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Coolies, such as the one shown in the picture, performed back-breaking tasks such as loading and unloading cargo and mining tin ore under the scorching tropical sun. Engaging in hard physical labour, Chinese coolies formed the early backbone of Singapore's labour force.

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Florence Nightingale contributed to Singapore as a nurse. She provided the citizens of Singapore medical equipment, clean after and fruits. Because of her and her contributions, the mortality rate decreased from 60% to 42% and then it dropped even more to 2.2%.During the war, Florance was like a mother to the soldiers. She brings a lamp with her and goes to the patients’ camp and give them medical care.Florence Nightingale Then died in 19 August 1910 at the age 90.

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Dr. Goh Keng Swee

Goh was born in Malacca on 6 October 1918 into a middle class Peranakan family, the fifth of six children. His father Goh Leng Inn, was a manager of a rubber plantation, while his mother Tan Swee Eng, was from the family that produced the Malaysian politicians Tan Cheng Lock and his son, Tan Siew Sin, who would later become Goh's lifelong political opponent.

Goh was a prominent member of the country's first generation of political leaders after Singapore became independent in 1965. He served as Minister for Finance between 1959 and 1965, and again between 1967 and 1970, Minister for Interior and Defence between 1965 and 1967, Minister for Defence between 1970 and 1979 and Minister for Education between 1979 and 1985.

As Minister for Interior and Defence, his main objective was to strengthen the country's military and domestic security capabilities, after the British had withdrawn its troops from Singapore thus making the newly-independent nation vulnerable. A key policy was the creation of National Service (NS), a mandatory conscription system for able-bodied young males.

During Goh's tenure as Minister for Finance, he declined to allow the central bank to issue currency, favoring instead a currency board system as this would signal to citizens, academics and the financial world that governments cannot use money to get out of trouble or to use for bribery. In 1981, Goh also expressed the view that the central bank need not hold large amounts of cash in reserve to defend the currency, proposing that the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) be established to invest excess reserves.

Goh died in 2010 at the age of 91, and he was given a state funeral.

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an early tradition in the malay culture is the zapin dance. the dance was used to enforce the preaching of islam , to deepen the faith of the muslims, and to strengthen social bonds between them. it was originated in the 14th century in the hadhrmaut region in yemen and was introduced in the malay archipelago in the 14th century. in the past, zapin dancers were mainly men. in the recent days, it is comm0n to see both male and female zapin dancers performing tog3ther.

the dance movements are choreographed to melodies, and are performed using musical instruments such as the gambus,  accordion, violin etc.

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Tan Kah Kee: A prominent businessman and community leader, Tan Kah Kee was instrumental in promoting education among the Chinese community and advocating for Chinese rights. He supported various social and political causes, contributing to the political consciousness of the Chinese community in Singapore.

Lim Boon Keng: Another influential figure, Lim Boon Keng was a physician, social reformer, and political activist. He played a key role in advocating for social welfare reforms and was involved in political movements aimed at improving the living conditions of the poor and marginalized communities in Singapore.

Indian Leaders and Activists:

Muthu Ramalingam: A lawyer and politician, Muthu Ramalingam was active in the Indian community and played a significant role in advocating for Indian political rights in Singapore during the colonial era. He was involved in various political movements and efforts to improve the representation of Indians in local governance.

Narayana Pillai: A respected leader in the Indian community, Narayana Pillai was involved in various social and political causes, including advocating for Indian education and political representation in Singapore.

European and Eurasian Leaders:

Sir Stamford Raffles: As the founder of modern Singapore in 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles introduced British colonial rule, establishing institutions and a legal framework that shaped the early political landscape of Singapore.

William Farquhar: Raffles' deputy and collaborator, Farquhar played a crucial role in the administration of early Singapore and in managing relations with local communities.

Malay Leaders:

Tengku Mahmud: A prominent figure in the Malay community, Tengku Mahmud was involved in political and social issues affecting Malays in Singapore during the colonial period. He contributed to efforts advocating for Malay cultural preservation and community welfare.

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Tan Tock Seng was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist who contributed significantly to public health in Singapore. He donated generously towards the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which provided medical care to the local community.

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Early life
Tan was born in Malacca in 1798, the third son of an immigrant from Fujian province, China, and a local Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese) woman. In 1819, at age 21, Tan left Malacca and came to Singapore.6 The enterprising young man started out as a vegetable seller, bringing produce from the countryside to sell in the city. By 1827, he had saved up enough money to open a shop along the riverside at Boat Quay.⁷

Businessman
Through a joint business venture in land speculation with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co., Tan became a wealthy businessman.⁸ His landed properties included 50 acres of land where the railway station at Tanjong Pagar was located, and tracts of land stretching from the Padang all the way to High Street and Tank Road.9 He also owned a block of shophouses at Ellenborough Building and a 14-acre fruit plantation opposite the St Andrew’s Mission Hospital.¹⁰

Philanthropist
Tan made generous contributions to charity. 11 He was known to take care of burial expenses for destitute Chinese.¹² His most famous philanthropic gesture was the donation of $5,000 towards the building of the Chinese Pauper Hospital (later renamed Tan Tock Seng Hospital) in 1844 at Pearl’s Hill. The building was designed by government surveyor J. T. Thomson. Although it was completed at the end of 1846, the building was operated as a hospital only from 1849 onwards, as the government had used it as a temporary convict jail.¹³ Tan also founded the Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street, Singapore’s oldest temple and the centre of worship for the Hokkien community.¹⁴

Tan was the first Asian to be made Justice of the Peace by then Governor William J. Butterworth.¹⁵ His role in helping the early Chinese immigrants settle disputes earned him the title “Captain of the Chinese”.¹⁶

After a short illness, Tan died at age 52 on 24 February 1850.¹⁷ His original burial site was unknown, but his remains were later exhumed and interred at Outram Road.¹⁸ His daughter-in-law, Chua Seah Neo, and granddaughter-in-law, Wuing Neo, were also buried there.¹⁹ In 1969, his grave was under threat of demolition during road widening work, and his descendants intervened.20 After his tomb was found to be neglected in 1989, descendants of Tan Tock Seng set up a trust fund to finance the ongoing repairs and maintenance of their family graves.21

https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=35c1be2d-360b-4e36-90da-be55e5df0c69#:~:text=Tan%20made%20generous%20contributions%20to%20charity.&text=He%20was%20known%20to%20take,in%201844%20at%20Pearl's%20Hill.

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In 1906, the Tongmenghui, a revolutionary Chinese organisation dedicated to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty led by Sun Yat-Sen, founded its Nanyang branch in Singapore, which was to serve as the organisation's headquarters in Southeast Asia. The Tongmenghui would eventually be part of several groups that took part in the Xinhai Revolution and established the Republic of China. Overseas Chinese like the immigrant Chinese population in Singapore donated generously to groups like the Tongmenghui, which would eventually evolve into the Kuomintang. Today, this founding is commemorated in the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall - previously known as Sun Yat Sen Villa or Wang Qing Yuan (meaning "House of the Heavens above" in Chinese) - in Singapore where the branch operated from. According to George Yeo, the Foreign Minister of Singapore, in those days the Kuomintang party flag, which later became the flag of the Republic of China, was sewn in the Sun Yat Sen Villa by Teo Eng Hock and his wife.

