Wee Kheng Chiang (; 1890–1978) was a Malaysian Chinese businessman of

Quemoy Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separate ...

Bân-lâm Hokkien ancestry who founded the United Chinese Bank (now

United Overseas Bank United Overseas Bank Limited (), often known as UOB, is a Singaporean multinational banking corporation headquartered in Singapore, with branches mostly found in most Southeast Asian countries. Founded in 1935 as United Chinese Bank (UCB) by S ...

). He is the father of Wee Cho Yaw, Chairman Emeritus & Adviser of the United Overseas Bank.

Early life

Wee was born to Hokkiens (Minnanese) with ancestry from

island on 22 July 1890 in Kuching,

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

(now part of Malaysia), a British established puppet colony. He was the family's second-to-eldest son. His father was Wee Tee Yah (died 1889), and his mother was Song Kim Keow, a local born widow. The younger Wee attended Saint Thomas Secondary School, and spoke

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

and English fluently.

Career

In 1924, Wee established the Bian Chiang Bank (now known as

CIMB CIMB Group Holdings Berhad () is a Malaysian universal bank headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and operating in high growth economies in ASEAN. CIMB Group is an indigenous ASEAN investment bank. CIMB has a wide retail branch network with 1,080 bran ...

Group) in Kuching, Malaysia. In 1975, Fleet Group Sdn Bhd bought a 100% stake in Bian Chiang Bank, making the bank a wholly owned unit of the Fleet group. Subsequently, the bank moved its headquarters to Kuala Lumpur from Kuching. He became the Treasurer of the Kuching-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce upon its inception in 1930, before being promoted to president. In addition, Wee was the Hokkien Association (福建会馆)'s President. In 1931, he was elected as Chairman of the Sarawak Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He resigned from the post in 1946. On 6 August 1935, he established the United Chinese Bank with six other partners. The bank is now known as the

(UOB). Wee staffed his bank with

Hokkiens The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Minnan region, Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other relate ...

to serve his Hokkien clients.

Personal life

The Kapitan Cina Ong Tiang Swee (), who was then Kuching's wealthiest person, was impressed by Wee, and decided to let him marry his eldest daughter, Ong Siew Eng (). Wee was then given the role of manager of the Sarawak Chinese Bank, which Ong owned. Wee soon got to know more prominent businesspeople and other important figures; he shortly started a string of businesses, including farming and goods importing and exporting. He was married twice and had fifteen children (five sons and ten daughters). Wee's second wife is the mother of Wee Cho Yaw, chairman of Singapore's

Death and legacy

In 1978, Wee died in his Kuching residence. His fourth son, Wee Cho Yaw, was subsequently appointed to head

. ''Jalan Datuk Wee Kheng Chiang'', a road in downtown Kuching, is named after him.

Awards

Wee Kheng Chiang was posthumously hailed as the "uncrowned king of Sarawak" in ''Queen of the Head Hunters'' by

Rajah ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

Vyner Brooke Vyner, Rajah of Sarawak, GCMG, full name Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke (26 September 1874 – 9 May 1963) was the third and last White Rajah of the Raj of Sarawak. Early life The son of Charles Brooke and his wife Margaret de Windt ( Ranee Ma ...

's spouse, Sylvia Brooke. Ranee Sylvia Brooke also used this sobriquet, in her 1939 book ''The Three White Rajahs''. In 1941, Wee was presented with the Commander of the Star of Sarawak by the Third White Rajah of Sarawak. In 1964, he was awarded the Panglima Negara Bintang Sarawak by the first Governor of Sarawak.

Affiliations

* The Sarawak Chinese Chamber of Commerce (1930–1946) * The Hokkien Association (1932–1947) * The Singapore-Sarawak Association (from 1930) * The Hokkien School Management Board (1932–1947) * The Sarawak China Relief Fund Committee (1938) * Kuching Joint Primary and Secondary Schools Management Board (1946) * Kuching China Consulate Building Committee (1949) * Anti-Tuberculosis Society * Sarawak Turf Club (1937) * Sarawak Buddhist Society * Tse Chia Koh Buddhist Association * Kuching Hung Nam Shieng Thang * Sarawak Tong Sin Siang Tong Association * The Federation of Wee Clan Associations, Sarawak

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y3KepwAACAAJ , title=Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix: The Chinese and Their Multi-Ethnic Descendants in Southeast Asia , last=Lee , year=2013 , first=Khoon Choy , publisher=World Scientific , isbn=978-981-4383-43-1 Hokkien businesspeople 20th-century Malaysian businesspeople Malaysian people of Hokkien descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent 1890 births 1978 deaths People from Kuching