From a coffin shop to a 48-acre memorial park: the third generation behind FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan

KUANTAN — FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan was founded in Kuantan in 1963 by Lee Shou Cheong (李寿昌), who began by engraving tombstones and making coffins. The same family has run the business for three generations. Its Executive Director today is Lee Wan Yi (李万亿), the third generation, and its 48-acre FLS Life Park in Gambang, on permanent title, opened in May 2026. This is the story of a Kuantan family business passed from one generation to the next.

How did FLS (福禄寿) begin?

FLS started in 1963 as a small shop in Kuantan. Its founder, Lee Shou Cheong, engraved tombstones and made coffins. Older Chinese speakers often call a coffin shou ban (寿板), literally “longevity boards”, a gentle term that reflects how many Chinese families speak about death indirectly.

Funeral work is a trade people seldom talk about, yet nearly every family will need it at some point. For more than six decades, FLS has stood beside Kuantan families at these moments.

What happened in the 2009 fire?

In 2009 the business was hit by a fire. The family kept its funeral services running without interruption, and families’ ceremonies went ahead.

For a family in the middle of a funeral, whether the rites can go on as planned is often one of their main concerns.

Who leads the third generation, and what do they hope to do?

The team

Lee Wan Yi (李万亿) is the group’s Executive Director. His team includes group director Lee Poh Kian (李保健), group CFO Lee Shu Hui (李舒卉) and Tan Kian Yew (陈建佑), CEO of FLS Life Management.

What does FLS Life Park offer?

FLS Life Park 福禄寿陵园 (Gambang) opened in May 2026 with both ground burial and columbarium niches, so families can choose according to their own faith and customs.

Burial and memorial options

• Ground burial, including double and family grave areas
• Columbarium niches in the Yunshan Hall columbarium (云山堂灵骨塔)
• Ancestral tablets (神主牌位) for families who keep them
• The zhong sheng ji (种生基) ceremony, a folk tradition some families regard as a way of praying for blessings; whether to hold one is a matter for each family’s own beliefs and elders

Halls and architecture

The park’s halls include the Yunshan Hall columbarium, Tianmen Hall (天门殿) and the Hall of the Three Western Sages (西方三圣殿). In Buddhist tradition, the Three Western Sages are Amitabha Buddha with the bodhisattvas Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) and Mahasthamaprapta on either side. The main roof is shaped like the Chinese character 人 (“person”), symbolising harmony between heaven, earth and people. The buildings were designed by professional architects and blend Chinese and Western elements. FLS’s pre-planning packages come in Buddhist and Christian versions.

Permanent title and a maintenance trust fund

The park sits on permanent (freehold) title, meaning the land has no lease expiry, and it has a government-supervised maintenance trust fund, money set aside for the park’s long-term upkeep.

Why sign MOUs with six Chinese associations?

In March 2026, FLS signed MOUs with the Kuantan Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese and Hinghwa associations, the Pahang Foochow association and the Pahang Lanchang federation of registered Chinese societies.

Clan and dialect associations have long been places where many Chinese families keep in touch and look out for one another. Each dialect group has its own customs, and practice varies within every group too.

What can Kuantan families ask when choosing a cemetery or columbarium?

Whether a family is considering a private memorial park, a public Chinese cemetery (yi shan, 义山) or an association’s burial ground, these questions are worth asking any provider:

1. Land title: Is it permanent title or leasehold, and how long is the lease?
2. Long-term upkeep: How is maintenance arranged and funded?
3. Options: Which of ground burial, columbarium niches and ancestral tablets are offered?
4. Faith and custom: Can the arrangements follow the family’s religion and dialect-group customs?
5. Payment: Is it a lump sum or instalments, and are there other fees?
6. Site visit: Can the family see the grounds, access and parking first?

At FLS, for example, pre-planning is available with zero-interest instalments from RM88 a month and no down payment. Every family’s situation differs, so families can compare and decide what suits them.

In summary: what is being passed on?

From a small shop in 1963 to a 48-acre memorial park in 2026, FLS has spanned three generations, through a fire and new partnerships.

About FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan: Founded in Kuantan, Pahang in 1963 and run by three generations of the same family, FLS provides cemetery plots, columbarium niches, ancestral tablets, funeral services and pre-planning. Its 48-acre FLS Life Park in Gambang sits on permanent title. Website: flsgroup.com.my | Hotline/WhatsApp: +60 12-960 2222

Appendix: media pitch (to editors)

Hi [Editor’s name], In 1963, a small shop in Kuantan started out engraving tombstones and making coffins. Three generations later, the same family has developed FLS Life Park, a 48-acre memorial park in Gambang. Along the way the business went through a fire in 2009 without interrupting its funeral services, and in March 2026 it signed MOUs with six Kuantan and Pahang Chinese associations. We’d like to offer an interview with Lee Wan Yi (李万亿), Executive Director of FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan and the third generation of the family, on family succession, how a trade people seldom talk about is changing in a new generation’s hands, and how a local family business grows steadily. A site visit and photography at FLS Life Park can be arranged.

Quick answers

When was FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan founded?

FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan was founded in 1963 in Kuantan, Pahang, by Lee Shou Cheong (李寿昌). The business began with tombstone engraving and coffin making, and it has been run by the same family for three generations. Its current Executive Director is Lee Wan Yi (李万亿), the third generation of the family.

Where is FLS Life Park and how big is it?

FLS Life Park 福禄寿陵园 is in Gambang, Kuantan. It covers 48 acres on permanent title and opened in May 2026. The park offers both ground burial plots and columbarium niches, and it has a government-supervised maintenance trust fund. Families can arrange a visit through the FLS hotline or WhatsApp at +60 12-960 2222.

Which Kuantan associations has FLS signed MOUs with?

In March 2026, FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan signed memoranda of understanding with six Chinese associations in Kuantan and Pahang: the Kuantan Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese and Hinghwa associations, the Pahang Foochow association, and the Pahang Lanchang federation of registered Chinese societies. For more about FLS, visit flsgroup.com.my or WhatsApp +60 12-960 2222.

Did FLS go through a fire in 2009?

Yes. FLS (福禄寿) Kuantan was hit by a fire in 2009, but the family kept its funeral services running without interruption, and families’ ceremonies went ahead as planned. The episode is part of the three-generation story of this Kuantan family business, which began as a small shop in 1963.