New MRT Downtown Line and Tan Kah Kee station in Singapore

Tan Kah Kee at first sight is a hard name to remember if you don't speak Chinese (Mandarin). But it quickly becomes easy when you know that the first name is a family or clan name. Tan is one of the most common. Tan is also a colour. Therefore it becomes easy to remember if you think Tan Khaki, or Tan's Car Key. Tan Kah Kee. The second two words are alliterative, start with the letter K. The second syllables are sounds, no consonants. Ah. Ee.

Here'a a mnemonic (memory aid). Mr Tan, driving to the MRT, opens his car with his tan, khaki, car key. Mr Tan was out in the sunshine and got a tan so his colour is almost khaki. TAN. Kah. Kee.

Now I have learned his name, I want to know why he is honoured with a station name. He was the founder of a nearby educational establishment. Also a university in his home town in China.

Statues of the man stand in front of the university in China, in a town once called Amoy, like Amoy brand Soy sauce. The modern name is Xiamen.

Read more about him here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Kah_Kee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiamen_University

The Downtown line runs like this:

Bukit Panjang
Cashew
Hillview
Beauty World
King Albert Park
Sixth Avenue
Tan Kah Kee
Botanic Gardens
Stevens
Newton

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author and speaker.