This is a list of notable
Malaysians of Chinese origin, including original immigrants who obtained Malaysian citizenship and their Malaysian descendants. Entries on this list are demonstrably notable by having a linked current article or reliable sources as footnotes against the name to verify they are notable and define themselves either full or partial Chinese, whose ethnic origin lie in China.
This list also includes emigrant Malaysians of Chinese origin and could be taken as a list of famous Malaysians of Chinese origin.
Yong Mun Sen (杨曼生; 1896–1962) –-Kuching born Penangite watercolorist and Malaysian artist; "father of Malaysian painting"; one of the founders of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts or NAFA, Singapore, Penang Art Society[1]
C. N. Liew (born 1975) – K.L.-born artist who took the traditional artform of calligraphy to a whole new dimension with his creation of
Surrealligraphy
Chang Fee Ming (born 1959) – Terengganu-born watercolor painter
Red Hong Yi - Sabah-born artist and architectural designer[2]
Tang Tuck Kan (鄧德根; 1934–2012)- Pioneer Artist of Malaysian Modern Art Movement in the 60s and 70s.
Chung Keng Quee – first Malaysian-Chinese capitalist; innovator in
tin mining; owner of the largest mine of all in the country at that time, the Kong Loon Kongsi, in Kamunting, Perak; has business interests in Mergui, Peru, Hong Kong and China; founder of the Penang Chinese Town Hall
Chung Thye Phin – first Malaysian-Chinese miner to introduce the latest appliances on the mines, under the supervision of a European engineer; founder of the Toh Allang Chinese Tin Company in Perak, the first Chinese limited liability company, in 1925; member of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Foo Choo Choon – Hakka tin miner, revenue farmer and businessman from Penang; in his time, was said to have been the richest Chinese person in the world
Teoh Tiang Chye – merchant, philanthropist, and Justice of the Peace in Malacca.
Tiong Hiew King – media and timber tycoon, controls Chinese media, Ming Pao and Sin Chew Daily, managing director/CEO of Rimbunan Hijau Group; 10th richest person in Malaysia as of 2011
Lim Boon Keng (1868–1957) – first Malayan to receive a Queen's Scholarship, gained admission to the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 1892 with a first class honours degree in medicine
Wu Lien-teh (伍连德) (1879–1960) – renowned plague fighter and pioneer in the modernization of China's public health system; first medical student of Chinese descent to study at University of Cambridge in 1896, after winning the Queen's Scholarship held in Singapore; first Malaysian Chinese nominated to receive a Nobel Prize in Medicine, in 1935[4]
Gu Hongming - Penang-born scholar and famous professor in Peking University firstly established
Cheah Ming Tatt – biologist specializing in immunology and genetics, a recipient of Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Future Scientists Fellowship for his work on RNA splicing
Shu Jie Lam - Research Chemist at University of Melbourne
Moi Meng Ling - virologist and professor at the University of Tokyo
Chiang Ti Ming (张世明) (1976–2007) - child prodigy and particle physicist
Legal
Wee Chong Jin – First Chief Justice of Singapore (1963–1990)
Yong Pung How – Second Chief Justice of Singapore (1990–2006)
Chan Sek Keong – Third Chief Justice of Singapore (2006–2012)
Tan Boon Teik – Attorney-General of Singapore (1969–1992)
Kapitan China Koh Lay Huan (辜禮歡) – first Kapitan China of Penang, and also the Kapitan Cina of Kedah at Kuala Muda
Kapitan China Tan Kee Soon - first Kapitan China of Tebrau, Johor Bahru and also the first leader of Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor
Kapitan China Seah Tee Heng - third Kapitan China of Johor, was one of two Chinese members to the Council of State
Major China Dato' Tan Hiok Nee – wealthiest and most influential Chinese in Johor during the 19th century, Johor Kapitan China, the second leader of the
Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor, one of the
Kangchu Johor; Jalan Tan Hiok Nee in
Johor Bahru is named after him
Capitan China Chung Keng Quee – leader of the "Five Associations" or Go-Kuan and the
Hai San, Kapitan China of Perak and Penang, member of the Commission for the Pacification of Larut, founding member of the Perak State Council
Kapitan China Yap Ah Loy – third Kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur, played an important role in developing the city as a commercial and mining centre during the 19th century
