Lee Kong Chian (b. 18 October 1893, Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian, China – d. 2 June 1967, Singapore), alias Geok Kun, was a philanthropist and multi-millionaire businessman who made his mark in rubber and later expanded into pineapple, coconut oil and sawmills, among others. Lee also invested large sums in big enterprises like the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Great Eastern Life, Sime Darby (Singapore), Cold Storage and Straits Trading Company. Though a corporate magnate, he led a simple life and was known to be humble. The last 15 years of his life were devoted to charity work under Lee Foundation, of which the beneficiaries included Singapore Chinese High School, Nanyang University, the University of Malaya and the National Library.

Read Full Article