Tan Chay Yan

Tan Chay Yan was a rubber plantation merchant and philanthropist. A Peranakan, Tan is the grandson of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng by his father, Tan Teck Guan.

Tan was noted in Malayan history as the first man to plant rubber on a commercial basis, after he was introduced to rubber planting by Henry Nicholas Ridley. Subsequently, Tan started a 22-acre (89,000 m2) rubber estate at Bukit Lintang. He then ventured his rubber plantation business into Sri Lanka. According to his family, Tan's rubber plantation still belonged to the family.

As a philanthropist, Tan also gave $15,000 towards the setting up of a medical college in Singapore. The donation went towards the construction of the Tan Teck Guan Building, which Tan named in memory of his late father. Tan also served as a Municipal Councilor and a Trustee of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. A road in Melaka was named after him in view of his contributions to the country's revenue.

Tan died of malaria at the age of 46. A relative believed he could have caught it as he often spent the long hours spent at the rubber plantations. Tan left behind his wife, Chua Wan Neo, a tenth generation Nyonya, six daughters and a son.