Part 4/16:
The story of plantations in Singapore would be incomplete without acknowledging the Chinese entrepreneurs who pioneered this transformation. Among them was Suchin’s ancestor, Sia Euchin, born in 1805 in China. Arriving in Singapore in 1823, he established a commission trading business in 1830 before venturing into Gambia and pepper cultivation. These early Chinese planters, known as Tiu, brought with them seeds and farming techniques from their homeland, planting crops like Gambia and pepper, which became immensely valued commodities.