Tjong A Fie was one of the most influential plantation entrepreneurs in East Sumatra during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a key role in the development of the plantation industry in the Deli region, which at the time was a major center of agricultural production in the Dutch East Indies.

He developed various types of plantation businesses, including tobacco in Deli, tea in Bandar Baru and Si Bulan, as well as rubber, coffee, and other commodities. These enterprises contributed significantly to the economic growth of the region.

His plantations employed more than 10,000 workers, making him one of the largest plantation owners in the area. The scale of his estates was said to rival, and even surpass, some of the major plantation companies of the time.

In practice, plantation systems during this period involved a variety of labor roles. Certain tasks, such as processing and sorting plantation products, were often carried out by female workers, as was common in colonial plantation industries.