# Cheong Yoke Choy

Cheong Yoke Choy, JP, OBE (Chinese: 張郁才; 16 July 1873 – 26 May 1958) was an influential Chinese pioneer businessman and philanthropist during the British Malaya era. During his lifetime, he became one of the early developers of Kuala Lumpur, together with several prominent figures from the Chinese community at the time. He was well respected, much loved, and affectionately known as 'The Elderly Philanthropist' for all the charitable work he drove and supported even at an advanced age.

## Early life

Cheong Yoke Choy was born in Xinhui, China, on the 22nd of the sixth lunar month (16 July) in 1873, and came from humble beginnings. To support his family's livelihood, he moved to Guangzhou at the age of fourteen to work as a live-in servant. Although his wages were low, he benefitted from learning Cantonese, the main dialect of Guangdong, through his work. Two years later, he travelled to Malaya, where he arrived in Rawang to work as an office boy for the local council.
Six months after arriving in Malaya, he moved to Kuala Lumpur where he worked at the 'Tong Hing Long Company', a provision store owned and started by Loke Yew, who took an immediate liking to him. One of Yoke Choy's closest friend in Kuala Lumpur was Chan Sow Lin, who held an important position in Loke Yew's company. Chan's high regard for Yoke Choy's work ethic and integrity saw him frequently praising him in front of Loke Yew. Even though he started off performing menial tasks, his hard-working and humble nature earned him Loke Yew's trust, who gradually handed him more important responsibilities. When Loke Yew travelled north to Perak to explore the possibilities of starting up a tin-mining business, Cheong, although young, was left in charge of his provision store. Cheong saw Loke Yew not only as a benefactor but also a mentor and their relationship would endure throughout their entire lives, with Yoke Choy eventually appointed as trustee of Loke Yew's estates later in his life.
Such was Yoke Choy's personality and his loyalty to friends; he would build many more of such strong bonds in his lifetime. One of them was with Liew Weng Chee, who was his partner in many business and philanthropic endeavours. Their relationship was so close that when Liew Weng Chee's only son, Liew Kwong Hon, married Miss San Lin Ying, the daughter of San Ah Wing, the attesting witnesses were Cheong Yoke Choy and Choo Kia Peng.

## Business interests: from tin to banking
### Hong Fatt Tin Ming Company

In 1897, Cheong and his fellow Guangdong clansmen Chan Wing, Chew Kam Chuan, Liew Weng Chee (or Liao Rong Zhi in mandarin) and San Ah Wing formed a kongsi called the Hong Fatt Tin Mining Company, pooling together their limited savings to prospect for tin in the area adjacent to Sungai Besi. It is today the site of The Mines Resort City. It was Cheong Yoke Choy himself who took out mining certificates from the British in 1906. This was considered quite a risky undertaking at the time, as two other Chinese kongsi and a European partnership had already attempted to mine for tin in the same area. Fortunately, through determination and luck, the group was rewarded when they discovered one of the largest tin deposits in Malaya, which subsequently became, at the time, the second largest open cast tin mine in the world. Hong Fatt would eventually be merged with the adjoining Sungei Besi Mines Ltd. to form a new company known as Hong Fatt Sungei Besi Ltd, and Yoke Choy and Chan Wing were among the five directors of the board. Now self-sufficient following the discovery of the mine, Cheong was able to send for his parents who were still living in China. Crucially, Yoke Choy also managed to diversify his businesses into other areas before the tin ore deposits in the mines were eventually exhausted.