Kapitan China Yap Ah Shak – fourth Kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur, a wealthy merchant and a Hai San leader
Kapitan China Ong Tiang Swee - Kapitan China of Sarawak and President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, an advisor on Chinese Affairs and confidant to Rajah Charles Brooke
Chung Kok Ming – member of Perak State Council, member of the Federal Council of the Federated Malay States
Wong Ah Fook S.M.J. – one of the most famous Kangchu Johor and Chinese Entrepreneur in Johor during the 19th century;
Jalan Wong Ah Fook in Johor Bahru is named after him
Tun Leong Yew Koh – first Malacca Governor, only Chinese ever appointed as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri in Malaysia, co-founder and first Secretary-General of MCA
Colonel Tun Sir Henry Lee Hau Shik – first Finance Minister of the Federation of Malaya and co-founded the Malaysian Chinese Association and Alliance Party
Hang Li Po – wife of
Malacca's Sultan Mansur Shah (1456–1477); related to the
Ming royal court
Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik – sixth president of MCA, former Malaysian Minister for Transport
Tan Sri Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting – seventh president of MCA, former Housing and Local Government Minister from 1999 to 2008 and Acting Transport Minister from May to June 2003
Dato' Seri Ong Ka Chuan – secretary-general for MCA twice, Minister of Housing and Local Government from 2008 to 2009, Second Minister for International Trade and Industry from 2015 to 2018
Ng Yen Yen – Former Minister of Tourism Malaysia, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Raub, Pahang,
MCA Vice-president
Chua Tee Yong – son of
Chua Soi Lek. Former Deputy Minister of Finance I, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries of Malaysia, former
JohorMCA Youth Chief
Kong Cho Ha – former Minister of Transport Malaysia, former MCA Secretary-General, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Lumut, Perak
Chor Chee Heung – former Minister of Housing and Local Government, Malaysia, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Alor Setar, Kedah
Hou Kok Chung – former Deputy Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Kluang, Johor
Lee Chee Leong – former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Malaysia; former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Kampar, Perak
Chong Chieng Jen – Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Stampin, Sarawak, current Sarawak state assemblyman for Kota Sentosa, Former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Bandar Kuching, Sarawak
Chong Eng – Former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Bukit Mertajam, Penang, current Penang state assemblywoman for Padang Lalang
Nga Kor Ming – Former Deputy Speaker of
Dewan Rakyat, Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Teluk Intan, Perak, current Perak state assemblyman for Aulong
Ngeh Koo Ham – current Speaker for Perak state legislative assembly, Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Beruas, Perak
Tun Dr. Lim Keng Yaik – third president of Gerakan, one of the longest-serving ministers in the country and a highly revered statesman by the public
Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon – fourth president of Gerakan, Chief Minister of Penang (from 1990 to 2008), former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Malaysia
Datin Paduka Tan Lian Hoe – former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Gerik, Perak and former Deputy Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Malaysia
Chan Ming Kai - Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Alor Setar, Kedah, former Perak state assemblyman for Simpang Pulai, former Perlis state assemblyman for Indera Kayangan
Gooi Hsiao-Leung - current Penang state assemblyman for Bukit Tengah, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Alor Setar, Kedah
Christina Liew Chin Jin - current Sabah Deputy Chief Minister II, Member of the Malaysian Parliament for
Tawau, Sabah, current Sabah state assemblywoman for Api-Api
Lee Chong Wei – former world No.1 men's singles shuttler; record ten-time Malaysia Open winner; 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist; 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics silver medalist; World Championship silver and bronze medalist; Asian Games silver and bronze medalist; three-time All England Open champion; a total of 55 career titles won as of 2014
Wong Peng Soon – Malaysian-born men's singles shuttler who later represented Singapore; four-time All-England Open champion and record holder for the most Malaysia Open titles (8) won for over 60 years before being surpassed by
