By using the concept of "corridor-niche" proposed by the famous historian Philip Alden Kuhn, this paper analyses the "corridor-niche" model of four representatives of the Nanyang Chinese elite in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In my study, Khoo Seok Wan built his corridor by means of the traditional literati activities, Wong Nai Siong built his corridor of Christianity, Lim Boon Keng's corridor was reconstructed by Confucianism, and Wu Lien-teh's by medicine. The characteristics of the intellectual immigrants could be better understood by examining how these intellectual elites built their corridors and what cultural elements or social institutions they had transferred to the niche where they emigrated. Moreover, by analysing and then making a comparison among the corridors of these four elites, we can see that the reason why Lim Boon Keng was less able to rebuild the corridor smoothly is largely due to the background during that period of time.