jan – mar 2014 · vol. 9 · issue 4

Singapore Men of A Tale of The Unlikely Kampong Immortality Science and Medicine Many Hands Composer: Living A – Z Men in China Tsao Chieh and Legacy 02 08 14 20 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Contents Director’s Column Editorial & Production

FEATURE How does one achieve immortality in a crowded space? Managing Editor: Stephanie Pee Singapore Men of Science and Some people may be content with their scant 15 minutes of fame, the fleeting Assistant Director (Publishing): Francis Dorai Editorial Support: Masamah Ahmad, Medicine in China (1911–1949) media publicity that celebrated pop artist Andy Warhol famously referred to in 1968. 02 Sharon Koh Wayne Soon The reality is quite different: humans seek a more enduring form of immortality, and one that almost always revolves around their lives, loves and beliefs. Contributors: Kevin Khoo, Lee Meiyu, Lu Wenshi, Nor-Afidah bte Abd Rahman, In this issue of BiblioAsia, I hope time will stand still long enough for us to Wayne Soon, Bonny Tan, Tan Huism, Sharon provide context and specificity to the memories that are fast fading — as well as the Teng, Zhang Renfeng, Jun Zubillaga-Pow FEATURE ones we thought we’d understood for the longest time. Design & Print: Relay Room, Times Printers A Tale of Many Hands In the light of recent aspirations to achieve in our urban space the kampong spirit 08 Tan Huism and the easy associations of neighbourliness and community, Nor Afidah recaptures Please direct all correspondence to: in “Kampong Living: A – Z”, the details of life in the village — how once the breaking National Library Board of dawn and the end of daylight were significant events in daily life. 100 Victoria Street #14-01 In a similar vein, Sharon Teng documents the vanishing trades of Singapore National Library Building in “Time-Forgotten Trades” and explores new ways to “immortalise” the old ways, Singapore 188064 FEATURE including digital recreations of these vanishing (or rather vanquished) trades and, in Tel: +65 6332 3255 the case of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, keeping the original facade of a shophouse and Fax: +65 6332 3611 The Unlikely Composer: Email: [email protected] reinventing it as a hip coffee bar. 14 Tsao Chieh Website: www.nlb.gov.sg Jun Zubillaga-Pow The social norms and cultural values of generations past encapsulated in clans BiblioAsia is available online at: and kinsfolk are explored in Lee Meiyu’s article — “The Jiapu Chronicles: What’s http://nl.sg and http://libguides.nl.sg in a Name?” — which traces family lineage using the means of jiapu, or Chinese genealogical records. Curator Tan Huism with gifted photographer Sean Lee show BiblioAsia, the flagship publication of the National FEATURE how the tracing of lineage can also be performed through the lines and contours of Library, features articles on the history, culture and heritage of Singapore within the larger Asian context, Kampong Living: A – Z one’s hands in their photographic showcase from the Singapore Memory Project’s and also presents highlights of the National Library's collections. 20 Nor Afidah Abd Rahman “Hands: Gift of a Generation” exhibition. I am especially taken with the story of Huism’s grandmother’s hands as they experienced different life stages, and how All rights reserved. those hands are now indelibly reflected in Huism’s own. National Library Board, Singapore, 2014. The capturing of an older Singapore is a growing fixation for Singaporeans and The views of writers and contributors do not reflect the in Jun Zubillaga-Pow’s article on the life of the late Singaporean composer, Tsao views of the Publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without FEATURE Chieh, read how the latter attempted a composition based on Turnbull’s A History of prior written permission from the Publisher and Time-Forgotten Trades Singapore; the dramatic work charts Singapore’s progress, with each section of Tsao’s copyright owner(s). 28 Sharon Teng work evoking a distinctive period of our nation. Whilst reasonable care is taken to ensure the accuracy Finally, while the process of recollection is delightful, it can also be a haphazard of the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages for the contents of this one. The Overseas Chinese in Singapore are often remembered for their financial magazine. contributions to China’s war efforts. But their legacy went beyond money: Wayne Soon examines the impact that Overseas Chinese, in particular Singaporean-born FEATURE medical doctors such as Lim Boon Keng and his son Robert Lim, had in China and On the Cover The Jiapu Chronicles: how their efforts helped established higher standards of medical practice there. These hands, featured in the Singapore What’s in a Name? The reality is that a mere 15 minutes of fame doesn’t amount to much (Warhol 36 Memory Project’s exhibition “Hands: Gift of a Lee Meiyu may be turning in his grave as I write this) because the search for immortality and legacy is about creating a sense of permanence that outlives ordinary human Generation”, are just a few of the hands that perception of time and space. have helped to build Singapore. (top row: left to right) Ang Mui Choo and Ho Hwee I hope this issue of BiblioAsia extends the National Library’s role in serving the Long; (middle row: left to right) Leana reader with different perspectives of the peoples and lives of Singapore past — and in Tamyah and M. Siraj; (bottom row: left to the process immortalise them in a manner that is based on a deeper appreciation of right) Mdm Kok and Mr Low. Photography the context in which they once existed. by Sean Lee.

Gene Tan Director, National Library

nl Notes NL NOTES Curator's Selection NL NOTES From Here to A Colonial Heritage: Old Singapore: 邱菽园与康有为的 42 Eternity: 46 Collections of the 50 Places in Pictures 52 友谊与交往—再读 Archiving and Anglican Diocese and Oral History 邱菽园后人王清建 Immortality of Singapore lu Wenshi 先生珍藏历史文献 Kevin Khoo Bonny Tan Professor zhang Renfeng 1 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Wayne Soon was a Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow at the National Library and is currently a PhD candidate in the History Department at Princeton University. His dissertation examines the history of Western medicine In China, with a focus on the new medical institutions created by Overseas Chinese doctors in China during the first half of the 20th century.

Wayne Soon sheds light on the enduring and underrated legacy of Overseas Chinese doctors such as Lim Boon Keng and Robert Lim on China's medical institutions.

historically, the overseas chinese — defined as people of Chinese descent or birth who live most of their lives outside of China — were generally thought of as successful merchants and entrepreneurs, as coolies who toiled in mines, plantations, rail- ways and farms in Malaya, Indonesia, Australia, the United States and Cuba, or as tax farmers who collected revenue on behalf of the European colonial authori- ties.1 Over time, many of such Overseas Chinese carved a livelihood for them- Singapore Men oF selves and assimilated the cultural and social mores of their adopted countries. As a result, such Chinese have gener- ally been perceived as being much less interested in the affairs of China, espe- cially beyond the focal point of the 1911 science and medicine revolution when many Overseas Chinese participated in the establishment of the new Republic of China.2 Indeed, to those Chinese living abroad at that time, the Chinese in China reminded them of the “Qing officials from whom so many -em in China: 1911–1949 3 igrants [had] been glad to escape [from].” Yet, many Overseas Chinese returned to work and live in China, often occupying

