Teochew leader, businessman Eng Liat Kiang dies at 101

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is now also Deputy Prime Minister, with Mr Eng Liat Kiang during the launch of the English edition of the book, The Story Of Singapore Teochews, on Jan 12 last year. Mr Eng was featured in the book. PHOTO: HENG SW
Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is now also Deputy Prime Minister, with Mr Eng Liat Kiang during the launch of the English edition of the book, The Story Of Singapore Teochews, on Jan 12 last year. Mr Eng was featured in the book. PHOTO: HENG SWEE KEAT / FACEBOOK

Orphaned at age three, Mr Eng Liat Kiang rose above the hardships and struggles he faced to become a prominent businessman and leading pillar of the Teochew community in Singapore.

The much-respected entrepreneur died of natural causes on March 27, surrounded by his family.

He was 101.

He is survived by his wife, Madam Tan Swee Eng, 92, and their six children.

Mr Eng was born in 1919 in the rural area of Linxi, Chaozhou in China's Guangdong province. After his parents died, his older brother and sister brought him up, teaching him Chinese classics like the san zi jing (Three Character Classic).

The values espoused within these classics would have a huge impact on his beliefs.

At 17, Mr Eng had to flee China - when the Japanese invaded the country in the 1930s - for Singapore, where he lived with relatives. To adjust to the multiracial backdrop of Singapore, he bought books in both Malay and Chinese, and also tried to pick up English.

Mr Eng recounted in his memoirs how he would take on several jobs to eke out a living. Before the crack of dawn, he would help to pluck chickens and then head to a fruit stall to work. Thereafter, he would sell onions and garlic at a roadside stall. He made about $4 a month.

While the income was meagre, it sparked the beginnings of an entrepreneurial spirit which he would carry for the rest of his life.

During the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945, the aspiring businessman opened a provision shop in Rochor Road with two friends, and managed to secure sugar and tapioca flour to sell. After the war, he started Sin Heng Chan, a business focused on rice trading, in 1947. The business grew rapidly, moving from its original premises in Changi to Circular Road in 1955. It went into feed milling and later expanded northwards into Malaysia.

In the 1970s, Mr Eng started venturing into land development and real estate. Noticing the industrialisation taking place in the nascent landscape of Singapore, he also quickly shifted his business to sell cement.

His son, Mr Eng Bak Chim, 71, told The Straits Times the firm was already very successful when his father partly handed over the reins to him in 1973. The firm started investing in China in the early 2000s, with the late Mr Eng predicting that the "sleeping dragon" would rise again, he added.

Summing up his father's legacy, the elder of two sons said his late father lived by three key values: diligence, thrift and mental fortitude.

"He led a grand life, and believed in being kind and giving back to society," said Mr Eng Bak Chim, adding that the family held a private funeral for him last month in view of the coronavirus situation.

The late Mr Eng was also a community leader respected by many.

In 2016, when he was 98, he received the honorary award at the Teochew Entrepreneur Award from the Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan for his achievements.

His 50-plus years of contributions to the community also made him lifetime honorary president of the Huay Kuan. The clan group's vice-president Woo Chee Chay said Mr Eng frequently attended its events and supported its members.

"We are saddened by his passing...He brought great positive energy to the Teochew community."

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said he remembers Mr Eng as a friend and a self-made man with a "never-say-die" spirit. "Each time I spoke to him, I learnt something from his experiences and his attitude to life and business."

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 04, 2020, with the headline Teochew leader, businessman Eng Liat Kiang dies at 101. Subscribe