From the River, Fortune Flows
The growth of Singapore as a trading port and the fortunes that came along with it are inextricably tied to the river. As trade flourished, trading houses and godowns were built upriver. These businesses brought wealth and opportunity to their owners, among whom were prominent Chinese leader Tan Jiak Kim and his forefathers.
As a philanthropist, Tan Jiak Kim continued his family’s legacy of giving back to society and helping to better the lives of his fellow countrymen. In his honour, Jiak Kim Street, which is next to the Singapore River, was named after him in 1920.