Tan's birthplace, Jimei in Fujian province, was a few miles from Xiamen. Both counties were to receive substantial donations from Tan for educational causes later. Tan was schooled between the ages of 8 and 16 in Jimei, receiving a traditional education based on Confucian classics. He came to Singapore in 1890 to work at his father’s rice mill (Chop Soon Ann) and sundry shop.

 

Tan started as an apprentice, dealing with accounts and performing secretarial duties. With his diligence and acute business sense, he did well and was soon promoted to the position of manager. Chop Soon Ann imported rice from Vietnam, Thailand and Burma and distributed the commodity in Singapore and the Malay States. In 1892, his father Tan Kee Peck branched out into pineapple plantation and pineapple cannery, and reached the peak of his economic success a few years later. However the business did not remain prosperous for long.

 

In 1903, when Tan returned to Singapore from his two-year stay in Jimei after handling his mother’s funeral, he was dismayed to find the closure of Chop Soon Ann and other firms. His father was also heavily in debt due to misappropriation of funds and business mismanagement by his father’s third wife and her son. The young Tan then started his own business in pineapple plantation and pineapple cannery, armed with the experience gained during his apprenticeship. Subsequently, he not only settled his father’s debts, but also expanded his business empire to include rice mills, rubber plantations, rubber mills, shipping, brickworks, a biscuit factory, and manufacturing of products such as tyres, shoes, hats, briefcases, toys and hair cream. He also ventured into retailing, and was the founder of the Chinese newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau in 1923.

 

Tan’s business enterprises created jobs for over 30,000 people and had 150 offices in five continents. He trained his employees, many of whom later became prominent businessmen and community leaders; the better known ones included Lee Kong Chian and Oon Khye Hong (who later become his sons-in-laws) as well as Tan Lark Sye. In the 1920s, he was known as the "Henry Ford of Malaya", as he adopted Henry Ford’s principle of being involved in all stages of the supply chain, except for things that could be outsourced more cheaply.

 

Tan’s business empire reached its peak in 1925. However his business expansion, especially in rubber goods manufacturing and retailing, later weighed him down due to strong competition from cheap Japanese imports. Tan resorted to loans from banks, and by 1927 his company was running a big deficit. The Great Depression that started in 1929 made it even harder for Tan to turn his business around.

 

Tan’s company wound up in February 1934, but he continued to be widely respected as a community leader.

 

Tan contributed to various educational endeavours. In Singapore he helped to set up schools like Tao Nan, Ai Tong, Nan Chiau Girls' and Chong Hock Girls'. In 1918, he founded the first Chinese secondary school in Singapore, Nanyang Chinese High School. Originally located at Niven Road, it moved to bigger premises on Bukit Timah Road six years later. He also donated large sums of money to two English-medium institutions, the Anglo-Chinese School and Raffles College. In addition, he developed key educational institutions in China, establishing Xiamen University (also known as Amoy University) in Fujian in 1921 as a private university and maintaining it for the next 16 years. Tan was a strong advocate for education as he believed that education was the key to preparing the young for the demands of a modern society.

 

When the Japanese invaded Singapore, Tan helped to recruit Chinese to assist the British. However, his support for the Chinese Communist Party after World War II led the British to deny him re-entry into Singapore in 1950. He lived the rest of his life in Fujian.

 

In recognition of his contributions, he was given a state funeral by the Chinese government upon his death on 12 August 1961.