Foo Tye Sin
Encyclopedia
Foo Tye Sin was a Justice of the Peace
and an influential community leader of 19th century. Penang
born Foo Tye Sin, a British subject, was a Hakka
tin miner who could trace his ancestry to the Yong Ting district, Ting Chou prefecture, Fujian
Province. He was educated at St. Xavier's Institution and the Penang Free School
. Tye Sin Street （四条路), or Lebuh Tye Sin as it is now known as, is named after him.
the Mantri of Larut. In early 1872, Foo Tye Sin and Ong Boon Teik sued Ngah Ibrahim.
, the first Kapitan China of Penang, were business partners in the firm of Tye Sin Tat & Co., ships' chandlers, which was located at Beach Street. They were, together, two of the three Chinese Justices of the Peace in 1874."
and Cheah Tek Soon
, He was made a trustee of the Pitt Street Kong Hock Temple in 1887, with the power to appoint and remove monks.
(1889).
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and an influential community leader of 19th century. Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
born Foo Tye Sin, a British subject, was a Hakka
Hakka
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
tin miner who could trace his ancestry to the Yong Ting district, Ting Chou prefecture, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
Province. He was educated at St. Xavier's Institution and the Penang Free School
Penang Free School
Penang Free School is a secondary school located on Jalan Masjid Negeri , George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Although the medium of instruction is now Malay, Penang Free School was the first English-medium school in South East Asia. It is widely recognised as one of Penang's premier schools and alumni...
. Tye Sin Street （四条路), or Lebuh Tye Sin as it is now known as, is named after him.
Disturbances at Pinang and Larut
He was involved in events leading up to the signing of the Pangkor Treaty that would end the ten year Larut Wars. His services were often called for in arbitration proceedings between the Hai San and Ghee Hin societies involved in the Larut Wars. Foo Tye Sin was one of three Chinese considered respectable enough to sit on the commission of inquiry into the 1867 Penang riots. He was the only non-partisan Chinese at a ceasefire conference called by Lt. Governor Anson at the height of the Larut war, even though he was, according to CS Wong, "...overtly and independent, but covertly a Hai San sympathiser." Foo Tye Sin and Ong Boon Teik were creditors of Ngah IbrahimNgah Ibrahim
Ngah Ibrahim was a Malay headman who succeeded his father Long Jaafar as headman and administrator of the district of Larut upon the death of his father in 1885. By the time of Sultan Ismail of Perak, Ngah Ibrahim had quarrelled with Raja Muda Abdullah, the son of the former sultan who had been...
the Mantri of Larut. In early 1872, Foo Tye Sin and Ong Boon Teik sued Ngah Ibrahim.
Tye Sin Tat & Co.
Foo Tye Sin and Koh Seang Tat, a descendant of Koh Lay HuanKoh Lay Huan
Koh Lay Huan was a wealthy and educated man, who had earlier rebelled against the Manchu Qing Dynasty and fled to Siam and the Malay States, to eventually settle in Penang as its first Kapitan China...
, the first Kapitan China of Penang, were business partners in the firm of Tye Sin Tat & Co., ships' chandlers, which was located at Beach Street. They were, together, two of the three Chinese Justices of the Peace in 1874."
The Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company (1886)
He was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company. The board was composed thus:Name of Partners
- Tan Ley Kum (陈俪琴), Chairman
- Cheah Chean Eok (谢增煜), Secretary
- Lee Phee Yeow (李丕耀), Chong Moh & Co.
- Cheah Eu Ghee (谢有义), Chie Hin & Co.
- Khoo Thean TeikKhoo Thean TeikKhoo Thean Teik was one of the most powerful and notorious Hokkien leaders of 19th-century Penang. His name, "Thean Teik", means "Heavenly Virtue". He was the leader of the Tokong or Khian Teik society that was involved in the Penang Riots of 1867 and through its connection with the Hai San, the...
(邱天德), Chin Bee & Co. - Khoo Sim Bee (邱心美), Ee Soon & Co.
- Cheah Tek SoonCheah Tek SoonCheah Tek Soon was a prominent 19th century figure after whom Tek Soon Street was named.-The Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company:He was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company...
(谢德顺), Sin Eng Moh & Co. - Ong Beng Tek (王明德), Ban Chin Hong & Co.
- Foo Tye Sin (胡泰兴)
- Yeoh Cheng Tek (杨清德), Hong Thye & Co.
- Khaw Sim Bee (许心美), Koe Guan & Co.
- Cheah Leng Hoon (谢凌云), Eng Ban Hong & Co.
- Gan Kim Swee (颜金水), Aing Joo & Co.
- Tan Lim Keng (陈锦庆), Kim Cheang & Co.
- Ong Boon Tek (王文德), Treasurer
- Logan & Ross: Solicitors
Pitt Street Kong Hock Temple (1887)
Together with Khaw Boo Aun (also spelt Koh Boo Aun, Khoo Thean TeikKhoo Thean Teik
Khoo Thean Teik was one of the most powerful and notorious Hokkien leaders of 19th-century Penang. His name, "Thean Teik", means "Heavenly Virtue". He was the leader of the Tokong or Khian Teik society that was involved in the Penang Riots of 1867 and through its connection with the Hai San, the...
and Cheah Tek Soon
Cheah Tek Soon
Cheah Tek Soon was a prominent 19th century figure after whom Tek Soon Street was named.-The Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company:He was a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company...
, He was made a trustee of the Pitt Street Kong Hock Temple in 1887, with the power to appoint and remove monks.
Penang Po Leung Kuk (1889)
Along with Koh Seang Tat, Khaw Sim Bee, Ong Boon Teik and Ong Beng Teik, he was a founder of The Penang Po Leung KukPenang Po Leung Kuk
In 1878, a group of local Chinese in Hong Kong presented a petition to the Governor of Hong Kong, John Pope Hennessy to set up the Po Leung Kuk to rescue the kidnapped victims. The main objective of Po Leung Kuk is to care for the young and protect the innocent....
(1889).
Foo Tye Sin Mansion
Foo Tye Sin's mansion was one of the first non-European mansions to be erected along Light Street.Further reading
- The Journals of J. W. W. Birch, First British Resident to Perak, 1874-1875: First British Resident to Perak, 1874-75 By James Wheeler Woodford Birch, Peter Laurie Burns Contributor Peter Laurie Burns Published by Oxford University Press, 1976; p. 22, 158n
- Capital and Entrepreneurship in South-East Asia By Rajeswary Ampalavanar Brown, 1943- Brown Published by St. Martin's Press, 1994; ISBN 0-312-12096-6, 9780312120962; p. 82
- The Internationalization of Chinese Revenue Farming Networks by Carl A. Trocki published in Water Frontier: Commerce and the Chinese in the Lower Mekong Region, 1750-1880 By Nola Cooke, Tana Li Contributor Nola Cooke, Tana Li Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2004; ISBN 0-7425-3083-3, 9780742530836; p. 170
- Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya: A Survey of the Triad Society from 1800 to 1900 By Leon Comber Published for the Association for Asian Studies by J.J. Augustin, 1959; pp. 125, 309
- The Official Catalogue of the Exhibits Published by Mason, Firth of M'Cutcheon, general printers, 1880; pp. xiii, 166, 167
- Official record By Melbourne internat. exhib Published by , 1882; pp. xxiv, 500