A Glimpse of His Past: Yeo Chan Boon (1881–1967)

By Yeo Guan Nor

Yeo Chan Boon in a photograph taken when he was 75 years old. Courtesy of Yeo Guan Nor.

I was too young to know my grandfather Yeo Chan Boon while he was still alive. He was in his twilight years when I was born. My earliest recollection of him was that of a stern-looking, balding old man who dressed well in his silk jacket and loose trousers. He wore a moustache and smoked cheroot. His large frame and demeanour exuded an aura of a refined and dignified gentleman. The patriarch of his large extended family living under one roof, he was often addressed by his workers and servants as “Ah Ya” (distinguished sir or towkay), by his children as “Ah Tia” (father), and to his brood of grandchildren, he was simply “Ah Kong” (grandfather).

Other than occasional outings with him, I do not remember any close encounters with my traditional grandfather. Etched vividly in my memories are visits to a holiday villa by the sea at East Coast. While I played, he sat quietly under a shady tree at the bungalow compound, soothed by the soft pounding waves just a distance away. At the Chui Huay Lim Club at Keng Lee Road, he would attend to his club activities while I was left to wander around and watch wayang on the open ground.

It was only through a visit to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall that I came to know he was one of the founding members of the Singapore branch of the Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui), and that he shared Dr Sun Yat Sen’s vision for a new China. What was his involvement and role in helping to topple the Qing dynasty in 1911?

This sparked my desire to find out more about my grandfather and to understand his role as a huaqiao (China-born overseas Chinese) in Singapore.

Yeo Chan Boon was raised in a modest home. He had a good upbringing under the care of his parents who loved him well. Truthfulness, integrity and goodness formed the essence of his growing up years in a rural village.

In school, he was educated in the old literary language (wen yan) and read the “Four Books” and “Five Classics”, writing calligraphy and reciting poems. He received tremendous encouragement from his mother who valued learning. Determined to excel in his studies, he put in great effort to achieve his goals.

At the age of 18, Yeo had to leave home for the first time in his life. Though apprehensive about facing an alien environment, he did not back out. He left Wen Li village in Teo Ann county to join his father in Singapore. He bade farewell to his family, loved ones and to the simple pleasures of his daily life.

Wen Li village in China in 1987. Courtesy of Yeo Guan Nor.

At the city port of Shantou, he joined fellow countrymen aboard the “fish-eye” Chinese junk and set sail to their destination. The high seas were rough, food was minimal and crammed living conditions were almost unbearable. It was a perilous journey they endured.

After a tedious voyage, he disembarked at the seafront of Telok Ayer. He settled down quickly at Boat Quay, where his father had a cloth piece goods shop. Young and energetic, he worked hard in the trade and learnt the ropes in no time. At every opportunity, he sought to understand the economic and social conditions under the colonial rule at that time. He had plans to go into other business sectors.

Though he faced years of struggle and hardship, he thrived nonetheless in the bustling and fast growing city. With accumulated savings and trading experience, he became a pioneer in the entrepot trade. He became a merchant and started to import agro-commodities from Indonesia and other neighbouring countries. These goods had to be sorted, graded and packaged before being exported to overseas markets.

Gum Copal, Gum Damar (Mata Kuching) and ox-hides were the bulk goods he supplied. From humble beginnings at Boat Quay, he expanded his business, and his company, Yong Guan Seng & Company Limited was re-located to a row of shophouses at Ord Road.

With his business acumen and far-sightedness, Yeo eyed the jewellery trade, which he thought commercially viable. His new venture turned out to be rewarding. Seng Bee (Goldsmith) Company Limited, as it was called, was situated along South Bridge Road in Chinatown. It was well patronised and became one of the largest and most well-known Teochew establishments in the jewellery industry.

Seng Bee advertisement in 1950. Courtesy of Yeo Guan Nor.

