Wong Ah Fook
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Setia Mahkota Johor Wong Ah Fook |
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Wong Ah Fook
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| Native name | 黃亞福 |
| Born | 1837 Yanjingcun, Taishan, China |
| Died | 12 September 1918 Singapore |
| Residence | Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
| Title | S.M.J. (Setia Mahkota Johor) |
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| Wong Ah Fook | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 黃亞福 | ||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 黄亚福 | ||||||||||
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Huáng Yàfú |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | wong4 ah3 fok1 |
Wong Ah Fook (Chinese: 黃亞福; 1837 – 1918) also known as Wong Fook or Wong Fook Kee, was a Chinese immigrant, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who left an indelible imprint on the state of Johor in present-day Malaysia, particularly its capital, Johor Bahru. Primarily a building contractor, although he also ventured into many other businesses, he built a good number of Johor's heritage buildings, including the original Istana Besar, the royal palace of the Sultan of Johor. Jalan Wong Ah Fook, one of the busiest streets in downtown Johor Bahru, is named after him.
Born in Yanjingcun, a Chinese village in Taishan county, Guangdong province, Wong Ah Fook hired himself out as a farmer's boy when his family fell on hard times. It is likely that he never attended school but he did learn to read and write and also to use the abacus. In 1854, then age 17, Wong emigrated to Singapore as the result of civil unrest in his hometown that eventually erupted into the Punti–Hakka Clan Wars (1855–1867). Like many others, he had no money to pay his passage and indentured himself to a carpenter as he did not want to travel all the way, only to become an agricultural laborer all over again. After working for a year at nominal wages, Wong was free but he continued to work with his employer and was given a share of the business after a few years.
The Singapore economy was growing and there was a great demand for houses, shops, and warehouses. Seeing the opportunities, Wong became a building contractor as it was only a short step from carpentry work. Obtaining the patronage of Hoo Ah Kay (better known as Whampoa), a fellow Cantonese, he was able to secure a major contract in 1863 to build two godowns for Paterson & Simons (acting as the business agent for the Temenggungs of Johor in Singapore), some ten years after his arrival in Singapore. It was Hoo who introduced Wong to his wide circle of friends, including Maharaja Abu Bakar who subsequently became the Sultan of Johor. Hoo was a successful businessman who had built up a prosperous ships' chandlering business and was the supplier and contractor to Her Majesty's navy.
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