### Kwong Yik Bank

With the support of Loke Yew, Cheong and a few other partners including Chan Wing co-founded Kwong Yik Bank in July 1913. Prior to that, Malaya was served only by three British banks - the Chartered Bank, HSBC and Mercantile Bank, and the Chinese business community did not find banking in these institutions particularly convenient given that few Chinese businessmen at the time spoke English. This was at a time when Malayan Chinese businessmen were drawn to a new crop, rubber, which despite its long gestation period before maturity, proved to be a lucrative investment. There was therefore a growing demand for long-term finance, but the British banks were unwilling to extend this financing given the risks associated with this crop. The stage was thus set for Kwong Yik Bank to fill this void. Since the bank's inception, and apart from a brief period between 1916 and 1917 when Loke Yew was elected chairman, Cheong held the post of chairman of the board of directors up until his death in 1958. In 1965, Malayan Banking bought 30% of Kwong Yik Bank's issued capital. Two years later, it boosted its ownership to 51.15%, thus passing ownership control from the original owners to Malayan Banking. In 1997, RHB Bank purchased Malayan Banking's share in Kwong Yik Bank, and then merged with DCB Bank (formerly D&C Bank, established in 1966), making it the biggest bank merger in the country's history up to then.

## Philanthropy and education
### Confucian school

Cheong understood the importance of a formal education even though he himself lacked it. His first involvement in Chinese education philanthropy was in the setting up of the Confucian School (Zun Kong), which was officially opened on 24 May 1907. It was to become the second-oldest Chinese school in Malaya, and Yoke Choy and nine others formed the first board of directors. In 1916, Yoke Choy and the school's board of directors found and purchased a piece of land on what was then Petaling Hill to accommodate the school's expansion and to serve as the permanent location of the school. The buildings were completed in 1922 and still survive to this day.

### Kuan Cheng Girls School

He was considered by many to be progressive for his time because – unlike many other Chinese patriarchs at the time – he believed that girls should also receive a proper education. Consequently, barely two years after the establishment of the Confucian School, he was involved in the founding of the equally illustrious Kuen Cheng Girls School in 1908.

### Pak Weng Girls School

Yoke Choy's interest in education did not end with the establishment of the Confucian and Kuen Cheng schools. He had felt that overseas Chinese children, especially those from poor families, were still not able to benefit from formal education. This prompted him to form a partnership with Mr. Liew Weng Chee in 1916 to set up and run the 'Pak Weng All Girls School' at Sultan Lane – one of the few non-missionary girls school at the time. The name of the school came from the names of the founders - Cheong Pak Peng (Yoke Choy's alias) and Liew Weng Chee.

### Pak Peng Free School

In 1918 he single-handedly founded 'Pak Peng Free School', an all-boys school aimed at providing free education to students from poor families. Yoke Choy hired teachers, fully equipped the school, and recruited students regardless of age and ethnicity, but especially poor children. In order to promote education, tuition fees were waived, and school uniforms were provided. When encountering students who wanted to participate in important celebrations, he also paid out of his own pocket to provide students with canvas shoes. The school has been maintained for more than 40 years and has never asked for a penny from the public. Pak Peng Free School and Pak Weng Girls' School, both of which were tuition fee-free and solely or partly funded by him, came to be known as Cheong Yoke Choy's 'sister schools' - a fitting testimony to his dedication to education and contribution to his community's welfare.
In a commemorative school magazine to mark Pak Peng's 40th Anniversary (1917-1957), in a foreword written in Chinese, Yoke Choy explained why he had established the school. An excerpt of his foreword follows:
I was born into a poor family with no opportunity and means to be educated. When I grew up and strived to serve society, I felt the pain of having not been educated. I became acutely aware of the fact that wherever one resides, a basic education is vital. This is especially true if one is to appreciate his own cultural roots which he must not forget. I have long harboured the thought of setting up a tuition fee free school to help poor children attend school and be of service to my community. In doing my duty to society, I never forgot my origins ... To strive for advancement while understanding your roots gives substance to the old Chinese saying: 'The past is the teacher of the future.'