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The founding of Singapore as a British trading port in 1819 led to an influx of immigrants from China, India and the Malay Archipelago, who came in search of work opportunities arising from the colony’s rapid growth. People of different trades and socio-economic status arrived, from administrators and merchants, to peddlers and labourers.

A large number of migrants from China and India arrived as labourers, providing the much-needed labour in building construction, agriculture, shipping and other industries on the island. Others came as merchants, shopkeepers and moneylenders. Among the indigenous Malays and their fellows from the region, many worked as fishermen, farmers, artisans, traders, and more. The Europeans came as administrators and merchants, working in government offices, banks and trading houses. They were often assisted by English-educated locals.
Many impoverished Chinese migrants came to Singapore in the 19th century to work as coolies – indentured labourers who were employed in construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and other sectors. They formed the backbone of early Singapore’s labour force. Mostly engaged in unskilled, hard labour, coolies worked under harsh circumstances. Coolies carrying cargo and commodities around the Singapore River and port were a common sight in the old days.
Originating from South India, Tamil coolies came to Singapore during the 19th century and generally worked at the docks or built railway lines. In addition, Singapore also received Indian convicts, mainly from Bengal, Madras and Bombay, who served out their sentences while working as labourers. These convicts were a source of cheap labour needed for the construction of public roads, bridges and key public buildings in the early days.
Samsui women, with their trademark red headdress, were female migrant workers mainly from Sanshui county in Guangdong province, China. They arrived in Singapore from the 1930s in search of employment. Many found work as general labourers in the construction industry, at tin mines and rubber estates.
Working as an itinerant street hawker was a common occupation among unskilled early migrants, as it required little capital. Seen here are Chinese street hawkers plying their trade outside Telok Ayer Market, now a well-known hawker centre known as Lau Pa Sat (‘old market’ in Hokkien). Hawkers who operated food carts and stalls were once a familiar sight. From the 1970s onwards, they were moved to more sanitary modern hawker centres, which have become one of Singapore’s trademarks.

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Gambier and pepper were two of the most important crops grown in Malaya in the 19th century. The two crops were often cultivated together as they complemented each other. Gambier was in high demand in the dyeing and tanning industry, while pepper had long been an export commodity of Southeast Asia. In the 1840s, there were 600 gambier and pepper plantations in Singapore, which employed thousands of Chinese labourers. Once these pepper plants were harvested, they could then be sold for a lot of money.

https://memoriesoftwocities.nlb.gov.sg/memories-of-two-cities-singapore/all-walks-of-life/people-at-work/#:~:text=Many%20impoverished%20Chinese%20migrants%20came,of%20early%20Singapore's%20labour%20force.

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Police wearing khaki uniform which was worn from 1893-before ww2

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These are the two volumes of ‘An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore’, written by Charles Buckley and published in the Singapore Free Press. Taken together, it covers Singapore’s history and political, social, economic and religious conditions from 1511-1866, as well as various personalities and establishments. The manner in which the books are written justify the colonial rule of the time. Buckley writes that the Settlements were ‘founded and settled by the Europeans and there [ought] to be governed according to their laws and customs’. The language Buckley uses in describing local rituals is sometimes offensive and ignorant, calling a Hindu festival ‘cruel and disgusting’, and suggesting that it ‘pollute[s] the island’.

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Tan Tock Seng

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Tan started out as a humble vegetable seller and rose to become one of Singapore's most eminent philanthropists and a leader of the Chinese community. He was the first Asian to be appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1844, he helped set up a hospital for the poor that now bears his name

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Tan started out as a humble vegetable seller and rose to become one of Singapore's most eminent philanthropists and a leader of the Chinese community. He was the first Asian to be appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1844, he helped set up a hospital for the poor that now bears his name

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they coem to singapore and trade for money

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Chinese immigrants brought this art form into Singapore. They are either performed during religious occasions at temples and celebrations or as a form of entertainment. Wayang or Chinese Opera in the late 19th centuries, was the most popular form of live entertainment for more than a century in Singapore. Since immigrants came to Singapore to find a job, the Chinese immigrants decided to use this form of art as a job which became popular as a way to make money.

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From 1825, Singapore began receiving Indian convicts from British India to serve out their sentences, and assist with the labour shortage and development requirements in the colony. Singapore, being the fastest growing of the Straits Settlements, which also comprised Penang and Malacca, had become the main convict station by the 1830s. Laying many of Singapore’s early public roads, and erecting monumental buildings and bridges, these convicts literally built early Singapore. The transportation of convict labour to Singapore ceased in 1873. The convicts were either sent to other colonies, given freedom to settle in Singapore or repatriated. For governors and officials, particularly those in charge of convicts, it was economically profitable to engage convicts in tasks that contractors and free labour refused to undertake. Convict labour was therefore invaluable. Generally well behaved and hardworking, the convicts initially did work such as clearing land and rubbish, reclaiming swamps, laying the earliest roads, and erecting buildings and bridges.⁴

Singapore quickly became the major convict centre among the Straits Settlements because of the colony’s speedy development. Also, because the Indian population in Singapore was much smaller than that in Penang, it was harder for Indian convicts to escape into the community.⁵ By 1841, the Straits Settlements had become the “Sydney convict settlements of British India”, and there were between 1,100 and 1,200 of such transported convicts just in Singapore. In an 1845 population census, the numbers of “local and continental convicts” had risen to 1,500.6

Between 1825 to 1872, Indian convicts made up the bulk of the labour force for public works in Singapore”.⁷Between 1852 and 1854, when labour cost rose by 30 percent, the government came to rely almost entirely on convict labour for the construction of public works.⁸

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The economic aspect is a vital component of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it intersects with several key areas such as poverty eradication, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, and reduced inequalities.

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These are the two volumes of ‘An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore’, written by Charles Buckley and published in the Singapore Free Press. Taken together, it covers Singapore’s history and political, social, economic and religious conditions from 1511-1866, as well as various personalities and establishments. The manner in which the books are written justify the colonial rule of the time. Buckley writes that the Settlements were ‘founded and settled by the Europeans and there [ought] to be governed according to their laws and customs’. The language Buckley uses in describing local rituals is sometimes offensive and ignorant, calling a Hindu festival ‘cruel and disgusting’, and suggesting that it ‘pollute[s] the island’.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Thong_Chai_Medical_Institution,_Mar_06.JPG

Gan was of Hokkien Chinese descent, born and educated in Melaka, and the eldest son of five in his family. His forefathers immigrated from Fujian, China, to Malaya. Owing to poor circumstances, he had an elementary school education in which he learnt to read and write in simple English and keep accounts. After his father's death, Gan, then 16 years old, was involved in the nutmeg business on a very small scale.

