Aw Boon Haw

Aw Boon-Haw (traditional Chinese: 胡文虎; pinyin: Hú Wénhǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ô͘ Bûn-hó͘; 1882–1954), OBE, was a Burmese-Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian, China.

Career

Aw was a Burmese born to a Chinese herbalist father in Rangoon (now known as Yangon), Burma on 1882 under the British colonial government.^[1] In 1918, Aw perfected the product and it was renamed "Tiger Balm" in order to gain broader appeal. By 1918, the Aw family had become one of the wealthiest families in Rangoon. Tiger Balm sold well in Burma, and was exported to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In 1926, due to problems with the British Colonial government at the time, Aw migrated to Malaysia and expanded their business overseas to Southeast Asia, where he cofounded the business with his brother. Aw used cartoon commercialisation to promote his Tiger Balm product, named after himself, to any potential customers as well as at any public celebration. In the 1920s, his main factory, Eng Aun Tong, was set up at 89 Neil Road, Chinatown, Singapore.^[2] Aw also founded several newspapers, including Sin Chew Jit Poh, Sin Pin Jit Poh, and Sing Tao Daily.

Aw fled to Hong Kong during World War II and managed the business from there, while his brother stayed in Singapore until he closed down the factory and went to Rangoon. Aw returned to Singapore after the end of World War II and re-established his business. He set up Chung Khiaw Bank and once owned Pulau Serangoon (present day Coney Island), Singapore.^{[3][page needed][4][5]}

Death

In 1954, at the age of 72, Aw died from a heart attack following a major operation in Honolulu while on a trip to Hong Kong from Boston. He is remembered through his work with Haw Par Villas throughout Asia, with locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Fujian province of China.

Legacy

In 1932, Aw and his brother Aw Boon Par founded St. John Hospital in Cheung Chau. As of 2023, the original building, a historical landmark, continues to serve the approximate 12,000 residents of the island.

His sons took over his businesses after Aw's death.

Personal life

Aw had an adopted daughter, Sally Aw, a businesswoman and former politician. Born in Rangoon as the daughter of Aw Boon Haw and his fourth wife, Aw Seng (胡星), Sally has resided in Hong Kong and Singapore and set up a company under her father's name, Aw Boon Haw Pte Ltd, to continue the heritage and legacy of her father.^{[citation needed]} Aw Seng died on 10 April 2012 in Vancouver, Canada, aged 100.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "中華頌 - 名人 胡文虎" [Ode to China - Celebrity Aw Boon Haw] (in Chinese). Chinese Culture Information Net. Ministry of Culture. Archived 2006-06-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
2. ^ Teo, Mavis (2014-03-07). "Behind Our Famous Architecture". Challenge. Singapore Public Service. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
3. ^ King 1992.
4. ^ "Bank Looking for Premises". Singapore Free Press. 1947-11-17. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-08-06. – via NewspaperSG
5. ^ "New Bank Will Aid the Small Man". The Straits Times. 1949-12-30. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-08-06. – via NewspaperSG

Cited literature

• Cochran, Sherman (2006). Chinese Medicine Men: Consumer Culture in China and Southeast Asia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-02161-7.
• King, Sam (1992). Tiger Balm King: The Life and Times of Aw Boon Haw. Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 981-204-326-8. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
• Shao, Jiansheng (2006-04-17). "胡文虎父女的汕头缘" [Aw Boon Haw and his daughter's Shantou connection] (in Chinese). Shantou Special Economic Zone News. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2025-08-06. – via Shantou University
• Theng, Sin Yee & Volland, Nikolai (2015). "Aw Boon Haw, the Tiger from Nanyang: Social Entrepreneurship, Transregional Journalism, and Public Culture". The Business of Culture: Cultural Entrepreneurs in China and Southeast Asia, 1900–65. Contemporary Chinese Studies. Rea, Christopher & Volland, Nikolai (eds.). University of British Columbia Press. pp. 121–149. ISBN 978-0-7748-2781-2.