(above) Despite being away from China, many Overseas Chinese such as Dr Lim Boon Keng, still contributed to the development of their homeland in one way or 2 another. A group photograph of the first Straits Chinese British Association's committee. (Back row, from left: Seah Eng Kiat, Lim Boon Keng, Chia Keng Chin, Tan 3 Boo Liat, Tan Hap Seng and Wee Theam Tew. Front row, from left: Ong Kew Hoe, Chan Chun Fook, Tan Chay Yan, Song Ong Siang (Honorary Secretary), Tan Jiak Kim (President), Seah Liang Seah (Vice-President), Lee Cheang Yee and Wee Kim Yam (1900)). Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature the highest echelons of leadership in er classes.6 He graduated with first class national religion of the Chinese, a reli- college in recent years had been to pro- various institutions in the first half of honours, the only one out of 204 students gion based on rationality and acknowl- mote scientific research, with the goal of the 20th century. They range from Pen- who graduated that year. Even though edgement of God.11 “When faithfully establishing a comprehensive “Tan Kah ang-born Gu Hongming who became the Lim did not enroll in public health classes carried out and supported by a modern Kee College of Science” (Chen Jiageng standard bearer for conservative intel- at the University of Edinburgh, he would course of liberal education,” Lim conclud- Kexueyuan 陳嘉庚科學院) to conduct in- lectual currents at Peking University to later use British texts in public health ed, “Confucianism [would then become terdisciplinary research and studies of Singapore-born Wu Tingfang who brief- to establish health services for the new the] ideal religion for which the thinking chemistry, physics, biology, geography ly became the Premier of the Republic of Republic of China in 1911. and critical world is seeking.”12 and zoology.16 In 1931, Lim singled out the China. Even Tan Kah Kee, whose busi- Interestingly, Lim sought to integrate Besides writing extensively on the Zoological and Botanical departments of nesses were largely based in Southeast his eclectic views of Confucianism with importance of Science and Confucianism Xiada for their cutting-edge research as Asia, was actively involved in setting up the tenets of modern Western medical in the Straits Chinese Magazine, and later well as their ability to attract world-re- schools in Xiamen. science.7 Lim was a strong proponent of in Principles of Confucianism (1912), Lim nowned professors.17 The importance of Among these individuals were edu- Western medical sciences in China and took steps to translate his beliefs into ac- the sciences at Xiada was reflected in the cated professionals who promoted and Southeast Asia. As early as 1897, he intro- tion. Lim believed in an all-rounded edu- records of a local gazetteer. As noted by instituted Western science and medi- duced the origins and vectors of diseas- cation that included the study of sciences the Xiamen Republican-era gazetteer, cine in modern China,4 including Sin- es to readers across Europe and Southeast for female students. To this end he found- 73 of the 122 graduates were from Xiada, gapore-born Lim Boon Keng (林文慶 Asia in an 1897 article entitled “Infectious ed the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School in with 26 of them from the science and en- 1869 – 1957) and Robert Lim Ko-sheng (林 diseases and the public,” published in 1899. That same year, in his work at the gineering departments, making up the 可勝 1897 – 1969).5 This article focuses on the Straits Chinese Magazine and read by Legislative Assembly, he actively sup- largest group among the graduates.18 the lesser-known aspects of their time the English-speaking Chinese diaspora ported the formation of a school of trop- Lim's expertise in Western medi- spent in China, which not only broad- throughout China and Southeast Asia. ical medicine in Singapore.13 He was also cine as well as his longstanding commit- ens the study of the Chinese diaspora in Lim argued that modern medical science an advocate for public health works in ment in promoting Western science and Southeast Asia but also highlights the (in the form of physics, chemistry and bi- Singapore and a strong supporter of the medicine in China resulted in his taking history of science, medicine and technol- ology) refuted traditional Chinese under- King Edward VII Medical College (which up leadership positions at new institu- ogy in China and Southeast Asia. standing that miasma (or “bad air”), and later became the National University of tions of science and medicine at Xiamen not bacteria and viruses, spread diseases.8 Singapore Medical School).14 University and the Department of Health lim boon keng: advocate Lim cited British surgeon Joseph Lister Lim’s advocacy also reached China. In at the first Republic of China. stint at the University of Chicago that he hospitals in China, and encouraged his for science and confucianism and German bacteriologist Robert Koch, 1911, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the first Provisional Lim’s sense of purpose was founded on began his lifelong research on this topic. foreign friends to do more to aid China’s who were both known for their contri- President of the Republic of China, ap- his medical education at the University of In 1924, Robert Lim received his doc- medical modernisation. Lim Boon Keng was the first ethnic butions to the study of bacteriology and pointed Lim to head the first Department Edinburgh, his commitment to leverage tor of science degree from the University Chinese in Singapore to win the Queen's tuberculosis respectively. of Health in the new Republic. After the on transnational resources from Britain, of Edinburgh and made a life-changing Raising funds for China scholarship in 1887. He studied medicine Koch had presented his findings on dissolution of the Provisional Government China and the Straits Settlements, decision to leave the West for China. He at the University of Edinburgh from 1888 the tubercule bacillus, which causes tu- in Nanjing, Lim left for Beijing to become and his deep commitment to using his became a professor of physiology at the During the Second World War, Lim was to 1892. Lim's education at Edinburgh berculosis, at the Berlin Physiological the Inspector-General of Hospitals un- wealth and influence to turn ideas into Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) appointed by Chiang Kai Shek in 1938 was comprehensive: he attended classes Society on 24 March 1882.9 Less than five der Yuan Shikai's government where medical action. and was soon promoted to head of de- to head the Chinese Red Cross Medical on botany, anatomy, practical physiology, years later, a Chinese doctor trained at the he published his second Chinese book, partment. Lim also worked with other Relief Corps (CRCMRC). Lim and his institute of medicine, pathology, surgery University of Edinburgh published Koch's Elements of Popular Hygiene (1912).15 Based Robert Lim: Like Father, Like Son Overseas Chinese who headed other de- sympathetic allies embarked on a glob- and clinical medicine, among several oth- research halfway across the globe. Clearly, on British doctor E.S. Reynolds’s Primer of partments at the Rockefeller-sponsored al effort to raise funds for the organisa- Lim kept pace with the latest changes in Hygiene, the only surviving copy of Lim's Lim Boon Keng’s eldest son, Robert Lim, institution. These included Penang-born tion, especially among ethnic Chinese the fields of science and hygiene and was book is found at the National Library of was also actively involved in the medical O.K. Khaw and C.E. Lim who led the par- in Singapore and Indonesia. As a re- eager to share these radical new ideas Singapore. Distributed in Beijing and development of China. Robert Lim was asitology and bacteriology departments sult, more than 60 percent of the fund- through the Straits Chinese Magazine. Singapore, the lectures in this handbook born in Singapore in 1897 and left with respectively. ing for the organisation came from such were divided into 11 chapters covering his father at the age of eight to Edinburgh While Lim’s research on the nature of Overseas Chinese communities.21 The the “renovation” of China topics such as the causes of disease; or- where he completed his secondary educa- gastric physiology was notable, it was his Chinese in Singapore organised a dinner igins of bacteria; necessities for proper tion. Lim kept in contact with his father longstanding commitment to state med- and grand mannequin parade to solicit Lim believed that the introduction of food preparation; design of modern build- in Xiamen, as well as his other family icine and military medicine that made an donations for the CRCMRC as well as the such cutting-edge modern science and ings and furniture that facilitate hygienic members in Singapore. He also visited indelible impact on China and Southeast St Andrew’s Hospital Sanatorium, adver- medicine would lead to the “renovation of living; and development of a modern pub- Singapore twice in 1937 and 1949.19 At the Asia. As early as 1921, he proposed sev- tising the event in the Singapore Free Press China.” Yet, this promise of a renaissance lic health system. Popular Hygiene was en- age of 17, Lim enrolled in the University eral solutions in the Chinese Student to and Mercantile Advertiser on 4 June 1938. was not merely contingent on the intro- visioned as a programmatic handbook to of Edinburgh. He obtained his PhD from improve the state of medical education Dinner was priced at Straits Dollars $3.50 duction of new ideas, more schools, bet- help reshape Beijing according to British the university at the age of 23 and subse- in China.20 He urged doctors to produce for diners and $2.50 for non-diners. ter teachers and hardworking students. standards of weisheng (hygiene). quently became a lecturer in histology in a national medical curriculum, com- In September the same year, local What was needed was the invalidation Lim continued his involvement in the physiology department. prising translations of Western medical ballroom dancers conducted a ballroom of traditional Chinese medical notions China when he was appointed as the In 1923, he was awarded a fellow- works as well as by expositions by local dancing class at the local New World of “wind” and “water” and their effect on President of Xiamen University (also ship by the Rockefeller Foundation in the doctors. He also felt that doctors should Cabaret to raise funds for the CRCMRC.22 the human body so that Western medi- known as Xiada) in 1921 by his close United States to study at the University of have a working knowledge of the official Doing her part in fundraising efforts cal ideas could take root in the Chinese friend, Tan Kah Kee. There, Lim unequiv- Chicago. There, he studied with famous language in China (Guan hua 官話) as well was ethnic Chinese swimmer Yang mind.10 Lim felt that dispelling these ocally supported the growth of the sci- physiologist Dr. A.J. Carlson (1875–1956) as have “complete esprit de corps.” He ac- Shau King, who went by the moniker superstitions would come with the ac- ences. In a 1922 report on the university, and began to research on the physiolo- knowledged the historical contributions “Chinese Venus”. She arrived in Batavia knowledgement of Confucianism as the Lim stated that the entire efforts of the gy of gastric secretion. It was during his of missionaries in the construction of (present-day Jakarta) from Hong Kong

