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Towkay Lee Tong Shen Aka Lee Thoong San
Lee Tong Shen came to Malaya from Mei Xian, Guandong, China towards the end of the 19th century. His family had lived in poverty and consequently he only had a very rudimentary education. Nonetheless he was known to be very bright with an amicable personality, well liked by all.
On arrival in Malaya he started to work as an apprentice in a 'business shop'. However like many of his compatriots he worked hard and was able to become the owner of his own tin mining company.
In 1900 he got together with the prominent Towkays Yau Tet Shin and Zhen Ji Lou and together they founded the Perak Ka Yin Association in Ipoh. The Ka Yin Association was founded for the Chinese Hakka (Khek) community who speak the Hakka dialect and whose family originated from a defined area of Guandong Province, China. Known as the five townships, the area includes the towns and surrounding countryside of Mei Xian, Jia Ling, Ping Yuen, Wu Hua and Xin Ning. The Associations first building opened in 1902.
Two years later, the three Towkays then founded the Selangor Ka Yin Association.
To read more about the Perak Ka Yin Association, click here.
To read more about Towkay Yau Tet Shin, click here.
To read more about Towkay Zhen Ji Lou, click here.