Amid Waves and Trends:Tan Kah Kee's Modern Thoughts and Cultural Legacy
Tan Kah Kee's life impacted both China and Southeast Asia,reflecting China's close connections to the world economically and socially,and integrated ethnic Chinese tradition with modernity across various territories.On one hand,after his ascendance in Singapore,Tan became an outstanding figure in economic and commercial sectors in South-east Asia and a leader for many social organizations among ethnic Chinese communities.On the other hand,he was deeply concerned with China,where he actively improved social conditions and participated political movements.With the aim to contextualizing and conceptualizing Tan as a historical figure,this article explores modernity elements evinced in his life and cultural legacy he entailed.First,it concisely reviews the concepts of modernity and cultural legacy,in the hope of ap-plying these to study Tan's life and influences.Second,it uncovers how Tan joined the historical trajectories in China and Southeast Asia,the two sites where he pushed forward modern economic and education developments.Subsequently,it ex-plores how amid rising ethnic and national awareness Tan helped shaping ethnic Chinese identity and identification.Lastly,it demonstrates how Tan's cultural legacy continues in China and Southeast Asia,through the Tan Kah Kee Science Award Foundation,the Tan Kah Kee foundations,and commemorative objects and landmarks.
Tan Kah KeeChinese overseasmodernitycultural legacy
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