[1] Lien was born on 2 August 1906 in the village of Dabu, Guangdong, China,[2] becoming an orphan at the age of ten.

[2] Also a food and drink supplier to the British Army,[4] he fled by boat to Australia, a few days before the Japanese occupation of Singapore.

[8] Lien was acquainted with Tunku Abdul Rahman, then-Prime Minister of Malaysia.

His marriages to Mok Mei Lan and Kay Leong ended in divorce.

[3] Lien was described by Ming San Tee as "[t]he business kingpin known by households",[11] while the Los Angeles Times wrote that he was a "self-made Singapore banking tycoon".