The Mystery and Mastery of Tan Yeok Nee (Part 7)
The Singapore Years
The unexplained departure of Tan Yeok Nee from his official roles in Johor has been interpreted by some as the result of a conspiracy hatched by rivals intent of ousting him from his position of influence in Johor. The previous post explained why this is hard to believe and that an obvious alternative explanation exists: that for years Tan may have been developing a grand plan for a path to semi-retirement. The years following his departure from Johor saw him complete the construction of his palace in Chao’an, China. He would go on to build another beautiful mansion in Singapore, continue his close association with Maharaja Abu Bakar (soon to become Sultan), while continuing to manage his own personal business interests through his Singapore Boat Quay trading company Kwan Hong.
Tan may have had a close eye on a quieter life. His new residence in Chao’an, southern China, must have been part of his vision for peace of mind and reflection as old age loomed. But of course the social phenomenon we call retirement today was not how people of Tan’s era thought about careers, work-life balance, and life stages – all labels conjured up in the modern age. Even now the idea of retirement means many things to many people, but it would not be unreasonable to suppose that Tan was at the stage of his life when time for more relaxation and contemplation seemed attractive.
Tan started work on Zi Zheng Di in China in 1870, departed from his official Johor duties in 1875, completed Zi Zheng Di in 1884 and then completed his Singapore mansion, The House of Tan Yeok Nee, in 1885. At the beginning of this timeline he was 43 years old; by the end of it 58 years old. During this time, according to Chinese sources, he made many visits to China especially after 1882. He would have been personally involved during the later part of this period in arranging for various craftsmen who had worked on the creation of the Zi Zheng Di palace to travel to Singapore and apply their skills to the construction of The House of Tan Yeok Nee. Thereafter, now in his sixties, he pursued a more leisurely lifestyle that included flitting between his serene lakeside palace in Jinsha, Chao'an. and his luxurious mansion in Singapore. At least, that is, a life that was a more leisurely compared to the pressures involved in his previous role as the leader of the narcotics and spirits monopoly in the region, in addition to having to navigate his way through the intense roller coaster politics of Johor and Singapore. There was, of course, another dimension to this set of arrangements, which was his mastery in managing his own personal interests with those of his life-long business partner, friend and sponsor Abu Bakar. In this respect he remained loyal to the very end.
The House of Tan Yeok Nee
Traditionally designed interiors in today's The House of Tan Yeok Nee
Singapore’s The House of Tan Yeok Nee was situated about 3km heading southeast along the road from Sultan Abu Bakar’s principal residence at Tyersall: initially Tyersall House, but by 1895 Istana Tyersall. (Tyersall is, of course, the palace in my book Palace of Ghosts). Tan and Abu Bakar were not exactly next door neighbours, but they were no more than a 20 minute carriage ride away from each other. At the time the area was considered a country retreat. Between Tan’s mansion and heading out towards Istana Tyersall was the preserve of Singapore’s elite. It was the fashionable neighbourhood where many of the wealthy tycoons of the day, representing a medley of ethnicities, had chosen to build their splendid new residences. Gretchen Liu, Singapore based journalist and author, notes that:
“The site was probably selected [by Tan] for its attributes of good fenshui. With its back against Oxley Hill it dominated the valley and stream in front [now Stamford Canal] and enjoyed a view of the Istana in the distance, built 13 years earlier. The area was relatively idyllic, occupied by large properties such as Barganny House, Barganny Villa, Belle Vie Bungalow, Belle Vie Cottage and the like.”
The fenshui was not the only reason Tan chose this location for his mansion. By moving into this sought after and exclusive neighbourhood, Tan had inserted himself into the highest echelons of Singapore society. With the exception of the former Government House, now The Istana, The House of Tan Yeok Nee, and a couple of other minor buildings, few signs remain of what this area used to look like. This formerly serene and leafy suburb, oriented around a broad and shallow hollow bisected by a freshwater stream now looks completely different. The laying out of new roads and demolition of the old villas and mansions making way for today’s concrete and glass edifices to modernity, not to mention the building of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, makes the whole area unrecognisable.
An Artist's Impression
One of Singapore's most popular artists Yip Yew Chong is known for abandoning his job as an accountant and pursuing his dream as an artist in just about all forms of expression you could think of including murals, canvas, sketches, digital drawing, photography and much more. He is a truly gifted artist. His works reveal a genuine story teller, some of which include what he calls "whimsical" creations. He combines past and present vistas of Singapore that provide an impression of history in the context of the present while at the same time offering a perspective on how the past influences the present and future. One particular work of art fitting this description concerns the landscape close to the location of The House of Tan Yeok Nee as described above. The image below, along with the commentary, appeared in Yip Yew Chong's catalogue for his 2021 exhibtion in Singapore "Stories from Yesteryear". The commentary is self explanatory of what it represents.
