The House of Tan Yeok Nee was built in 1882-85 as a family home by Tan Yeok Nee, a gambier merchant from Chaozhou, China. When he first arrived in Singapore, he made a living as a cloth pedler. However. he later established hamsell as a successful gambler and pepper planter in Johor. Malaya. and began trading in these commodltles. The house is one of the two surviving examples of traditional Chinese mansions in Singapore. the other being River House in Clarke Quay. The House of Tan Yeok Nee