New $70m Hakka hub seeks to preserve heritage while promoting business and community ties

SINGAPORE – A 168-year-old Hakka clan association wants to move beyond preserving heritage to developing business connections and future leaders to attract younger members.

The official opening of the Char Yong (Dabu) Association’s seven-storey, 18,250 sq ft premises in Geylang on July 3 marked the start of its broader transformation.

Its $70 million home will serve as a hub for Hakka heritage and community activities for all ages. Apart from housing a museum, library and cooking studio, it will also offer entrepreneurship and professional development programmes.

“Our transformation does not mean abandoning heritage, but cultural preservation, Hakka values and ancestral connections are now complemented by our business and professional development agenda,” the association’s president, 75-year-old Ivan Ho, told The Straits Times.

The BCA Green Mark Platinum-certified building, which took 2½ years to complete, is designed in the form of a tulou – the traditional circular earthen homes of the Hakka people – stretched out to symbolically welcome visitors.

Speaking at the official opening, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said the association has long been strengthening bonds among its members, serving the wider community and evolving with the times.

“What is passed down is more than tradition – it is a spirit,” she said in Mandarin, adding that the Hakka ethos of valuing education, diligence and thrift forms an enduring legacy worthy of being preserved across generations.

“In today’s rapidly changing world, community organisations must remain firmly rooted in their heritage while keeping pace with the times,” said Teo, who has Hakka ancestors from Dabu.

“Clan associations should preserve and promote Chinese culture while embracing innovation, and strengthen ties within the community while serving society at large.”

Teo said she hopes the association will organise more activities to nurture and attract young people, strengthen inter-generational connections and advance its digital transformation, so that it remains vibrant and relevant to future generations.

The association, which has about 6,000 members here, was founded in 1858 to look after the welfare of Hakka immigrants who migrated to Singapore from Dabu county in Guangdong province. 

There are more than 250,000 Hakkas in Singapore, more than two-thirds of whom can trace their roots to Dabu. They include Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former chief justice Yong Pung How.

Char Yong (Dabu) Association is also hosting the second World Dabu Business Forum at Marina Bay Sands from July 3 to 4. The event is expected to draw about 900 participants from Asia. Held once every three years, it brings together the global Hakka business community.

The forum weekend will see the official launch of the Singapore Dabu Hakka Chamber of Commerce, a new institution that provides a platform for business networking for Hakka businesses and professionals in Singapore.

The association will sign a memorandum of understanding with more than 50 Dabu Hakka business association presidents and leaders from China, Malaysia and Thailand to facilitate business networking and collaboration.

It is also partnering Business China to sponsor internships and university exchange programmes, committing about $60,000 annually to help young Singaporeans gain overseas exposure.

The association has an age limit of 75 for the election of board members to enhance board governance and leadership renewal, and has entrusted younger members with organising major events, including the 2026 business forum.

Its heritage gallery, which has been receiving about 500 visitors a month, will host students on educational visits and workshops, said Lee Hong Ping, 56, who heads the heritage committee.

Looking ahead, the association and chamber will organise a series of business and professional development initiatives, including industry-focused talks and courses on topics such as artificial intelligence.

The association also hopes to be a launchpad for local businesses to tap regional Hakka networks, and, at the same time, provide a platform for these networks to establish a business presence or find partners in Singapore and the wider South-east Asian market.

Its immediate past president, Ho Siong Hin, 68, said the association’s role has evolved from helping newly arrived immigrants from China find housing and jobs to helping Singapore Hakkas go out into the world as entrepreneurs, professionals and business leaders.

“The question is, how do we get more people to come to our building through meaningful activities,” he said. “Culture remains important, but we must also help the young build their future.”