Chung Keng Quee and his business ventures.
Born into a family of peasants, and slowly raising to the top tin mine producers the world has ever seen, that’s the significance by which Chung Keng Quee has laid down in the history of Malaysia. Chung Keng Quee was involved in many different kinds of business, namely, the tin mine industry, the tobacco industry as well as many others which are yet to be mentioned.
Beginning with the first and foremost business which he has exploited, Chung Keng Quee was indeed a tin man. He owns about 80 mines which were in operation in Larut, he also about owned by 40 firms, with an average of nearly 86 men per mine in the year 1879.
Even the largest mine, the Kong Loon Kongsi in the country was under his leadership which has 300 coolies in that mine alone. Chung Keng Quee was indeed the richest miner in the history of Malaysia, he was also granted huge concession of land in Kinta so that he could work his mining upon- which was then making the world’s finest mines.
According to the Ipoh Echo(2008), Chung Keng Quee owned the largest tin mine in the world, the Kwong Li Mine, which employs 5000 coolies.
One of the very reasons of why Chung Keng Quee could be this successful in his mining industry is simply because of his experimentation of hydraulic pumps, he was the very first miner who uses this very pumps by which it has impressed people like Sir Hugh Low and Sir William Cleaver Robinson- the Governor of Straits Settlement during that time.
With those hydraulic pumps, even when it rains and floods arise, the pumps could function well enough to overcome such problems to continue mining, thus increasing revenue as well as creating a better economy for the state. It is simply because of this; Perak became the richest state during the time when it was under the British colony.
It was noted that in mining alone, Chung Keng Quee has an amount of 15000 coolies in total of his mining business in Malaysia. (Wong, 2007)
Besides mining, Chung Keng Quee was also involved in business such as that of Revenue Farming which involves activities such as gambling, opium productions, spirit dens and pawn broking all around that of Kuala Kangsar. The Hakka Kapitan Cina of Perak, the big five families spent more than $2.8 million to dominate all the revenue farms from upper to lower Perak for seventeen years, from 1880 to 1897. (Wong, 2007) After the Pangkor settlement of 1874, Sir Hugh Low, British Resident at Perak, gave over most of the Larut and Kurau opium, gambling, spirits, pawn broking and tobacco farms to Chung Keng Quee and his business partner, Khoo, Thean Teik. Chung keng Quee then had a farsight vision whereby he hired 5000 more coolies in order to take care of his business in Revenue Farming which consists of Chinese from China as well as Indians from India. As compared to his business partner who only has two hundred or three hundred coolies.
However, later, he was encouraged by Sir Hugh Low to abolish his opium industry and pay more attention towards his mining industry because it brings more profit to the local economy.
Little is known about Chung Keng Quee’s business exploitations on other field however, there’s little evidence that he had many tobacco farms in several areas in Perak, including Larut, Kuala Kangsar, Kerian and Selama.
One of the very reasons of why Chung Keng Quee could be so successful in many of his fields is due to his strong ties among the British residents as well as associates, with their help, Chung Keng Quee has become a person to be noted of during his era. After he passed away, his successor, Chung Thye Pin became the Kapitan of Perak. (Dr Khoo, 2002).
Throughout his lifetime, there are a few people who had become significant in Chung Keng Quee’s lifetime, among them are Foo Choo Choon a western educated Chinese gentleman who then got married to his niece as well as Khoo Teik Thean whom together with Chung Keng Quee were the fore founders of the secret society Haisan, together, they have combated against the Ghee Hin, another group of individuals who were mainly Cantonese, which opposes them in many ways.

References:
Wong, Y (2007) The Big Five Families In Penang 1830-1890’s. Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies, 1, 106-115. Retrieved, April 20 from Google Database.
Ho, T, M (2008) The Richest Chinaman in the world. Ipoh Echo, April 16- 30, 2008, Retrieved, April 20 from Google Database
Khoo, K.K(2002) Tanjong, Hilir Perak, Larut And Kinta The Penang-Perak Nexus In History. The Penang Heritage Trust and STAR publications, 1-30, Retrieved April 20 from Google Database