Lee Chong Wei in 2013
Tan Yee Khan – All-England Open men's doubles champion with
Ng Boon Bee in 1965 and 1966, and a member of Malaysia's winning
Thomas Cup team in 1967
Tan Aik Huang – former All-England Open men's singles champion
Koo Kien Keat – former world No.1 men's doubles pair with
Tan Boon Heong;
Asian Games gold and silver medalist; World Championships silver and bronze medalist; All-England Open Champions; two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist in men's doubles and
2012 London Olympics semifinalists
Tan Boon Heong – former world No.1 men's doubles pair with
Koo Kien Keat; Asian Games gold and silver medalist, World Championships silver and bronze medalist, All-England Open Champions,
2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist,
2012 London Olympics semifinalists and former World Junior Champion
Chan Chong Ming – men's doubles shuttler; 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist; World Championships and Asian Games bronze medalist; two-time World Junior Champion
Wong Mew Choo – former world No.7 women's singles shuttler; 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist; wife to
Lee Chong Wei as of 2012
Cheah Soon Kit – former world no.1 men's doubles shuttler; 1996 Olympics silver medalist with
Yap Kim Hock, member of Malaysia's 1992 winning Thomas cup team, World Cup and World Grand Prix gold medalist, Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist, World Championships silver and bronze medalist and Asian Games silver medalist
Yap Kim Hock – men's doubles shuttler; 1996 Olympics silver medalist with
Cheah Soon Kit; World Grand Prix gold medalist; Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist; World Championship silver and bronze medalist; Asian Games bronze medalist
Wong Choong Hann – former world No.2 men's singles shuttler; 2003 World Championships silver medalist; Commonwealth Games gold, silver and bronze medalist
Ong Ewe Hock – former world No.2 men's singles shuttler; 1994 Commonwealth games silver medalist
Aaron Chia - national men's doubles player. Together with Soh Wooi Yik, he is the first Malaysian to win the gold medal at the
BWF World Championships.[6]
Soh Wooi Yik - national men's doubles player. Together with Aaron Chia, he is the first Malaysian to win the gold medal at the
BWF World Championships.[6]
Lee Zii Jia - professional badminton player who currently ranked 3 in men's singles.
Gu Hongming 辜鸿铭 (1857–1928), famous Chinese scholar from Penang; in 1873 he began studying literature at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1877 with an M.A.
Tan Twan Eng – Penangite author of The Gift of Rain, which was longlisted for the
Man Booker Prize award, and The Garden of Evening Mists, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the IMPAC Literary Prize, and won the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Sir Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
Kevin Nyiau 杨建伟, Kedah author of Hope is at the Turning Point | 希望在转角
Ed Yong, Malaysian-born British science journalist, staff writer for the Atlantic.
Yong Vui Kong, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian from Sabah, Malaysia. He was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in
Singapore in 2008, but subsequently, in 2013, he escaped the death sentence and was re-sentenced to
life imprisonment and 15
strokes of the cane following the 2013 changes to Singapore's death penalty laws and a subsequent re-trial by the
High Court of Singapore.
Nyu Kok Meng, a convicted robber who was, in 1983, involved in the
armed robbery of a businessman in Andrew Road, Singapore. His partner-in-crime,
Sek Kim Wah, without Nyu's knowledge and consent, killed three of the five robbery victims the duo took hostage in an attempt to silence them before Nyu discovered Sek's monstrous acts and went on to protect the remaining two victims and assisted them in their escape from Sek. Hence, Nyu escaped the murder charges and he was sentenced to life imprisonment and 6 strokes of the cane for being armed with a rifle while committing armed robbery under the 1973
Arms Offences Act.
Botak Chin, Malaysian gunman who was executed in 1980 for armed robbery and possession of firearms, the latter which was a capital crime in Malaysia.
Kho Jabing, a Malaysian who was of mixed Chinese and
Iban descent. He was accused of murdering Cao Ruyin during a robbery in Singapore in 2008, and was sentenced to death. He was hanged in 2016.
