Leong Fee (; Hakka

Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Pha̍k-fa-sṳ is an orthography similar to Pe̍h-ōe-jī and used to write Hakka, a variety of Chinese. Hakka is a whole branch of Chinese, and Hakka dialects are not necessarily mutually intelligible with each other, considering the large geogr ...

: Liòng Fî) is the

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 ...

name for Liang Pi Joo (1857–1912), a worker from

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

in China who emigrated to Malaya in 1876.

Career

He arrived in Penang and, half a year later, moved to Perak where he began to make his fortune in tin. He was a tin miner, businessman, a visiting Justice for Kinta (1892), the first Chinese Member of the

Federal Legislative Council The Federal Legislative Council (also known simply as the Legislative Council) was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union and ...

(1909) a Penang state senator, a member of the Perak State Council, a Chinese

Vice-Consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

to Penang (1902 to 1908) and a philanthropist. He was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.Virtual Malaysia, The official ePortal of Tourism Malaysia
In 1902 he opened a mine in

Tambun Tambun ( Jawi: تمبون; ) is a major town in Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. The Lost World of Tambun, a waterpark, is located here, as is the prehistoric Tambun rock art. Famous goods Pomelos Tambun is notable for its pomelo produce, ...

. Renowned Malaysian businessman Leong Sin Nam once worked in his tin mine. One year later Tambun held the world record for tin production.

Leong Fee Mansion

Built on Leith Street around the 1900s as a personal residence, it now belongs to the Christian Brothers and has been leased to an art school, Akademi Seni Equator.John Glines
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Hakka Chinese Tin Miners Club

Leong Fee founded the club in Ipoh in 1893. His son, Leong Yin Khean alias Liang En-Chuen, continued to sponsor the lodge after his father's death in 1912 and eventually sold the house cheaply to the club. He was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Personal life

He married the daughter of millionaire-philanthropist Hsieh Yung-kuan, the Chinese Vice-Consul to Penang before him.The Official Website of Tourism Penang by The Penang Tourism Action Council

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leong Fee 1857 births 1911 deaths Businesspeople from Meizhou Malaysian businesspeople People from Meixian District Malaysian politicians of Hakka descent