Aw Boon-Haw (; 1882 in Rangoon,

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

– 1954 in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, was a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of

Tiger Balm Tiger Balm () is an analgesic heat rub manufactured and distributed by Singaporean company Haw Par Healthcare. It is used for external pain relief. History A precursor to Tiger Balm called Ban Kin Yu ( zh, t=萬金油, l=Ten Thousand Gold ...

. He was a son of

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

herbalist Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

Aw Chu-Kin Aw Chu Kin (Chinese: 胡子钦 ? – 1908 in Rangoon, British Raj) was a Burmese Chinese herbalist. He is best known as the original inventor of Tiger Balm. Aw's father was a Chinese herbology practitioner in Xiamen and a Hakka people, Hakka Ch ...

, with his

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

Yongding County, Fujian Province Yongding () is a district under the jurisdiction of Longyan prefecture-level city in the southwest of Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. The district is a center for Hakka culture, including the traditional Hakka ''tulou'', and a local d ...

, China.

Career

Aw was born to Chinese herbalists at Rangoon Road on 1882 under the British colonial government. In 1926, due to problems with the British Colonial government at the time, Aw migrated to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and expanded their business overseas to South East Asia, where he cofounded the business with his brother. Aw used cartoon commercialisation to promote their Balm product to any potential customer as well as at any public celebration. In the 1920s, his main factory, Eng Aun Tong, was set up at 89 Neil Road, Chinatown,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. Aw also founded several newspapers, including '' Sin Chew Jit Poh'' and ''

Sin Pin Jit Poh ''Guang Ming Daily'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published in Malaysia. Formerly known as ''Sin Pin Jit Poh'' or ''Sin Pin Daily'' (), it was founded by Aw Boon Haw who also started the ''Sin Chew Daily''. ''Sin Pin Daily'' was headquartered ...

''; and ''

Sing Tao Daily The ''Sing Tao Daily'' () (also known as ''Sing Tao Jih Pao'') is Hong Kong's oldest and second-largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation, of which Kwok Ying-shing () is chairman. Its English language sister p ...

''. Aw fled to Hong Kong during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and managed the business from there, while his brother stayed in Singapore until he closed down the factory and went to Rangoon. Aw returned to Singapore after the end of WWII and re-established his business. He set up

Chung Khiaw Bank Chung Khiaw Bank Limited was a Singapore bank that was established by millionaire Aw Boon Haw and later became a subsidiary of United Overseas Bank after takeovers in 1971–72. Part of the shares of Chung Khiaw Bank was injected to a listed co ...

and once owned Pulau Serangoon (present day Coney Island), Singapore.

Death

In 1954, at the age of 72, Aw died from a heart attack following a major operation in Honolulu while on a trip to Hong Kong from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, US. He is remembered through his work with Haw Par Villas throughout Asia, with locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Fujian province of China.

Legacy

His sons took over his businesses after Aw's death.

Personal life

Aw had an adopted daughter,

Sally Aw Aw Sian also known as Sally Aw, OBE, DStJ, JP, (born 1932) is a Hong Kong businesswoman and daughter of the British Raj Burma-born entrepreneur and newspaper proprietor Aw Boon-haw. Sally Aw was nicknamed ''Tiger Balm Lady'' as well as ''Ch ...

, a Hong Kong businesswoman and former politician. The daughter of Aw Boon-Haw and his fourth wife, Aw Seng (胡星), resides in Singapore and has set up a company under her father's name, Aw Boon Haw Pte Ltd, to continue the heritage and legacy of her father. Aw Boon-Haw's fourth wife died on 10 April 2012 in Vancouver aged 100.

Gallery

File:HK Lei Yue Mun Village Hoi Bun School 胡文虎 Memory of Mr Aw Boon Haw.JPG, A memorial hall in

Lei Yue Mun Lei Yue Mun is a short channel in Hong Kong. It lies between Junk Bay and Victoria Harbour, separating Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The channel is an important passage for the city, forming the eastern entrance of Victoria Harbour. The lands ...

Waterfront School File:Tiger Balm School.JPG, Aw Boon-Haw & Aw Boon-Par Memorial Hall at the School for the Blind, a Tiger Balm charity in Rangoon, Burma File:FujianHawParVilla.jpg, Haw Par Villa in Fujian, unfinished after 1949 and the death of Aw Boon Haw in 1954; finished by his daughter in 1990s File:89 Neil Road, Singapore - 20121013.jpg, Former Eng Aun Tong in Singapore File:廣州永安堂.jpg, Eng Aun Tong in Guangzhou File:Eng Aun Tong advertisement 1930s.jpg, Eng Aun Tong advertisement in 1930s

References

胡文虎

* Sin Yee Theng and Nicolai Volland, "Aw Boon Haw, the Tiger from Nanyang: Social Entrepreneurship, Transregional Journalism, and Public Culture," chapter 5 in Christopher Rea and Nicolai Volland, eds. "The Business of Culture: Cultural Entrepreneurs in China and Southeast Asia" (UBC Press, 2015). * Cochran, Sherman. ''Chinese Medicine Men: Consumer Culture in China and Southeast Asia''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006. * King, Sam (1992), ''Tiger Balm king : the life and times of Aw Boon Haw''. Singapore : Times Books International, 1992. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aw, Boon Haw 1882 births 1954 deaths Burmese people of Chinese descent People from Yongding District, Longyan Singaporean people of Hakka descent Hong Kong people of Hakka descent 20th-century Singaporean businesspeople Burmese emigrants to Singapore Aw family Officers of the Order of the British Empire Hong Kong newspaper people Singaporean billionaires