Gan was later taken as an apprentice by Guthrie and Company. He was diligent and capable, and his ability won him the recognition and keen interest of Thomas Scott, one of the partners in the company. Scott was one of the early British pioneers responsible for developing Tanjung Pagar and the port of Singapore.Gan was subsequently promoted to the post of Assistant Storekeeper and then Chief Storekeeper of the company. In 1874, he became the company's Chief Compradore, a position which he held for the next 25 years. Scott later helped to finance some of Gan's early business ventures, one of which was to supply labour and transport to the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company which helped Gan make most of his personal fortunes.

The Thong Chai Medical Institution was another major charity which Gan strongly backed and financed. It was established in 1867 and is the oldest charitable institution in Singapore. It began treating the poor of all races and religions in a rented shophouse at 31 Upper Pickering Street. In 1975, it was relocated to 50 Chin Swee Road and till today, the institution continues to provide free medical consultation and herbal medicines to all.

In 1895, Gan was one of the co-founders of the Ee Hoe Hean Club, a social--business club where like-minded Chinese businessmen could mingle and exchange ideas. Its members included notable Chinese pioneers such as Lim Boon Keng, Tan Kah Kee, Lim Nee Soon etc. It was originally located on Duxton Hill but moved to Bukit Pasoh Road in 1925. The club plays an active role in community services and charity work to this day.

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Tan Tock Seng was born in Malacca in 1798 to a Chinese Fujianese immigrant father and local Peranakan mother. He left for Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21, the same year Stamford Raffles established a trading base on the island under the British East India Company. Tan made a living by selling vegetables, fruits, fish and other produce in the newly-built city center and eventually earned enough to open a store at Boat Quay in 1827. He donated $5,000 to the construction of the Chinese Pauper Hospital in 1844, which was named after its benefactor on its opening and referred to colloquially as "Tan Tock Seng hospital". This hospital is now still based in the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road, it helps to attend to ill patients.

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Welcome to

The virtual treasure hunt is back! Solve clues to find hidden caps for a chance to win NDP preview show tickets or Grab vouchers each week. A grand prize that includes a staycation in a heritage building and actual NDP show tickets is also up for grabs.

There's no time to waste, this week's hunt ends at 11:59 p.m. on 24 July, 2022

Clue #1
A 150-year strong canopy,
and a painting in every note.
Happy hunting!

Click here to find out more about how to play, prizes to be won and T&Cs.

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The virtual treasure hunt is back! Solve clues to find hidden caps for a chance to win NDP preview show tickets or Grab vouchers each week. A grand prize that includes a staycation in a heritage building and actual NDP show tickets is also up for grabs.

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A large number of migrants from China and India arrived as labourers, providing the much-needed labour in building construction, agriculture, shipping and other industries on the island

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Artefact : High Street oldest street in Singapore 

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Artefact : High Street oldest street in Singapore 

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It features the high end shopping area during colonial times

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engaged mostly in unskilled, hard labour, formed the early backbone of Singapore’s labour force. They were mainly impoverished Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore in the latter half of the 19th century to seek fortune, but instead served as indentured labourers.1 Coolies were employed in almost every sector of work including construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw pulling.²

Etymology
It is believed that the word “coolie” was derived from the Hindi term kuli, which is also the name of a native tribe in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The Kulis were said to be among the first coolies to arrive in Singapore. The word kuli also means “hire” in Tamil.³

History
Chinese coolies were driven by poverty in China to seek a better life in Singapore. There were three peak periods of Chinese coolie emigration to Singapore: 1823 to 1891, after Singapore became a free port; 1910 to 1911, before World War I; and 1926 to 1927, after the war. The influx of immigrants decreased after 1927 because of the Great Depression and continued in the downward trend when World War II occurred. Coolie trade never peaked after this and most immigrants after World War II were skilled labour.⁴

Job scope
Coolies were employed in mines, ports, plantations, construction sites and as rickshaw pullers.5 They did back-breaking tasks under the sun and for long hours, such as loading and unloading cargo as well as tin-ore mining.⁶ It was a common sight in early Singapore to see coolies carrying gunny sacks filled with commodities near the Singapore River.⁷

Description
The newly arrived coolie recruit was called singkeh (also spelt sinkeh), meaning “new arrival” in Hokkien. Secret societies and clan associations (kongsi) were involved in controlling and regulating the emigration of Chinese coolies.⁸ Secret societies helped the peasants pay for their journey to Singapore and sought employment for them, and thus acted as agents for the emigrants.⁹ Upon arrival, the majority of the early coolies would be handed over to employers of the same dialect.10

Dialect associations had assumed some of the roles of the Chinese clans back home, which included mutual assistance. The kongsi was either an organisation of like-minded individuals speaking the same dialect or from the same locality in China. Kinship ties formed by these clan associations also facilitated early Chinese immigration to Southeast Asia, providing protection, lodging and economic opportunities in a land with foreign people and customs. These dialect and clan organisations were viewed as guilds that protected the occupational interests of the members.¹¹

Coolies frequently faced abuse and ill treatment at the hands of the coolie brokers. In response to this, the Chinese Protectorate was established in 1877 to handle the immigration and official procedures for coolies. William Pickering became the first Protector of the Chinese.12

Secret societies recruited members among the sinkeh, who had to pay subscriptions as members. In return, the societies offered to support the coolies financially in times of illness, defend their livelihoods and organise funeral rites. The major secret societies at the time were Ghee Hin, Ghee Hok and Hai San. For much of the 19th century, the British government allowed the secret societies to function in order to keep the Chinese immigrant population in check.¹³ However, the growing scale of clashes and riots led to the clamping down of the societies, which eventually resulted in the enactment of the Societies Ordinance at the start of 1890.¹⁴

After secret societies were outlawed, voluntary associations that were organised around dialects, surnames or hometowns gained prominence as the immigrants looked to these groups for social support.¹⁵

Exploitation and hardship
The coolies were often exploited and abused by the coolie brokers. During the 1870s and 1880s, some coolies were unwillingly shipped to Sumatra, where the price for coolies was much higher than that in the Straits Settlements.¹⁶ The coolies who arrived in Singapore had to endure grim living conditions and earned very little.¹⁷ Many of the jobs taken by coolies involved hard labour, which took a toll on their bodies. In order to relieve their tired and sore bodies and to escape from their misery, many turned to smoking opiumand gambling.¹⁸ Coolies who were not “sold” to prospective employers were confined to overcrowded and filthy coolie depots.¹⁹

Few Chinese coolies returned to China, and most settled down in Singapore doing other odd jobs.²⁰

Development
As Singapore developed economically in the postwar period, the need for coolies declined. Following Singapore’s independence in 1965, there were new laws and radical economic restructuring.²¹ Modern technology was developed and incorporated at a fast pace and coolies in the harbour were no longer needed.²²

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Battery Road with Hongkong and Shanghai Bank (left) built in 1892, Medical Hall (centre) located in the Red House (so called because of the red bricks used) set up by early German immigrants in the 1850s and Tan Kim Seng fountain (bottom left) at Fullerton Square. Officially unveiled on 19 May 1882, the fountain was built in commemoration of Tan Kim Seng's generous $13,000 contribution towards constructing Singapore's first public waterworks.

