A Penang Comprador: “There Was Always Carlsberg beer in the House”
By Anne Tan
May 2024FEATURE
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TAN HENG SOON (1894-1962), a Straits-born Baba, was a comprador for the Danish East Asiatic Company, a prestigious European company established in 1897 by H.N. Andersen with extensive operations in Southeast Asia. The company, where Tan served from 1930 to 1953, operated at No.3, Weld Quay in George Town, Penang.The word “comprador” is derived from the Portuguese word for “buyer”, i.e., employed as an agent by European houses. A comprador was characterised by a proficiency in English, possessing of business...
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[1] Tan, A. (2021) Travels in Siam and Laos: a lost photo album. ScandAsia, November 9,2021.
[2] Tan, A. (2023) Travels in Siam: Teak Exploration and Photography.
[3] ScandAsia, July 20, 2023.
[4] Thitibordin, A.(2016) Control and Prosperity: The Teak Business in Siam 1880’s -1932. Unpublished thesis.
Anne Tan
is a retired academic (Deakin University, Melbourne) with a publishing history both internal and external. She has published articles on East Asiatic Company’s teak explorations in Siam and Laos at the beginning of the 20th century and has recently completed documenting a photo album recording an intrepid teak journey conducted by both East Asiatic Company personnel and an affiliated company, L’Est Asiatique Francaise. Anne has travelled to Penang from Australia more times than she can count and considers Penang her second home.