In the 1940s, Teo Thye Chor and his younger brother, Teo Thye Hong, migrated from the Hui An district of Fujian, China, to Singapore in search of a brighter future. Overcoming early challenges, the brothers formed Tong Eng Brothers after the Second World War, engaging in the trading of electrolytic tinplates used in the production of cans and bottle caps.

Responding to the call for post-war rebuilding in the 1950s, the brothers anticipated a surge in demand for accommodation and decided to diversify into property development. A true visionary, Teo Thye Chor saw the potential of the undeveloped precinct of the Paya Lebar district and bought land in the area. Tong Eng went on to develop the land into the first industrial estate in that vicinity.

The brothers continued to acquire more greenfield land in the city's suburbs such as Changi, Upper Serangoon Road, Yio Chu Kang and Pasir Panjang - amassing more than 40 hectares of freehold land.