He also had other financial investments in banking, rubber and general produce companies. He was one of the founding groups of Teochew merchants who pooled their resources to establish Sze Hai Tong Banking and Insurance Company, the second-oldest Chinese bank founded in Singapore. When Overseas Union Bank Limited was set up, he became one of its shareholders. Two local companies he had some holdings in were Tai Thong Rubber Works Limited and Yong Tai Produce Company.

Apart from devoting his time to business, he took an active interest in the wellbeing of the Chinese community. He played an active role in many community-wide voluntary associations and immersed himself indefatigably in social, educational and cultural work.

As a young elected councillor in the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, he was responsible for drafting the constitutional rules, and started a membership campaign in 1906. Throughout his tenure in the Chamber, he undertook multifarious tasks, serving in the Finance, Education and Joint Relief Committees. Most significantly, he represented the interests of the business community and engaged in many campaigns for political rights, citizenship for overseas Chinese, the development of Chinese education and relief fundraising.

Yeo was one of the early pioneers who set up the Singapore Gold & Silver Merchants Association (now known as Singapore Jewellers Association), which provided a platform for cooperation among merchants of different Chinese dialect groups in the jewellery trade. He saw to the welfare of its members and helped raise funds to purchase their own office premises.

In Ngee Ann Kongsi, Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan, Singapore Kwantung Association and The Federated Teochew Associations of Malaysia, Yeo played pivotal roles at the helm. He was enthusiastic about fostering unity, mutual assistance and the social welfare of the community at large. An advocate of education, he helped to raise funds for establishing Chinese-medium primary and middle high schools, and sat on the board of these educational institutions: Tuan Mong High School, Ngee Ann Girls’ School and Chinese High School. He was also actively engaged in the Federation of Chinese School Teachers and Directors of School Boards.

He gave moral and monetary support to the general interests of his clansmen at the dialect/district associations. As patron, he helped to promote Chinese traditions, customs and culture at the Yang Clan General Association, Singapore Teochew Hong Long Yeo Clan Association, Teo Ann Huay Kuan, and the Er Woo Amateur Musical and Dramatic Association.

At the Thong Chai Medical Institution, a charitable organisation which provided free medical services to the poor, he served on the board and was involved in fundraising and welfare projects.

Yeo was nominated to sit on the Chinese Advisory Board which was a consultative body in the colonial days. Together with other dialect representatives, he gave views and feedback on education, legislation and other pertinent issues affecting the local Chinese. He also took up the position of advisor to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (Nationalist Government based in Nanjing), which administered affairs relating to overseas Chinese nationals. Both were politically inclined high-level appointments.

As a patriot, he believed in the liberation of China and was fervent in his commitment to revolutionary activities, with the launch of Tongmenghui (a branch of the Revolutionary Party set up by Sun Yat-sen) in 1906. He was one of the 14 founding members who set the pace and direction of this nationalistic movement in Singapore, and helped to raise funds for the many uprisings which finally toppled the Qing government in 1911.

Since the Japanese onslaught on Chinese soil in 1928 culminating with the atrocious attacks on Nanjing in 1937, Yeo joined many outraged China-born nationals in the Salvation Campaign. He ardently rallied compatriots to raise relief funds for the many victims who suffered in China. Hard-driven and demonstrative, he was among the zealous lot who tirelessly collected monthly and special donations for the Shantung Relief Fund (1928–29), Singapore China Relief Fund (1937–41) and the South Seas China Relief Fund (1938–49). His devotion extended to contributing his own money to fund the salaries and miscellaneous expenses of the staff at Ee Hoe Hean Club (a millionaires’ club), which was the headquarters of these fundraising activities.

When Singapore was on the verge of attack by the Japanese at the end of December 1941, the colonial government mobilised the help of residents to undertake emergency measures to deal with the worsening situation in Singapore. Yeo sat on the Standing Committee which was the key executive and policymaking body, comprising members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Kuomintang, the Malayan Communist Party and other various prominent groups. Known as the Singapore Chinese Mobilisation Council, its aim was to recruit volunteers to help maintain law and order, spread anti-Japanese messages and join various overseas counter-attack missions. It was a chaotic period but Yeo pressed on, rendering whatever assistance was needed.

