Wong Yuk Siew — builder of a retail empire

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Wong (left) stands with his classmates and Catholic priests of Sacred Heart English School Sibu.

Wong Yuk Siew.

A RETIRED employee said while working for Wong Yuk Siew in Miri, he was much impressed by the latter’s kindness.

One day, a young schoolboy was caught stealing in the department store owned by Wong.

The staff were waiting for the boy’s mother to come before sending him to the police station.

The (retired) employee said he was taken aback by Wong’s beneficent gesture of buying the boy some lunch and also by what Wong said: “It would be a pity if he became too hungry waiting for his mother.”

The employee confessed although he had worked at various departments, he had neither seen nor met a more compassionate and kind-hearted towkay than Wong.

Two men behind Ngiu Kee

The story of Ngui Kee, the oldest retail chain store in Sibu, began with two men — Wong Yuk Siew and his sister’s husband Tang Kuok Ngiu.

Tang was the enterprising young man who drew up plans and got the business started. Wong was the introverted partner who did all the housekeeping and bookkeeping to lay a solid foundation for the venture.

Together they built up the oldest local department store, which became a public-listed company in the 1990s under Ngiu Kee Corporation.

Ngiu Kee opened its first textile shop at High Street in Sibu in 1953. It was a timely start as the town then was emerging as a promising centre of business.

The shop was named after Tang Kuok Ngiu, the far-sighted and enterprising brother-in-law.

Tang had already been operating a bandung boat or floating shopboat on the Rajang in the 1940s.

To start their retail joint venture, he and Wong stumped up enough capital to open their first shop, which catered for women looking to buy materials and apparel, especially for the new year.

Expansion of Ngiu Kee

Sibu developed rapidly from the late 50s and soon Ngiu Kee had to move to a bigger premises – a double-storied shop at Raminway.

It was to become a department store selling clothes, shoes, baby stuff, beauty care items and the like and was dubbed the ‘Harrods’ of Sibu.

Soon, it boasted the biggest retail chain store not only in Sarawak but also Malaysia, and was known as NKC or Ngiu Kee Corporation.

The Wong family sold their shares in 1997 when Wong decided to retire. Today, NKC is still a public-listed company.

Perhaps not known to many, even locals, is that Ngiu Kee originally had its own knitwear factory in Sibu.

The shop also introduced new fashion trends to Sibu and was the first to bring Crocodile and Arnold Palmer brands for men’s wear into Sarawak.

Japanese textile exporters visited Sibu to connect more with Sarawak. Later, Ngiu Kee became even more popular as a sports store by promoting and selling big-name sports equipment.

Business was so good that by the beginning of 1970s, Ngiu Kee had spread its wings to Miri, Kuching, Bintulu and Sarikei as well as to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan in Sabah.

According to a Sibu businessman, the arrival of air-conditioning in Sarawak and Sabah also helped make Ngiu Kee’s retail business even  more popular and fashionable.

Wong Yuk Siew’s background

Born in 1926 in Mingqin, Fujian, China, Wong was only 11 years old when he arrived in Sibu with his educated mother and only sister.

His grandfather Wong Tian Hook had already helped build the Sacred Heart Church in Sibu and his father Wong Chui King was trading up and down the Rajang.

The young lad began learning about business from his father. He attended Tung Hua Secondary where he learned classical Chinese and then English at Sacred Heart School until Form 3.

He was studying in Singapore when Japan attacked the city state. He returned to Sibu where he spent three years and eight months of the Japanese Occupation helping his father.

After the war, he married Ngu Kiu Ling in Sibu and the marriage was blessed by Father Dekker.

To further his studies, Wong attended St Joseph’s School in Kuching up to Form 5. At the same time, he taught Chinese in the school to earn his keep while his wife supported the family by teaching at Hang Kwong primary school in Pulau Keladi, their home village.

Eventually, Wong was to become the supervisor of Hang Kwong School – a post he held for decades.

Wong is a faithful husband who has carried a photo of his wife all his life in his wallet.

The couple also never stopped attending Mass every Sunday. He was truly heart-broken when she died not long ago.

“There are few other Foochow men who have such romantic notions,” Margaret, his daughter, noted.

