More than 130 years ago, Eu Kong came to Malaya from Foshan in Guangdong, China to seek his fortune in the tin mining industry.

In 1879, he started the first Eu Yan Seng medical hall to help the tin miners cope with their opium addictions and poor working conditions.

Eu Kong passed away when his only son Eu Tong Sen was 13 years old. The business passed on to his second wife, but she was poisoned by Eu Tong Sen's uncles who then ran the business to the ground.

When Eu Tong Sen took over at age 21, the business was in critical condition.

A shrewd businessman, he discovered new deposits of tin and hired as many as 12,000 workers for his mines. He expanded the family business into many areas and became a leading businessman and philanthropist in Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong.

During World War I, he donated tanks and warplanes to the British army. Due to this and other works of public service, a street in the Chinatown area was named after him.

Eu Tong Sen had 11 wives, who bore him 13 sons and 11 daughters. Alexander Eu, also known as Eu Keng Kee, was the child of his fourth wife, and his ninth son.

The Eu Yan Seng group is now under the management of Richard Eu. He and Sandy Eu were working on a project to publish the history of the Eu family and Eu Yan Seng.

After Sandy Eu's death in 2004, his cousin Richard continued with the project and the book "Path of the Righteous Crane - the life and legacy of Eu Tong Sen" was launched in July this year.

(Information from Lianhe Zaobao)