Seow Poh Leng (1883 - 1942) one of the first few Peranakan Babas at Emerald Hill,Historic buildings of Singapore by Edwin Lee, Singapore. Preservation of Monuments Board, 1990, , was a prominent and successful

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

, founding member of the

Ho Hong Bank The Ho Hong Bank (1917–1932) was a Malayan bank, established to provide banking services that, until 1912, were solely delivered by European banks. The bank was founded in 1917 and in 1932 merged with two other banks in Singapore to form the Ove ...

, member of the committee of the Straits Settlement (Settlement of Singapore),

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and benefactor of public development works. He was a strong advocate of limited liability trading and promoted the advantages of the Limited Liability Company system.

Background

Seow Poh Leng, the second son of Seow Chye Watt,Song Ong Siang (1923) ''One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore''.London : J. Murray. pp 474 - 475 came from humble beginnings. He spent two years in a Chinese school and completed his schooling at the

Anglo-Chinese School Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Church. Anglo-Chinese School is usually abbreviated as "ACS", w ...

. After passing his Senior Cambridge examinations, he decided to become a teacher. He competed for the Queen's Scholarships in 1902. He failed to win the much-coveted prize, and attributed his failure to the fact that he had to divide his time between his duties as a pupil teacher and preparing for the examinations. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society By Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malayan Branch Published by The Branch, 1923 Item notes: v.26 1953; p. 117. 118, 119 and Journal By Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malaysian Branch, Published 1958, Pgs 117, 119 & 120. In order to help support his family, he was forced to take up additional work. After school each day he would sell

nonya The Peranakans () 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 Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...

cakes and

nasi lemak ''Nasi lemak'' is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also the native dish in neighbour ...

cooked by his mother and sisters. One day, when he saw some of his pupils in the distance, he threw all of his food away fearing they would see him and lose respect for him. He was punished when he returned home. Later, Seow moved on from teaching to become the manager of the

. He was also a cashier at John Little & Co for many years, before he entered the

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

business. His chequered career included stints as a chemist's assistant, schoolmaster, lawyer's clerk, stock-broker, insurance agent and company liquidator. He was one of the promoters of the Eastern United Assurance Corporation Ltd. (EUA), Chinese Commercial Bank (CCB) and

(HHB). He founded HHB in January 1917 together with

Lim Peng Siang Lim Peng Siang (; also known as Lin Bengxian; 1872–1944)The Kuomintang Movement in British Malaya, 1912–1949 By Ching Fatt Yong, R. B.; p. 5, 258, 282 was a businessperson in Singapore and Malaya. Together with his brother Lim Peng Mau ( Lin ...

, Dr

Lim Boon Keng Lim Boon Keng (; 18 October 1869 – 1 January 1957) was a Peranakan physician who advocated social and educational reforms in Singapore in the early 20th-century. He also served as the president of Xiamen University in China between 1921 and ...

and others, and served as its secretary and general manager. HHB was the first Straits Chinese institution to enter the field of worldwide banking and established connections with

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, Batavia and many others, in order to facilitate direct trade between the Chinese in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

and people in other parts of the world. Later, HHB was amalgamated with CCB and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC). According to government archives, Seow was responsible for the development of a row of nine terrace houses along Cairnhill Road. The same records show that he owned bungalows in

Emerald Hill Road Emerald Hill is a neighbourhood and a conservation area located in the planning areas of Newton and Orchard in Singapore. Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan community, it is located near Orchard Road. Many of its ...

and Lorong 20 Geylang Road, and had additions and alterations done to them. He bought 117 Emerald Hill in 1902.

