You can see the virtues of a great man from the food he ate. Mr Tan Kah Kee was one of the pioneers of Singapore. He was a prominent and successful business man who used much of his fortune for charitable purposes, especially in areas of education. Recently, I came to know that one of his favourite dish was 'Fried bean curd with bean sprout' - 豆干炒豆芽. I'm touched when I heard about this. Although rich, he led a very frugal life, committing much of his time, effort and wealth on educational philanthropy. Here are some of his charitable and selfless deeds :
* In Singapore, he himself set up and helped to set up (through partnership) more than ten schools which included Dao Nan, Ai Tong, Chinese High etc. He was also concerned with the development of English schools and had donated generously to schools that impart English education. For instance, he donated $30,000 to Anglo-Chinese school in 1919.
* In China, he established a series of schools (from Primary to University level) in Jimei, his hometown in Fujian province. Moreover, he had also set up Xiamen University in Fujian province.
* He left his entire fortune of 3 million to the Jimei schools and for other educational purposes, leaving not a penny to his descendants.
References :
http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_839_2004-12-28.html
http://www.tkk.wspc.com.sg/tkk/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Kah_Kee
http://www.asiapacbooks.com/product.asp?pid=571&cid=39
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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