From Chinatown zoo to crocodile oil legacy: The strange history of Chop Wah On

Along a bustling road in Chinatown stands a striking mint-green three-storey shophouse. On the ground floor, a modest shop sees a steady stream of visitors seeking remedies and asking about medicine prices. This is Chop Wah On, founded in 1916, now looking at 110 years of history.

Now in its third generation, the shop is run by the four Tong siblings — eldest brother Tong Kok Kai (82), second brother Tong Kok Kong (80), sister Tong Pui Cheng (77), and youngest brother Tong Kok Wing (75). The shop is best known for its classic Shake Hand Brand crocodile oil and huo luo oil (a type of medicated liniment), all made and sold in Singapore.

Founded by their grandfather, Tong Chee Leong, this longstanding family business first sat on Pagoda Street in Chinatown, then moved to Smith Street in 1990, and later relocated to its current address on Upper Cross Street. But while the shop has changed locations over the years, for the third-generation heirs, the most unforgettable relic is that three-storey shophouse on Pagoda Street.

When I arrived, Tong Kok Wing had already laid out stacks of old photographs and carefully preserved newspaper clippings on the glass counter. He pulled out a photograph of Chop Wah On’s former premises, with several rickshaws parked out front. “This was what Chinatown used to look like,” he said.

It was there that the four Tong siblings spent an unusual childhood. At the time, besides the medical hall, their father Tong Seng Mun also dealt in the wildlife trade, and in 1957 opened the Singapore Miniature Zoo in Pasir Panjang.

Recalling the original Pagoda Street shop, Tong Kok Wing said, “We grew up in that shophouse. It was our home, our business, a community space, a gathering place, and at one point, even a holding area for the wildlife our father traded. Orangutans, all kinds of birds, fish and even pythons were our ‘toys’. And there was Margaret, our pet tiger.”

He also remembers that the late Sultan Ismail of Johor once visited Chop Wah On at Pagoda Street in an apple-green Morris Minor, in plain clothes and accompanied only by an aide-de-camp. Tong Kok Wing recalled, “When the Sultan came, there was no pomp and no guards. We watched in awe as he spoke with our father and looked at the shop’s birds, fish and other animals.”

As adults, the four Tong siblings each set out on their own paths, broadening their experience while expanding their social and business networks. Yet for them, there was never a clear divide between their professional lives and the family business — even while away, they thought about the business at home.

Tong Kok Wing, who managed shopping centres before retiring, said with a smile, “I often joke with friends that working elsewhere was just about ‘earning a crust’, whereas the family business is where my true passion lies. Of course, we still did our bit and fulfilled our responsibilities wherever we worked.”

This path of venturing out in youth to gain experience before returning to the family business has become a tacit understanding among the Tongs, which has continued into the fourth generation.

When asked if the fourth generation might struggle to take the reins, given they did not grow up in the shop as their predecessors did, Tong Kok Wing replied light-heartedly, “Every generation has its own strengths. The fourth generation might lack the core know-how we possess, but they have a broader outlook and carry far less baggage.”

Ultimately, he thinks that family harmony matters most. Business opportunities may come again if missed, but once discord arises within the family, it is far harder to mend.

“Chop Wah On is like a football pitch,” said second brother Tong Kok Kong, drawing an analogy for the century-old family legacy. He explained that the Tong children go out into the world to gain experience and broaden their horizons, and then, upon retirement, return to this pitch to “play”. “So for the Tong family, there is always a place to come back to after retirement.”

This “football pitch” belonging to the Tong family has also borne witness to Singapore’s shifts and transformations through the decades. Tong Kok Wing noted that in his grandfather’s time, most customers were Chinese migrants who had come south in search of a livelihood, as well as majie (domestic helpers) preparing to return to their hometown.

At the time, Tong Chee Leong developed three types of medicated oils: Red Flower Oil, for treating bruises, sprains, and rheumatic pain; Eucalyptus Embrocation, with antiseptic properties that aids wound healing and relieves coughs and colds; and Citronella Oil, used both as an insect repellent and a massage oil.

Tong Kok Wing said, “In the past, citronella oil was also commonly used by majie as a hair oil to groom their long braids.”

By his father’s generation, Chop Wah On’s customers were mainly seafarers and merchants travelling between China, Hong Kong and Western countries.

After founder Tong Chee Leong passed away in 1943, his eldest son Tong Seng Mun took the helm during the Japanese Occupation. In the 1950s, the impact of the Korean War led to a sharp decline in the number of travellers between China and Hong Kong, dealing a significant blow to the business. To keep the family legacy afloat, he pivoted to the wildlife trade and established a zoo. It was during this period that he discovered the healing properties of crocodile oil, leading to the launch of the Shake Hand Brand Farm Crocodile Oil 100% in the 1960s.

Now in its third generation, Chop Wah On’s clientele hails primarily from China, Hong Kong and Canada, ranging from visiting tourists to online shoppers and international distributors. Their product range has also expanded to nearly 30 offerings, spanning skincare, aromatherapy and health supplements.

Tong Kok Wing noted that the product positioning has also evolved, shifting from medicated oils and ointments once kept as household essentials for everyday use to items now often given as gifts to friends, relatives or business partners. Looking ahead to the next few decades, his ambition is for Chop Wah On to stand as a proud Singaporean family enterprise, contributing to the nation’s cultural heritage, tourism and economic growth.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “百年药行传三代 一款鳄鱼油销全球”.

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