In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 28 February 1918
- Died
- 23 October 2007
- Birthplace
- Anxi, Fujian, China
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Developing Genting Highlands
- Organisation
- Genting Group
- Founded
- 1965
- Landmark project
- Genting Highlands
- Retired
- 31 December 2003
Why this life matters
Lim’s life connects migration, construction and infrastructure with the growth of Malaysian tourism, leisure and diversified corporate enterprise.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Anxi
Born in Fujian province, China, before migrating to Malaya as a young man.
Arrived in Malaya
Reached Malaya without tertiary education and began building a livelihood through trade and construction.
Founded Genting Group
Committed to creating a resort on Mount Ulu Kali and began the access-road project.
Mountain road opened
Completed the 25.5-kilometre road from Genting Sempah to the summit area.
First hotel opened
Genting Highlands Hotel opened with 200 rooms, establishing the resort’s first major hospitality operation.
Launched the first cable car
Awana Skyway improved access and became part of the resort experience.
Retired from leadership
Stepped down at age 85 and transferred group leadership to Lim Kok Thay.
Died at age 89
Died on 23 October, leaving a diversified group and a defining Malaysian resort destination.
Migration and construction
Lim Goh Tong was born in Anxi, Fujian, in 1918 and arrived in Malaya in 1937. Genting’s official account describes a young migrant with limited formal education who learned through trading, machinery and construction work.
Before Genting Highlands, he built a reputation through Kien Huat and public-works projects. That experience in equipment, roads and difficult terrain would become central to the mountain development that defined his career.
The mountain project
At 47, Lim committed to the idea of building a resort on Mount Ulu Kali, beyond Genting Sempah. The challenge was not only to build accommodation but to create access, utilities and confidence in a site that many considered too remote.
Genting Group was founded in 1965. The road to the summit opened in 1969, and the first hotel followed in 1971. These milestones turned an engineering gamble into a tourism destination close enough to Kuala Lumpur for mass domestic travel.
From resort to diversified group
The resort expanded through hotels, entertainment and transport infrastructure such as the Awana cable car. Genting later entered plantations and other businesses, using the original destination as the platform for a broader listed group.
The company eventually developed operations beyond Malaysia, but the physical transformation of the highlands remained the clearest expression of Lim’s operating style: long time horizons, hands-on problem solving and control of the infrastructure needed to support the core idea.
Succession and legacy
Lim retired at the end of 2003 and handed leadership to his son Lim Kok Thay. He died in October 2007. Genting’s annual report that year recorded the transition while presenting the mountain resort as the centrepiece of his legacy.
His biography matters beyond a founder story. It shows how construction capacity, access infrastructure and tourism demand combined to create a new Malaysian destination—and how one project became the organising idea for a multinational business group.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Lim Goh Tong
- Who was Lim Goh Tong?
- Lim Goh Tong was a founder of Genting Group. Lim’s life connects migration, construction and infrastructure with the growth of Malaysian tourism, leisure and diversified corporate enterprise.
- What is Lim Goh Tong best known for?
- Lim Goh Tong is best known for developing Genting Highlands.
- When and where was Lim Goh Tong born?
- Lim Goh Tong was born on 28 February 1918 in Anxi, Fujian, China.
- When did Lim Goh Tong die?
- Lim Goh Tong died on 23 October 2007.
Sources and further reading
How this biography was checked
Core dates and offices are checked against the sources below. This profile was last reviewed on 31 August 2026.
