15/11/2024
THE HISTORY OF POH GUAN HONG 保元行 & SING KONG CHUI 申功水
Our late founder of Poh Guan Hong, Ting Ung Kee (丁文琦), was born and raised in Gutian County in Fujian, China. Being proficient in preparing and refining Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in his twenties, he migrated to Sarawak Malaysia and founded Poh Guan Hong, a sole-funded company, in 1942.
Initially, Poh Guan Hong set its base on the No. 2 Old Street in Sibu, selling TCM products and offering TCM clinical consultation. Ting Ung Kee sometimes even rode his bike to visit his patients if they couldn’t travel, just so they can get the medical help in time.
After a devastating fire in 1955 and several hardships, he successfully relocated, expanded and established Poh Guan Hong Sdn Bhd as an East-meet-West type Chinese Pharmacy at No. 57 Channel Road Sibu in 1985.
In the past when transportation facilities were outdated and clinics were almost non-existent in Sibu, many villagers could not conveniently seek medical help. Ting Ung Kee realized that the most common sickness in Sarawak was stomachache and nausea, caused by the local climate condition.
To solve this issue, he developed a TCM herbal remedy to treat the common sickness, while making sure everyone can carry conveniently and easily. In 1950, he successfully created Cap Rusa Sing Kong Chui 鹿标神功水, made from various Traditional Chinese herbs in a tiny glass bottle. He then frequently visited multiple rural areas in Sarawak using a river boat to bring his medicines and Sing Kong Chui to those who couldn’t travel to the city.
Medical packaging technology was also not that advanced 70 years ago, so the production process of our medicinal products was all manual, time-consuming and labour-intensive. As the demand for our medicinal products is getting higher and higher, we started getting machines and electronics to help with the production. It is a step in the right direction because our products can now be made faster with better quality and consistency.
In the 90s, as the Malaysian Ministry of Health established regulations and controls regarding Traditional Chinese Medicine, Poh Guan Hong was one of the first to be compliant of the requirements and registered all of our medicinal products. We then established the first (Good Manufacturing Practice) GMP-certified manufacturing facility in East Malaysia in 1998 to produce approved medicinal products that are safe, consistent and high in quality. The name change from 神功水 to 申功水 was also done to fulfil the Government regulations in regards to naming products.
These days, Cap Rusa Sing Kong Chui is well-known among residents of East Malaysia for its effectiveness. Many oversea East Malaysians in Australia, Canada, Singapore, etc. keep some in their homes in case of illness. Poh Guan Hong is still located at 57 Jalan Channel in Sibu and we are one of the most frequently visited TCM pharmacy here due to our wide variety of herbs and spices.
If you are interested to find out more about our story, we are happy to show you around, so feel free to reach out!
