The famous old SG giant married 3 siblings, still living harmoniously together

Known as the 3rd richest person of ancient Saigon, few people expected that the giant Ly Tuong Quang would rise from a strange but familiar job that is not trading in gold, silver, precious stones or real estate.

Referring to the rich and famous giants of ancient Saigon, it is certainly impossible not to mention Mr. Ly Tuong Quang, who was ranked among the "four great riches" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To be clear, Mr. Ly Tuong Quang ranked 3rd among the richest people in Saigon back in the day, after Mr. Huyen Sy and Mr. Do Huu Phuong.

It is known that Mr. Tuong Quang was born in 1842 into a family of poor Chinese descent. At a young age, his mother died of a serious illness but no treatment, and when he turned 13 years old, his father also died.

Thanks to his intelligent and skillful mind, Mr. Tuong Quang has "overlearned" the craft of curiosity. Every day he went to the corner to mold curiosity, because of his beauty and soul, it attracted many people, including French soldiers, to see and buy. When he came into contact with French soldiers, he babbled and learned their language and became connoisseur. He was then invited to work as an interpreter.

After accumulating some capital, Li opened a small trading shop. With the ability to speak Vietnamese, French, Chinese ... he was also invited to act as an interpreter and assigned to the position of Head of State to govern the 7 Chinese states in Saigon - Cho Lon and interpreter.

Working for a while, he decided to take a leave of absence and leave the school to continue his business. Initially, he sold fresh fish in six provinces and then Saigon - Cho Lon, followed by items such as dried fish, fish sauce ... even exported to the US, France.

Then Tuong Quang set up a company called Kim Bao, bought food in the West and sold it in Saigon - Cho Lon. He also bought necessities in Saigon - Cho Lon and sold it back to the West. Thanks to business agility, the market gradually expands everywhere. At that time, almost half of the West was buying his stuff.

From his business capital, he invested in buying land and building houses for rent. In particular, he often sought to buy back the land associated with his destitute childhood. It is estimated that Tuong Quang has more than 30,000 houses everywhere, no less than his contemporaries.

Besides the story of getting rich from poverty, Mr. Li Tuong Guang also left an anecdote about taking 3 sisters as his wife. Perhaps thanks to that, the 3 wives all lived very peacefully and harmoniously, giving birth to the famous giant a total of 10 children.

Tuong Quang's children also inherited their ingenuity, intelligence and eagerness to learn from their father. He sent his children to prestigious schools, then they all achieved success, became engineers, civil servants or chose the path of business.

To this day, Lee Tuong Quang's great-grandchildren still live in Saigon, some settling abroad. In addition, in District 5, there are vestiges of his family's once supreme wealth with a beautiful architectural old house, ranked as a city-level architectural monument.

In 1896, Tuong Quang died at the age of 54. The property was divided equally among his children, each of whom had a share. Another special thing is that despite being large and wealthy, it is rare for stories of fighting for property in the big family's family to be handed down.

In Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City HCMC has an ancient tomb of Ly Tuong Quang and his eldest wife, Nguyen Thi Lau, which was solidly built on an area of about 200m2.

Every year on March 30 (Lunar calendar), the Li family gathers to hold a commemoration ceremony at their home from Li Family Road No. 292 Shanghai Lanong Road and organize grave visits and incense burning at these 2 tombs. This is an opportunity for generations of descendants to meet and review the Li family's family, through which the affection and unity in the family continue to be maintained and closely attached.

Talking more about Nguyen Thi Lau (wife of Mr. Ly Tuong Quang), she was born on 16/8/1847 in Nhon Giang village - Gia Dinh. She had a father who worked as a District Attorney, and from childhood she worked hard to study as a worker. At the age of 19, she married Mr. Lee Tuong Quang, the couple was harmonious, happy and had 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl.

Mr. Li's career is somewhat hers because she takes care of her family, being an educated and knowledgeable person, or helping others. She died in 1917 at the age of 70, and her grave was buried next to her husband's grave in Phu Tho village, Duong Hoa Thuong canton, now Phu Tho Hoa ward, Tan Phu district.

The land currently has 02 tombs, namely the graves of Mr. Ly Tuong Quang and Ms. Nguyen Thi Lau, which were written by Ly Thanh Huy - the second son in 1913: "A piece of residential land and fields in Loc Hoa hamlet, Phu Tho village, Duong Hoa Thuong canton, Gia Dinh district, according to the village set No. 28 and 45, on the east by Le Van Ngan and Ba Nguyen Thi Nhu land, on the west by Mai Van Qui land, on the south by Mai Van Vang land, on the north by the road, the plus circumference is 2 acres 30, 84 meters high. On the ground there is a church and grave on the paternal side, originally purchased in the middle of the village on 26 Janvier 1897."