The Karim Family Foundation’s acquisition and careful restoration of the now resplendent House of Tan Yeok Nee (see also: The Last of the Grand Teochew Mansions), is truly a gift to Singapore. The 1880s house is now a unique example of a traditional southern-Chinese-style courtyard house here in Singapore and boasts an array of exquisite decorative craftsmanship. Gilded wooden carvings, decorative plasterwork, and qiàncí (also commonly known as jiǎnnián), are a testament to the wealth and status of its original owner, Tan Yeok Nee (also known as Tan Hiok Nee). Its opening to the public for the very first time over the weekend attracted quite a handsome crowd.
A native of Chaozhou (Teochew) in China, Tan came to Singapore as a humble peddler and through his association with Temenggong Abu Bakar (later Maharajah, and eventually, the first Sultan of modern Johor), opened kangchus for gambier and pepper cultivation Johor. He was also an opium (revenue) farmer in both Johor and Singapore.
Tan, who seemed to have spared no expense in constructing the house, would however derive little pleasure from living in it. Personal misfortunes delayed his moving in and by 1900, he had the house put on sale, possibly with the knowledge that a railway line was to be laid right in front of the house. Tan would also return to his hometown, where he passed on in 1902.
Thought of as one of the so-called “Four Grand Mansions”, four large traditional courtyard homes that were erected by wealthy Teochew merchants, the House of Tan Yeok Nee is the only one that is still standing. Unfortunate as the railway’s appearance may have seemed to its occupants, the construction of the railway, was probably what saved the building from eventual demolition. The house was used by the Singapore Government Railway to house its station manager, become home and school for girls, and then for an appreciable length of time by the Salvation Army as its Singapore HQ. It was during its time as Salvation Army HQ in 1974, that it was gazetted as a National Monument.
What were the other three (Grand Mansions), and who built them?
House of Tan Seng Poh
Tan Seng Poh, who came over as a 9 year old from Perak, was a brother-in-law of Seah Eu Chin through Seah’s marriage to Tan’s sister. He acquired his wealth through opium and spirit (revenue) farming. Tan was also a co-proprietor of the Alexandra gunpowder magazine at Tanah Merah Kechil, and a Municipal Commissioner. Seng Poh Road in Tiong Bahru is named after him.
Tan passed on in 1875. His house, which was at the corner of Hill Street and Loke Yew Street, was used as the Chinese Consulate before it became the first of the ‘Four Grand Mansions’”’ to be demolished in 1904.
House of Wee Ah Hood
Wee Ah Hood was born in Circular Road in 1828. He worked as an assistant in a cloth dealer’s shop in Telok Ayer Street before rising to become one of Singapore’s biggest gambier and pepper merchants of the time. Ah Hood Road is named after him. The mansion that Wee erected in 1878 along Hill Street would house the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who leased it from 1906, before purchasing it outright in 1912. The Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s current building, which was completed in 1964, stands on the site of the mansion.
House of Seah Cheo Seah
Seah Cheo Seah was the eldest son of Seah Eu Chin’s second marriage, which was to Tan Seng Poh’s second sister. A prominent Teochew leader, a Justice of the Peace, was the younger Seah was well respected and was described as “a gentleman well known for his kindness of heart and liberality”. He built his mansion on the North Boat Quay in the area where (new) Parliament House stands today in 1872 and would be replaced by Guthrie Building.
The Long and Winding Road 
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