Jalan Choong Cheng Kean was named after a mid-19th century China-born Penang millionare. According to the List of British Honours to the Overseas Chinese in the Straits Settlements, Choong Cheng Kean was born the only son to a poor family on 16 June 1857 in the village of Xianglu in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. He migrated to Tongkah, which is was a tin-mining district in Phuket, Thailand, in 1875, leaving his wife Teoh Kuan Neo back in China.
Choong Cheng Kean found work at a provision shop in Kedah, and in 1881, he married his boss's daughter Lim Gek Kee, and even took on his wife's surname, becoming known as Lim Cheng Kean. Through his friendship with the Regent of Kedah, Choong Cheng Kean obtained the monopoly for rice in Kedah, and also held the license for opium and liquor, among others. As his fortune grew, he took on secondary wives, not only in Penang, but also in Kedah and Thailand. He became a shareholder of many companies including the Eastern Shipping Company.
Choong Cheng Kean's eldest son was Choong Lye Hock (who also has his name in a road in Tanjung Bungah, Jalan Choong Lye Hock), who married Lim Liew Saik, also honoured with a road name in Tanjung Bungah, Jalan Lim Liew Saik. His middle son Choong Lye Hin similarly had a road named after him, Jalan Choong Lye Hin. Choong Cheng Kean died on 23 June 1916, by then a very wealthy man.
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About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
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