Tam Kan
Tam Kan (Chinese: 谭根; pinyin: Tán Gēn; 18 December 1917 - 10 June 2001) was born in Xinhui (
During the 50s, Tam Kan worked as a foreman of the British North Borneo Company, contributed and witnessed the early development of North Borneo. He oversaw many constructions of the early buildings and landmarks of which many still exists in today's Sabah, such as the Standard Chartered Bank building (opposite Suria Sabah) and The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) building. He established his own company 'Tam Kan Contractors Company' (谭根
After North Borneo attained self-government on 31 August 1963, Tam Kan became one of the first to establish a foothold in the booming construction industry and the company went on to build many iconic buildings in the state of Sabah, such as Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu; Segaliud Bridge; Teachers' Training College; 100 Police Flats in Kepayan; Police Flats in Tanjung Aru, shop houses and many more. Although many still exist today, some have either been demolished or are going to be demolished such as ‘Tam Kan Flats’ as reported recently in 2015 by Malaysian media. (2)(3)(4)(5)
Tam Kan also constructed, owned and operated the Winner Hotel, one of only two tallest buildings in Kota Kinabalu in the 60s. His residence at 5 1/2 mile Tuaran Road was a unique building designed by himself in the 60s and is believed to be the first private residential address with a full sized water fountain.
Tam Kan was also the founding President of the West Coast Sze Yi Association (
His many contributions to Sabah, Malaysia, formally known as North Borneo was recognized by the Head of State and he was conferred the titles 'BSK' and 'ASDK' in the 70s and 80s respectively for outstanding services for Sabah Malaysia (see Wikipedia under Orders, decorations, and medals of Malaysia for more info).
Tam Kan was a philanthropist who worked tirelessly to help the less fortunate. He was particularly keen in promoting education and sponsoring children in attaining formal education, both locally and overseas, as he himself was deprived of an education. He had donated generously to the running and building of schools and libraries in Malaysia and in China.
Tam Kan had never forgotten his roots, and was actively involved and contributed in the development of Xinhui. He was given a special award (
Tam Kan died on 10 June 2001 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at the age of 84 having suffered from ill health for a number of years.
Tam Kan married Lam Chee (Chinese:
Tam Kan Contractors Company is no longer active in the Malaysian construction industry.
Sources/Links
[edit]- Chinese Government webpages on The History of Overseas Xinhui Chinese (
新 会 华侨华人史 话): http://www.gd-info.gov.cn/books/dtree/showSJBookContent.jsp?bookId=16916&partId=98&artId=81424 - Malaysian Chinese Association (Link: http://www.mca.org.my/en/tam-kan-flats-in-inanam-to-be-demolished/)
- The Borneo Post (Link: https://www.propertyhunter.com.my/news.php?id=1577),
- New Sabah Times (Link: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/87229),
- Kinabalu Today (Link: http://www.kinabalutoday.com/index.php/home-2/local-news/7490-sell-off-abandoned-tam-kan-flats-rather-than-rebuilding-it-suggests-lawmaker)
- Daily Express (Malaysia) online newspaper of East Malaysia published on 6 July 2015. Link=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=101248)
- Chinese Government webpages on The History of Overseas Xinhui Chinese (
新 会 华侨华人史 话) : http://www.gd-info.gov.cn/books/dtree/showSJBookContent.jsp?bookId=16916&partId=129&artId=81424 - Chinese Government webpages on The History of Overseas Xinhui Chinese (
新 会 华侨华人史 话): http://www.gd-info.gov.cn/books/dtree/showSJBookContent.jsp?bookId=16916&partId=124&artId=81424 - Chinese Government webpages on The History of Overseas Xinhui Chinese (
新 会 华侨华人史 话) : http://www.gd-info.gov.cn/books/dtree/showSJBookContent.jsp?bookId=16916&partId=98&artId=81424