Tan Chay Yan
Tan Chay Yan | |
|---|---|
陳齊賢 | |
 | |
| Born | 1871 |
| Died | March 6, 1916 (aged 45–46) |
| Known for | Pioneering rubber plantation industry in Malacca |
| Spouse | Chua Wan Neo |
| Children | Robert Tan Hoon Siang |
| Parent(s) | Tan Teck Guan (father) Chua Siew Lim Neo (mother) |
Tan Chay Yan (Chinese: 陳齊賢; pinyin: Chén Qíxián; 1871 - 6 March 1916) was a rubber plantation merchant and philanthropist. A Peranakan, Tan is the grandson of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng by his father, Tan Teck Guan.[1]
Tan was noted in Malayan history as the first man to plant rubber on a commercial basis, after he was introduced to rubber planting by Henry Nicholas Ridley. Subsequently, Tan started a 22-acre (89,000 m2) rubber estate at Bukit Lintang. He then ventured his rubber plantation business into Sri Lanka. According to his family, Tan's rubber plantation still belonged to the family.
As a philanthropist, Tan also gave $15,000 towards the setting up of a medical college in Singapore. The donation went towards the construction of the Tan Teck Guan Building, which Tan named in memory of his late father. Tan was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace at age 24, and served on the Malacca Municipal Commission.[2] He also served as a Trustee of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple.
Tan died of malaria at the age of 46. A relative believed he could have caught it as he often spent the long hours spent at the rubber plantations. Tan left behind his wife, Chua Wan Neo, a tenth generation Nyonya and a descendant of Malaccan Kapitan Chua Su Cheong,[2] six daughters and a son.
In view of his contributions, Tan has been memorialised via a variety of ways. The Papilionanda (originally Vanda) Tan Chay Yan, a hybrid bred by Tan's son Robert Tan Hoon Siang is named after him.[3][4] A road in Melaka and Singapore was also named after him; in Singapore,Chay Yan Street can be found in Tiong Bahru.
References
[edit]- ^ Leo Suryadinata (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-4345-21-7.
- ^ a b C.S. Wong (2024). A Gallery of Chinese Kapitans (2 ed.). Areca Books. p. 27. ISBN 9789675719493.
- ^ "Our History :: The Orchid Society of South East Asia". Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ En-Rei, Soon (2022-08-04). "New orchid display opens at Gardens by the Bay". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
External links
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