Tao Nan School was set up by the
Singapore Hokkien Association (Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan) on 18 November 1906 to provide modern education for Hokkien Chinese children. It was the first Chinese school in Singapore to adopt modern subjects in its syllabus such as such as geography, history and physical education, in addition to traditional Chinese subjects such as Confucian classics that would help promote and preserve
Chinese culture and values. Although it was originally set up to serve the Hokkien community, it began to accept speakers of other Chinese languages in 1909, the first Chinese school to operate such inclusive policy. Tan Kah Kee served for 12 years as the school's president. When the school switched to Mandarin as the medium of instruction, the Mandarin syllabus was implemented by its first non-Hokkien principal, Xiong Shangfu, a native of Hunan province. The school was closed during the
Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945 when the Japanese took over the school and said to have used it as a military headquarters. Also in 1982, English became its main medium of instruction. Throughout its history, the school has produced many prominent Chinese leaders among its alumni, among them
Lee Kong Chian. The school was refurbished and became a wing of the
Asian Civilisations Museum in 1994, and was officially opened on 21 April 1997. The Old Tao Nan School building was
gazetted as a
national monument on 27 February 1998. When the Asian Civilisations Museum was established in
Empress Place Building in 2006 after its renovation, the Old Tao Nan School was repurposed as the Peranakan Museum which opened on 25 April 2008. ==Architecture==