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Portrait of Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961), an eminent philanthropist, educationist, entrepreneur, community leader and political activist who died at the age of 87 in Beijing, and accorded a national funeral by the Chinese government for his contribution to society. He founded five primary and secondary Chinese schools in Singapore, among them was Chinese High School. Mr Tan Kah Kee was a founding member of Singapore Chinese Chamber Commerce established in 1906.

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Henry Nicholas Ridley (1855-1956), plant geographer and economic botanist. He was the first Scientific Director of Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1888 to 1911, and conducted experiments that convinced him of enormous economic potential of rubber as a plantation crop. Ridley's research on rubber led to his discovery and development of a practical and improved method of latex gathering, a more efficient method of rubber-tapping without killing the tree.

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Photo was taken in 1920 these people are a Cantonese furniture and Tayloring making clothes for the people during that period of time and are part of the Cantonese Singapore furniture manufacturers and traders association.

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Chinese opera is also known as wayang. The earliest description of Chinese opera dates back to 1842, when Charles Wilkes, Commander of the United States South Seas Exploring Expedition, was in Singapore and observed various ceremonies performed by the Chinese to celebrate Lunar New Year. Chinese street opera was introduced to Singapore by the Chinese immigrants who arrived in the later half of the 19th century. Most performances were free to watch. Later on in the early 20th century, Chinese tea houses became popular venues for Chinese opera performances. One of the said tea houses was known as Nam Tin.

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Indian hawkers who sold snacks often carried a basket containing their wares on their head. Selling bread and cakes or kacang puteh (‘assorted nuts’ in Malay), they plied their trade along pavements or outside cinemas. Working as an itinerant street hawker was a common occupation among unskilled early migrants, as it required little capital.    Hawkers who operated food carts and stalls were once a familiar sight. From the 1970s onwards, they were moved to more sanitary modern hawker centres, which have become one of Singapore’s trademarks.

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The Battle of Pasir Panjang, also known as the Battle of Opium Hill or the Battle at Bukit Chandu, lasted from 13 to 14 February 1942 and it was during this battle that the Malay Regiment gained its reputation for courage, heroism and loyalty, as many of its men were killed in their defence of the Pasir Panjang Ridge.¹⁸ After Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese, the survivors of the regiment, numbering some 600 men, were reassembled in the Keppel Golf Links area on 15 and 16 February. They were later separated from the British officers, and made to join Indian prisoners-of-war at Farrer Park.19  Tamil coolies helped to build Singapore by helping to build many structures.

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The Malay Regiment was an all-Malay military force formed at Port Dickson, Malaya, on 1 March 1933 under the command of British officers.¹ Also known as Askar Melayu in Malay, the regiment is best remembered for its soldiers’ display of bravery and loyalty in the Battle of Pasir Panjang during the Japanese invasion of Singapore in February 1942.2 The Battle of Pasir Panjang, also known as the Battle of Opium Hill or the Battle at Bukit Chandu, lasted from 13 to 14 February 1942 and it was during this battle that the Malay Regiment gained its reputation for courage, heroism and loyalty, as many of its men were killed in their defence of the Pasir Panjang Ridge.¹⁸ After Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese, the survivors of the regiment, numbering some 600 men, were reassembled in the Keppel Golf Links area on 15 and 16 February. They were later separated from the British officers, and made to join Indian prisoners-of-war at Farrer Park.¹⁹

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a picture of people gathering to watch chinese opera (wayang) in the 1890s

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Chinese opera is also known as wayang. The earliest description of Chinese opera dates back to 1842, when Charles Wilkes, Commander of the United States South Seas Exploring Expedition, was in Singapore and observed various ceremonies performed by the Chinese to celebrate Lunar New Year. Chinese street opera was introduced to Singapore by the Chinese immigrants who arrived in the later half of the 19th century. Most performances were free to watch. The popularity of wayang soon rose to such a level that the large crowds at these performances worried the authorities. The government attempted to curtail wayang performances through measures such as the 1856 Police and Conservancy Acts which restricted assemblies, processions and street operas. However, such measures were met with protest, and wayang continued to flourish as the controls were eased. Wayang has survived modernisation and continues to be performed in Singapore. This is due to efforts by the government and various community associations to preserve and promote it as part of Singapore’s cultural heritage as well as the resurgence of performances by troupes from China and the revival of local amateur troupes.

source : https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1218_2011-06-28.html

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Why could the coolies not go back to their country

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Why could the coolies not go back to their country

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How many crimes were committed in the past?

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Pre war marine training at the empress place

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This picture was taken in the late 19th century.
Hawkers were usually illiterate and had to work as a hawker in order to earn a living. Street hawking was a popular occupation for many new immigrants to Singapore as it gave the unemployed and the unskilled a way to make a living with little costs. Street hawkers played an important role in providing the working classes with easy access to affordable meals.

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I don’t know why you found this

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Taken in 1941. These are police cadets at a police training school in 1941. It is a contribution to the political development of Singapore because they are training to protect Singapore so that we have less crimes happening.

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Do coolies get the same medical treatment as others

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Do coolies get the same medical treatment as others

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Chinese opera
Opera houses that could accommodate hundreds of patrons were built in Chinatown to stage shows on a daily basis. Lai Chun Yuen was the first opera house dedicated to Cantonese opera and held performances twice a day. It was established along the Smith Street in 1887

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Yongjun, Fabien, Cyrus, Archer, Pavan, Ameyaa 

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Yongjun, Fabien, Cyrus, Archer, Pavan, Ameyaa 

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Chinese left china as there was a demand for skilled workforce and labour in Singapore which was attracting Chinese migrants to Singapore. They wanted to seek fortune, but instead served as indentured labourers. Coolies were employed in every sector of work including construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw pulling.

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In April 1955, Marshall led the left-wing Labour Front to a narrow victory in Singapore's first Legislative Assembly elections. He formed a minority government and became Chief Minister. He resigned in April 1956 after a failed delegation to London to negotiate for complete self-rule.[6]

After resigning, Marshall visited China for two months at the invitation of Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier. Contacted by a representative of a group of over 400 Russian Jewswho were being refused exit from Shanghai by the Chinese authorities, Marshall spoke with Zhou and managed to have them released.[7]

After returning from China, Marshall stayed on the backbenches before quitting the Labour Front and as a member of the Legislative Assembly in 1957. On 7 November 1957, he founded the Workers' Party of Singapore (WP).

Marshall lost his seat in Cairnhill Single Member Constituency to Lim Yew Hock, the Chief Minister, in the 1959 general election as a WP candidate, but won in Anson Single Member Constituency in the 1961 by-election.[4] He resigned from the Workers' Party in January 1963 after a spat with the party.

After losing his seat again in the 1963 general election as an independent candidate, he returned to practice law and remained active in politics.

Source: Wikipedia

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What is this for?