### Kwong Siew Free School

In 1926 he and three others – namely Xin Bai Hui, Liew Weng Chee and Au Yang Xue Feng – went on to help establish Kwong Siew Free School and also act as trustees for Wah Kiew Primary School. Community leaders were aware that a large number of parents were sending their children to English language schools, completely ignoring their own culture. Kwong Siew Free School was therefore founded as a 'Chinese Half-Day School', which provided English school students with the opportunity to learn Chinese in the afternoon. The school has survived to this day, testimony to the vision of its founders and the efforts of many volunteer teachers. Today, it is billed as 'Kuala Lumpur's last free school', where students are still taught to read, speak and write Chinese, as well as Chinese folklore and customs.

## Philanthropy: temples, associations and welfare
### Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

Yoke Choy's contributions to civil society spanned a wide variety of activities. Combined with his efforts in education, he was tireless in his efforts to do good for the community and played an equally active role in helping establish, run and fund Chinese associations around Kuala Lumpur. Together with Chan Sow Lin and other members of the Chinese elite at the time, he was one of the first trustees to be appointed in 1908 to the Property Trust of the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple, which was originally built by Yap Ah Loy. This was a role that he held for a total of 50 years until his death.

### Tung Shin Hospital

Whilst Yoke Choy did not play a role in the founding of Tung Shin Hospital - its founding predated his arrival in Malaya - but he donated a large sum to the hospital in 1917 and in particular to a new single-storey ward building, which was what was then Ward 1, which then encouraged other fellow Chinese businessmen to donate towards the hospital buildings. He also played a major role in the hospital's board of trustees and served as its Treasurer.

### Selangor Chin Woo Athletic Association

The Chin Woo Gymnastics School was initially established in Shanghai, China in 1909 by Huo Yuanjia a Chinese martial arts expert. The school was subsequently reorganised into the Shanghai Chin Woo Athletic Association for the purpose of teaching martial arts, strengthening physical fitness and promoting physical, intellectual and moral education. The association grew in reputation and acclaim and the 'Chin Woo Five Envoys' were sent in 1920 to further promote the Chin Woo spirit and demonstrate Chin Woo wushu. Thanks to the efforts of Yoke Choy and some associates, the Selangor Chin Woo Athletic Association was formally established in September 1921 and Yoke Choy was its first president. He served in this capacity for over 20 years, advancing funds whenever the association fell short, to the point of donating the association's pool tables.

### King George V Silver Jubilee Home

A key aspect of Yoke Choy's character was that he never forgot that he, as well as others, had endured hardships before achieving success. This, aligned with his long-held belief that women should be treated fairly led him along with Liew Weng Chee to found the Selangor King George V Silver Jubilee Home in Kuala Lumpur, which was originally intended as a shelter for poor and aged Chinese women who came to Malaya and devoted their whole lives to work as 'ma chehs' (or maid servants) in the households of wealthy businessmen. Some of these were found sleeping along five-footways in the late 1930s – from raiding Japanese armies during the Second World War. Yoke Choy wrote to the British monarch at the time to request for funds to help set up the home and Yoke Choy's noble intentions became a reality in 1940, when the home named after King George V was established (after King George V's passing in 1936). Although funds were secured to set up the home, the operating expenses were all met by Yoke Choy and Liew until the latter passed away.

## Other Contributions & Participation in Community Organisations
### Service to the crown

Although best known for his social welfare work, Yoke Choy also played a role in the administrative and legislative institutions of the state following the abolition of the Kapitan Cina system in Kuala Lumpur by the British in 1902. Yoke Choy served both in the Selangor State Council and the Chinese Advisory Board. The Selangor State Council was the state's executive body of the colonial government, which is equivalent to the Selangor State Executive Council today, while the Chinese Advisory Board was the key official body that exercised indirect control over the Chinese in the colonial administration before the Second World War. Other prominent members of these institutions include Loke Yew, Chan Sow Lin, Chan Wing and H. S. Lee.

