Early Life
Lee was born in Furong Village, Nan'an, Fujian, China, towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. His father was Lee Kuo Chuan (simplified Chinese: 李国专; traditional Chinese: 李國專; pinyin: Lǐ Guózhuān). He received his early education in privately-run schools in his hometown. In 1903, he came to Singapore (then a British colony) to join his father at the age of 10. Lee studied at two defunct schools, namely the Anglo-Indian School and Chongcheng School.
Lee returned to China in 1909 to complete his education under a scholarship, but it had to end in 1911 as the Xinhai Revolution broke out. In China, Lee studied at Chi Nan College in Nanjing and later the Railway and Mining College in Tangshan, which was then one of the top colleges in China.
Upon returning to Singapore, Lee worked as a teacher at Tao Nan School and as a translator at a Chinese-language newspaper. In 1915, he joined the China Guohua Company, owned by Tan Kah Kee, and became Tan's protégé. He was promoted to manager of the Tan Kah Kee Rubber Company in 1917, and three years later, he married Tan's daughter, Tan Ai Leh.
Read more about this topic: Lee Kong Chian
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“... business training in early life should not be regarded solely as insurance against destitution in the case of an emergency. For from business experience women can gain, too, knowledge of the world and of human beings, which should be of immeasurable value to their marriage careers. Self-discipline, co-operation, adaptability, efficiency, economic management,—if she learns these in her business life she is liable for many less heartbreaks and disappointments in her married life.”
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