This ACE assignment has given me more insights to our pioneers of Singapore. Without doing this ACE assignment, I would not have known who Whampoa Hoo Ah Kay was, neither will I know about his life and contributions to Singapore, or even why a road was named after him. Even though I long knew of Whampoa road, I never gave a further thought about how it derived its name or about the history of the road. Hence, I learnt more about him throughout the whole assignment.
I had also improved my data collecting skills as I had to browse through many websites before I can 'hit the jackpot' and find out information on him. Many websites gave little information, too much information or irrelevant details about his life.
Overall, I fined this project alright as it let me in on the vibrant history of Singapore and its forefathers and how they worked to achieve a modern day Singapore.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monument of Whampoa Hoo Ah Kay
I feel that we should erect a fountain of him, with his statue in the middle. This fountain would be constructed on a very large scale, hence making his fountain a tourist attraction. It is a small token of appreciation after what significance he contributed to Singapore. Atracting more traders to Singapore, member of the legislative council...... There should also be boards around, telling Singaporeans or tourists who Whampoa was and what impact did he contributions made to Singapore. Where would this fountain be erected? Of course, at the heart of Whampoa estate, which was named after him.
Impact of contributions
He helped promote trades in Singapore by supplying food such as beef, bread and vegetables to docking ships from many other countries. He also acted as a consul to many key countries such as China, Russia and Japan. Hence, his impact of contributions can be classified under socio-economic. His shop, Whampoa & Co. soon supplied provisions to the British navy. He was well known for his bakery in Havelock Road, his house, Whampoa Garden and his warehouse, Whampoa ice house in Clarke Quay.He had also helped promote education in Singapore, Raffles Girls' School is co-founded by him. He was also knowed for donating large sums of money to the poor Chinese and also provided them with shelter and allowed them to gather at his house. He also gave out free food to those who could not afford any.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Biblography
I would never have found out so much about Whampoa Hoo Ah Kay without the help of the detailed sources as shown below:
Biography
Hoo Ah Kay Whampoa, 1816 to 27 March 1880, Singapore, was a noted Chinese businessman who ran Whampoa & Co., and, with an mastery over English, became the first and only Chinese to hold a position as extraordinary member in the Legislative Council, that helps to make laws. He was also noted for entertaining dinners at his Whampoa home, renamed Bendemeer House and his fascinating Whampoa Gardens. He was born in Whampoa, Canton (Guangdong). He arrived in Singapore in 1830, a 15-year old ready to work for his father. His father had a shop at the corner of Bonham Street and Boat Quay which supplied the docking ships with daily food such as beef, bread and vegetables.
His fluent English was definitely a important asset in dealing with European merchants and he soon became one of the key businessmen of his time. He continued the business after his father died. His shop, Whampoa & Co. supplied provisions to the navy of the British after a period of time. He was well known for his bakery , his house, Whampoa Gardens and his warehouse, Whampoa ice house.
Whampoa's Ice House, built in 1854, was an attempt to meet the demand for ice in a tropical climate at a time when refrigeration did not exist. With his business partner, Gilbert Angus, Whampoa shipped blocks of ice packed in sawdust from the frozen lakes of New England. The enterprise failed as daily sales of 400 to 500 lbs (182 - 227 kg) were only half of what was needed to cover the high expenses of the ice venture.
As for his family, Whampoa had 3 sons: Hoo Ah Yip, Hoo Keng Choong and Hoo Keng Tuck. The eldest, Hoo Ah Yip studies overseas and managed Whampoa & Co. for short time before he died. Hoo Keng Choong, his second son, died young too while his youngest son, Hoo Keng Tuck finally took over the family business.
His fluent English was definitely a important asset in dealing with European merchants and he soon became one of the key businessmen of his time. He continued the business after his father died. His shop, Whampoa & Co. supplied provisions to the navy of the British after a period of time. He was well known for his bakery , his house, Whampoa Gardens and his warehouse, Whampoa ice house.
Whampoa's Ice House, built in 1854, was an attempt to meet the demand for ice in a tropical climate at a time when refrigeration did not exist. With his business partner, Gilbert Angus, Whampoa shipped blocks of ice packed in sawdust from the frozen lakes of New England. The enterprise failed as daily sales of 400 to 500 lbs (182 - 227 kg) were only half of what was needed to cover the high expenses of the ice venture.
As for his family, Whampoa had 3 sons: Hoo Ah Yip, Hoo Keng Choong and Hoo Keng Tuck. The eldest, Hoo Ah Yip studies overseas and managed Whampoa & Co. for short time before he died. Hoo Keng Choong, his second son, died young too while his youngest son, Hoo Keng Tuck finally took over the family business.
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