(above) Dr Lim Boon Keng at age 40 in 1909. (top) Coolies, commonly found transporting goods along the Singapore River, formed part of the 4 Ena Teh Guat Kheng collection, courtesy of Overseas Chinese community (1948). Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 5 National Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

and the death penalty. Both Gerth and Mühlhahn the Shanghai elites, even though they appeared all soldiers in unoccupied China. In to- Medical College and NDMC; C.E. Lim of however, did not mention that Wu was also a extraordinarily successful in raising funds for relief tal, the sanitary units deloused a total of the PUMC; and C.Y. Wu of the NMPPS, Overseas Chinese. Wu’s experiences growing up efforts. See Janet Y Chen, Guilty of Indigence: The in colonial Singapore and Hong Kong, as well Urban Poor in China, 1900 – 1953 (Princeton, NJ: around 380,000 people as well as 800,000 NQS and CRCMRC. as his legal education the University College Princeton University Press, 2012), 189 – 190. articles by the end of December 1940, an Of particular importance was London, enabled Wu to understand the intricacies 25. 5th Report of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief of Western laws and Chinese tradition. These Corps, Lim’s Papers, IMH archives. exponential increase from January to Penang-born Wu Lien-teh, who was a experiences and education allowed Wu to occupy 26. Ibid., 135. June 1939 where around 17,000 persons Queen’s scholar at Cambridge University. critical positions in the new Republic. See Karl 27. 7th Report of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief and 145,000 thousand articles were de- Wu was most famous for his discovery of Gerth, China made: consumer culture and the Corps, Lim’s Papers, IMH archives, 2307001, 194. creation of the nation (Cambridge, MA: Harvard 28. Lu Xun, “Hai shang tong xin (Maritime loused. In total, Lim’s CRCMRC treated an unknown disease (later found to be the University Press, 2003) and Klaus Mühlhahn, Communications)” in Lu Xun quanji (Complete more than five million people. pneumonic plague) that wreaked havoc Criminal justice in China: a history (Cambridge, Collection of Lu Xun’s works) (Beijing: Renmin MA.: Harvard University Press, 2009). wenxue chubanshe, 1981), 158 – 61. Also see Lin, across North China in the 1910s, as well as 5. Another key individual was Wu Lien-teh (伍連德 Yutang, Zhixue Liu, and Yanjie Bian, Lin Yutang zi Leaving a Legacy his role in the expansion of the Western- 1879 – 1960), who was instrumental in instituting zhuan (Lin Yutang’s autobiography) (Shijiazhuang style public health system in the region. western medicine in Manchuria and Shanghai from Shi: Hebei renmin chubanshe, 1991), 98 – 100. 1911 – 1937. He was famous as the plague fighter 29. In folder “Alfred Kohlberg Original Memo,” and Lim Boon Keng and Robert Lim’s time in After heading the NMPPS from 1912 to who combated the outbreaks of plague, cholera, “Alfred Kohlberg Second Report,” American Bureau China were not without opposition. Lu 1930, he left North China to head the and other communicable diseases in North China. for Medical Aid to China Records, Rare Book & 6. Lim Boon Keng Matriculation File for the Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City Xun and other intellectuals from the May Shanghai-based NQS and established a Department of Medicine, University of Edinburgh of New York. Fourth Movement (1917–1921) opposed comprehensive system of quarantine, fu- Student Records, University of Edinburgh. 30. Ibid., and Frederic E Wakeman, Spymaster Dai 7. See for example Li, Yuanjin, Lin Wenqing de si Li and the Chinese Secret Service (Berkeley, CA: Lim Boon Keng’s promotion of sciences migation, and health inspections in ports xiang: Zhong xi wen hua de hui liu yu mao dun University of California Press, 2003), 389. 31 and Confucianism at Xiamen University. such as Shanghai, Hankou and Xiamen. (Singapore: Xinjiapo Ya Zhou yan jiu xue hui, 1991). 31. Yip Ka-che, Health and National Reconstruction Unable to resolve their differences with Wu, together with the Lims and the 8. Lim Boon Keng, “Infectious diseases and the in Nationalist China: The Development of Modern public,” Straits Chinese Magazine 1, no.4 Health Services, 1928 – 1937 (Ann Arbor, MI: him, these intellectuals left the universi- other Overseas Chinese, represent an un- (December 1897): 120 – 24. Association for Asian Studies, 1995), 117 – 120. ty after teaching for only a few months.28 sung group of medical diaspora who re- 9. Thomas D Brock, Robert Koch: A Life in Medicine and Bacteriology (Washington, D.C.: ASM Press, References American officials from the United turned to work in China. These medical 1999), 117. “The Renovation of China,” Straits Chinese Magazine 2, no. China Relief (UCR) organisation alleged- professionals facilitated the growth of 10. Lim Boon Keng, “The Renovation of China,” Straits 7 (September 1898): 88 – 98. ly sought to remove Robert Lim from his medical and scientific research in China, Chinese Magazine 2, no. 7 (September 1898): On the Tenth anniversary of the Founding of Amoy 88-98. University (Unknown publisher, 1931). medical leadership posts because of their and popularised new notions of Western 11. Lim Boon Keng drew his ideas of Confucianism Pu tong wei sheng jiang yi (Xin jia po: Xin jia po hua zhong opposition to the supposedly obstruc- science among the Chinese public. In as state religion for the Chinese, and the idea of shang wu zong hui cai zheng suo, 1911). Confucian as a god-like figure from prominent Late “‘Chinese Venus’ arrives at Batavia,” Straits Times, July tionist and monopolistic behaviours of addition, they instituted military med- Qing reformer Kang Youwei. For an explanation 24, 1938, 5. the American Bureau for Medical Aid to icine, introduced new forms of public of Kang’s ideas on Confucianism as a state “Advertisement,” Straits Times, September 18, 1937, 4. China (a New York-based organisation health and sought to save lives during religion, see Yong Chen, Confucianism as religion: “Annual Department Reports, February 14, 1899,” Colonial controversies and consequences (Leiden: Brill, Office 279/59, National Archives at Kew. also known as the ABMAC), which Lim the Second World War. As medical profes- 2013), 43 – 53. “Lin Wenqing Xiaozhang Baogao,” in Xiamen daxue xiaoshi represented in China.29 Other accounts sionals, they were not simply motivated 12. Ibid. bianweihui, Xiamen daxue xiaoshi ziliao (Xiamen: 13. “Annual Department Reports, February 14, 1899,” Xiamen daxue chu ban she, 1987), 224 – 9. suggest that some Chinese leaders op- by patriotism or altruism, but rather saw Colonial Office 279/59, National Archives at Kew. 5th Report of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief Corps, posed Lim’s plan to extend medical aid to China as a place where they could fully 14. Justin Corfield, Historical Dictionary of Singapore Lim’s Papers, IMH archives. (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2010). 7th Report of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief Corps, communist-held areas. These critics also utilise their expertise not only to improve 15. Lim Boon Keng, Pu tong wei sheng jiang yi (Xin Lim’s Papers, IMH archives, 2307001, 194. thought his six-year medical programme the lives of their fellow Chinese, but also jia po: Xin jia po hua zhong shang wu zong hui cai Brock, T.D. Robert Koch: A Life in Medicine and for doctors was too lengthy under war- to advance their own careers as medical zheng suo, 1911). Bacteriology (Washington, D.C.: ASM Press, 1999), 117. 