Advertisement
The King’s Chinese: how Penang’s ‘Grand Old Man’ Yeap Chor Ee went from penniless barber to one of Asia’s richest men
- Chinese migrant Yeap Chor Ee became one of Malaya’s most prominent men
- His story is being told for the first time by his great-granddaughter
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
When Yeap Chor Ee left his hometown in southern China in 1885 to seek his fortune in Southeast Asia – then known as Nanyang, or the southern seas – he was just one of 125,000 people fleeing a land struck by famine and rebellion.
By the time of his death in May 1952, Yeap had become one of the most prominent men in pre-independence Malaya and the richest man in the northern state of Penang, his name synonymous with philanthropy and real estate.
The King’s Chinese , written by Yeap’s great-granddaughter Daryl Yeap, 49, traces the tale of Penang’s “Grand Old Man”, from his start as a penniless, illiterate barber to one of the most successful tycoons in Asia, against the backdrop of migration and the birth of a nation.
Advertisement
“I thought it would make more sense to write about the whole community rather than just one man, so the book is about the story of the Straits Chinese, using my great-grandfather as a vehicle,” Yeap said.
Advertisement
The book details the life of Yeap Chor Ee, from his marriages – one wife back in China to look after the ancestral home, and three in Penang, who combined would have 10 children – to his early days as an itinerant barber saving money to start Ban Hin Lee, his first shop with his business partner Oei Tiong Ham, another prominent Chinese businessman from Indonesia.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x