Ajay Kumar at 22:33, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T22:33:42Z

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{{Short description|Singaporean businessperson}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lien Ying Chow<br />連瀛洲
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1906|08|02}}
| birth_place = [[Dabu County|Dabu]], [[Guangdong]], China
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2004|08|06|1906|08|02}}
| death_place =
| nationality = Singaporean
| other_names =
| occupation = Businessman
| years_active =
| known_for = Founder of [[Overseas Chinese Union Bank]]
| notable_works =
}}

'''Lien Ying Chow''', George, ({{zh|s=连瀛洲|zh|t=連瀛洲|p=Lián Yíng Zhōu}}; 2 August 1906 - 6 August 2004) was a Singaporean businessperson. He is one of the founders of [[Overseas Chinese Union Bank]] (later known as Overseas Union Bank), which merged with [[United Overseas Bank]] in 2001.<ref name="eresources.nlb.gov.sg">{{Cite web|title=George Lien Ying Chow {{!}} Infopedia|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1786_2011-02-24.html|access-date=2021-06-16|website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}</ref>

==Early life==
Lien was born on 2 August 1906 in the village of [[Dabu County|Dabu]], [[Guangdong]], China,<ref name="Justin 1"/> becoming an [[orphan]] at the age of ten.<ref name="LA 1"/> Around the age of fourteen, Lien immigrated to [[Singapore]], with little money to spare. In 1928, some eight years after reaching Singapore, Lien founded his own trading company, Wah Hin and Company, using his savings.<ref name="Justin 1">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000corf |url-access=registration |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000corf/page/152 152]– |title=Historical Dictionary of Singapore |first=Justin |last=Corfield |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2010 |isbn=9780810873872 }}</ref>

==Career==
Lien was given the role of president of the [[Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry|Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce]] in 1941.<ref name="Justin 1"/> Also a food and drink supplier to the British Army,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Koi Pond |first=David W. F. |last=Wong |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FcgiBvPmEMUC&pg=PA15 |pages=15– |publisher=Armour |year=2004 |isbn=9789814138178 }}</ref> he fled by boat to [[Australia]], a few days before the [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]].<ref name="Justin 1"/> Singapore's Mandarin Hotel belonged to him.<ref name="Justin 1"/> During the 1960s, Lien was the High Commissioner of Singapore to Malaysia.{{Sfn|Natasha|2003|p=131}} Lien cofounded [[Nanyang University]]<ref name="Lien 1"/> and is the founder of Overseas Union Bank (formerly Overseas Chinese Union Bank), which, in 2001, became part of [[United Overseas Bank]],<ref name="LA 1"/> as well as the [[Lien Foundation]], which he established in 1980.<ref name="Lien 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lienfellowship.org/ |title=Lien Ying Chow Legacy Fellowship |publisher=Lien Foundation |access-date=May 31, 2013 }}</ref> He was winner of the [[American Academy of Achievement]]'s Golden Plate Award in 1981.<ref name="Justin 1"/><ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/all-honorees/}}</ref>

Lien was appointed first chairman of the Preservation of Monuments Board in 1972, a statutory board of the Ministry of National Development.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19720422-1.2.74 |title=Board Formed to Preserve Monuments|publisher=Straits Times}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lien was acquainted with [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], then-[[Prime Minister of Malaysia]]. The duo were said to be "good friends".<ref name="Justin 1"/> He also had ties with the royal family of [[Thailand]] as well as a number of Thai officials.{{Sfn|Natasha|2003|p=132}}

Lien was married four times. His first wife, Wee Siew Kim, died. His marriages to Mok Mei Lan and Kay Leong ended in divorce. In 1964 Lien married Margaret Chan Wen Hsien, and he predeceased her. He had eight children (four daughters and four sons). Wee Siew Kim was the mother of seven of them, and the last was by Mok Mei Lan.<ref name="eresources.nlb.gov.sg"/><ref>{{cite web|work=[[Forbes]] |title=#13 Lien Family |access-date=May 31, 2013 |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/79/singapore-billionaires-11_Lien-Family_CEQF.html }}</ref>

==Death==
Lien died on 6 August 2004,<ref name="Justin 1"/> aged 98.<ref name="LA 1"/> The cause of his death was [[pneumonia]].<ref name="LA 1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/aug/11/local/me-passings11.2 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |title=Lien Ying Chow, 98; Self-Made Singapore Banking Tycoon |date=August 11, 2004 }}</ref> Lien was described by Ming San Tee as "[t]he business kingpin known by households",<ref>{{cite book|pages=256– |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=26a0AAAAIAAJ |title=The Singapore Successful Business Elites |publisher=Cross Country Creative Century |year=1995 |author=Ming San Tee |isbn = 9789810069124}}</ref> while the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that he was a "Self-Made Singapore Banking Tycoon".<ref name="LA 1"/>

==Legacy==
*In February 2016, Singapore's [[Mediacorp]] airs [[Men With A Mission]], an SG50 documentary series that profiles five influential men who helped propel the rise of modern Singapore: [[Yusof Ishak]], [[George Bogaars]], [[Hon Sui Sen]], Lien Ying Chow and [[S Rajaratnam]].
*Lien Ying Chow Drive, a road in [[Nanyang Technological University]], is named after him.
*Lien Ying Chow Library, a library in [[Ngee Ann Polytechnic]], is named after him.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Natasha|2003}} |title=Asian States, Asian Bankers: Central Banking in Southeast Asia |last=Hamilton-Hart |first=Natasha |isbn=9789971692704 |year=2003 |publisher=NUS Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RsUdAfqpSV4C }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chow, Lien Ying}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Chinese emigrants to British Malaya]]

Lien Ying Chow - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 22:33, 29 August 2023