Song Hoot Kiam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Song Hoot Kiam | |
|---|---|
 Song in One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore (1923) | |
| Born | 1830 |
| Died | 7 November 1900 (aged 69–70) |
| Children | 14, including Song Ong Siang |
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 宋佛儉 |
| Simplified Chinese | 宋佛俭 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Sòng Fójiǎn |
| Hokkien POJ | Sòng Hu̍t-khiǎm |
Song Hoot Kiam (Chinese: 宋佛儉; 1830–1900) was a Singaporean community leader.
Song was born 1830 in Malacca, British Malaya.[1] His father was Song Eng Chong.[2] He attended an English educational institution, after following Christian missionary James Legge to England, alongside two of his Malaysian peers.[1] He also studied at Hong Kong's Anglo-Chinese College, taking up the Cantonese language as a subject.[3] He was a choir member at the Strait Chinese Church.[4]
Career
After arriving back in Singapore, Song worked as a teacher for a short period of time,[5] before working as a cashier for much of his lifetime,[6] from 1853 to 1895.[5] He is cited as having "founded the oldest family of Straits Chinese Christians in Singapore",[7] as well as being the "first local Christian pioneer in Singapore".[8]
Personal life
Song had his first marriage some time after his return to Singapore,[9] though not to the girl his parents had chosen for him, for she was not of Christian faith.[5] His first spouse was Choon Neo (née Yeo),[9] an alumna of the Chinese Girls' School. He later wed Phan Fung Lean, a Thai Chinese, following the death of Yeo.[5] One of his children was author Song Ong Siang.[4] Song had fourteen children[5] and three marriages in total.[10] He was a Christian,[5] and could speak excellent English,[4][6] and could also converse well in the Malay language (particularly his Baba Malay vernacular).[5] A road was named after him in Singapore.
