Yew Siang Road is a residential side road opposite Pasir Panjang MRT station that is named after him.
Chia Yew Siang (谢有祥) (b. 1867, China–d. 8 May 1930, Singapore) was a merchant and philanthropist. He was the managing proprietor of Chop Hong Hoe at George Street, and is believed to have traded in rubber and spices.
A prominent member of the Chinese community in Singapore, he was part of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and was one of the thirteen members of the China Republican Party (Singapore branch).
Chia Yew Siang had 3 bungalows in Pasir Panjang at the site now occupied by Bijou at Jalan Mat Jambol – the compound is outlined in red in the map below. He had 6 wives during his lifetime and some of them lived within the compound with their children.
As reported in the newspaper back then:
Mr. Chia Yew Siang, the managing proprietor of Chop Hong Hoe, passed away at his residence No. 416, Pasir Panjang Road on May 8, 1930, at the age of 64. He leaves behind seven sons: Chia Chee Sian, Chee Tiong, Chee Sin, Chee Hong, Chwee Leong, Boon Leong, Boo Leong, seven daughters and eight grand children to mourn his loss. The funeral will take place on Sunday, May 18, 1930, to Bukit Brown Cemetery.
His family recently cleared the foliage around his tomb, which had become overgrown during the last year of Covid. They have graciously shared a photograph with us here.
One of Chia Yew Siang’s sons was a local football icon in the 50s. Read about Chia Boon Leong and his days playing soccer on the sandy beaches of Pasir Panjang.
