Khoo Tiong Poh's grave

This being the Cheng Beng season, I thought that it is appropriate for me to say something about a solitary grave which sits on a piece of private ground on the island. 

Now, if one is a frequent customer of The Gardens Banana Leaf Restaurant along Free School Road, I would believe that sooner or later one will discover that this restaurant is located next to a grave. A big grave, actually. An old but big grave. Just one grave, but it is big. and old. Dating back to 1892, which makes it 132 years old in 2024. The inscription on the head stone, however, is all in Chinese characters and for a very long time, I was wondering who was buried here. But its immense size could only mean that the occupant must have been someone rich and perhaps influential. And he was indeed rich and influential.

Khoo Tiong Poh (b 1830, d 1892) was a prominent business and social figure in mid- to late-19th century Penang and Singapore, as detailed in this book, Biographical Dictionary of Mercantile Personalities of Penang. He founded Bun Hin & Co (萬興公司), a leading shipping enterprise in the Straits Settlements. His ventures extended to trading, planting, revenue farming and tin mining. In Penang, he made substantial contributions to the two largest Hokkien cemeteries, namely, the Batu Lanchang and Batu Gantong cemeteries. Khoo Tiong Poh had three wives, from whom he had eight sons and four daughters. He passed away in Singapore, with his burial in Penang marking his legacy. His estate, including businesses and properties, underwent liquidation posthumously due to financial challenges and familial disputes, leaving only his grave as a final reminder of his life. No image of Khoo Tiong Poh is available in the public domain.

These pictures of Khoo Tiong Poh's grave were taken in January this year. The main entrance into the site is from the Free School Road roundabout, which one has to navigate slowly in order to notice it. Otherwise, come enjoy a meal of vegetarian banana leaf rice at The Gardens and then take a walk through the restaurant to the grave.