Chia Ann Siang

Introduction

Chia Ann Siang (谢安祥; 1832–1892) was a Hokkien merchant born in Malacca. In 1848, when he was 16, Chia was hired by British firm Boustead and Company who traded in natural resources such as spices, coconut, tobacco, tin, tea and silk. Due to high demand, business was so good that Boustead’s ships plied the China-Europe routes in the early 19th century.

After eight years on the job, Chia was promoted to Chief Produce Storekeeper. After over 40 years of service in the company, he retired in 1890. Since 1863, Chia was also a partner of Geok Teat and Company. He became one of the richest landowner and leading merchants of his time in Singapore, and acquired Gemmill’s Hill, whose name was later changed to Ann Siang Hill, as well as Mount Erskine. He was also an generous philanthropist and donated to the building funds of institutions such as Chongwen Ge (崇文阁) next to the Thian Hock Keng Temple (天福宫) at Telok Ayer Street, and Cuiying Shuyuan (萃英书院) at Amoy Street. Chia passed away in 1892, aged 60.

Selected books on Chia Ann Siang

• National Heritage Board. (2006). Discover Singapore Heritage Trails. Singapore: National Heritage Board, p. 76. Call no.: RSING 915.95704 DIS-[TRA]. This book is a collection of seven walking trails in Singapore, which includes one on Chinatown, where Ann Siang Hill is located. A short introduction on Chia Ann Siang is included in the description.

• Savage, V. R., Yeoh, B. S. A. (Eds.). (2013). Singapore Street Names: a study of toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, p. 20. Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA]. This frequently updated and reprinted title is a valuable guidebook to the information and histories of places and streets in Singapore, including some not widely known information of places. A short write-up on Ann Siang Hill/Road is found on page 20.

• 柯木林. (主编). [Ke, M. L. (Ed.)]. (1995). 新华历史人物列传 [Who’s who in the Chinese community of Singapore]. 新加坡: 教育出版公司, p. 194. Call no.: RSING 959.570092 WHO-[HIS]. The book contains the biographies of 1,175 Chinese personalities in Singapore, covering the period from 1819 to 1990. Each biography contains the birth and death dates, dialect group, occupation and affiliated organisations of the Chinese personality. A short biography on Chia Ann Siang is included on p. 194.

Selected articles on Chia Ann Siang

Thulaja, N. R. (2016). Ann Siang Road. Retrieved from Infopedia. This short article shares the history of Ann Siang Hill and Ann Siang Road and how they came to be owned by and named after Chia Ann Siang.

Selected newspaper articles on Chia Ann Siang

• “门内”话“安祥”. (1985, June 22). 联合晚报, p. 16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 闹市中的山区. (1985, June 22). 联合晚报, p. 16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 文化的拼图. (1985, June 23). 联合晚报, p. 14. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 活生生的“博物馆”. (1985, June 23). 联合晚报, p. 14. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• “翠兰岗“的传说. (1985, June 26). 联合晚报, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 风云群英会——吾庐俱乐部今昔（上篇）. (1985, June 26). 联合晚报, p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 风云群英会——吾庐俱乐部今昔（下篇）. (1985, June 28). 联合晚报, p. 18. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 远去的呐喊. (1985, June 29). 联合晚报, p. 19. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

• 陈祯禄与安祥山. (1985, June 30). 联合晚报, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. A series of feature articles on Ann Siang Hill, its surrounding environment and the important people in Singapore’s history who had been active in that area.

• 安祥山的由来. (1999, April 9). 联合早报, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. This is a short history on Ann Siang Hill, located in today’s Chinatown area, named after Chia Ann Siang, after he had bought it.

• 安祥路与安祥山. (1984, January 3). 联合晚报, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. A short write-up on the life of Chia Ann Siang, and the geographical location of Ann Siang Road and Ann Siang Hill, both named after him, in today’s Chinatown area.

• A grave discovery. (2012, September 23). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. This article traced how Chia Ann Siang’s descendants tried but failed to locate his final resting place, and eventually tracked down his grave with the help of Singapore history enthusiasts, and some of his descendants had a reunion in front of his grave.

• Ann Siang Hill named after wealthy pioneer. (2012, September 23). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. This is a short write-up on Chia Ann Siang’s life as he rose from a saw-miller to one of the leading merchants of his time. It also mentioned that there are two different records of Chia’s age, as one source states that he was born in 1832, while the other says that he was born in 1834.