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https://www.oranglaut.sg/

https://youtu.be/GYD_e-GsgDY

Pulau Semakau, as it stands today, is a landfill to Singapore. However, this island means much more to the orang Laut. The earliest description of the Orang Laut may have been by the 14th century Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan who described the inhabitants of Temasek (present day Singapore) in his work Daoyi Zhilüe. They were once the occupants of Pulau Semakau. In front of our attap house was a long wooden jetty. It was old, rigid, and it held their livelihoods. The jetty was where they docked the sampans that they fished on, and a platform they used to jump into the water.They lived on boats and sustained their lives by fishing and collecting other materials from the forests. After 1819, they were relocated by Temenggong Abdul Rahman to the northern Singapore Straits at Sungai Pulau.
More than 40 years ago, the occupants of Pulau Semakau ( Orang Laut ) were asked to evacuate the island. They were the last to leave. Today, their families are scattered across the country, some living nearer to the open waters, with hopes of returning to the place they used to live in.

They are the original Orang Laut, or the people of the sea. Their families along with many others depended on the life source that the sea brought about.

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Gan Eng Seng was a Chinese philosopher that built Gan Eng Seng School meant for the Chinese community in 1885. This shows that the people in different communities support each other in ways like building schools to provide their descendants with a good education.

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Were coolies treated the same as others?

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Were coolies treated the same as others?

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Were Coolies treated the same as others?

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Were Coolies treated the same as others?

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Home - Archives Online - National Archives of Singapore

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HistorySG is an online resource guide to events that have unfolded in Singapore's history since 1299 to the present. Each event is briefly introduced in a short write-up accompanied by links to related content from the collections of the National Library Board (NLB) as well as that of other agencies and institutions.

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Welcome to

The virtual treasure hunt is back! Solve clues to find hidden caps for a chance to win NDP preview show tickets or Grab vouchers each week. A grand prize that includes a staycation in a heritage building and actual NDP show tickets is also up for grabs.

There's no time to waste, this week's hunt ends at 11:59 p.m. on 24 July, 2022

Clue #1
A 150-year strong canopy,
and a painting in every note.
Happy hunting!

Click here to find out more about how to play, prizes to be won and T&Cs.

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The virtual treasure hunt is back! Solve clues to find hidden caps for a chance to win NDP preview show tickets or Grab vouchers each week. A grand prize that includes a staycation in a heritage building and actual NDP show tickets is also up for grabs.

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NewspaperSG is an online resource of current and historic Singapore and Malaya newspapers. You can search our digital archive of newspapers published between 1831-2009, or find information on over 200 newspaper titles in the National Library's microfilm collection.

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Coolies were male labourer immigrants who were forced to leave China due to famine and unrest in order to seek a better life in foreign lands. This sojourn was usually temporary as many harboured the intention of returning to China with money in their pockets. Coolies came to singapore in the late 1840s.
Coolies were important in the growth of singapore’s economy.

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Both Portuguese and Malay sources agree that one of Parameswara’s main sources of support when he fled from Palembang, Sumatra, to Singapura was a group of “Sea People” or “Sea Nomads” (Orang Laut). The Portuguese called them Çelates, which was derived from the Malay word selat (which means “strait”). The Sea People who came with Parameswara from Palembang (or perhaps Bangka) chose not to live with him at Singapura but stayed at Karimun Island in the Riau Islands instead. Perhaps they felt unwelcome in Singapura, as the Portuguese claim. These Sea People may have been involved in the murder of Singapura’s chief eight days after Parameswara arrived there in 1391.

For hundreds if not thousands of years, the Sea People specialised in collecting natural products, which they exchanged with the inhabitants of settlements located in estuaries along the Straits of Malacca. These Sea People were usually allied with a patron, either Malay or Chinese, who claimed exclusive rights to trade with them, and was seen as their protector.

Karimun plays no role in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), but the island occupies a strategic position at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca. Chinese sailing directions of the Yuan and Ming dynasties refer to Karimun Island as an important navigational landmark and rendezvous.

A cliff on the northern side of Karimun bears a Sanskrit inscription in Nagari script that was carved either in the ninth or 10th century during the Srivijaya empire’s golden age. In large letters 30 cm tall, the inscription proclaims Mahāyānika Golayantritasri Gautama Sripada, which is translated as: “These are the footsteps of the illustrious Gautama, the Mahayanist, who possessed an armillary sphere”. Probably this is a boast by a local Sea Nomad ruler resulting from his acquisition of a token of esteem from the Srivijayan ruler.

The Çelates were the only people who lived in Singapura in 1511. Tomé Pirés, a Portuguese apothecary and author of the early 16th century, provides the following description of Singapura: “The Synggapura channel. It has a few Çelatesvillages; it is nothing much”.[1] Çelates Bajaus, according to Pirés, lived near Singapura and Palembang, and were always seen in the company of Parameswara. The Bendahara and Laksamana were the hereditary offices of these Sea People. In the 17th century, the Sea People of Singapura had a chief who went by the high-sounding title of Raja Negara Selat, which means “king of the country [or town] of the Straits”.[2]

According to Pirés’s informants, it was the Sea People who discovered the site of Malacca and then invited Parameswara to move there from Muar. When the Portuguese took Malacca, the Laksamana there was a descendant of these Sea People. Hang Tuah, the Malay hero of 15th-century Malacca, may have been a member of this group. Pirés called a group of islands between Karimun and Rangsang “Çelates islands”, and noted that they produced some food.

In 1846, Karimun was still notorious as a base for pirates of the Galang suku (suku means “tribes”, communities; small groups, usually speaking their own dialect, and identified with a particular range of territory). In the late 19th century, Karimun’s population consisted largely of the descendants of these boat dwellers.

The Sea People retained their important position in the kingdom after the Malay capital moved from Malacca to Ujung Tanah (the Johor-Singapore-Riau area). Different suku had different occupations. The suku Mantang specialised in blacksmithing, including making swords and spears. Other suku served as soldiers, rowers, “transport of envoys and letters to rulers in foreign countries”; were producers of agar-agar and sago, provided service in the kitchens by transporting water and wood; and raised hunting dogs.[3]

The Sea People’s links to the Malay rulers persisted until 1699, when the last sultan who could claim to be a direct descendant of Sri Tri Buana was assassinated. Following the death of the sultan, the Sea People soon became fragmented and leaderless, and were absorbed by other ethnic groups.

In 1819, Singapore was home to several suku of Sea People. Those who lived around the Singapore River belonged to the suku Gelam, who also inhabited Batam and the nearby islands. Munshi Abdullah noted that they paid homage to a rock near the mouth of the Singapore River that resembled a garfish head. Soon after the British arrived, the sukuGelam moved to Pulau Berani, an island located off the southern coast of Singapore.[4] The suku Seletar lived around mangroves, especially on the northern coast of Singapore near the mouth of the Seletar River. The suku Biduanda-Kallang, who lived in the mangrove swamp at the Kallang River, died out in 1848 due to a smallpox epidemic.[5]

References
1. Pirés, T. (1944). The Suma oriental of Tomé Pirés, an account of the East, from the Red Sea to Japan, written in Malacca and India in 1512–1515, and The book of Francisco Rodrigues, rutter of a voyage in the Red Sea, nautical rules, almanack and maps, written and drawn in the East before 1515 (A. Cortesao, Trans.) (p. 262) [Microfilm: NL 14208 (Vol. 1), NL 26012 (Vol. 2)]. London: Hakluyt Society.
2. Andaya, L. Y. (1975). The Kingdom of Johor, 1641–1728: A study of economic and political developments in the Straits of Malacca (pp. 256, 259, 264, 281, 288). Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.
3. Andaya, 1975, p. 44.
4. Sopher, D. E. (1977). The sea nomads: A study of the maritime boat people of Southeast Asia (p. 105). Singapore: National Museum Singapore. Call no.: RSING 959 SOP.
5. Sopher, 197, p. 107.

