Lee Choon Seng

Lee Choon Seng (Chinese: 李俊承; pinyin: Lǐ Jùnchéng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Tsùn-sîng; 1888—5 June 1966) was a businessman and philanthropist in pre-independence Singapore.

[2] To seek better fortunes, his father, Lee Lip Chai (Chinese: 李立齋; pinyin: Li Lìzhāi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Li̍p-chai), emigrated to Negri Sembilan, Malaysia, where he started a horse-drawn transport service and a provision shop, then initiated a series of charitable projects, including setting up a clan association and schools.

[4] Lee grew up as a Taoist, but converted to Buddhism in adulthood, with Venerable Hong Choon, the abbot of Kong Meng San Temple, acting as his spiritual mentor.

[8] An ardent supporter of the Kuomintang, Lee was involved in secret meetings with Sun Yat-Sen at the Wan Qing Yuan, a two-storey villa at Tai Gin Road.

[12] Under his leadership, the SCCCI supported the establishment of Nanyang University and convinced the British to grant citizenship to Chinese immigrants who had lived in Singapore for eight years.

On advice from Venerable Hong Choon, Lee purchased the hill from the British colonial government, with the aim of building a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, to liberate the spirits of the people who were sacrificed during the Japanese invasion.

Lee went on a pilgrimage to India with Venerable Teh Yue and brought along an English engineer, A. H. King, to assess and assist the restoration works.

On 9 November 2008, his life and contributions to society were commemorated in a gallery, called The Pioneers' Memorial Hall, on the ground floor of the Ee Hoe Hean Club at Bukit Pasoh Road.