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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-25/lucio-tan-sr.avif" alt="Lucio Tan" loading="lazy" />
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(Lucio Chua Tan Sr.)
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Early Life and Humble Beginnings
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Lucio Tan's story begins in a poor Chinese immigrant family. His parents moved to Cebu, Philippines, when he was a child, seeking better opportunities. As the eldest of eight children, Tan shouldered significant responsibilities early on. He reportedly walked to school barefoot and took on menial jobs to support his family. One of his first jobs was as a stevedore, tying cargo with abaca ropes, and later as a janitor at a tobacco factory, mopping floors to fund his education.
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Tan pursued a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at Far Eastern University in Manila but did not complete it, opting instead to focus on entrepreneurial ventures. In the late 1950s, he started a small scrap buy-and-sell business, which failed. Undeterred, he joined a tobacco factory, where he worked as a janitor, then a tobacco cook, and eventually a leaf dealer in the Ilocos region. These early experiences in the tobacco industry laid the foundation for his future empire.
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July 17, 1934: Lucio Tan was born in Amoy, Fujian, China