Tan's father went into business for himself in Singapore, and wanted to pass the business on to his son, so in 1890 a 16-year-old Tan left his home in Jimei, a village near Xiamen, for Singapore. He would not live in China again until 1950, six decades later.
他的父親陳杞柏在新加坡經商成功後，需要子承父業。於是 1890 年陳嘉庚 16 歲時，離開家鄉廈門集美遠赴新加坡，至 1950 年才又返鄉定居，前後 60 年。