30 16. “Lin Wenqing Xiaozhang Baogao,” in Xiamen daxue Chen, J.Y. Guilty of Indigence: The Urban Poor in China, time circumstances. leaders of the new Republic. ● xiaoshi bianweihui, Xiamen daxue xiaoshi ziliao 1900 – 1953 (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, As a result of these pressures, Robert (Xiamen: Xiamen daxue chu ban she, 1987), 224 – 9. 2012), 189 – 190. 17. Lim Boon Keng, On the Tenth anniversary of the Corfield, J. Historical Dictionary of Singapore (Lanham, and gave swimming demonstrations to leading to premature death if not treated Lim left his position as the head of the Founding of Amoy University (Unknown publisher, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2010). raise funds for the CRCMRC.23 Dancing, expeditiously. These conditions were of- Emergency Medical Services Training 1931). In folder “Alfred Kohlberg Original Memo,” and “Alfred eating, and swimming — activities of ten exacerbated by the lack of access to School (EMSTS) in 1942, but soon took on 18. Xiamen Shi difang zhi bian zuan weiyuan hui, Kohlberg Second Report,” American Bureau for Xiamen shi zhi: Mingguo. (Xiamen Gazetteer: Medical Aid to China Records, Rare Book & Manuscript local Chinese elites in Singapore and bathing water and soap, which meant the role of chief medical officer in the endnotes Republican Period) (Beijing: fangzhi chubanshe, Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. Indonesia — were platforms for fundrais- mites and lice would remain with their Chinese Expeditory Forces. He also em- 1. Philip Kuhn, Chinese Among Others: Emigration 1999), 331 and 361 – 67. A total of 2013 students Kuhn, P. Chinese Among Others: Emigration in Modern in Modern Times (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield graduated from Xiada till 1947. In 1947, there were Times (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008) ing for the CRCMRC, and reminiscent of hosts for long periods of time. barked on a tour of the US in 1944 that Publishers, 2008) around 3,00 teachers and 1,227 students in Xiada, Lim, B.K, “Infectious diseases and the public,” Straits 24 similar efforts in China. The delousing programme began in sought to boost medical contributions 2. For a survey of the Overseas Chinese’s efforts at with the majority of the students in the science, Chinese Magazine 1, no. 4 (December 1897): 120 – 24. At the CRCMRC, Robert Lim greatly 1938 and expanded significantly in 1939. by Americans to the Chinese war effort. supporting the 1911 revolution in China, see Lee Lai technical and law departments. Lim, R. “The Medical Needs of China,” Chinese Student To and Hock Guan Lee ed., Sun Yat-Sen, Nanyang, 19. Lim briefly visited his place of birth in 1937 and (Nov. 1921): 24 – 25. expanded medical care for the wounded Trained sanitary engineers and doctors He held the position of surgeon-gener- and the 1911 Revolution (Singapore: Institute of 1949, and wrote to his Singaporean relatives i in Lin, Y., Liu, Z., and Bian, Y. Lin Yutang zi zhuan (Lin Chinese in the form of preventive med- in mobile units were sent across unoccu- al of the Chinese Army (1945–1948) and Southeast Asian Studies, 2011) the 1960s. See “Malayan Broadcasting Interview Yutang’s autobiography) (Shijiazhuang Shi: Hebei 3. Ibid., 270. with Robert Lim, July 14, 1949,” and “Lim to Thiam, renmin chubanshe, 1991), 98 – 100. icine for unoccupied China. One key pied China to delouse soldiers and their founded the National Defense Medical 4. This is not to say there is nothing on the overseas July 25, 1964,” in Robert Lim’s Papers, Institute of Seven reports of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief aspect of preventive medicine was delous- clothes. By mid-1939, mobile units had Center (NDMC) in Shanghai in 1948, Chinese in China. What has been neglected, Modern History Archives, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Corps, Lim’s Papers, IMH Archives. ing, which killed parasitic mites and lice reached as far east as Jinhua (金華) in which remains an important institution however, is the importance of their diasporic Taiwan (hereafter Lim Papers, IMH archives) Wakeman, F.E. Spymaster Dai Li and the Chinese Secret identities. For example, Karl Gerth points out 20. Robert Lim, “The Medical Needs of China,” Chinese Service (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, on soldiers. The mites spread scabies, the Zhejiang, as far west as Chongqing (重慶), of military medicine in Taiwan today. the importance of Wu Tingfang, a Chinese elite Student (Nov. 1921): 24 – 25. 2003), 389. number one affliction of Chinese soldiers as far north as Ganguyi (甘谷驛) in Shanxi, Besides Lim Boon Keng and Robert educated in the West, in mobilizing the Chinese 21. Seven reports of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Xiamen Shi difang zhi bian zuan weiyuan hui, Xiamen shi Relief Corps, Lim’s Papers, IMH Archives. zhi: Mingguo. (Xiamen Gazetteer: Republican Period) 25 柳洲 population in Shanghai and Nanjing to boycott then. Scabies was a serious condition as and as far south as Liuzhou ( ) in Lim, there were other prominent Japanese-made products in favor of Chinese- 22. “Advertisement,” Straits Times, September 18, (Beijing: fangzhi chubanshe, 1999), 331 and 361 – 67. soldiers would scratch their wounds into Guangxi.26 By the mid-1940s, mobile units Overseas Chinese who were instru- produced ones. Similarly, Klaus Mühlhahn showed 1937, 4. Xun, L. “Hai shang tong xin (Maritime Communications)” a secondary and more serious skin infec- had reached further south to Nanning mental in promoting Western medi- how Wu overhauled the criminal justice system 23. “Chinese Venus’ arrives at Batavia,” Straits Times, in Lu Xun quanji (Complete Collection of Lu Xun’s after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Wu drew July 24, 1938, 5. works) (Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1981), tion known as impetigo, a highly conta- (南寧) in Guangxi and further west to cine in China: Wu Lien-teh of the North up a new legal system for the Republic of China 24. Janet Chen describes similar efforts in Shanghai 158 – 61. gious bacterial infection. Typhus fever Xiaguan (下關) in Yunnan.27 The reach of Manchurian Plague Prevention Services based on a synthesis of Western laws and Chinese where elites would raise funds for Subei refugees Yip, K.C. Health and National Reconstruction in tradition. The new system abolished flogging, right after the war through organising beauty Nationalist China: The Development of Modern Health and relapsing fever were spread by lice, the delousing units spread far and wide (NMPPS) and National Qurantine Bureau introduced professional judges and western-style pageants, and dance parties. Critics claimed that Services, 1928 – 1937 (Ann Arbor, MI: Association for with the former being more serious, often as it attempted to extend treatment to (NQS); O.K. Khaw of the Peking Union lawyers, and limited punishments to fines, jail, such efforts reflected the hedonistic life-style of Asian Studies, 1995), 117 – 120.

