Their spirit of giving and commitment to education was held up by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday as providing lessons for today's generation.

'Both came to Singapore in search of a better life; both started with precious little except for their determination and ingenuity.

'Having prospered, both were moved to give back to society,' he said at the opening of an exhibition on both men at the National Library.

Born in 1874 in Fujian, China, Mr Tan came here in 1890 at age 17 to join his father in the family's rice business, which failed.

But Mr Tan rebounded to build a business empire of his own which spanned a number of industries and employed more than 30,000 people in 100 offices on five continents.

A firm believer in education for all, he founded The Chinese High School in 1919 and led the Hokkien Huay Kuan - a clan association - to run several other schools. In 1950, he returned to China, where he died eleven years later.

As for Dr Lee, he started as a teacher before becoming a land surveyor and working for Mr Tan, whose daughter he married.

He went on to become a rubber tycoon, merged three Chinese banks to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, and set up the Lee Foundation in 1952 to give to charitable causes.

Dr Lee himself was educated at the Anglo-Tamil School here, where he developed a lifelong respect for multiracialism. His donations also made possible the first National Library which opened in Stamford Road in 1960. He died here in 1967.

Noting that both men had come here from abroad, PM Lee said Singapore has stayed open to talented individuals, 'who come to our shores to study, work and live, and eventually to call Singapore their home'.

'We cannot recreate the unsettled circumstances that motivated people like Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian to set out and create wealth in virgin economies and new industries, and, having succeeded, to want to uplift their communities,' he noted.

But their spirit - 'a willingness to venture into areas that were new and untested, and a desire to contribute to something much larger than oneself' - remains relevant today and in the future, he said.

The six-month-long exhibition, organised by the National Library and Tan Kah Kee Foundation, gives an insight into what made Mr Tan and Dr Lee entrepreneurs, their strong beliefs and their support for various social causes.

Among its exhibits are a rubber press, Mr Tan's memoirs, photographs and textbooks from the schools both helped to establish.

Professor Wang Gungwu, chairman of the East Asian Institute, said both men believed strongly in the need to educate all children.

'While many of the early schools were meant to train people to serve the colonial government, The Chinese High and the other private schools they started were meant to serve the community and society,' he said.

Mr Tan's grandson, Mr D.J. Tan, 59, hopes others will emulate the generosity that both men showed.

They 'never looked down on anyone; they gave help irrespective of race or background', he said.

Details of the exhibition, which ends on Dec 31, and related activities can be found at www.thelegacy.nl.sg

zakirh@sph.com.sg