Public life

Seow Poh Leng was concerned with public welfare and engaged in many different roles and activities in this area. He suggested constructing a short connection road between Emerald Hill Road and Cairnhill Circle. He was also involved with the Singapore and South Malaya Boy Scouts Association since its inauguration, holding the position of secretary and treasurer, and did much to interest parents in the movement. Other activities included organising charity and social concerts and entertainment. His contributions to the ''Straits Chinese Magazine'' dealt with such subjects as education and social reform. A love of

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

ran in the family. According to Sir Song Ong Siang, Seow took part in amateur theatricals in the 1930s. He was a lover of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and named his seaside bungalow in Siglap "Titania" and his house on Emerald Hill Road, "Oberon." He was considered modern and loved artistic activities such as acting and singing, and served as the Hon. Secretary to the Straits Chinese Recreation Club in 1905. Seow was a keen sportsman on the football field and in club sports, a tennis player and a chess player. He was one of the early members of Tanjong Katong Swimming Party, now the Chinese Swimming Club, where he once held the office of vice-president. During the early years of the volunteer movement, he served in its ranks. In 1936 His Excellency The Governor appointed him to be a member of the Council of Raffles College. In 1937 he was elected to membership of the Council of the King Edward VII College of Medicine. Apart from The Hawker Bill, in which he played a major role, he was also associated with other subjects he believed to be of importance to the common man like championing pedal rickshaws and the abolition of water meter rents.

Hawker Bill

Hawkers had been considered by some people to be a nuisance. In 1903, a bill was drafted by the Chinese Protectorate to provide licensing of hawkers and setting aside spaces where hawking was allowed. In 1905, Municipal Commissioners asked that the Municipal Ordinance be amended to provide them with the necessary powers to register hawkers and bring them under control, but this was refused by the Governor. The following year in 1906, by-laws of the Municipal Ordinance were created to help with regulation and control. There were numerous other activities through the years intended to regulate and control the number and activities of hawkers. The view among some people was that the evils of hawking were becoming more serious year on year.Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Hawker Question in Singapore printed at the Government Printing Office in Singapore by W. T. Cherey, Government Printer, 1932 incorporating (1) Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Hawker Question in Singapore dated 4 November 1931, (2) Minutes of a meeting between the committee (W. Bartley, R. Onrart, J. A. Black, Gaw Khek Khiam, S. Q. Wong and Dr. K. Ragunatuan) and Seow Poh Leng dated 25 August 1931, (3) Memorandum from Seow Poh Leng to the President of the Municipal Commissioners of Singapore dated 1 June 1931 relating to a meeting on 9 March 1931, (4) Annexment I of "C" being a reprint of The Hapless Hawker: A Plea for Humane Treatment by Seow Poh Leng, J. P., M. C. in the Malaya Tribune 23 March 1931, (5) Annexment II of "C" being a reprint of "The Hapless Hawker: A Time To Make Allowances" by Seow Poh Leng in the ''Malaya Tribune'' 26 March 1931, "The Hapless Hawkers: And The Death of the Rev. W. E. Horley M. B. E." by Seow Poh Leng in the ''Malaya Tribune'' 4 April 1931, (6) Annexment IV of "C" being a table of comparative prices (hawkers versus shops or markets) of common articles during the last week in May 1931, provided by Seow Poh Leng (7) Attachment to Annexment IV of "C" being a supplementary schedule of comparative prices (hawkers versus shops or markets) handed in by Seow Poh Leng to meeting of hawkers committee on 25 August 1931. In 1931, the Governor of Singapore appointed a committee "to investigate the hawker question in Singapore and to make recommendations as to any change in policy in this respect which may be considered advisable", consulting and taking evidence from the Municipal Health Officer, the police, Superintendent of Town Cleansing, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Clerical Union,

Teo Chew Teochew, also known as Teo-Swa (or Chaoshan), is a Southern Min language spoken by the Teochew people in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong and by their diaspora around the world. It is sometimes referred to as ''Chiuchow'', its Cantones ...

guilds, Indo-Ceylon Club and the Straits Chinese-British Association. Seow championed the plight of hawkers who he felt were being treated callously and without any regard for the social benefits they were bringing, or for their own precarious economic situation. Through articles in the newspaper, including a self-composed poem, depositions and meetings with the committee. He sought to achieve a fair and balanced outcome that would take into consideration the needs of the masses who were not European, and who relied on the lower-priced food and non-food merchandise provided by the street hawkers of Singapore, exposing in the process the constant brutality hawkers faced from the authorities and bribery hawkers often had to resort to in order to continue to operate.