(top) Entrance of New World Amusement Park at Jalan Besar, circa 1960. This was where Chinese (middle) Group photograph of Singapore Overseas 6 swimmer Yang Shau King helped to raise funds for the Chinese Red Cross. Chinese Clan Association Chinese raising relief funds for China, headed by 7 collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Tan Kah Kee. Singapore Chinese Clan Associations Collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature There’s more to the hand than meets the eye, as Tan Huism found out when she curated an exhibition using the motif of hands for the National Library recently. A Tale of Many Hands

I HAVE ALWAYS WISHED MY HANDS WERE LESS BONY ories of Singaporeans who lived through and veined. But then again, if they were the country’s nation-building years were not so, my hands would not remind me of showcased. Evocative photographic im- my grandmother’s. In the morning, her ages of their hands were used to represent hands would be busy combing her hair, ty- the memories of their life’s work. Using ing it into a neat bun finished with her jade hands as the visual imagery seemed ap- and gold hairpins. In the afternoon, those propriate given that we shape the world same hands would be busy playing mah- with our bodies — particularly our hands. jong, and in the evening, tending the gar- The portraits of the hands — a selection den. Domestic chores aside, these were the of which are showcased in this photo daily activities of my grandmother in her essay — were taken by award-winning twilight years. My grandmother’s hands, Singaporean photographer, Sean Lee, from what I can remember, were always whose works have been showcased in busy; even when relaxing her right hand local and international exhibitions. would be holding a cigarette or the televi- If you missed “Hands: Gift of a sion remote control. My paternal grand- Generation” at the National Library, you parents were the first generation in my can catch a modified — but no less inter- family to leave China for Southeast Asia. esting — version of the exhibition at the At the recent Singapore Memory Woodlands Regional Library in April 2014. Tan Huism is the Head of Exhibitions and Project exhibition “Hands: Gift of a The “Hands” experience there will be Curation with the National Library. She started Generation” held at the National Library adapted to flow naturally with the library her curatorial career at the National Museum of Singapore before moving to the Asian Building (7 Aug to 13 Oct 2013), the mem- spaces used by patrons. ● Civilisations Museum, where she became Deputy Director of Curation and Collections. “It was a great privilege to have been able to photograph Sean Lee is a teller of short stories through his so many Singaporeans who have, in ways big and small, photographs. He was a winner of the 2011 ICON contributed to the identity of the nation. There were many de Martell Cordon Bleu and a member of the Reflexions Masterclass (2011­-2013). His work occasions during the course of shooting where I took pause has been exhibited at the Prix Decouverte, Les to listen to their life stories. Very often, I felt enriched Rencontres d'Arles (2009), Galeria TagoMago, Barcelona (2011), New York Photo Festival, New simply by being a part of that moment as a listener.” York (2011), Empire Project, Istanbul (2011) and — sean lee (photographer for the hands exhibition) TantoTempo Gallery, Kobe (2012), among others.

(above) Sean Lee photographing a ‘Hands’ (facing page) Her hand movement in Indian dance tells stories. Santha Bhaskar has been dancing since 8 profile. Courtesy of Tan Huism. the age of 3. Photography by Sean Lee. 9 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

“I was in full appreciation of the exhibition — it presented experiences of individuals and their contributions in a very unobtrusive way; the photographs were organic and aesthetic in composition capturing the individual in their natural element. The photographs also, I thought, teased the visitor into guessing who the individual might be, providing an experience of discovery.” — nalina gopal (visited hands exhibition in september 2013)

(above) Her hands promoted reading and libraries. Hedwig Anuar nee Aroozoo was the former Director (top right) His hands worked at the first watch plant in Singapore in 1973. (above) Her hands worked for 67 years tailoring custom-made shirts. 10 of the National Library (1965–1988). Photography by Sean Lee. Kok Kham Seng still works at Seiko Instruments. Photography by Sean Lee. Photography by Sean Lee. 11 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

“I try to go about the photo-making in as natural a way as possible for these folks. The main aim is to shoot them in their natural environment such as their homes or workplace so that they are comfortable. I avoid making them pose. I just want to create simple portraits where their personalities come through.” — sean lee

(top) Her hands worked to bring rights and protection for Muslim women. (bottom left) From her mid 30s till her 70s, her hands laboured on her husband’s (facing page, bottom right) His hands punched their way to represent Singapore (above) His hands used to be on alert to fight fire. Today Abdul Rahman bin 12 Mrs Mohamed Siraj co-founded the Young Women's Muslim Association farm planting vegetables and rearing pigs and fish. Lim Beak is a centenarian. in the Olympics in 1972. Syed Abdul Kadir now coaches the new generation boxers. Osman is a gardener. Photography by Sean Lee. 13 (1952) and the Muslim Women's Welfare Council (1964). Photography by Photography by Sean Lee. Photography by Sean Lee. Sean Lee. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

