Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Biography of Lau King Howe

Mr. Lau King Howe         Mr. Lau King Howe (1869-1932) was the second son of Reverand Lau Meng Shi and Mdm Hii, originally from the Nan Yu Village of the Hou Guan District of the Fujian Province in China. Reverand Lau was involved in charity work and built many schools and hospitals in China.
      Lau King Howe is the second among of 10 brothers and sisters In 1895, 26 years old Lau King Howe married and worked after graduating from Methodist Anglo-Chinese College, Fuzhou.
      In 1906, Lau King Howe entered the Manila Teachers College in the Philippines. He worked in American Philippines Navy Base, and subsequently became the principal of the Philippines Chinese School.

Locality of Lau King Howe's Rubber garden at Sg. Engkilo, Sibu.       In 1914, he returned to Fuzhou, and later went to Sichuan and Shanghai to do business.
    In 1916, the 47 years old Lau King Howe voyage to the South with his family members and arrived in Sarawak, Borneo. He chose to settle in Engkilo on the west bank of Sibu.
      In 1917, Lau King Howe ran a rubber tree plantation and shipping industry in Engkilo.

Letter from chief secretary to J.M. Hoover and Power of Attorney
from Lau King Howe to Hoover and Lim Khai Cheng In view of the inadequate facilities in the Sibu's government clinic, which built in 1912, Lau King Howe proposed to the Rajah Brooke Government in 1930 to build a new and more modern hospital for Sibu. He pledged to bear 50% of the building cost of the proposed hospital through the donation of part of his wealth.
March 08, 1931, after Lau King Howe signed a contract with the Rajah of Sarawak government, he appointed Reverand J.M. Hoover and Reverand Lim Khai Cheng as trustees. Lau King Howe's offer was officially acknowledged and accepted by the Rajah of Sarawak and a metal plaque was given in appreciation to Lau King Howe by the Resident of the 3rd Division, Mr. C.D. Adams, on behalf of the Rajah of Sarawak at the Resident's Office. Officially acknowledged Lau King Howe's contribution and the new hospital was renamed Lau King Howe Hospital.

Mr. Lau King Howe and his wife Mrs. Fu Bao Yu In the same year, Lau King Howe and his wife, Mrs. Fu Bao Yu (1902-1977), adopted a daughter of the Wong family from Engkilo as their adopted daughter and named her Liu Meizhu. Liu Meizhu was brought back to China when she was 2 years old. Liu Cheng, the second son of Lau King Howe's fourth brother, Liu QianXiang, was also adopted. September 1932, Lau King Howe passed away in Fuzhou at the age of 63.

Old picture of Lau King Howe Hospital
In 1936, Lau King Howe Hospital was completed and officially opened.

Lau King Howe Hospital September 1, 1994, the New Sibu Central Hospital was launched and officially opened. Lau King Howe Hospital was transformed into a polyclinic during the transition period.

Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum before renovated August 03, 1996, Lau King Howe Hospital's outpatient clinic, pharmacy, and emergency department were preserved and converted into Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.

The Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum June 2005, the remains of Lau King Howe Hospital totally demolished due to the development project of Sibu Town Square Phase 2.
The Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum renovated and reopens to public since December 04, 2008.