He was born in Hainan Province of China at the year of 1912. At the tender age of 16, Wong entered the workforce to earn a living to support his family. Wong migrated from Hainan to Malaysia in 1929 at the age of 17. Equipped with the skills in coffee and tea making, he started his career as a tea-maker in a kopitiam shop located at Batu Arang, Rawang. It was there, that his customers noticed the
uniqueness in his refreshing “Special”. Over a period of time, he managed to build a group of loyal customers patronizing his stall for a good cup of coffee and tea. Over the years, Wong ventured into various businesses ranging from hawker to vegetable farmer. Despite the tough times and the huge burden of responsibilities bestowed upon him, he still managed to find time to sharpen his skills in making a good cup coffee which later become an obsessed hobby in concocting coffee and tea, hence created the “Hailam Special”. With the good and loyal support from friends and customers, Wong named his stall Hailam.