“Today, he is almost 90 and mum’s photo has been in his wallet for more than 70 years. This special photo was taken when mum was 17 years old.”

Wong and Ngu’s marriage certificate signed by Father Dekker.

A role model

Ngu graduated from Mrs Hoover’s Yuk Ing Girls’ School in Sibu where she learned dressmaking, good poise and good speaking manners besides other school subjects.

She was definitely what Mrs Hoover had envisioned: “Our girls must be educated to be good wives of Foochow men and they must bring up good Christian children.”

The Wong children are amazed their father has been able to keep all documents in almost mint condition, especially his marriage certificate, school certificates and Ngu’s Yuk Ing School graduation certificate.

His son Michael said: “This is a reflection of my father’s steadfast love for things of great value, his great love for his family and God.

“My father is very religious and he continues to give a monthly donation to the Catholic Church in Miri. He is fond of our priests and will pay special attention to their well-being. He is most happy when they visit him and the family.”

Besides being a good student, Wong continued his lifelong learning of music. He plays both the flute and harmonica.

He is also a very good singer and has also represented Miri as a veteran Chinese chess player and won many competitions in Sarawak.

His eldest daughter Lucy said: “Actually, my father was a brilliant tai chi student of Master Wong Sing Hieng of Sibu.

“He reached Instructor First Class together with several other Sibu instructors such as Dr Ding Siew Hua. When we were in Sibu in our young days, very early in the morning, he would get all of us to practise tai chi movements.

“After that, he would teach tai chi before going to work at Ngiu Kee. In this way, my three brothers also became fairly good at tai chi.

“My father truly maintains a very high standard in everything he does for himself, the family and society.”

The treasured middle school (Tung Hua) certificate.

The company’s PR man

Because he was English-educated, his brother-in-law and business partner, Tang, being educated only in Chinese, let him be the company’s public relations man.

Wong, who has imparted his public relations expertise to his children, entertained businessmen from Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. When Ngiu Kee became the agent for beauty products, the business really flourished.

A former employee said management by the two towkays, and especially Wong, was based on mutual respect and respect for customers.

Many businesspeople would remember how amiable Wong was when he talked over the phone.

Another former employee recalled: “Mr Wong was especially patient with employees and he solved problems quietly behind closed doors.

“He never raised his voice in public and everyone respected him very much. Mr Wong observed ethics in business, was systematic and honourable.

“He is straightforward and fair, guided strongly by his belief in God. In Foochow we call him a Pang Nik man or straightforward and neat man.”

From the time he arrived in Miri when Ngiu Kee opened, Wong formed the Miri Co-operative Society.

Many businesspeople who joined the society benefited from lessons learned during the years he was at the helm.

In Sibu and Miri, he was very active in social work and for many decades assisted the Sibu Society for the Blind. He was also secretary-general of the Wong Clan Association, a post he held for many years.

As a member of the Sacred Heart School board of directors, he has been sponsoring the school’s volleyball and basketball teams since the early days.

In Miri, he was actively involved in Foochow Association activities — tai chi classes, various Foochow clubs and the Miri Co-operative Society — contributing time and money.

Although he has retired from most of his activities, he continues to read newspapers, and leads a quiet life. He has seen some of the best years of trading, business dealings, particularly among the Foochows. And he has also seen the best and the worst of people.

He is happy and has very strong support from his family and former employees. His friends from the Foochow Association of Miri continue to enjoy his company.

Wong believes one must always do good and have strong faith in God.

“Greed is never good. And one must have a good memory when doing things. Accounts must be properly recorded and balanced and documents must be systematically kept.

“We must always remember the good things people do and reciprocate their goodwill,” he said.

His Chinese chess moves are still remembered as some of the best ever.

His children and grandchildren will fondly remember his tai chi moves. Many people in Miri will remember the gentle Wong who moves slowly, deliberately and gracefully.

A long-time tai chi exponent identified only as Sim remarked: “I love tai chi and I can see Mr Wong epitomising our tai chi movements.

“His movements seem to flow seamlessly into the next. Though he is hard of hearing now, I can still see that special God-given grace in him. He is a remarkable and loving man.”

A family photo with his mother.