- Tang Choon Keng
Tang Choon Keng (zh-sp|s=董俊竞|p=Dǒng Jùnjìng;
12 September 1901 -3 September 2000 ) was aSingaporean entrepreneur , who foundedTangs department store in Singapore. He was popularly known as CK Tang. Tang has been credited for leading the way for theretail market in Singapore and establishingOrchard Road as a premier retail district in Singapore.Early life
A Teochew, Tang was born at the turn of the 20th century in
Shantou ,China to aPresbyterian pastor . Heemigrate d to theBritish colony of Singapore in 1923.In Singapore, Tang began as a
door-to-door salesman peddling hand-made Swatowlace ,embroidery andlinen products. With ahire drickshaw , Tang carried hisgoods in a pair oftin trunks which remained in his possession as a reminder of his humble beginnings. Tang later became known as the "Tin Trunk Man" and the "Curio King" for hisrags to riches legacy.Establishment of Tangs
In 1932, Tang was able to embark on a larger venture, having accumulated sufficient funds through hard work. He established a department store in 1932 with an initial capital of S$3,000. Tang set up his first shop on the first floor of a building on
River Valley Road , sellingcraft products from China.Subsequently in 1940, Tang financed the construction of a new building at the corner of Jalan Mohamed Sultan and River Valley Road to house a new department store. He called the new
edifice "Gainurn Building", a variation of his father's name Tang Gan Urn. The department store sold a vast array ofmerchandise . By the 1950s, CK Tang had opened several more branches.In 1958, Tang bought a 1,351-
square metre piece of land at the corner of Orchard Road andScotts Road at a cost ofS$ 10,000 to further his vision of expanding his business. Although the site faced the Tai San TingCemetery , he felt that it had commercial value as many British housewives in theTanglin area could stop by on their way to the city. The decision was made against the advice of fellow businessmen who thought Orchard Road was unfashion able then. Years later, when theSingapore Government designated and developed Orchard Road as a prime shopping andtourist district, the price of land soared from S$3 per m² to S$6,000 per m².With the acquired land plot, Tang constructed the
landmark C.K. Tang Department Store (now rebrand ed as Tangs) at 310 Orchard Road at a cost of S$50,000. The building's green-tile droof andfacade was modelled after theImperial Palace of the Forbidden City inBeijing . In 1960, Tang voluntarily closed the store due to problems with thetrade union s, but Tangs was re-opened the following year. In 1975, Tang's company was publicly listed.In the late 1970s, Tang expanded his business again when he decided to develop the neighbouring
property lots which he had bought years before. In 1982, the building on Orchard Road wasdemolish ed to make way for the new Tang complex, comprising the 33-storey deluxeDynasty Hotel (now theSingapore Marriott Hotel ) and the Tangs shopping complex (now Tang Plaza). The shopping complex consists of five floors of retail space covering more than 15,000 m², marketed under theslogan "All The Best Under One Roof".In 1991, Tangs opened its first overseas branch in
Kuala Lumpur ,Malaysia . Tang also collaborated with Malaysia's Mayang Sari Bhd to developreal estate ,hotel s and commercial properties in Kuala Lumpur. He also assisted theDairy Farm International Holdings in its retail business in Malaysia.Until 1996, Tangs was the only major
shopping centre in Singapore to not operate on Sundays, in deference to Tang'sChristian faith. Tang instituted thepolicy so that his family and Christian staff could attendchurch on Sundays. As a staunch Christian, Tang spoke ofhonesty and hard work as his guidingprinciple s.Tang's distinctive
management philosophy was the focus on people, bothcustomer s and staff. Emphasis was given to quality of the staff, reasonablepricing and warm service. Tang believed ininvest ing in his staff, as his frontline staff would be the ones who would be in direct contact with the customers and he believed that the image of the store depended on them. As a result, Tang reserved a substantial annualbudget for stafftraining , which included tailored programs forsales staff,supervisor s and management. Supervisors andmanager s were expected to undergo a minimum 100 hours of training. Tang also made an effort to get in touch with his staff at all levels, in order understand his customers' expectations on product and service quality. Despite the company's poorfinancial results in certain years, Tangs retained its reputation for good service and reliability.Tang retired in 1987, handing the reins of
corporate leadership to the second of his three sons,Tang Wee Sung . However, Tang retained the post of companypresident and was rarely out of touch with company business, personally checking the company'saccounts and meeting suppliers.Personal life
Besides CK Tang, Tang Choon Keng was also known as Tang Un Tien.
In 1960, Tang was
kidnap ped by four armed thugs, but was freed unharmed within 84 hours after the family reportedly paid S$150,000 inransom .Tang's first
wife passed away in 1980; he subsequently remarried. Tang had eight children. OnSeptember 3 2000 , Tang died peacefully at home with his family around him at the age of 99.Death
Tang died on
3 September ,2000 inSingapore .References
*cite web |url= http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_534_2005-01-09.html|title= Singapore Infopedia: C. K. Tang (Tang Choon Keng)|accessdate=2007-07-20 |format= |work=
National Library Board
*cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/910026.stm|title=Singapore retail tycoon dies|accessdate=2007-07-20|publisher=BBC News
*cite news|url=http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0915/newsmakers.html|title=Passage: Tang Choon Keng|accessdate=2007-07-20|publisher=Asiaweek
*cite web |url= http://www.haoyah.com/gongshang/dongtai35.asp|title= 新加坡華裔百貨大王去世 (in Mandarin)|accessdate=2007-07-20 |format= |work= HaoYah.com
*cite web |url= http://www.chaonet.net/chaoren/daheng/30pop.htm|title= 董俊竞: “以人为本谋发展” (in Mandarin)|accessdate=2007-07-20 |format= |work= Chaonet.netExternal links
* [http://www.tangs.com/ Official website of Tangs]
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