Chiyu Bank's founder and first chairman, Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961)
Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961), a native of Jimei, Xiamen, Fujian Province, was a great patriotic overseas Chinese leader, outstanding industrialist, educator and social activist, the founder and first chairman of Chiyu Bank, and was honored by Mao Zedong as “the Banner of the Overseas Chinese, the Glory of the Nation”. He was a member of the Central People’s Government, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and Chairman of the National Overseas Chinese Association. He struggled to establish a large enterprise kingdom; he poured money into education, creating a great educational achievement; he alleviated the difficulties to save the country, the Xinhai Revolution, the War of Resistance against Japan, the Liberation War made monumental contributions; he returned to participate in politics, for the construction of the new China. His life was a life of struggle, dedication and progress, and he made outstanding contributions to the progress of China, Southeast Asia and even mankind.
Tan Kah Kee is an outstanding overseas Chinese entrepreneur and a model of hard-working entrepreneurship. He abided by the credo of "the country's wealth and strength lies in industry", pioneering and operating with integrity, building a worldwide business kingdom, laying a solid economic foundation for large-scale education, and making outstanding contributions to the economic development and social progress of Southeast Asia.
Tan Kah Kee was an outstanding educational entrepreneur and a role model for the development of education. He upholds the concept of "education is the foundation of the nation, and education is the vocation of the people". Since 1913, he has founded and financed 118 schools, including Jimei School, Xiamen University and Nanyang Overseas Chinese High School in Singapore, cultivating countless talents for the society and leading the new trend of overseas Chinese donating funds to schools at home and abroad. He had the foresight to advocate the establishment of the Chiyu Bank, mobilizing the power of overseas Chinese finance, powerfully protect the source of funding for education. In the history of Chinese education, Tan Kah Kee can be called one of a kind.
Tan Kah Kee was a famous social activist and a banner of relief and national salvation. With the responsibility of "the world's rise and fall, everyone has a responsibility", he followed Sun Yat-sen and supported the Xinhai Revolution; united and led the South Pacific Chinese to fully support China's war against Japan and the world's anti-fascist war; opposed the civil war and advocated for the peaceful establishment of the country. Tan Kah Kee has established immortal merits for the independence, liberation and prosperity of the motherland and the overseas Chinese.
Tan Kah Kee was invited by Chairman Mao Zedong to settle in China in his later years. The Central People's Government held a grand public ceremony for him, and his casket was transported back to Jimei by special train and buried in "Ao Yuan".
On March 11, 1990, the International Minor Planet Center named the asteroid number 2963 as "Tan Kah Kee". In September 2019, Tan Kah Kee was honored with the title of "Most Beautiful Strivers" in China.
Chiyu Bank, a bank born for education. Its history is closely linked to the name of Tan Kah Kee. In order to ensure a stable source of funding for Jimei School, Tan Kah Kee initiated the Chiyu Bank during the War of Resistance against Japan, pioneering the idea of "supporting the school with the bank and helping the village with the bank". The people of Chiyu remember the founder, Tan Kah Kee, for his initiative and his vision! Under the guidance and inspiration of the spirit of Kah Kee, Chiyu Bank has continued to grow and expand.
Tan Kah Kee was praised by Mao Zedong as " the Banner of the Overseas Chinese, the Glory of the Nation " (handwritten by Deng Xiaoping in 1984)