### Kwong Siew Association

One of the community associations with which Yoke Choy was closely associated was the Selangor and Federal Territory Kwong Siew Association, one of the oldest community associations in the federal capital and Selangor with a long history of 120 years. The association was initially formed to strengthen the bonds and mediate disputes among people from the Guangdong province. The association was named after the two Guangdong prefectures of Guangzhou and Zhaoqing, where many of the members of the association originated from.
Cheong Yoke Choy along with his other trustees including Loke Yew, Yap Kwan Seng, Loke Chow Kit and Liew Weng Chee agreed to fund the purchase of properties for the association free of interest. Properties acquired by the association include the land that houses the Guan Di Temple on Jalan Tun H S Lee.
One of the crowning achievements of the Kwong Siew Association was the establishment and development of the Cantonese cemetery, the Kwong Tong Cemetery. Between 1916 and 1933 Yoke Choy acted as the Treasurer for the cemetery. During this period, he funded the construction of "Qing Jia Ting" (清佳亭), one of the ten pavilions in the Kwong Tong Cemetery built so that people who paid respects to the dead could take short rests.

### Other civil society associations

Another clan association that Yoke Choy was heavily involved in and helped finance was the Selangor Kong Chau Association, which was mooted in February 1949 for clansmen from Guangzhou to come together, which was much later than other similar associations in Perak, Pahang and Singapore. Yoke Choy was the first chairman and permanent honorary curator and property trustee when the association officially opened in 1952.
In addition to the above, Yoke Choy held many other posts, including the Treasurer of the Kwong Tong Association Kuala Lumpur between 1939 and 1953; Treasurer of the Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce; President of the Chinese Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur to which he contributed to the construction of a wing that is named after him; and property trustee for Chik Sin Tong Funeral Parlour. Yoke Choy, along with Choo Kia Peng, Liu Liangyan and Loke Wan Wye (Loke Yew's grandson) were the four trustees for the title deed of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall after the British colonial government allocated a piece of land for the construction of the Hall, which became the permanent office of the Selangor Miners Association and the Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Yoke Choy was elected the Assembly Hall's first president between 1935 and 1942.
It is not an exaggeration to state that Yoke Choy contributed immensely to Chinese schools, associations and society in the early days of Kuala Lumpur. Despite living the later years of his life coinciding with the Japanese occupation of Malaya, followed by the armed resurgence by the Communist Party of Malaya, Yoke Choy showed no concern for his personal safety. Unlike many other wealthy businessmen today and of his time, Yoke Choy employed no bodyguards. His safety was guaranteed only by the charitable work he had devoted his life to and for which he was known. In the evenings, he would sit alone in his residence's compound enjoying the evening breeze while watching the world go by.
Yoke Choy was not one to chase after titular awards and official recognition and the reasons behind his philanthropic endeavours have already been explained above. Nevertheless, the important role he played amongst the Chinese community in Kuala Lumpur, was duly recognised by the both the local British government, who appointed him as a Chinese counsellor and an Officer of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (OBE); and the Sultan of Selangor who made him a Justice of the Peace (JP). The OBE was received on 13 June 1946 and awarded by King George VI "for services prior to and during the Japanese occupation of Malaya".

## Other interests and legacy
### Chinese Opera

Yoke Choy revealed his love for the cultures in later life. In Cantonese opera he was happy to host visits to Malaya by well-known artistes from Hong Kong, including Fong Yim Fun and Leung Sing Poh. He was also involved in the annual charitable performance of the Cantonese opera 'Mook Kwai Ying' at the Chinese Assembly Hall, of which the lead performers were Cheong Mee Sin (his niece who was married to Leong Hoe Yeng, a prominent rubber industry leader and first local to be elected chairman of the Malayan Industrial Development Finance Ltd) and Gladys Loke (the granddaughter of Loke Yew and a tennis champion).

### Horse racing and ownership

Yoke Choy also spent time, especially on weekends, on horse racing. Together with his brother, Yoke Chong, they owned a total of 23 horses, which enjoyed moderate success and was a member of the Selangor Turf Club. Among their prominent horses were Distinguished, First Lady, Turnover, Paramount, August Blessing and Victory. Of the two brothers, Yoke Chong had the larger and more successful stable to the extent that his son-in-law, prominent banker and tennis player Leong Hoe Yeng, eventually gave up banking to look after the turf interests of his father-in-law.