The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

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Image of Chinese opera performance, late 19th century

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Chinese opera, also known and wayang in Malay,was introduced in the 19th century in Singapore by early immigrants and were usually performed at religious events. It was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the past, and due to its popularity Singapore was considered a “second homeland of Cantonese opera”. Opera houses were opened all around Chinatown during that time. Later on in the early 20th century, Chinese tea houses became popular venues for Chinese opera performances. One of the said tea houses was known as Nam Tin, and it drew crowds with regular qingchang (Mandarin for ‘pure singing’) performances which involved solo or a group accompanied by a small number of musicians.

Source: Kreta Ayer Museum thing at yesterday’s learning journey.

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Coolies helped to transport storage from harbours/ships in Singapore and made a living doing this in the early 19th- 20th century. Many came to Singapore to make a living and send money back to their homeland. However, some coolies were brought to countries against their will to make money for the coolie labourer(?)

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Coolies were employed in almost every sector of work including construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw pulling.

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From 1820, as Singapore was opened for trade, British merchants who had established themselves in the Straits and Bengal formed mercantile (agency) houses in Singapore for the exchange of Straits produce, opium, tea and English manufactured wares.[1] In 1820, Alexander Johnston & Co. (A. L. Johnston & Co.), one of the first European agency houses, was established in Singapore.[2] It became a firm that was closely associated with the first 70 years of Singapore’s history.[3]

The founder of A. L. Johnston & Co. was Alexander Laurie Johnston, a former sea captain who had arrived in Singapore in 1819.[4] In 1823, Johnston acquired a few pieces of dry land on the western bank of the Singapore River where he built his seafront warehouse-🤬-residence. It was a large complex facing Battery Road that stretched from the far side of Flint Street across to Fullerton Square and down to the river. It was nicknamed tanjong tangkap (which means “Catch all Trade Point” in Malay) for its prime location that allowed its proprietor to “catch” (tangkap) the merchant captains as they arrived.[5] In 1824, the agency house had two other partners – Andrew Hay and Christopher Rideout Read. Read’s son, William H. M. Read, moved to Singapore in 1841 to join the company and took over from his father as partner when the senior Read retired the following year.[6] The company had in its employee records names of old prominent residents such as Charles Burton Buckley and Walter Scott Duncan.[7] Tanjong Tangkap was rebuilt after Johnston retired and left for England in 1841, but by 1848 it had fallen into a state of decay. A. L. Johnston & Co. then moved its premises across the road and erected a new building.[8]

A. L. Johnston & Co. also had a branch in Riau. The company traded in commodities such as opium, pepper, gambier and spices, and acted as agents for a variety of enterprises, including steamers, banks, and insurance companies.[9]William Read left Singapore in 1887 leaving William Edward Hooper, the local partner, to helm the company from 1888 until it went into liquidation in 1892.[10] A misfortune hit Read several years before he died in 1909: he lost all his hard-earned capital through the negligence of stockbrokers.[11] A. L. Johnston & Co. was one of the only two original Singapore firms (the other was Guthrie & Company) to have survived the stormy years when the merchants pressed and succeeded to remove the Straits Settlements from the control of the India Office.[12]

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The shophouse at 37 Pagoda Street stands as a dark and stark reminder of the struggles of the Chinese coolies during Singapore’s colonial period.

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Coolies who arrived in Singapore in the 1800s were impoverished, unskilled Chinese male immigrants who had come to Singapore to seek their fortunes, but ended up as contracted labourers who worked in industries such as construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw-pulling.

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What do u call someone who “sells” coolies to people

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What do u call someone who “sells” coolies to people

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After the strait settlements became a British Crown Colony on 1 April 1867, the work of administration in the settlements was carried out by means of a civil service. At the time of its formation, the Singapore branch of the Straits Settlements Civil Service had 11 departments. These consisted of the Colonial Engineer’s Office, Surveyor-General’s Department, Medical Department, Police Department, Audit Office, Secretariat, Treasury, Printing Office, Master-Attendant’s Office, Prison’s Department and the Ecclesiastical Office.

Members of the civil service were recruited by a competitive examination held annually in London. During the period when the British East India Company administered the Straits Settlements (1826–1830), civil servants were appointed by patrons in the company’s board of directors. When the settlements subsequently came under the jurisdiction of the Presidency of Bengal and the governor-general of India (1830–1867), the civil service was staffed by former members of the Bengal service and officers of the Madras Army. In 1882, the examination system to select candidates for the Straits Settlements Civil Service was replaced by the Eastern Cadetship.

References
1. Quah, J. S. T. (2010). Public administration Singapore style (pp. 29–30). Singapore: Talisman Pub. Call no.: RSING 351.5957 QUA.
2. Sandhu, K. S., & Wheatley, P. (Eds.). (1989). Management of success: The moulding of modern Singapore (p. 5). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Call no.: RSING 959.57 MAN.
3. Mun, C. Y., & Rao, B. V. V. (Eds.). (1995). Singapore-India Relations: A primer (p. 5). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 337.5957054 SIN.
4. Mun & Rao, 1995, p. 5.
5. Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A history of modern Singapore, 1819–2005 (p. 100). Singapore: NUS Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TUR.
6. Turnbull, 2009, p. 100.
7. Sandhu & Wheatley, 1989, p. 5.
8. Turnbull, 2009, pp. 160–161.
9. Quah, 2010, p. 28.

Source: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/a2aec6c4-7993-488b-97a3-e14753c9301c

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From the 1800s to the first half of the 1900s, traditional medical practices as well as home remedies were the primary means of healthcare for non-European communities in Singapore. During this period, the Chinese sought medical treatment from sinsehs (traditional Chinese physicians), the Malays from bomohs or dukans (shamans) while the Indians relied on Ayurvedic medicine.

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Tan Tock Seng was born in Malacca in 1798 to a Chinese Fujianese immigrant father and local Peranakan mother. He left for Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21, the same year Stamford Raffles established a trading base on the island under the British East India Company. In 1844, Mr Tan stepped forward to gift 7,000 Spanish Dollars to build the first hospital for the poor. Back in those days, there were no proper medical facilities for the common people. Located on Pearl's Hill and first called the Chinese Pauper Hospital, Mr Tan made a call for the hospital to care not only the Chinese, but also the "sick poor of all nations".
Mr Tan died in 1850 at age 52. An obituary in the Singapore Free Press described him as one of Singapore's "earliest settlers as well as most wealthy inhabitants." The hospital is now more commonly referred to as the ‘Tan Tock Seng Hospital’.

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This necklace was made in South India, in 1980 and was brought to Singapore by the Chettiar migrant traders.

