(By Tan Poey Gee, granddaughter of Tan Kah Kee)
In the small town named Multikeo in Washington State, USA, my niece Lee Tin Ling dined at a Chinese restaurant with her American in-laws. The Chinese proprietor, who was born in the Fujian province of China, struck up a conversation with her, and in the course of which, discovered she was a great granddaughter of Tan Kah Kee or TKK.
"Tan Kah Kee? Why he’s a great man!" said the restaurant owner. "Everyone in China knows about him. He made his fortune in Southeast Asia, and gave away ALL his money to build schools in the country. Mao hailed him as a hero, etc…"
It was a 5-minute and rather animated elocution at the end of which everyone in her table fell silent, mouth gaping.
Thus was Tin Ling’s stunning introduction to her great grandfather’s legacy.
To find out more about Tan Kah Kee, click here. (under construction)
To visit the private family forum, click here.
