the British Raj authorities. In 1899, he was summoned to China twice to present a national development plan, which was well received by government officials. As a result, he was promoted to be the Minister for agriculture, industries, roads and mines for the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong. Later he was instructed to conduct a study of trade and education in Penang and Singapore. Subsequently, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce was established. In 1904, he established the first Chinese school in Southeast Asia, the Chung Hwa Confucian School in Penang. In 1912, the Kuomintang overthrew the Qing and established a republican government. Cheong was appointed as a member of the Legislative Assembly so that he could be actively involved with politics. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Chinese national Chamber of Commerce, which was well received by all parties. In 1915, he was sent to the United States to study all aspects of industrialization of that nation. During his journey, when he stopped over in Hong Kong, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Law. Death Cheong Fatt Tze died in Indonesia in 1916. His body was sent back to China to be buried. On its final journey through Penang, Singapore and Hong Kong, the overseas Chinese were greatly saddened by the loss of this great personality. The Chinese government sent a high-ranking official to his funeral and ordered the National Archives to record his life in historical documents so that his contributions would always be remembered. Both the British Raj and the Dutch authorities ordered flags to be flown at half mast to honour the man who was known as "the Rockefeller of the East". He had eight wives and owned many residences throughout his trading empire (mostly Southeast Asia) but made Penang his base, where he raised his six sons. Legacy In 1894, Chung Keng Quee hosted in his own gardens, in the name of Vice Consul Chang Pi Shih (Cheong Fatt Tze), a dinner to welcome Admiral Ting (see Battle of Yalu River (1894) and Battle of Weihaiwei) and the Chinese Imperial Fleet of warships that he commanded. Cheong Fatt Tze first introduced grape vineyards in China's Shandong province, and later brought in Austrian wine-producing experts to improve the ChangYu vineyard in Yantai, Shandong. Cheong Fatt Tze also gave shelter to Sun Yat Sen and Sun Yat Sen 's fourth wife in Penang, Cheong