Teo Hong in Reality 

TEO HONG 赵芳 (1847–1945)  ANG  CHEOK NEO  洪足娘 (1877 -1936)
Place of Ancestry: Lam Ann  (南安）

Teo Hong started work as a carpenter doing small jobs soon after after arriving from China. He had to  work for many years before saving enough money to return to Lam Ann, and came back  with a wife and continued working as a small time carpenter.  His big break came when he subcontracted carpentry work for building contracts, and his fortunes grew steadily after. 

 Teo Hong’s rags-to-riches story mirrored that of other migrants who made it as big time contractors from humble beginnings as coolies or skilled workmen during the late 19th to early 20th century. Some of the buildings which they helped build remain standing to this day, but their names are not as well known as the architects or the main contractors which were  usually western firms. Teo Hong’s contractor counterparts amongst the Lam Ann Hokkiens included Lim Loh  whose son Lim Bo Seng   1909–29 1944) did succeed the family business well, but it was short lived. WWII put paid to his business growth,  as Lim joined Force 136 to fight against the Japanese, But he was captured by the notorious  Kempeitai, tortured, and at 35 years old died in a prison in Perak. 

Teo Hong’s descendants are known to have followed in his footsteps, setting up business in construction or hardware supplies. One of his sons became a doctor in Australia where he had a son, Charlie Teo. Decades later, Charlie Teo who was by then a renowned brain surgeon in Australia, returned to Singapore to search for his roots. His story was featured in the show  “Who Do You Think You Are?”.

Charlie Teo at  tomb of his  grandfather Teo Hong (photo credit SBS Australia)