Aw Boon Haw

Aw Boon-Haw (Chinese: 胡文虎; pinyin: Hú Wénhǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ô͘ Bûn-hó͘; 1882 in Yangon, British Burma – 1954 in Hawaii), OBE, was a Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian Province, China.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Aw.
Aw Boon Haw
胡文虎
Aw Boon-Haw (Who's Who in China 4th ed.,1931)
Born1882
Rangoon, British Burma
Died1954 (1955) (aged 72)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Resting placeTiger Balm Garden, Hong Kong
Nationality
Other namesTiger Balm King
Occupation
  • entrepreneur
  • philanthropist
Known for
Board member ofEng Aun Tong
Children
Aw Kow(son)
Aw Swan (son, adopted)
Aw Hoe(son, deceased in 1951)
Aw It Haw(son)
Aw Jee Haw(son, died in wartime)
Aw Sar Haw(ditto)
Aw Sin Haw(son)
Sally Aw(daughter)
Aw Seng(daughter)
Parent(s)Aw Chu Kin (Father)
RelativesAw Boon Leng (Eldest Brother)
Aw Boon Par (Youngest Brother)

Career

In 1926, Aw migrated to present day Malaysia, where he cofounded the Tiger Red Balm business with his brother, Aw Boon-Par. Aw also founded several newspapers, including Sin Chew Jit Poh in Singapore and Sin Pin Jit Poh in Penang (both currently based in Malaysia); and Sing Tao Daily (which dates back to 1938 and is currently based in Hong Kong). Aw moved to Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation of Singapore and managed the business from there, while his brother stayed in Singapore until he closed down the factory and went to Rangoon. One of his sons was also killed during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. Aw returned to Singapore after the end of World War II and re-established his business.

Death

In 1954, at the age of 72, Aw died from a heart attack following a major operation in Honolulu while on a trip to Hong Kong from Boston, US. He is remembered through his work with Haw Par Villas throughout Asia, with locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Fujian province of China.

Legacy

His sons took over his businesses after Aw's death.

Personal life

Aw's adopted daughter is the Hong Kong businesswoman and former Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member Sally Aw. Sally Aw squandered the vast fortune and was on the brink of bankruptcy. Tiger Balm Gardens and the Aw Boon-Haw Gardens in Hong Kong were sold to the territory's billionaire, Li Ka-Shing, for US$13 million in 1998.

The daughter of Aw Boon-Haw and his fourth wife, Aw Seng (胡星), resides in Singapore and has set up a company under her father's name, Aw Boon Haw Pte Ltd, to continue the heritage and legacy of her father. Aw Boon-Haw's fourth wife died on 10 April 2012 in Vancouver aged 100.

  • A memorial hall in Lei Yue Mun Waterfront School
  • Aw Boon-Haw & Aw Boon-Par Memorial Hall at the School for the Blind, a Tiger Balm charity in Rangoon, Burma
  • Haw Par Villa in Fujian, unfinished after 1949 and the death of Aw Boon Haw in 1954; finished by his daughter in 1990s
  • Former Eng Aun Tong in Singapore
  • Eng Aun Tong in Guangzhou
  • Eng Aun Tong advertisement in 1930s

References
    • (in Chinese) 胡文虎
    • (in Chinese) 胡文虎父女的汕頭緣
    • Sin Yee Theng and Nicolai Volland, "Aw Boon Haw, the Tiger from Nanyang: Social Entrepreneurship, Transregional Journalism, and Public Culture," chapter 5 in Christopher Rea and Nicolai Volland, eds. "The Business of Culture: Cultural Entrepreneurs in China and Southeast Asia" (UBC Press, 2015).
    • Cochran, Sherman. Chinese Medicine Men: Consumer Culture in China and Southeast Asia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006.


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