The most obvious invasion of modernity onto this secene from the "1800s" is the Mandarin Hotel and CK Tang towers which were buildings constructed well into the 20th century. These two towers and many, if not all, of the buildings just in front of them lining each side of the beginning of Orchard Road, were not there when Tan built his mansion. But as the artist himself points out, this is a stylized and fictionalised depiction. Regardless, the vista is nevertheless based upon some basic geographic and historical urban realities, and anyway fires up the imagination. What we can see is a shallow valley with a stream running through it, heavily wooded hills on either side that are dotted with mansions, one of which is The House of Tan Yeok Nee.
Although The House of Tan Yeok Nee was modelled to varying extents after Tan’s recently completed palace at Jinsha village, Chao’an, this notion should be qualified with some additional perspective. If anyone is expecting to see identical twin buildings they will be disappointed. It is true that some parts of the overall style and layout of Tan’s Singapore mansion broadly corresponds to that of Zi Zheng Di, but then it also corresponds to the countless other traditional buildings that run the length and breadth of Guangdong and some neighbouring provinces. In particular those characterized as Teochew that are concentrated in the north east of the Guangdong province. Zi Zheng Di, which faces towards the west, is at least three times larger than the House of Tan Yeok Nee which faces to the east. Zi Zheng Di is a treasure trove of intricate stone carving which is mind boggling in its exquisite quality and variety. It is considered by some to be the best example of such art in a region renowned for its stone carving. In this respect, while The House of Tan Yeo possesses some admirable examples of stone carving, it pales in comparison. However, the house, unlike Zi Zheng Di, is not completely Chinese in design: oddly it also includes European features such as Tuscan style pilasters and French windows to be seen in the rear hall. The most obvious similarity is in the decorations adorning the roof and eves of both buildings and these are truly beautiful to behold. Where the House of Tan Yeok Nee really stands out is in the uniqueness of its design, both today where it is the only building in Singapore constructed in the Teochew tradition, and in the 19th century where it was apparently only one of four, (or possibly five according to one popular Singaporean historian blogger). It was at the time an impressive building that certainly projected Tan’s status, and remains today as one of the jewels in Singapore’s architectural crown.
The beauty of The House of Tan Yeok Nee is on display for all Singaporeans and visitors to see. The fine lines of the ornate roof, the magnificent rooms of the interior with their heavy oak beams and stone pillars, the captivating secluded spaces, alcoves and symmetry, and the overall Teochew heritage which the building’s exquisite design speaks to are very special and, in Singapore at least, unique. It would be reassuring, in a way, if Tan Yeok Nee had finally turned his back on the questionable, sometimes sordid business he had overseen for three decades and that his house represented a new chapter in the story of his long and remarkable life. A turning point, or perhaps even part of the redemption he may have been seeking.
The Quiet Years
A decade had passed since Tan had left Johor under a veil of mystery until his Singapore mansion was finished. While management of his Jinsha palace far away in China will have consumed much of his time in addition to his Singapore residence, this was not all he had on his plate as far as his real estate empire was concerned. He had commercial properties all over town as this notice by Mssrs Rodyk and Davidson (the top legal firm in Singapore during the 1880s and who also had as their celebrity client the Sultan of Johor himself) indicates. In July 1883 The Straits Times reported:
Market Street lies a short distance to the west of the Singapore River where Tan's godowns on Boat Quay were located and close to the Yueh Hai Ching Temple, originally built by the Teochew community in 1826 and that, according to some, Tan had a hand in contributing to its upkeep.
Increasingly Tan focused on his own interests but his remarkable mastery of multitasking enabled him to maintain a productive equilibrium with those interests of his ultimate stakeholder. His relationship with the Sultan endured and strengthened: he was, of course, always going to be the junior partner but he was the partner of choice nevertheless. With extensive property interests, a thriving trading enterprise, and continuing close collaboration with the Sultan of Johor, far from being the victim of some Johor conspiracy Tan was riding the crest of the wave.
However, between the early 1880s and mid-to-late 1990s there seems to be an inexplicable quietness about the life of Tan. Some delineable events are big and obvious, but the periods in-between seem silent. For about 15 years Tan lived on and off in Singapore and conducted business, but we know little about this. For seomeone so important to the development of Johor and Singapore these gaps in the story of Tan's eventful life warrant further investigation. Furthermore, hardly anything is known about his wife (or, in some people's opinion, his wives) and children. There are some snippets of information here and there, but nothing that might be described as comprehensive, at least nothing that I have yet been able to find. Even given his prediliction for privacy this adds to his mysterious reputation. There is, however, the intriguing story about Tan's connection to the Qing court in Peking during its dying days, and we will explore this in the next post.
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