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Hsieh Yung-kuan

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Hsieh Yung-kuan
Born1848 (1848)
Pontianak,  Dutch East Indies
DiedFebruary 4, 1916(1916-02-04) (aged 67–68)
Leith Street, George Town, Penang,  Straits Settlements
Occupation(s)Kapitein der Chinezen, Chinese Vice Consul to Penang, Merchant
Notable workFounder of Deli Bank in Medan

Hsieh Yung-kuan, Kapitein der Chinezen (Chinese: 謝榮光; born in 1848), also known as Cheah Meng Chi (謝夢池), Cheah Choon Seng or Tjia Tjoen Sen (謝春生), was a Hakka businessman and bureaucrat from Meixian, Guangdong, China, who was Chinese Vice Consul in Penang from 1895–1903 and from 1906-1907. He was also a founding director of the Deli Bank in Medan, Indonesia.

Born in 1848 in Pontianak, Dutch East Indies, he became a contractor of provisions and foodstuffs to the Dutch Government for eight years before moving to Kota Raja or Banda Acheh on the east coast of Sumatra. There, he further obtained fresh contracts for the construction of railroads and for opium and other revenue farms.

He was appointed Luitenant der Chinezen, an administrative post in the Dutch colonial government which he held for twenty-one years, after which he was promoted to the higher rank of Kapitein der Chinezen. The Dutch Government conferred on him the Gold Star for "Trouw en Verdienste" and with a gold medal for outstanding contributions to the colonial authorities. Around 1898 he relinquished management of his business interests there, handing them over to the management of his attorney, Mr. Leong Mok On, and moved to Penang where he lived at No. 8, Leith Street. He was appointed Chinese Vice-Consul to Penang, a position that was taken up by his son-in-law, Mr. Leong Fee, upon his resignation. He had interests in the Tambun mines in Perak and the Bentong mines near Kuala Lumpur. He was a member of the Penang Chinese Town Hall committee. He married the daughter of the Mayor of Pontianak, Mr. Chong Hi. Together with Cheong Fatt Tze (Tjong Tjen Hsoen), Leong Fee (梁輝), Tjong Yiauw Hian/Zhang Yao Xuan (張耀軒), and Foo Choo Choon (胡子春), he founded the Chung Hua School (中華學校 or 中華學堂, the first modern Chinese school in Malaya teaching in Mandarin. Cheah Choon Seng died on 4 February 1916.

References

  1. 近代中國駐外領事與海外華人社會領袖角色的遞換－以駐檳榔嶼副領事謝榮光(1895-1907)爲例 (The Modern-China Consulate Abroad and the Transformation of Leadership in Overseas Chinese Community: A Case Study of the Vice Consul in Penang, Hsieh Yung Kuang (1895-1907)) by 張曉威(Siou-Wei Chong)
  2. Twentieth Century impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, by Arnold Wright, Published 1908; p. 770
  3. YAP THIAM HIEN AND ACEH by Daniel S. Lev published by Indonesia 82 (October 2006)
  4. Historical Personalities of Penang By Historical Personalities of Penang Committee, Published by Historical Personalities of Penang Committee, 1986; p. 40
  5. Re-examination of the “Chinese nationalism” and Categorization of the Chinese in Malaya: The Case of the Chinese in Penang, 1890s-1910s by SHINOZAKI Kaori, Ph.D. student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences University of Tokyo Email: kaoris@pd.jaring.my presented at The Penang Story – International Conference 2002; 18–21 April 2002, The City Bayview Hotel, Penang, Malaysia organised by The Penang Heritage Trust & STAR Publications
  6. Estate of Cheah Choon Seng, deceased in The Malayan Law Journal By Bashir Ahmad Mallal Published by Malaya Pub. House Ltd, 2007; p. 10
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