### Farewell

Yoke Choy passed away after a brief illness at the age of 85 years in his residence at 216 Jalan Pudu, on 26 May 1958, and like his father, Cheong Keng Yu, was buried in a simple grave identified only by a tombstone in the family plot Kwong Tong Cemetery Kuala Lumpur.
His journey to his final resting place was said to be "one of the grandest of the time. There were as many as 10,000 who participated to pay their last respects. Another 29,000 lined the route, some climbing onto rooftops to watch."
The mourners included government officials, community leaders, business leaders and school delegates along with schoolchildren in their uniforms. Delegates from nearly 50 Chinese guilds and associations also attended. Members of the St. John's Ambulance Brigade, including their ambulance unit, accompanied the procession. There were 15 funeral bands in attendance on that day and there were traffic jams as the funeral procession was a 4.8-kilometre-long affair. There was also a 3.6-metre-high effigy of a deity.

### Legacy and future generations

It has now been five generations since Yoke Choy made that fateful move from China in 1889. Despite being illiterate and lacking in formal education himself, Yoke Choy's descendants have attended world-class educational institutions such as Harvard Law School, Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics, Universiti Malaya and the National University of Singapore - some have even gone on to earn doctorate and master's degrees - which epitomises the importance that Yoke Choy placed on education, which has left an indelible mark on his descendants.
Other lifelong lessons that the elder Cheong left to his descendants were humility; honesty; to never forget your roots; and loyalty to your friends and benefactors. Long after Yoke Choy had passed, his descendants would continue to visit and pay respects to the grandchildren of Loke Yew especially during festive seasons. The bounds and partnerships that Yoke Choy built with his other fellow pioneers would also survive him. For example, the bound between the elder Cheong and Liew Weng Chee continued into the next generation with Yoke Choy's only son, Cheong Wing Chan, and Liew Kwong Hon continuing to advance their fathers' philanthropic endeavours including matching donations to the Morib T.B. Settlement Fund.
Cheong Wing Chan, inherited his father's estate and incorporated the family's assets under Cheong Wing Chan Sdn Bhd in 1963. The company continues to be owned and controlled by Cheong Yoke Choy's descendants and has significant interests in real estate, cultivation of rubber and oil palm, and other financial investments. Its investment property portfolio includes shophouses within KL Chinatown occupied by notable tenants such as RexKL, Mingles KL, PS150, Merchant's Lane, Cafe etc., Pucks Coffee and Flaon.

## Notable properties
### 216 Jalan Pudu

The land that Berjaya Times Square currently sits on used to belong to Cheong and his descendants before it was sold to Berjaya Group's Tan Sri Vincent Tan just before the Asian Financial Crisis hit Malaysia. The grand colonial mansion sat on what was classified as 12 acres of agricultural land before it was demolished to make way for Berjaya Times Square, had previously housed officers from the Japanese Army when Japan controlled Malaya during the Second World War. The mansion was situated diametrically opposite Pudu Jail, which has since also been redeveloped into a new development called Bukit Bintang City Centre by a consortium led by Eco World Malaysia. Despite the many rumours flying around, the Japanese did not torture or execute any of their prisoners in the compound. The large backyard behind the mansion did however house a well-equipped bomb shelter.

