Wee Bin

Wee Bin born in China in 1823, was a far-sighted and enterprising Chinese migrant of the mid nineteenth century who, in his time, founded, Singapore's largest Chinese shipping firm. In 1856 at the age of thirty-three, Wee Bin was founder of Wee Bin & Co. chop Hong Guan, in Market Street, a firm that was rapidly becoming prominent in Singapore in the 1860s' and ran the firm according to Western business practices. Wee Bin through his firm, carried on business as Merchants and Shipowners. He incorporated Western practices in his business. Wee Bin at first began business relations with various houses in Bali in the Dutch Indies, and eventually became the greatest importer of products from that port. He also traded in all kinds of earthenware, and later on built up a fleet of over twenty vessels for the Chinese and Dutch Indies trade. With increasing interest in the tin mining industry and the need for more and more people to work the mines, Wee Bin was also responsible for carrying migrant workers from China to work in the Straits Settlements. Wee Bin married the daughter of Kiong Kong Tuan and died in 1868 at the age of 45, leaving an only son, Wee Boon Teck, and an only daughter who became the wife of Lim Ho Puah who would later take over his firm before passing it on to Wee Bin's ultimate heir, Lim Peng Siang (the fourth son of Lim Ho Puah), one of the greatest Chinese entrepreneurs and capitalists of his time.