In 1919, famous Hokkien philanthropist and businessman, Mr Tan Kah Kee, bought 32 hectares of land in Bukit Timah from the former Sultan of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar, for $80,000 to establish a school. The land was originally part of the Sultan's villa property at Bukit Timah. The Chinese High School was subsequently founded as the first Chinese school for boys in Singapore. It soon became one of the premier schools for the Chinese community in Singapore. In the turbulent political scene of the 1950s and 1960s, the Chinese communists made use of the school as a platform to promote communist ideas. As a result, the school became involved in a series of riots and protest movements against the colonial government. In 1974, Singapore's first government-aided junior college, Hwa Chong Junior College (HCJC), was established. In 1988, The Chinese High School became the first independent school in Singapore and one of the few premier schools under the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) programme that taught both English and Chinese as the first language. In 2004, as part of the government's Integrated Programme, Hwa Chong Junior College and The Chinese High School merged to form Hwa Chong Institution. Today, Hwa Chong Institution continues to be one of Singapore's premier schools offering classes from secondary to junior college levels to students from Singapore and other parts of the world.