Contribution, importance, and reason: The early Chettiar immigrants to Singapore contributed much to the economic development of the thriving settlement by providing credit and banking services. The majority of them operated their businesses from the shophouses situated along Market Street. They came to Singapore as migrants in the 1890s to seek their fortunes and to lead a better life.

About: The term "chettiar" is a caste label referring to "merchant", and the Chettiars were traditionally merchants and traders in precious stones. They later moved into banking and moneylending activities. Their presence as financiers in Southeast Asia grew with the expansion of British colonialism. Many Chettiars emigrated from India to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Burma (now Myanmar) and Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore).

Evidence: In the image, the large-sized thali (marriage necklace) is used exclusively by the Nagarathar Chettiar community of Tamil Nadu. This type of necklaces usually comprises 35 pieces and are strung by 21 lengths of twisted strings smeared with turmeric. The central pendant, also called ethanam, has four sharp spikes representing the four vedas (knowledge). This is surmounted by an image of Subrahmanya standing with his parents, Shiva and Parvati, who are seated on a nandi (bull). In weddings, the groom would tie this necklace around the bride's neck after the exchange of vows. The kazhuththu uru is a ceremonial thali that is worn during the wedding and special occasions, such as for the celebration of the husband's 60th birthday.

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Can i use the government’s place and infer their conditions from it under political aspects?

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Can i use the government’s place and infer their conditions from it under political aspects?

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Manual labour was borne not only by the men.From the 1930s onwards,it was it was common to see women in the bright red ha dress and dark clothes on construction sites.the work they did was physically demanding.For example ,they had to balance Heavy  pails of cement on the two ends of a stick swung across their shoulders.These female labourers were known as samsui woman because many came from the sanshui(Samsui in Cantonese)district in the Guangdong province,china

Source:history textbook

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Stephen

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The majority of Chinese settlers who arrived in Malaya and Singapore worked as laborers. Many of them used opium and gambled, spending all of their income on betting and opiate. The Chinese gambling dense and 🤬-fighting were outlawed in 1823 under the rule of Sir Stamford Raffles. He also banned slavery and imposed high taxes on opium smoking and drunkenness. William Farquhar took office when Raffles left, legalizing gambling as a source of government revenue. The major Chinese gambling dens were issued licenses and began operating. While betting was repeatedly outlawed throughout the 19th century, the gambling dens never stopped working. Found in today’s Central Business District, the China Street was once a hub for moneylenders, secret societies, and many gambling dens.

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These Chinese people (who) are gambling (what) for entertainment (why) in a gambling den (where) in the early 19th century (when). They are playing a popular Chinese game called mahjong (how) , which can be affiliated to gambling. Throughout the 19th century, the policy of legalising gambling was changed repeatedly. Despite the laws, gambling dens continued to exist and flourish until the mid of the 20th century. The China Street in the present-day Central Business District (CBD)  was once known as giao keng kau 赌间口, due to the numerous gambling dens operating there in the old days. The notorious street was also dominated by powerful secret societies and moneylenders. Some of the casino owners were also part of some secret societies.
(Sources in pic)
(gambling not good don’t gamble kids if not people think u bad.)

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Brought over by immigrants from southeast China to Singapore in the late 19th century, it is performed for both entertainment and religious purposes—both indoors and outdoors. Chinese ‘wayang’ was a popular form of entertainment in Singapore between the 1890s and the early 1930s. Its popularity waned drastically in the 1970s with the emergence of cinema and television. Nonetheless, it is still recognised in Singapore today as traditional culture and an art form. It is also often built on stilts above the Singapore river to prevent the stage from flooding by the water. Many chinese, Malays, Indians and immigrants will pay to watch the Chinese wayang opera. People from other races can also learn the benefits of the chinese wayang entertainment. It was designed to look like a Chinese tea house. It was built in the 1887 by Lai chin Yuen.

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how was coolies treated in the past? how much do they earn ? 

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how was coolies treated in the past? how much do they earn ? 

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jacob

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This tells me that raffles had a hotel named after him during the past
Raffles Hotel Singapore started as a privately owned beach house built in the early 1830s. It first became Emerson's Hotel when Dr. Charles Emerson leased the building in 1878. Upon his death in 1883, the hotel closed

Almost immediately after the first lease expired, the Sarkies Brothers leased the property from Syed Mohamed Alsagoff, its owner, with the intention of turning it into a high-end hotel. A few months later, on 1 December 1887, the ten-room Raffles Hotel opened. Its proximity to the beach and its reputation for high standards in services and accommodations made the hotel popular with wealthy clientele.

Within the hotel's first decade, three new buildings were added on to the original beach house. First, a pair of two-story wings were completed in 1890, . Soon afterward, the Sarkies Brothers leased a neighbouring building at No. 3 Beach Road, renovated it, and in 1894, the Palm Court Wing was completed. The new additions brought the hotel's total guest room.

A few years later, a new main building was constructed on the site of the original beach house, it was completed in 1899. Then it started having fans and lights

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By 1827, the Chinese had become the largest ethnic group in Singapore. They consisted of Peranakans, who were descendants of early Chinese settlers, and Chinese coolies who flocked to Singapore to escape economic hardship in southern China. Their numbers were swelled by those fleeing the turmoil caused by the First Opium War (1839–1842) and Second Opium War (1856–1860). Many arrived in Singapore as impoverished indentured laborers. The Malays were the second largest ethnic group until the 1860s and they worked as fishermen, craftsmen, or as wage earners while continued to live mostly in kampungs. By 1860, the Indians had become the second-largest ethnic group. They consisted of unskilled labourers, traders, and convicts who were sent to carry out public works projects such as clearing jungles and laying out roads. There were also Indian Sepoy troops garrisoned at Singapore by the British.

Despite Singapore’s growing importance, the administration governing the island was unconcerned with the welfare of the populace.Administrators were usually posted from India and were unfamiliar with local culture and languages. While the population had quadrupled from 1830 to 1867, the size of the civil service in Singapore had remained unchanged. Most people had no access to public health services and diseases such as cholera and smallpox caused severe health problems, especially in overcrowded working-class areas.because of the administration’s ineffectiveness,  the society was lawless and chaotic.

In 1850 there were only twelve police officers in the city of nearly 60,000 people. Prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse (particularly of opium) were widespread. Chinese criminal secret societies (analogous to modern-day triads) were extremely powerful, and some had tens of thousands of members. This resulted to many riots, chaos and death.

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Started his first band in primary schoolBorn in West Minangkabau, Indonesia, young Zubir Said already developed a strong interest in music. In primary school, he had already learnt how to make flutes and formed a band playing their own bamboo flutes. He also learnt how to play the guitar and drums when he was in middle school.Zubir had to stop studying when he was 18 to find work and help his father support the family. He found a job as a copy typist and in his spare time, he joined a keroncong (an Indonesian music style) band in his village. He eventually left Sumatra to pursue his passion for music and travelled to Singapore in a cargo boat 1928, when he was just 21.