The British, Australian, Indian and local defence forces collapsed eventually and on 15 February 1942, Singapore fell into the hands of the Japanese. Fear and terror gripped the population. Like many residents in dire straits, Yeo was just as helpless and despondent. Many who had the means had already fled the country.

The Japanese military began to weed out the anti-Japanese elements and many men aged 18–50 years were rounded up. Yeo was one of the many prominent businessmen arrested and put into prison, as he was categorised as an activist in the “Save China” movement against Japan. Later, he was released and forced to collaborate with the Japanese military leaders and become a member of the Syonan Overseas Chinese Association (SOCA), which was a complaisant machinery. They had to report daily at the Goh Loo Club, which became the headquarters of this new grouping. An onerous task befell the committee members: they were told to raise a large sum of money and pledge loyalty and sincerity to the Japanese. In compliance, Yeo toiled with members of the team to meet the demands of their new masters.

Yeo and SOCA members also played a vital role in charity work. They granted relief to the orphans and widows who had been rendered destitute or homeless during the war, ran a home for the poor and aged who had no means of subsistence. Participation in campaigns launched by the Japanese were also part of their daily routine. In other areas of work, he was put on the New Syonan Construction Committee as Assistant Head of the Finance Section. The Japanese had plans to build a new Syonan village in Endau, Malaya.

The Japanese Occupation lasted three and a half years, and ended in August 1945. Yeo had suffered and sacrificed much during this difficult period. There were indelible pains and agonies which formed another chapter of his life.

With the Japanese surrender and the return of British rule, he had to go about rebuilding his family life and revitalising business resources. There was lost time to be regained. In June 1946, when the Appeals Committee for Singapore Chinese Victims Massacred by Japanese was formed, he was appointed its vice-chairman. The committee was set up to investigate losses of victims, excavation of remains of victims and demands for compensation. Though the war years had worn him down, he still took on this heavy responsibility.

In January 1953, when Nanyang University was mooted by the Hokkien community leaders, he was among the ardent supporters who backed the proposal. It was a mammoth and ambitious project. Yeo played a crucial role since its foundation stone was laid. He was a member of the Preparatory Committee and served in the budget, donations and student enrolment sub-committees during the planning and construction phase. He was also appointed to the Executive Committee which governed, directed and decided all matters pertaining to the administration of the affairs of the university in the early years.

A man with an intensity of purpose, Yeo Chan Boon epitomised the spirit of generosity, compassion and devotion. He was a humanitarian at heart and his motto was “ready to serve for a good cause”.

He is remembered as a dedicated and benevolent huaqiao (China-born overseas Chinese) who left the shores of his “motherland” and made his mark in Singapore. His contributions to the social and economic development in the pre-independence days of Singapore are manifold and impressive.

The Lee Kong Chian Reference Library has more than 240,000 materials in its collection.

Among the various sources, library patrons who are researching on their own family history often consult materials such as local newspapers from the early 19th century, government and commercial directories, yearbooks and souvenir magazines by schools, business associations and government agencies.

To assist patrons who would like to start their own family history research, the Library has recently compiled, Sources on Family History – A Select Bibliography.

It lists the resources available at the Library and contains some instructions on how to start your search. You can collect a copy of this bibliography at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.

The Library is open from Monday to Sunday between 10am to 9pm (except public holidays). If you have any reference enquiries, you can email ref@nlb.gov.sg.

We also welcome donations of materials relating to family history (such as yearbooks and souvenir magazines). Feel free to contact us at 6546 7275 or 6546 7271 if you would like to do so.

About the Author
Yeo Guan Nor is an independent researcher.