, he warned the Rajah of the dissatisfaction of the Hakkas in Bau and the danger of an uprising but the latter paid no heed. It was a costly blunder which nearly cost the Rajah his life as the Chinese insurrection took place soon after Ong's warning.

Religious Work

Ong devoted much of his life to the

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

. He was a patron and guardian of all Buddhist and Taoist temples in the then First Division in Sarawak. He was also a staunch

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and had chaired many charitable and religious organisations.

Honours

After the great Kuching fire sometime in 1885 or 1886, Ong rebuilt Ewe Hai Street. He named it after himself but left out his surname out of respect for the Rajah because Ong means King in Hokkien. It joins Carpenter Street from its junction with Bishopsgate Street to Wayang Street. Today, it is a preserved heritage site in Kuching. There is a total of six roads in

named after generations of the Ong family, mostly by the

in recognition of their contribution to the community. These include Jalan Ewe Hai (also Ewe Hai street), Jalan Ong Kwan Hin, Jalan

, Jalan Hui Sing and Jalan Ong Hup Leong, a branch road of Jalan Ong Tiang Swee.Our Sarawak, by Persatuan Kesusasteraan Sarawak, 1983, p. 50

Personal life

Ong married a

nyonya The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British, Portuguese, and Dutch colonial ports i ...

, Yeo Swee Kim, in Singapore and that branch of his family went on to become very successful in their pursuits. He later married another lady, Teo Soo Neo, a Hakka from Lundu and started another family in Sarawak. When Ong decided to plant his roots in Kuching, he strategically built his house to overlook the Sarawak River. When it was completed in 1885, it not only overlooked the river but also Ewe Hai Street, where shophouses were built on both sides of it. It was later sold to the Anglican Mission for a few thousand dollars and turned into a boarding house in 1933. The structure still exists to this day and has since been converted into a boutique hotel, The Marian Boutique Lodging House. He never forgot his Singaporean roots, and probably intended to retire there as he built a fine residence which he called Bonnie Grass. He passed on in 1889 at 59 before the completion of the house.

References

* Francis Chan (January 27, 2008). ''What's in a Name.'' Borneo Post {{Authority control Singaporean people of Chinese descent Raj of Sarawak Malaysian people of Chinese descent 1830s births People from British Malaya 1888 deaths Kapitan Cina Singaporean people of Hokkien descent