Yap Weng Wah (born 1983), a Malaysian serial sex offender and
hebephilic who had raped 31 teenage boys aged between 11 and 15 in Singapore between 2009 and 2012. He had also targeted at least 14 boys to satisfy his sexual urges during his time in Malaysia. After pleading guilty to 12 out of 76 charges, Yap was sentenced to a term of 30 years in jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
Jonaris Badlishah, a Malaysian of mixed Malay and Chinese descent and distant nephew of the
Sultan of Kedah who was
executed for killing Singaporean beautician Sally Poh after stealing her
Rolex watch in 1998.
Cheong Chun Yin,
Perak-born Malaysian drug trafficker from
Johor who was initially sentenced to death for importing heroin in
Singapore in 2010, but subsequently, in 2015, he escaped the death sentence and was re-sentenced to
life imprisonment and 15
strokes of the cane following the 2013 changes to Singapore's death penalty laws and a subsequent re-trial by the
High Court of Singapore.
Pang Siew Fum, Malaysian and accomplice of
Cheong Chun Yin. She was initially sentenced to death for importing heroin in
Singapore in 2010, but subsequently, due to the judicial changes to Singapore's death penalty laws in 2013, her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in a re-trial by the
High Court of Singapore in 2015.
Lim Chin Chong, a Malaysian teenager and male prostitute, who at age 18, murdered his 65-year-old employer Philip Low Cheng Quee, a male brothel owner. Lim escaped to Malaysia after the crime but was arrested twenty days later, and sent back to Singapore for trial. Lim was found guilty of murder and executed at
Changi Prison on 23 October 1998.
Chin Seow Noi,
Chin Yaw Kim and
Ng Kim Heng, the three Malaysians who were charged in Singapore with murdering Lim Lee Tin, the female lover of Chin Seow Noi, the elder sister of Chin Yaw Kim, after Lim kept harassing the elder Chin for money. All three were convicted and hanged on 31 March 1995 for Lim's murder.
Boh Soon Ho, a 48-year-old
Melaka-born Malaysian and
Singapore permanent resident who strangled his 28-year-old Chinese girlfriend and nurse Zhang Huaxiang to death. Boh fled to his hometown in Melaka but was arrested and sent back to Singapore. He was charged and found guilty of murder, and sentenced to
life imprisonment in February 2020.
Lim Kok Yew, Tiong Bahru bus hijacker who was hanged in 1984 for discharging a firearm with intent to cause hurt
Lim Kim Huat and
Neoh Bean Chye, the two Malaysian armed robbers hanged in 1975 for killing a Singaporean wine shop proprietor
Lee Chor Pet,
Lim Kim Kwee and
Ho Kee Fatt, three of the five kidnappers charged with kidnapping and killing a millionaire's son. They were hanged in 1973
Sim Min Teck, Beh Meng Chai and Chng Meng Joo, the three perpetrators of the 1980
Jurong fishing port murders. Sim was executed for murder, Beh was jailed for life for manslaughter and Chng remained at large and was never caught
Ng Theng Shuang, Penang-born Malaysian armed robber and gunman hanged in Singapore on 14 July 1995
Lee Kok Chin, Penang-born Malaysian armed robber and gunman who was gunned down in 1992 during a shootout at
South Bridge Road
Others
Venerable Prof. KL Dhammajoti - Theravada Buddhist monk, one of the leading scholars on 'Sarvastivada Abhidharma' and is well known in the world of Buddhist scholarship.
Ngeow Sze Chan – Chinese physician, regarded as “The Father of Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine”
Albert Kwok Fen Nam (1921–1944), war hero and leader of the "Kinabalu Guerrillas" against Japanese occupation
Khoo Kay Kim – highly regarded national academic for his views on local sports and socio-political issues, was honoured with Emeritus Professor title by the University of Malaya in 2001
Zulhadi Omar – also known as Eddie Teyo, is known for his many lawsuits against Malaysia in a bid to officially change faith from Islam to Buddhism
Hussein Ye – Islamic scholar who claimed that Muslims terrorists were not responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States, just based on "suspicion".