lthough hailed as a musical ge- music critic Victor Doggett and achieved nius by his peers, Singaporean his Licentiate of the Royal School of Music composer Tsao Chieh’s prodi- (LRSM) in piano performance and Grade gious talents and legacy have 8 qualification in theory. After topping been overshadowed by his un- his cohort at National Junior College, timely death at the age of 43. His Tsao Chieh earned a Singapore Armed Aaccomplishments, unfortunately, have Forces Scholarship to study engineering gone largely unnoticed by the general at the University of Manchester Institute public, and this article is probably the first of Science and Technology for the next attempt at chronicling the composer’s four years.1 life — from his growing-up years in Singa- It was in Manchester that Tsao Chieh’s pore, his musical forays during his engi- musical horizons broadened exponential- neering studies in Manchester and Cali- ly. In addition to assiduously attending fornia, and his creative accomplishments performances in the English city, such in between juggling a high-flying mili- as those by the Hallé Orchestra, he also tary career on his return to Singapore. signed up for orchestration classes con- Given the dearth of published sources ducted by the Music Department and pe- on Tsao Chieh, this article pieces togeth- rused numerous scores from the universi- er material from the composer’s music ty library. Tsao Chieh also travelled to the manuscripts and newspaper articles as English National Opera and Wigmore Hall well as personal interviews with family in London, where he recorded many Radio members in 2010. 3 programmes from the BBC on cassettes and brought them back to Singapore. Early Years Living in another country had wid- ened Tsao Chieh’s cultural knowledge, Born on 27 December 1953, Tsao Chieh but he could not be as involved with mu- was presented with a toy piano at the age sic as he would have liked during his sub- of three; his playful tinkering of the ivo- sequent three-year bond with the Min- ry keys at the time already an expression istry of Defence. In 1980, the unlikely of his steely determination to become a composer obtained another scholarship musician. When he was six, his teach- to pursue his doctorate in Electrical Engi- er, Theresa Khoo (丘秀玖), trained him to neering at Stanford University. In Califor- improvise on the piano. She would write nia, in between his engineering studies, different tunes, one of which Tsao Chieh Tsao Chieh took up flute lessons, attended recalled as a whimsical Malay tune about numerous concerts and extra classes in kachang puteh (white nuts). Growing up in Mathematics and Music Composition. Singapore during the 1960s, Tsao Chieh’s In an interview published by The Straits exposure to Western classical music was Times, Tsao Chieh said, “When I realised probably more extensive than his con- that with a little more effort I could get temporaries. a Masters in Music Composition, I went Despite his untimely death His father, an engineer with the civil for it.”2 Tsao Chieh’s musical accomplish- the Unlikely Composer at the age of 43, Singaporean service, was a great fan of classical mu- ments are all the more astounding given sic and owned a vast collection of gram- the fact he was in Stanford studying to be composer Tsao Chieh’s legacy ophone records. The family would play an engineer at that time. lives on — immortalised through music in the house during breakfast and In the five years that followed, the his small but significant body after work. It was amid this nurturing musical prodigy produced six pieces for of experimental works. Jun musical environment that Tsao Chieh’s flute and piano, a piano sonata as well affinity for music was cultivated. He grad- as a larger work for soprano and cham- Zubillaga-Pow traces the life ually developed the ability to identify not ber ensemble. On his own, Tsao Chieh of this underrated artist. only the different pieces, but also the per- devoted three years acquiring proper formers on the records. After several years harmony and compositional techniques. of studying the piano, it was discovered He revealed that his writing was “very that Tsao Chieh had perfect relative pitch clumsy” when he first started attending a h h and, what was more, could differentiate classes, but he soon learnt to think out- T C i Jun Zubillaga-Pow is a PhD Candidate in pitches without using an instrument. side the box, discovering “the importance s music research at King’s College London. He o e Tsao Chieh was already a proficient of contrapuntal freedom … and the idea has performed and curated music events at pianist by his early teens, acquiring a of rhythmic freedom” respectively from  I prefer to listen to good Michael Jackson than bad Mahler. The Esplanade, The Arts House, Theatreworks — tsao chieh and The Substation. With the support of The firm grounding of technical skills and Leland Smith and Richard Felciano; the National Arts Council, Jun is the co-editor of musicianship. At 16, he came under the latter was then a visiting professor from Queer Singapore and Singapore Soundscape. tutelage of well-known piano teacher and the University of California, Berkeley. The 14 (above) Tsao Chieh working on a composition in 1986. Courtesy of Vivien Chen. 15 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature notion of a “moving bass” was such a thought the piece was both “dramatic” matic subtitles. The first movement is a nings, “An idea here. Another spark there. significant concept for Tsao Chieh that it and “contemporaneous”. Prelude and Fugue, subtitled Temasek, They can occur to me when I am brush- would be mentioned over dinner conver- while the second and third movements ing my teeth or going to sleep. Slowly, sations with his wife, Vivien Chen, whom Music with a Singapore Spin are a March and Scherzo, subtitled Colo- these fragments accumulate until they he had met as a fellow student at NJC. nial Days and War respectively. Music for cohere to form a picture.”6 From 1984 to 1985, not only did the ac- the latter section was inspired by Seventy For two evenings in June 1986, the Early Compositions complished polymath work on his engi- Days to Singapore by Stanley Falk, a telling work, together with Joseph Haydn’s Cello neering PhD dissertation, he also com- of the Japanese invasion from Siam to Concerto and Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of From 1980 to 1982, Tsao Chieh’s three posed and orchestrated his symphonic Singapore. Before the Finale, which con- Psalms, was performed by the SSO at the flute-and-piano pieces, Rondelay, Idyll and poem, which was given the grand title tains a quotation of the National Anthem Victoria Concert Hall. Stravinsky hap- Toccata, secured prime positions in his Singapore. The idea of composing a series as a proclamation of the new Republic, a pened to be one of Tsao Chieh’s favourite foundational studies. While Rondelay, com- of tone poems based on the history of Passacaglia is used to depict the cathartic composers. Responses to the symphonic pleted in September 1980, was dedicated to Singapore had already been churning in Aftermath of the Japanese Occupation. suite ranged from the slightly disdain- his flute teacher Alexandra Hawley, it was his head for over two years after reading Upon his return to Singapore, Tsao ful: “a huge first novel, over-stuffed with Toccata that received more performances Constance Mary Turnbull’s A History of Chieh offered the composition to the Sin- ideas” and “a hodgepodge of various styles” at the university’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium Singapore. It had been compulsory read- gapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), which to the laudatory: an “imaginative han- between May 1984 and 1985. From 1982 to ing for the Ministry of Defence officer had premiered the music of Singaporean dling of the orchestra” with “pastoral 1983, Tsao Chieh began work on an Overture and the subject had surfaced in conversa- composers, such as Leong Yoon Pin, Ber- woodwind lending a tranquil mood over in C for full orchestra, which has yet to be tions over the dinner table. The engineer nard Tan and Phoon Yew Tien. The Singa- a gentle landscape of strings.”7 The piece performed at the time of writing. dications of where the French horns and His next work was Four Songs from in him instinctively decided that each of pore Festival of Arts in 1986 was fixed as was correspondingly broadcast on public According to his widow, Tsao Chieh percussion would play, while the full Romantic Poets for soprano and chamber the five movements of the suite would an occasion for the premiere and the or- radio twice and televised on the now-de- thought that writing in C major would orchestration was duly completed eight ensemble, which was influenced by the be based upon a specific period in Singa- chestra went about preparing the music; funct Channel 12 for the next few months. be a good place to begin his first orches- months later on 8 March 1983. writing style of Samuel Barber and Alban pore’s history. The 40-minute work, Tsao conductor Choo Hoey remarked that more Citing Luciano Berio and Pierre tral work. From his sketches, the initial In terms of stylistic originality, his Berg, the latter being one of Tsao Chieh’s Chieh explained in an interview, charts musicians had to be engaged as a result of Boulez as influences, the masterpiece title of the work was A Concert Overture. He music only took on a personality of its favourite composers. Similar to the Piano the chronological progress of Singapore the composer’s large-scale orchestration. also aroused interest from both the mu- drafted a first version on a four-staff short own in 1983. Borrowing from the French Sonata written a year earlier, atonal but ro- from the pre-colonial era to the Japanese In addition to the usual array of orchestral sical circles and the general public. It score, completing it in Stanford on 10 July composer Henri Dutilleux, the choice mantic nuances could be discerned from Occupation to independent Republic. He instruments, Tsao Chieh requested for an provoked discussions on the definition 1982 and signing off after the double bar of character pieces in his Movements for this set of pieces. Four Songs, which won said, “It’s what I call an abstract work alto flute, a bass clarinet, a double bassoon of Singaporean music as well as the art of lines. The short score only had a few in- Flute, with Piano and String Quartet would the first prize in the university’s Paul and with symphonic unity... a cyclical sym- and a very large percussion section of six composition itself. Later, The Straits Times be an indication of Tsao Chieh’s aesthetic Jean Hanna Music Composition Compe- phony. Each section evokes a period in the timpani, four tom-toms, chimes, vibra- music critic Chang Tou Liang would recall preference for generic musical forms: the tition, was based on the 19th-century po- history of Singapore. It will give an atmo- phone, piano harp and a water-gong. In that after listening to the masterpiece, he Making Water Music Intermezzo, Scherzetto, Cadenza and Os- ems of William Blake (The Sick Rose), Wil- sphere, for instance, of Singapore before accounting for his programming of the left the concert hall feeling proud to be a tinato. Unlike his earlier pieces, these al- liam Butler Yeats (The Unappeasable Host) Raffles discovered it.”4 work, Choo Hoey quipped, “He’s young, Singaporean.8 In September, Tsao Chieh The Singapore Youth Orchestra brought one lowed his musical imagination to be con- and Percy Shelley (The Waning Moon and Aligned with his preference for clas- up-and-coming and should be heard.”5 was selected to represent Singapore as the of Tsao Chieh's works Stasis on tour to Perth, strained within the emotional demands Victoria). It was evident from this period sical forms, the five movements are When asked by an arts correspon- Outstanding Young Person of the Year in Australia, in June 1988. The general manager of the character pieces. As a trained en- that the perennial issue of musical com- based on the characteristics of generic dent on his working process, Tsao Chieh recognition of his contributions to soci- of the orchestra Tan Kim Swee14 remembered gineer, it was natural that music became munication between composer and audi- symphonic movements with program- mused about the concept of small begin- ety and his leadership qualities.9 the piece required a water tank, one “big a less regimental outlet for Tsao Chieh to ences became one of the founding trajec- enough to immerse a big gong”. The story was express himself. tories in Tsao Chieh’s creation process. that the first tank that had been acquired was In a similar vein, his Piano Sonata In the campus report of 24 April 1985, too small for the gong and a second one had — which he personally performed at the Tsao Chieh explained the decisions over to be custom-made for the piece. This must premiere together with Beethoven’s Piano the preparation for the performance: “I have been so stressful for Tan that he even Sonata Op. 109 and Debussy’s Images I at thought a singer singing in English would remembered the precise dimensions of the Stanford’s Campbell Recital Hall on 2 May be a good thing for the audience to focus tank — 50 centimetres in breadth and length 1983 — could be said as being inventive in on… something for them to recognise… and 100 centimetres in height — which was its structural formulation and aesthetic The themes are of night and storm, prob- to be filled with water as instructed by the direction. Of course, the piano recital ably influenced by my great love of horror composer. Tan recalled the ensuing frenzy would not have been possible without stories when a child”; as well as over the over how the water tank had to be filled ex- the encouragement of his erstwhile piano selection of some of these poems: “‘Victo- actly to four-fifths of its height using buckets teacher Naomi Sparrow, who taught him ria’ is about the ghost of a man’s murdered and subsequently emptied the same way the finer details of dynamics contrasts lover coming back to haunt him. I picked before and after each concert. During both and other musical expressivity. it because I wanted a nice, big ending. The the local and Australian performances, the Being industrious, Tsao Chieh com- poems I chose are actually quite perverse. tank was placed at the back of the orchestra posed, in his final year at Stanford, a Ca- There’s lots of percussion and rhythmi- but elevated so that it remained visible to the price for two flutes and piano for another cally it’s very tricky. I think it’s the best audience. Tan also recalls clearly that the of his flute teachers, Carol Adee, prompt- thing I’ve ever written...”3 commissioned work required bamboo chimes ly finishing the piece on 3 February 1984. When his work subsequently pre- and glass chimes, both of which had to be Unlike his other works for flute, the work miered at the end-of-year Music Awards custom made. was the only one to receive a posthumous concert in May 1985, soprano Patricia premiere in Singapore. Mikishka and conductor Chris Lanz,

