Wee Kheng Chiang
Dato' Wee Kheng Chiang (simplified Chinese: 黄庆昌; traditional Chinese: 黃慶昌; pinyin: Huáng Qìng Chāng; July 1890 – 1978) was a Malaysian Chinese businessman of Hokkien descent with ancestry from Kinmen island. He was the founder of United Overseas Bank (UOB), formerly known as United Chinese Bank, and the father of Wee Cho Yaw.
Wee Kheng Chiang | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wee Kheng Chiang 22 July 1890 Kuching, Kingdom of Sarawak |
| Died | 1978 (aged 87–88) |
| Nationality | Malaysian (1963–1978) British (1890–1963) |
| Occupation | Banker Trader |
| Spouse(s) | Ong Siew Eng (1st wife) |
| Children | Wee Siok Hua Wee Hian Teck Puan Sri Wee Bee Siok Wee Hood Teck Wee Cho Yaw |
| Parent(s) | Wee Tee Yah (Father) Song Kim Keow (Mother) |
Early life
Wee was born to Kinmen Hokkiens (Minnanese) on 22 July 1890 in Kuching, Sarawak (now part of Malaysia), a British established puppet colony. He was the family's second-to-eldest son. His father was Wee Tee Yah (died 1889), and his mother was Song Kim Keow, a local born widow. The younger Wee attended Saint Thomas Secondary School, and spoke Hokkien and English fluently.[1]
Career
In 1924, Wee established the Bian Chiang Bank (now known as CIMB Group) in Kuching, Malaysia.[2]
He became the Treasurer of the Kuching-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce upon its inception in 1930, before being promoted to President. In addition, Wee was the Hokkien Association (福建会馆)'s President.[3]
In 1931, he was elected as Chairman of the Sarawak Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He resigned from the post in 1946.[2]
On 6 August 1935,[4] he established the United Chinese Bank with six other partners. The bank is now known as the United Overseas Bank (UOB).[5]
Wee staffed his bank with ethnic Hokkiens to serve his Hokkien clients.[6]
Personal life
The Kapitan Cina Ong Tiang Swee (Chinese: 王長水; pinyin: Wáng Chángshuǐ), who was then Kuching's wealthiest person, was impressed by Wee, and decided to let him marry his eldest daughter, Ong Siew Eng (Chinese: 王秀英; pinyin: Wáng Xiùyīng).[7][1] Wee was then given the role of manager of the Sarawak Chinese Bank,[1] which Ong owned. Wee soon got to know more prominent businesspeople and other important figures; he shortly started a string of businesses, including farming and goods importing and exporting.
He was married twice and had fifteen children (five sons and ten daughters).[2] Wee's second wife is the mother of Wee Cho Yaw, chairman of Singapore's United Overseas Bank.
Death and legacy
In 1978, Wee died in his Kuching residence. His fourth son, Wee Cho Yaw, was subsequently appointed to head United Overseas Bank.[3] Jalan Datuk Wee Kheng Chiang, a road in downtown Kuching, is named after him.
Awards
Wee Kheng Chiang was posthumously hailed as the "uncrowned king of Sarawak" in Queen of the Head Hunters by Rajah Vyner Brooke's spouse, Sylvia Brooke.[1] Ranee Sylvia Brooke also used this sobriquet, in her 1939 book The Three White Rajahs.[2]
In 1941, Wee was presented with the Commander of the Star of Sarawak by the Third White Rajah of Sarawak.[2] In 1964, he was awarded the Panglima Negara Bintang Sarawak by the first Governor of Sarawak.[2]
Affiliations
- The Sarawak Chinese Chamber of Commerce (1930-1946)
- The Hokkien Association (1932-1947)
- The Singapore-Sarawak Association (from 1930)
- The Hokkien School Management Board(1932-1947)
- The Sarawak China Relief Fund Committee (1938)
- Kuching Joint Primary and Secondary Schools Management Board (1946)
- Kuching China Consulate Building Committee (1949)
- Anti-Tuberculosis Society
- Sarawak Turf Club (1937)
- Sarawak Buddhist Society
- Tse Chia Koh Buddhist Association
- Kuching Hung Nam Shieng Thang
- Sarawak Tong Sin Siang Tong Association
- The Federation of Wee Clan Associations, Sarawak[2]
References
- Lee 2013, p. 464.
- Lam, Chee Kheung (2012). "Wee Kheng Chiang of Sarawak: Entrepreneur Extraordinaire" (PDF). Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies. 1: 18–39. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- Lee 2013, p. 465.
- "Our Corporate Profile". United Overseas Bank. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- Siow, Li Sen (3 June 2010). "UOB patriarch looking for a successor". AsiaOne.
- "Siew Eng ONG". Geni.com. MyHeritage Ltd. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
Bibliography
- Lee, Khoon Choy (2013). Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix: The Chinese and Their Multi-Ethnic Descendants in Southeast Asia. World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-4383-43-1.