Chan Sow Lin | |
|---|---|
| 陳秀連 | |
 A portrait of Chan Sow Lin | |
| Born | 1845 Panyu district, Guangdong province, China |
| Died | (1927-06-05)5 June 1927 |
| Resting place | Guangdong Cemetery, Sungei Besi |
| Other names | 玉池 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Miner, Philanthropist |
Chan Sow Lin was one of the modern founding fathers ofKuala Lumpur ofCantonese ancestry . He played a significant role in restoring the peace in theLarut Wars. His pioneering in the ironwork industry earned him the title of the father of Chinese iron works in Malaya.[citation needed] He was also a philanthropist and his legacies can be seen throughout modern dayKuala Lumpur.
Chan was born into a poor family in thePanyu District (part ofGuangzhou city now),Guangdong province of China in 1845. At the age of 16, Chan migrated to Malaya. He started working inTaiping underLow Sam intin mining. Chan quickly proved himself useful, and was appointed to supervise the tin mines atAssam Kumbang,Taiping within a few months. And a year later, he was given full authority by Low Sam to take charge of all his mining interests inLarut district.[1]
After an undereducated childhood, Chan sought a private tutor to learn how to read and write inChinese, and later learned the localMalay language.[2]
Chan was involved in theLarut Wars, a series of wars waged between dialect group[clarification needed]Ghee Hin andHai San. While participating in the conflict between Si Yap and Chung Loong groups, he was seriously wounded and was treated inPenang.
At the end of the war,Taiping was captured by British troops. However, there were some unsatisfied members who wanted to start another war. Chan acted promptly to act as mediator between both parties. He offered to arrange a dinner to convince both parties that it was in their interest to keep the peace. Chan offered himself as the hostage to prove its sincerity to the rivals. The dinner ended with both parties agreeing to a truce.[1]
After the war, Chan re-joined Low Sam briefly, and later founded his own tin mining business. During his time in Taiping, he metLoke Yew, fellow Chinese migrant who later came to be the richest man inBritish Malaya.[3]
In 1883, Chan andLoke Yew moved toSelangor together due to the war inPerak, The Selangor Government welcomed fresh investments and barren lands and tin mines, as the economy was being affected by the war in Perak. Barren lands and tin mines leased at very low remunerations. Together, the duo became the pioneer and the largesttin mine owner.
It was also in Selangor where Chan would meet and become close friends withCheong Yoke Choy another fellow tin mine owner and one of the early pioneers of Kuala Lumpur.
In 1893, Chan leased two rich mine lands atSerdang andSungei Besi fromLoke Yew under his firm, Chop Tan Kee, and later the mining lands at Simpah,Sungei Puteh,Kuala Kubu,Setapak,Kepong andPetaling from the government.
Chan became the first Chinese to use atin dredge for mining tin. At that time, most of the tin dredge machinery was imported fromBritish, which was expensive. To cut costs, Chan founded Chop Mee Lee (or known as Chan Sow Lin & Co. Ltd) inJalan Ampang, an ironwork foundry that focused on producing high quality tools, machinery for mining and construction.[4] He employed technicians fromGuang Zhou and Hong Kong to train local labor in the engineering works. His success spawned the establishment of other foundries in the area, and helped develop the economy ofKuala Lumpur.
Chan was the chairman of the Selangor Anti-Opium Society and the Selangor Chuan Hong Chinese School. He was the trustee ofSin Sze Si Ya Temple’s assets.[3]
Chan also succeededLoke Yew to become the president of theSelangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce, from 1907 to 1909.[5]
He is one of the co-founders ofTung Shin Hospital, Jishangtang Charity Hall, and Chan She Shu Yuen (Chan Clan Temple) atPetaling Street, Kuala Lumpur. He was a trustee of theVictoria Institution. He was also an appointed member of the Selangor State Council (1902–1921), a member of Visiting Committee of the Selangor Goal, the Lunatic Asylum and the Selangor General Hospital.[1]
In 1906, a special commissioner on education to the Malay States was sent by the viceroy of Guangdong under the decree of theemperor of China. After visiting the Chinese-owned companies and tin mines, the commissioner had written a report to the viceroy praising Chan's role in promotingChinese culture, knowledge and technology in his business in theMalay states. For this, the viceroy awarded him a medal.
He was awarded another medal by Wong, the Chinese ambassador to England (Malaya was under British rule at the time) for his philanthropic work.[1]
Chan had four sons.[1]
On 8 June 1927, Chan passed away at his residence at 20 Klyne Street,Kuala Lumpur. He was buried at theGuangdong Cemetery inSungei Besi, Malaysia.[1]
TheBritish Malayan government named a road Jalan Chan Sow Lin, after him, to commemorate his contributions to the development of Kuala Lumpur. It is said that the road was famous for ironworks, even after his death.[6] The road is nestled between theSungai Besi airport andPudu and is now an industrial zone.
TheChan Sow Lin station, named after Jalan Chan Sow Lin, serves as the interchange station between theLRT Sri Petaling Line,LRT Ampang Line andMRT Putrajaya Line[3]