Mr Tan left Malacca and came to Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21. He started as a vegetable seller, bringing produce from the countryside to sell in the city. He was hardworking and scrimped on every cent he made. Mr Tan finally opened a shop along the riverside at Boat Quay in 1827 after saving enough money.
Mr Tan eventually became a rich businessman through a joint business in land speculation with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. His landed properties included 50 acres of land where the railway station at Tanjong Pagar is located, and the plot of land from the Padang to High Street and Tank Road. He also owned a block of shop houses at Ellenborough Building and a 14-acre fruit plantation opposite the St Andrew's Mission Hospital.
However, that did not end. After becoming wealthy, Tan contributed generously to charity and became a renowned philanthropist amongst the Chinese. He was known to provide burial costs for the Chinese poor. His most famous gesture was the donation of Spanish $7,000 to the building of the Chinese Pauper's Hospital in 1844 at Pearl's Hill. He was also a founder of the Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street, Singapore's oldest temple, which had been the centre of worship for the Fujian Chinese.
Sadly, Mr Tan died at age 52. His grave lies along the grassy slope next to Jubilee Church, 256 Outram Road, Singapore.
Source:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_118_2005-01-22.html
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