The Owners

Ch’ng Teong Swee

Ch’ng Teong Swee (1895-1978) was born in Tang Ua, Fujian Province, China. At the age of nine, Teong Swee and his father Ch’ng Beng Chai (died 1910) came to Penang. Beng Chai became a chicken trader and took a second wife, Tan Ean Siew, with whom he had another son and two daughters. She became the matriarch of 120 Armenian Street.

Ch’ng Teong Swee and his first wife Madam Quah Eng Suat. Portrait of his step-mother Madam Tan Ean Siew.
Ch’ng Teong Swee and his first wife Madam Quah Eng Suat. Portrait of his step-mother Madam Tan Ean Siew.

Teong Swee started work at the age of about 14, and supported his step-mother and his siblings after his father’s death. At the age of 25, he headed the firm Ch’ng Eng Joo. He was also a shareholder in the company Wing Sun. After WWII, Teong Swee served as chairman of the Choong Association and the Draper’s Guild.

Signboards from Ch’ng Teong Swee’s businesses. During the Japanese Occupation, a yellow Katakana sign for ‘Wing Sun’ was in use.
Signboards from Ch’ng Teong Swee’s businesses. During the Japanese Occupation, a yellow Katakana sign for ‘Wing Sun’ was in use.