Born in
Nan'an, Fujian, China on 27 April 1909, Lim Bo Seng was the 11th child but the
first son in the family. In 1925, he came to Singapore at the age of
16 to study in Raffles Institution under the British colonial government. He
went on to read business at the University of Hong Kong. In 1930, he
married Gan Choo Neo, a Nyonya woman from the Lim clan association hall of
Singapore. Initially a
Taoist, he converted to Christianity after his marriage. He then inherited his father's business when the latter died in 1929. He started with
running two businesses in brick manufacturing and biscuit production before
venturing into building construction with his brothers. Apart from
being successful in his business career, Lim Bo Seng was also a prominent figure in the
Chinese community in Singapore, having been nominated to take on several posts
in the community.