(top) The student orchestra performing at the official opening of the 1986 Singapore Arts Festival at Kent Ridge. (above) Several of Tsao Chieh’s pieces were performed by Singapore Symphonic Orchestra performing at the Victoria Concert Hall under the baton of Choo Hoey. 16 Tsao Chieh’s Singapore premiered on this occasion. MITA collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. MITA collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 17 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

for narrator and orchestra based on the come proficient after six, seven months Mus. Although all these electronic piec- 5. ‘Soldier composes a Singapore suite’, The Straits 17 Times, 6 February 1986, Page 32. Reviews of Tsao Chieh’s Music poetry of some local poets”, but he was or more.” Sceptics would probably say es were believed to be completed by 1995, 6. Ibid. unsure which poem would suit his aes- that the task was a walk in the park for the actual period of production and com- 7. ‘Romantic touch of Haydn’, The Straits Times, 16 Under the baton of Lan Shui, the Singapore must surely carry abstracted meanings in 16 June 1986, Page 19 thetics. Eventually, he found two rele- someone with an engineer’s mind and a pletion remain uncertain. In May 1994, 8. ‘Too much to ask of Schweizer’, The Straits Times, Symphonic Orchestra recorded three compact their own right… vant pieces from the literary anthology proclivity for learning. the commissioned work Two Little Pieces 18 September 1998, Page 7. discs of Tsao Chieh's orchestral works. In his Just when you think you have nailed The Poetry of Singapore, which was pub- His next work for the Singapore Youth for Orchestra premiered at the Victoria 9. ‘11 vie for best of youth title’, The Straits Times, 4 September 1986, Page 13. review, Chang Tou Liang considered the com- the composer to a pastiche of Debussy or lished by the ASEAN Committee on Cul- Orchestra was composed directly on the Concert Hall conducted by Chan Tze Law 10. ‘Gunners plan big bang for centenary celebrations’, poser to be a “modern-day Charles Ives, one Bartok-styled chromatic harmonies, a tinkly ture and Information, and fitted the text computer, which enabled him to play and played by the Temasek Junior College The Straits Times, 9 February 1988, Page 15. who composed in his spare time.” He said: horror-movie soundtrack surges into your 11. ‘SAF chief tells of challenges’, The Straits Times, 23 to his music. He contemplated including February 1988, Page 14. hearing, stealing your breath away. Small a chorus, but was advised against the idea — 12. Oral History Centre, National Archives Singapore. The impressionism of Debussy and Rav- and sparse jumbles of sound are thrown by the visiting British composer Alexan- Accession No. 2992, Disc No. 27/34. 13. ‘A young pianist’s Sunday treat and a composer’s el, pomp and circumstance of Elgar and away here and there against a backdrop of der Goehr. “Of all the different artists, it is quite terrible to be a composer, static work’, The Straits Times, 19 March 1988, Walton, serialism of Schoenberg and the tense calm created by near-silent electronic because your dream has to be realised by other people.” Page 39. passacaglia-writing style of Shostakovich “whooshes”. Computer Music 14. Oral History Centre, National Archives Singapore. Accession No. 2992, Disc No. 27/34. are all evident, mixed with a healthy dose Sometimes, a woman laughs and a — 15. ‘Local composers merit patronage’, The Straits of melody — Rasa Sayang, Xiao Bai Chuan man snatches the space for his moment In 1992, Tsao Chieh was featured in a Times, 9 January 1989, Page 5. 16. ‘Our history in music’, The Straits Times, 15 February (Little Sailboat) and one big tune of his with a scramble of words. Themes which news report about electronic or comput- back the music as synthesised sounds Orchestra. The two relatively neoclassi- 1986. own device.22 sound transplanted from a drama-mama er music. He had gradually progressed and make necessary changes. The com- cal pieces in diatonic modes came with 17. ‘It sure beats chicken-scratch’, The Straits Times, 9 June 1992, Page 2. Chinese opera groove against a dizzying from using computers for music typog- missioned work, Prelude, Interlude and Fu- the titles Idyll and Dance; according to the 18. ‘Music Notes’, The Straits Times, 22 July 1992, Page In her review on Tsao Chieh’s electronic music, spiral of unremitting notes. It is a trippy raphy in 1986 to composing directly at gato, was performed in part under guest composer, he had always wanted to write 5, and ‘Music Notes’, The Straits Times, 23 March the ethnomusicologist Tan Shzr Ee said that and absolutely mesmerising experience. 1994, Page 11. the computer in 1992. He explained that conductor Chan Tze Law on 24 July 1992 them since he was a teenager, but lacked 19. ‘Concert tribute to Singapore composer’, The it does “lovely things to your ear.” She elab- But every now and then, a curious “the hardest part is mastering the soft- and only in full two years later under the technical know-how. Straits Times, 15 January 1998, Page 79. orated: refrain of a decaying, owl-like “woo”, flat- ware programme, which is very complex. the baton of Lim Yau on 26 March 1994.18 Tsao Chieh’s Two Little Pieces was per- 20. ‘Rich, controlled performance’, The Straits Times, 27 July 1992, Page 7. tened out in pitch towards it tail, rears up The learning curve is steep. You only be- Both Tze Law and Lim Yau agreed that formed again the following year by the 21. ‘It sure beats chicken-scratch’, The Straits Times, 9 It is a treasure box of weird and delightful like a leitmotif. It reminds you of the con- the music was a tad difficult for the youth National University of Singapore Sym- June 1992, Page 2. sounds either simulating acoustic in- stancy of — work? everyday existence? the 22. A symphony with sound of Rasa Sayang?’, The orchestra, which resulted in longer re- phony Orchestra at the university’s 90th Straits Times, 7 December 2001, Page 19. struments to eerie effect, or churning out inner rhythms of life? — that punctuate this hearsal times. The Singapore Symphony anniversary celebrations. It was conduct- 23. ‘Electrifying electronica’, The Straits Times, 1 frenetic blubs of nonsensical noises which album’s otherwise over-the-top splendour.23 Orchestra performed the work on 16 Jan- ed by Lim Soon Lee this time round at the February 2002, Page 8. uary 1998, two years after Tsao Chieh’s Victoria Concert Hall. In early 1995, Tsao References passing.19 Hearing only the final move- Chieh set the poem Old House at Ang Siang ‘11 vie for best of youth title’, The Straits Times, 4 September 1986, p. 13. In 1988, Tsao Chieh, now a Lieu- maiden performance under the baton of ment of the three-part composition, The Hill by Singaporean poet and Cultural ‘A symphony with sound of Rasa Sayang?’, The Straits tenant-Colonel with the Ministry of De- Vivien Goh, who also programmed a Ros- Straits Times critic Philip Looi noted that Medallion winner Arthur Yap to music Times, 7 December 2001, p. 19. fence, was commissioned by the Chief of sini overture, a Mozart symphony and a Tsao Chieh’s “rich instrumentation and for soprano and piano. ‘A young pianist’s Sunday treat and a composer’s static work’, The Straits Times, 19 March 1988, p. 39. Artillery, then-Lieutenant-Colonel Low Beethoven concerto for the concert at the often dense texture” were kept in good Sadly, on 27 October 1996, Tsao Chieh ‘Concert