Han Kia Dee

Dy Han Kia was the fifth of seven boys and he had a sister, but of all the seven brothers, he was the shortest in height and also the ugliest in appearance. He was so short, people gave him a nickname “We Kia” since the Hokkien word “we” means “shortie”. Up to now, the people of Chiochun Village in south China still recount the saga of We-Kia.

We-kia was shortest and physically frail, he was considered useless in the seaside rural village of Chiochun to help in farming or fishing, so his dad former sojourner Dy Siu Gam sent him to Manila to earn a living in the 1830s. He worked as a laborer in a lumber yard for 18 years before establishing Guan Hoc, which dealt in lumber, chests and other wooden items. He established 18 stores in Manila and a huge fortune. He returned to Shizhen in the 1860s a rich man.

References

• "Tondo, Manila". Manila Map, 2020. Web: http://www.manila-map.com/article1.html. Accessed 20 July 2020.
• Rodrigo, Raul, "A Matter of Trust: The China Bank Story." China Banking Corporation, 2012. Web: https://www.chinabank.ph/about_china_bank.aspx?title=A+Matter+of+Tr.... Accessed 20 July 2020.