### Cinemas

Yoke Choy was also known for owning a stable of large-screen cinemas in Kuala Lumpur, namely Rex (originally known as Pak Peng Theatre), Madras, Federal and Capitol. The most iconic, and among the oldest was the Rex (3°8′42″N 101°41′54″E﻿ / ﻿3.14500°N 101.69833°E﻿ / 3.14500; 101.69833), located along Jalan Sultan in the Chinatown/Pasar Seni ward of Kuala Lumpur, which has been written about repeatedly including one description which noted that:
"Pak Peng was originally known as the Great China Theatre. Yoke Choy later leased it to the Shaw family, and the rental income was used as the funding Pak Peng's free school. Therefore, Great China was renamed as the Pak Peng Theatre ... Since it opened for business in 1947, it had gone through 55 years. Pak Peng Theatre was divided into upper and lower seats, with a total of 2,000 seats. The Great China Theatre was demolished in 1930. After World War II, the new theatre was rebuilt in situ, and that is now the Pak Peng Theatre ..."
The original Pak Peng Theatre burned down in the 1970s and was rebuilt and reopened in 1976 as Rex. In its heyday it was a front-runner amongst Malaysian cinemas and had the distinction of being the first cinema in Malaysia to install Digital Sound Processors. As a result of this, when Jurassic Park was first shown in Malaysian cinemas, movie-goers queued for hours for the tickets, and the box-office was sold-out for weeks on end. Sadly, multi-screen cineplexes have since all but driven stand-alone cinemas – showing a single movie at a seating – out of business; and after more than 25 years in operation Rex closed its doors for the final time on 15 November 2002, leaving behind many fond memories. The building was later repurposed first as a hostel; since 2020 it now houses an arts and cultural centre called RexKL that is slowly but surely regaining some of its former glory as it transitions to a new role: that of a space for Malaysian creatives and entrepreneurs, marking the rebirth and regeneration of KL Chinatown.
Receiving less publicity were Yoke Choy's/the Cheong's other cinemas, namely the Madras, Capitol and Federal, which by the 1960s were all contracted out to Shaw Brothers. The Madras cinema, co-owned by Shaw Brothers faced the same calamity that befell Rex and burned down in 1978. However, unlike the Rex, it was never rebuilt.

### Bangunan Pak Peng

There stands an office and retail building (3°08′38″N 101°41′51″E﻿ / ﻿3.1438580379381227°N 101.6975815685236°E﻿ / 3.1438580379381227; 101.6975815685236) built after Yoke Choy's death named Bangunan Pak Peng (after Yoke Choy's alias). The building is still owned by Cheong Wing Chan Sdn Bhd, which is also headquartered there.

### Wisma Cheong Wing Chan

There stands a corporate building (3°8′15″N 101°42′1″E﻿ / ﻿3.13750°N 101.70028°E﻿ / 3.13750; 101.70028) along Jalan Maharajalela (formerly Birch Road), that is named after his son, called Wisma Cheong Wing Chan. Located across the Maharajalela Monorail station, the facade of the building is akin to those buildings (double storey) that once stood in that area, which belonged to the family of Cheong Yoke Choy (known as Woh Sang Garden – named after a famous Qing era imperial officer).

### Wen Yuan Gong Guan (The Literature Club)

Despite owning multiple properties in his time, there is a shophouse of particular significance to Yoke Choy, which was built in the early 1900s on 53 Jalan Sultan (3°08′35″N 101°41′56″E﻿ / ﻿3.1430523746018015°N 101.69882581085206°E﻿ / 3.1430523746018015; 101.69882581085206). The property was built as private club where he would entertain his business partners and he continued to use it until he passed away. In its heyday, it even had a 'literature room' that gave the club its popularly known name.
After he passed on, it became the site of Kwong Yik Finance and over time the area had deteriorated because of disuse, with drug addicts and vagabonds sleeping along the veranda. Since then, the property has been given a new lease of life and converted into a budget hostel called Mingles KL, with the ground floor occupied by a cafe.

### Streets named after Cheong Yoke Choy

He has a street (Lorong Cheong Yoke Choy) in Kuala Lumpur posthumously named after him. There was also another street near Peel Road / Cochrane Road named after him, Jalan Cheong Yoke Choy, located within the government quarters (for its civil service staffs). However, the entire government quarters area was demolished to make way for development, and so did the road that was named after him.

## Honours
### Foreign honours

* United Kingdom :
** Honorary Officer of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1946)