Loke Yew

Loke Yew CMG (; 1845–1917), born Wong Loke Yew, was a Malayan business magnate of Cantonese descent. During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fathers of Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.

Early life Loke was born in Dongjiang village, Heshan, Guangdong, China, in 1845. With the money, he started his own provision store called Heng Loong. Loke's initial mines at Kamunting did fairly well but tin prices fell during the Larut Wars which affected his business.

After the Larut Wars and the Perak War, the Kinta District of Perak was opened up and Loke managed to re-established himself back in Perak. and two daughters. The Loke Mansion situated at No. 273A, Jalan Medan Tuanku, was built by Loke Yew over 12 years from 1892, the year he bought over the residence of tin miner and leader of the Cantonese community, Mr Cheow Ah Yoke. The Loke Mansion in its present form was completed in 1904 and was part of the former sprawling Loke Estate. The Cheow home which was built between 1860 and 1862 with the famous Ching dynasty "Painted Gate" has been incorporated into the rear portion of the current Loke Mansion. Loke made sure his mansion became one of the most prestigious residences in Asia and was reputedly the first residence in Malaya to receive electricity. Loke's family lived there until the 1930s.

The Loke Mansion, accessible within walking distance from the Medan Tuanku Monorail station, was renovated and partially restored in 2006 by the law firm Cheang and Ariff, who have leased the property from its owner. Managing Partner, Dato' Loh Siew Cheang, hopes to be able to restore the mansion to its full glory in the course of time.

Loke Villa, also known as Loke Mansion, is a historical beach villa in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at Gurney Drive, adjacent to Gurney Paragon. It was originally built for Alan Loke Wan Wye, the son of Loke Yew. It was built between 1923 and 1924. The mansion was later bought over by Alan Loke's brother, Loke Wan Yat, and thus it became his family's residence.

Loke Wan Yat, one of his less mentioned sons, was a real estate developer and the co-owner of Penang Realty Ltd based in Penang.

Contributions Loke Yew was a canny businessman, who was excessively cautious with petty expenditure. Despite his wealth he was least expensively dressed man in his own office, owned second-hand motorcars and often went to work by rickshaw instead. There is a story that one rainy day his wife went in their car to fetch him home from their estate and found him soaking wet, with a hoe in hand showing a coolie how to dig. This showed his humility, and willingness to help others in need.

The successful businessman also strongly believed in the importance of education and was one of the founders, together with Thamboosamy Pillai, who established Victoria Institution and even donated a large sum of money to Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur for them to build a field. He also donated to many charitable causes, including the establishment of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. for his efforts and contributions on helping the people and the government of British Malaya.

Loke was also conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) by the University of Hong Kong, for his generous contribution and steadfast belief in the value of education. The central Great Hall, Loke Yew Hall) was named after Loke and became a declared monument in 1984.

In tribute to the man's enormous contributions to society, the name "Loke Yew" has become identifiable with street names such as Loke Yew Street in Singapore, and Jalan Loke Yew in Kuala Lumpur and the name also appeared in several towns in Malaysia. Known as Jalan Loke Yew in Malay, this road together with Jalan Cheras makes up the Cheras Highway, built by Metramac Corporation and maintained and managed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall. It is part of the Federal Route 1 system. This road in KL is also known for its high traffic volume and congestion especially during peak hours, for its low-cost flats and the Viva Home shopping complex. . One of the Besraya Expressway's two toll plazas is named Loke Yew Toll Plaza, located just adjacent to the toll road's interchange with Jalan Loke Yew.

One of the sport houses in the Victoria Institution is named Loke Yew and is assigned the colour brown.

Loke Yew Professorship in Pathology In the spirit of continuing education, The University of Hong Kong celebrated its Third Inauguration of Endowed Professorships on 17 April 2008, with the inception of the "Loke Yew Professorship in Pathology". This Professorship was established through the generosity of Mr Loke Yew's grandchildren, Ms Ruby Loke Yuen-Kin and Professor Charlie Loke Yung-Wai, as a testimony of the strong ties between the Hong Kong university and the Loke Family.

Death Loke Yew died on 24 February 1917 from malaria and his funeral was one of the grandest of those times. He was buried at Hawthornden Estate (a rubber estate he owned) in Setiawangsa constituency in north-eastern Kuala Lumpur, presently close to where army quarters of the Ministry of Defence are located, and a bronze statue of him was erected in front of his grave. Loke Yew also contributed to the Chinese communities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Loke Yew left an estate estimated at over £10 million a business empire composed of rubber plantations, factories and banks.

Family graveyard The Loke Yew Family Graveyard was built in 1910. The graveyard was originally located at what was known as Hawthornden Estate , and today it is surrounded by Jalan Jelatek and Jalan Semarak, near the Desa Tun Hussein Onn (a housing complex for army personnel) in Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur, where it is difficult for civilians to access the site. The complex consists of two buildings: The grand Tsui Lan Memorial Hall built with timber pavilions with its eclectic blend of Chinese and Western styles and the impressive larger-than-life bronze statue of Loke erected inline with his tomb. The statue was designed by Frederick J. Wilcoxson.

The tomb complex is oriented to the West, the vertical axis of Loke Yew's tomb and bronze statue are inline, while the other three tombs (Lim Shuk Kwei, Alan Loke Wan Wye and Loke Wan Tho) are slightly off with this line to its right. This is the traditional Chinese way of showing respect to the husband or father. The Loke tombs follow the traditional Fujian style of a square front courtyard with granite carved Imperial guardian lions for the purpose of "guarding" the graves. Within this courtyard, the altar itself is protected by a circular concrete fence. The Tsui Lan Memorial Hall is a rare and uncommon building, the style of which is not found elsewhere.

The complex was vandalised with its bas-relief chipped off and other damages. Loke's grandchildren maintained and repaired the complex as much as possible within the constraints of custom and the lack of skilled artisans made it harder.