Personal life

Seow's family lived in a shop house along Emerald Hill Road opposite Dr

, whom he had worked for on a part-time basis. When Lim heard that Lilian LuckNeo Tan's family were looking for a groom for her, he recommended Seow to them. Lilian's family wanted a kind and good man for her and it did not matter to them if he was from a poor or rich family. Lilian was the great grand daughter of famous philanthropist Tan Tock Seng. Her father was Tan Soon Toh and her mother was Lin Neo (Jambol) Seow. Tan Soon Toh's father was Tan Kim Ching, Siamese Consul General in Singapore and the person who introduced the schoolteacher, Anna Hariette Leonowens, to the King of Siam. Tan Kim Ching was the son of

Tan Tock Seng Tan Tock Seng (; 1798 – 24 February 1850) was a Malacca-born merchant and philanthropist from Singapore. Early life and business Tan Tock Seng was born in Malacca in 1798 to a Chinese Fujianese immigrant father and local Peranakan mother. ...

.Lim, Betty (1994) A Rose on My Pillow: recollections of a Nyonya. Singapore : Armour Publishing. Lilian Tan was a refined lady, spared from having to do household chores. Her family lived in a three-storey house along River Valley Road. When the time came for her to be bethrothed, her parents decided the groom should marry into their family which was a common practice at the time. This meant that her husband would come and set up home in her family's house. Their marriage produced three children - (Seow Sieu Jin, Amy Seow Guat-Cheng and Betty Seow Guat-Beng - later Mrs Betty

Lim Koon Teck Lim Koon Teck() (28 November 1904–29 October 1984) was a barrister-at-law, industrialist and politician in the Malaya and Singapore. He was the first Asian in the Straits Settlements to be appointed to the Colonial Legal Service. He was a mag ...

). One evening, Lilian was out riding in the family's horse carriage and happened to pass by Bidadari, the Christian cemetery. She noted how peaceful it looked and mentioned that she would like to be buried there when her time came. When the first

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

epidemic hit Singapore, Lillian succumbed to the virus. She died in October 1918 at the age of 32. In accordance with her wish for a

Christian burial A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation because it interfered with the concept of the resurrection of ...

, Seow asked a pastor to baptise her and she was buried at Bidadari. Lilian's mother later converted to Christianity. Seow remarried a few years after Lilian's death. His new wife, Polly Tan Poh Li (daughter of Tan Boo Liat) was Lilian's niece. Lilian's mother thought it would not be a bad thing for Seow to marry her. His children by Polly were Eugene Seow Eu Jin and Rosie Seow Guat Kheng.Seow Poh Leng By Lee, Hwee Hoon (2009-01-14) National Library Board Singapore

Seow Poh Leng medal

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of the Anglo-Chinese School, Seow instituted a medal in 1936 to be awarded to the top ACS boy at the Senior Cambridge/GCE "O" Level Examinations.

References

* Brown, R. A. (1994). Capital and Entrepreneurship in South-East Asia (p. 161). New York: St. Martin's Press. (Call No.: RSING 338.040959 BRO) * Brown, R. A. (Ed.) (1996). Chinese Business Enterprise (p. 137-138). London: Routledge. * Jones, G. (1990). Banks as Multinationals (p. 178). New York: Routledge. * Lee, K. L. (1984). Emerald Hill, the Story of a Street in Words and Pictures: The Story of a Street in Words and Pictures (p. 22-23). Singapore: National Museum. * Loh, G., Goh, C. B. and Tan, T. L. (2000). Building Bridges, Carving Niches: An Enduring Legacy. Singapore: Oxford University Press. * Singapore Tatler (1992). Singapore days of old: a special commemorative history of Singapore (p. 101). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine Publishing Company Limited. * Silcock, T. H. (1961). Readings in Malayan Economics (p. 460-465). Singapore: D. Moore for Eastern Universities Press. * Song, O. S. (1985). One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore (p. 474), Singapore: Oxford University Press. * Lim, B. (1994). A Rose on My Pillow: Recollections of a Nyonya (p. 1-11). Singapore: Armour Publishing.

External links

National Library of Singapore Entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seow, Poh Leng 1883 births 1942 deaths Singaporean people of Chinese descent 20th-century Chinese businesspeople 20th-century Singaporean businesspeople Anglo-Chinese School alumni