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Started his first band in primary schoolBorn in West Minangkabau, Indonesia, young Zubir Said already developed a strong interest in music. In primary school, he had already learnt how to make flutes and formed a band playing their own bamboo flutes. He also learnt how to play the guitar and drums when he was in middle school.Zubir had to stop studying when he was 18 to find work and help his father support the family. He found a job as a copy typist and in his spare time, he joined a keroncong (an Indonesian music style) band in his village. He eventually left Sumatra to pursue his passion for music and travelled to Singapore in a cargo boat 1928, when he was just 21.

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Started his first band in primary school

Born in West Minangkabau, Indonesia, young Zubir Said already developed a strong interest in music. In primary school, he had already learnt how to make flutes and formed a band playing their own bamboo flutes. He also learnt how to play the guitar and drums when he was in middle school.

Zubir had to stop studying when he was 18 to find work and help his father support the family. He found a job as a copy typist and in his spare time, he joined a keroncong (an Indonesian music style) band in his village. He eventually left Sumatra to pursue his passion for music and travelled to Singapore in a cargo boat 1928, when he was just 21.

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How many sources do we have to provide for each aspect?

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How many sources do we have to provide for each aspect?

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Chinese coolies were engaged mostly in unskilled, hard labour, formed the early backbone of Singapore’s labour force. They were mainly impoverished Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore in the latter half of the 19th century to seek fortune, but instead served as indentured labourers.1 Coolies were employed in almost every sector of work including construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw pulling.

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Chinese coolies were driven by poverty in China to seek a better life in Singapore. There were three peak periods of Chinese coolie emigration to Singapore: 1823 to 1891, after Singapore became a free port; 1910 to 1911, before World War I; and 1926 to 1927, after the war. The influx of immigrants decreased after 1927 because of the Great Depression and continued in the downward trend when World War II occurred. Coolie trade never peaked after this and most immigrants after World War II were skilled labour.Coolies frequently faced abuse and ill treatment at the hands of the coolie brokers. In response to this, the Chinese Protectorate was established in 1877 to handle the immigration and official procedures for coolies. William Pickering became the first Protector of the Chinese. As a result of the pain and suffering from getting abused, Chinese coolies commonly went to a tea house to smoke opium to help them cope with the pain. They were commonly treated a but like slaves. This photo was taken from 1900.

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The source shows a government house in Singapore. It was built by Indian convict labourers on land forming part of former Mount Sophia nutmeg estate. The foundation stone was laid in July 1867. The covering date was 1900s. The Indian came to Singapore as they want to work here and have a better life. The convict labourers who were immigrants in Singapore contribute to Singapore by building the government house.

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The coolies often did not have money and relied on secret societies to pay for their passage. They would be sold to a towkay who spoke their dialect when they arrived. However, their relationship with the secret societies did not end here. The coolies would have to pay a fee to the secret societies – a form of insurance that a brotherhood would support them financially in times of illness, ensure their employment, and take care of their last rites.

Two developments took place in 1933 which saw Chinese female immigrants coming to Singapore. Firstly, the British colonial authorities started limiting the number of male immigrants allowed into Singapore. Secondly, the impact of the Great Depression was felt globally. These events contributed to a wave of about 200,000 Chinese female immigrants to arrive in Singapore between 1934 and 1938.

Women from southern China travelled by boats to Nanyang, or the Southern Seas. Just like the men had done a century before, these women were in search of work and a new life. Many of them chose to “sor hei” – ceremonially combing their hair into buns to set themselves apart. Some even took a vow of celibacy. They formed sisterhoods, or surrogate families loosely based on clan association structure.

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Letter writers are People who write letters for chinese migrants that did not know how to write to their family back in china.

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Puan Noor Aishah arriving at a children’s sports day on 17/10/1970

PUAN NOOR AISHAH also gave out prizes to the children on that day.

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Back then in the 1800s-1900s health care was weak,but there were many inspiring people.For example the man  Mr Tan Tock Seng ,he was born in Malacca in 1798. He was the third son of an immigrant father from Fujian province in China and a Peranakan mother,he contributed by taking care of burial expenses for destitute Chinese. His most famous philanthropic gesture was the donation of $5,000 towards the building of the Chinese Pauper Hospital,the hospital was later renamed to Tan Tock Seng in 1844

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How much does the prime minister back then earn?

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In the past , bull carts were popular in Singapore , during the period where there was no modes of transport.It was one of the earliest vehicle in 19th- and early-20th-century Singapore. They served a variety of purposes such as travelling ,transportation of goods and helped people travel faster in cases of emergencies and it is type of social a spect as the drivers and customer often have conversations .   As a result the bull carts were popular in the early 20 and 19 and a form of transportation.At that time the transport , was mainly driven by the India you migrated to Singapore between 1819 and 1867.

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The picture shows a malay policeman in charge of the guardroom at Seletar. This photo is thought to be taken during the 1930s. He seems to be guarding the guardroom as there are valuables in the guardroom. He contributed by gbeing a policemen and was most likely an immigrant.

Source: https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/watermark/picas_data/tn_pcd/20170000052/img0189.jpg

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In 1904, the tent cinema saw a new rival on the scene. The Paris Cinematograph, started by French entrepreneur Paul Picard, was Singapore’s first enclosed cinema in the Malay Theatre at Victoria Street. He screened hour-long pictures and played music to accompany the silent films. Back then, a third-class seat costed 10 cents and a reserved seat was 50 cents.

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It was the Government Offices Singapore in 1915, it was a photo taken from National Archives of Singapore. The high ranked government roles are from British and they work in this building due to the treaty signed in 1819, thus allowing the British to be the rulers of Singapore at that time.

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Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism were the three main philosophies and religions of ancient China, which have individually and collectively influenced ancient and modern Chinese society.Confucianism is one of the most influential religious philosophies in the history of China, and it has existed for over 2,500 years. It is concerned with inner virtue, morality, and respect for the community and its values.Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India. Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.  Daoism, also spelled Taoism, indigenous religio-philosophical tradition that has shaped Chineselife for more than 2,000 years. In the broadest sense, a Daoist attitude toward life can be seen in the accepting and yielding, the joyful and carefree sides of the Chinese character, an attitude that offsets and complements the moral and duty-conscious, austere and purposeful character ascribed to Confucianism. Daoism is also characterized by a positive, active attitude toward the occult and the metaphysical (theories on the nature of reality), whereas the agnostic, pragmatic Confucian tradition considers these issues of only marginal importance, although the reality of such issues is, by most Confucians, not denied.

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Coolies were employed in mines, ports, plantations, construction sites and as rickshaw pullers. They did back-breaking tasks under the sun and for long hours, such as loading and unloading cargo as well as tin-ore mining.

This photo shows coolies transporting goods into a boat for  trading,they would usually carry weights when transporting the goods.

They work under tough conditions like when it is raining they still have to work so that they can receive money to support their family.

The coolies were tricked to work in Singapore as the Coolie agent was desperate to have coolies working as they are reluctant and refuse to work,hence he trick them and made them come into Singapore to work.

Source can be found in nas.gov.sg

When was it taken:1900s

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is there any malay coolies or is the world just racsist

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is there any malay coolies or is the world just racsist