English speaking Chinese in Penang. Located along Madras Lane, it was founded by Choong Thiam Poe (1888-1930) in 1914. Choong Thiam Poe was himself received English education at the Penang Free School. However he had the privilege of learning Chinese and getting acquainted with Chinese literature through home tuition.
Choong Thiam Poe was involved in the Tung meng-hui revolutionary movement, and this perhaps propelled his desire to set up an organisation for his fellow Straits Chinese - also called the Babas - to have an opportunity to learn and appreciate the rich Chinese heritage and culture. To this end, he set up Hu Yew Seah to offer Mandarin language classes.
The present Hu Yew Seah building along Lorong Madras was opened in 1927 by Rabindranath Tagore, the 1913 Nobel Prize laureate for Literature from Calcutta, Bengal. Located next to Hu Yew Seah is the Hu Yew Seah Girls' School.