See Ewe Lay (c. 1851 - 29 August 1906), alternatively spelled Seet Ewe Lay, was a descendant of the wealthy

Peranakan 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 (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...

See clan and the founder of ''

Lat Pau ''Lat Pau'' () was one of the earliest Chinese language, Chinese-language newspapers published in Singapore under the Straits Settlements. It was first published in December 1881 by See Ewe Lay () under Lat Pau Press Ltd (). It was published for ...

'', the first major Chinese newspaper in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Biography

See was born in

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

in about 1851. He was the eldest son of See Eng Wat, a prominent Chinese merchant, the grandson of See Hoot Kee, a leader of the early

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

communities in Malacca and Singapore, and the older brother See Ewe Boon, who became the

comprador A comprador or compradore () is a "person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation." An example of a comprador would be a native manager for a European business house in Eas ...

of the

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

in Singapore. He frequently accompanied his father on business trips to

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

. See came to Singapore to join the

as a comprador. See founded ''

'', the first major Chinese newspaper in Singapore, in 1881, despite being proficient in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. He founded the paper for an unknown reason, possibly either for profit, or to raise social awareness and cultural standards. During the

Baring crisis The Baring crisis or the Panic of 1890 was an acute recession in the United States. Although less serious than other panics of the era, it is the 19th century’s most famous sovereign debt crisis, and the 17th largest decline in U.S. stock marke ...

, See insisted publishing Lat Pau. Following the death of Municipal Board member Lim Eng Keng, the '' Singapore Free Press & Mercantile Advertiser'' suggested that See be nominated to join the board in 1892, due to his proficiency in English, as well as his occupation as the editor and proprietor of ''Lat Pau'', which forced him to keep up with the times. However, he turned down the invitation to be elected as its board member, as he wanted to focus on publishing ''Lat Pau'' instead.

Personal life

See married a daughter of prominent Hokkien merchant Chia Ann Siang. He died of a sudden heart attack on 29 August 1906 at his residence on 93 Chin Swee Road. Following his death, his son, See Tiow Hyong, took over propriertorship of ''Lat Pao''.

References

{{Reflist 1850s births 1906 deaths People from British Singapore