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The Yeoh Family Of Ipoh - The Patriarch Towkay Yeoh Khuan Joo
Pictured here with his wife, Mary Lim Siew Tong (Mary Siew Tong Yeoh, 1886 -1979) , Towkay Yeoh Khuan Joo was a noteable businessman and patriach becoming the founding father of his branch of the Yeoh clan.
Born in in 1872 in Fujian province, China, Michael Patrick Yeoh Khuan Joo became a very successful businessman through thrift and diligence, setting an example for generations of his family to come.
He began his trade in China exchanging yarn for fabric in his native village. Finding the market limited he set off for Malaya in 1899 at the age of 27 to seek better opportunities. Within a year he had started his own business renting a shop in Ipoh to sell imported household goods. His success led him to found the Ban Chuan Hin Estate and the hardware firm of Ban Guan Hin. Ban Guan Hin's godown was along Jalan Pasir Pinji, opposite Towkay Lau Ek Ching's mansion. This godown stored rebars, steel pipes and reinforced steel joints for construction.
Although the first two of his four sons showed great academic potential Yeoh Khuan Joo directed them away from further study and into business. The first son founded Ipoh Motors and was the founder of the Ipoh Omnibus Company. The second son organized the Kinta Rubber Works and was partner in stockbrokers Botly and Co. The third son Yeoh Ghim Seng was more fortunate in being allowed to pursue his academic interests entering Cambridge University in 1939 to study medicine. He went on to be Professor of Surgery at the University of Singapore and later became the speaker of Parliament and Acting President of Singapore. The fourth brother became a radiologist in Hawaii.
The third generation met with considerable success: one as lawyer and Senator who went on to be the founding director of Sri Maju, one of the largest bus companies in the country, three as surgeons in Singapore and another as Director of Tasek Corporation Berhad.
Yeoh Khuan Joo used his wealth to repair the ancestral tombs in China and founded a school in his home town of Tong An. To finance the school he invested well in properties placing them under the control of the school’s management committee. The school was very successful, producing 1,260 university graduates over a period of 60 years.
When he first arrived in Malaya Yeoh Khuan Joo had found that his Chinese forefathers had not handed on a Zhao Mu, a list of characters used to name future generations of the genealogical line. So he set about formulating his own Zhao Mu consisting of ten lines of five characters each, one to be used for each generation and thus appropriate for over 1000 years. Yeoh Khuan Joo followed the maxim of honesty and integrity and in founding his branch of the Yeoh clan he set the expectation that future generations would follow this path:
“From my youth till my autumn days, I have never indulged in vices such as womanizing and gambling. In my business dealings as well as social activities, I adhere strictly to the principle of honesty, always treating others with sincerity. On occasions when I have been deceived or swindled, I refrain from plunging into fights, physical or legal. Instead I exert self-control and practice tolerance, persuading myself to accept the situation or loss. Eventually, confrontation and disputes are avoided to the benefit of all parties concerned. It is hoped that my descendents will take heed of my exhortation and try to emulate their ancestors in the virtues of honesty and sincerity”
Yeoh Khuan Joo passed away in 1947.
To read a brief history of Ipoh Motors and its first building in Ipoh, click here.
To read a very brief overview of Kinta Rubber Works, click here.
To read a more detailed history of the Yeoh family, also by Dr Ho Tak Ming, click here.