Tjong Yong Hian

Tjong Yong Hian (1850–1911) was a Hakka Chinese businessman and kapitan who greatly contributed to the development of society in the city of Medan around the early 1900s. He is the brother of Tjong A Fie, his kapitan successor.

Tjong Yong Hian, also known as Zhang Yu Nan or Zhang Rongxuan, was the second of 7 children. Descending from a Hakka family, he was born in Guangdong, Songkou city, Meixian District, South China, in 1850. He migrated from China to Indonesia, departing through the port of Shantou and sailed across the South China Sea. After sailing for 21 days, he landed in Jakarta (formerly Batavia), in 1867 at the age of 17. Three years later, having had sufficient savings, Tjong left Batavia for Medan, Sumatra, with the intention of starting his own business. Tjong was fluent in Malay, a respectable language in North Sumatra.