tribute to Singapore composer’, The Straits Yee Kah, to compose a military march for Victoria Theatre. While the SYO manager control by Tze Law, and that “the tune- passed away from liver cancer just two Times, 15 January 1998, p. 79. ‘Electrifying electronica’, The Straits Times, 1 February the Artillery’s 100th anniversary celebra- Tan Kim Swee felt Stasis was “contempo- ful diatonic passages were played with a months shy of his 43rd birthday, leaving 2002, p. 8. tions.10 The Singapore Artillery Centennial rary” and “modernistic”, the composer broad legato articulation that contrasted behind his wife and two young children. ‘Gunners plan big bang for centenary celebrations’, The Straits Times, 9 February 1988, p. 15. March was performed by the Singapore preferred to call his work “minimalist”. well with the strongly articulated 12-tone At the time of his death he had left the mil- ‘It sure beats chicken-scratch’, The Straits Times, 9 June 20 Infantry Regiment Band on 22 Febru- This characteristic of being “mini- fugato sections.” itary and joined Sembawang Corporation 1992, p. 2. ary 1988 at the military parade at Khatib malist” can be readily discerned in Tsao Tsao Chieh had been experimenting as Special Assistant for Technology but all ‘Local composers merit patronage’, The Straits Times, 9 January 1989, p. 5. Camp with past and present Artillery sol- Chieh’s Variations for Chamber Ensemble, with recorded sounds by uploading them this while he remained active in local arts ‘Music Notes’, The Straits Times, 22 July 1992, Page 5, and diers as well as members of the public in which was programmed in the New Mu- into the computer and manipulating them circles as a member of the National Arts ‘Music Notes’, The Straits Times, 23 March 1994, p. 11. 11 ‘Our history in music’, The Straits Times, 15 February 1986. attendance. The march was re-arranged sic Forum II under the direction of Lim to create brand new sounds since 1992. He Council (1993) and management commit- ‘Our history in music’, The Straits Times, 15 February 1986. the following year by Major Tonni Wei Yau in January 1989. Tsao Chieh men- wanted to not only compose computer- tee of the SYO, chairing the music panel ‘Rich, controlled performance’, The Straits Times, 27 July for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s tioned that the structure of the work was generated works, but also to emulate com- for the 1994 Cultural Medallion awards. 1992, p. 7. ‘Romantic touch of Haydn’, The Straits Times, 16 June concert performance under the baton of derived from that of Big Band Jazz, and posers who wrote computer programmes. Despite his varied body of work, Tsao 1986, p. 19 Lim Yau. includes several unique instrumental ef- He optimistically believed that “the range Chieh had always lamented that com- ‘SAF chief tells of challenges’, The Straits Times, 23 February 1988, p. 14. In March that year, a 12-minute piece fects, such as pitch-bending flute, water of sounds that the computer [could] create posers remained at the mercy of others. ‘Soldier composes a Singapore suite’, The Straits Times, 6 was commissioned by the Singapore gongs and playing inside the piano.15 [was] only limited by the imagination”, He said, “Of all the different artists, it is February 1986, p. 32. Youth Orchestra (SYO).12 Stasis (see text In late 1990, his work Amidst the sough but the pragmatist in him acknowledged quite terrible to be a composer, because ‘Soldier composes a Singapore suite’, The Straits Times, 6 February 1986, p. 32. box on page 16), Tsao Chieh revealed, was of winds..., Two Poems by Edwin Thum- that he had to develop “his computer your dream has to be realised by other ‘Too much to ask of Schweizer’, The Straits Times, 18 a combination of two ideas, the “stillness boo for Narrator and Large Orchestra was knowledge and technique first.”21 For the people.” ● September 1998, p. 7. ‘Top HSC pupil: Two in the running’, The Straits Times, 6 and change” in the rhythms of Thai mu- performed by the Singapore Symphony time being, however, the avid audiophile March 1972, p. 11. sic and the “minimalist compositions Orchestra on two December evenings. thought he might inject some of the com- Campus Report, Stanford University, 24 April 1985. endnotes Oral History Centre, National Archives Singapore. of contemporary composers such as Preceding Max Bruch’s First Symphony puter generated sounds into his “tradi- Accession No. 2992, Disc No. 27/34. 13 1. ‘Top HSC pupil: Two in the running’, The Straits Philip Glass.” The composer qualified and Peter Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Con- tional classical compositions.” Times, 6 March 1972, Page 11. Oral History Centre, National Archives Singapore. that, although the work comprised only certo, Choo Hoey conducted the premiere Gradually, what came out of the ger- 2. ‘Soldier composes a Singapore suite’, The Straits Accession No. 2992, Disc No. 27/34. notes from the A major scale, it was still at the Victoria Concert Hall with the poet mination process were three test pieces, a Times, 6 February 1986, Page 32. 3. Campus Report, Stanford University, 24 April 1985. rhythmically complex and was without as narrator. In 1986, Tsao Chieh had ex- rhapsody for synthesised flute and a more 4. ‘Our history in music’, The Straits Times, 15 February a constant meter. The work was given its pressed his intention to compose “a piece substantial composition entitled Sine. 1986.

(middle) Photograph of Tsao Chieh taken in 1990. (bottom) Tone rows for Amidst the Sough of Winds. 18 Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Courtesy of Vivien Chen. 19 Limited. Reproduced with permission. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

A Arang And Anglo: B Bidan: Prelude To C Capteh And Other Poor Man's Kitchen “Tankee You, Missee” Childhood Games

SINGAPORE IS A CITY THAT RARELY SLEEPS. Starting grandmother’s old kitchen The bidan kampung (also known as Mak Many from the kampong generation have Commuters, workers, students and holi- fire2 was a huff-and-puff affair.3 Pre-war Bidan in Malay, or jie sheng fu in Chinese) fond memories of running riot in the kam- day-makers contribute to its near-insom- households mostly relied on firewood, — traditional midwives — were once the pong playing games like “police and thief” niac thoroughfares, offices and shopping except for a few city dwellers who used preferred choice of pregnant mothers. (or “catching”) and hantam bola (similar to malls, blurring the transition from night arang (charcoal), gas or electricity.4 Many What many bidan lacked in certification dodgeball). Playtime did not end until to day. The breaking of dawn was more kampong folks manually stoked the fire they made up with experience. In fact in sunset when all the kids would disperse discernible until the early 1970s when from their firewood or arang stoves, fanning 1949, more babies were delivered at home and head back home. Sometimes, only many parts of Singapore were made up of the coals furiously to keep them burning. in kampongs by rural midwives than at the spectre of a sapu lidi (coconut broom) kampongs (villages). Then, distinct sounds Firewood and arang were sold by weight (or Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KK).12 Fami- from an exasperated mother shrieking and habits signalled the end of nighttime pikul) and delivered via pedal tricycle or a lies were poor but still continued to have “baaliik!” (“go home” in Malay) was able and the start of a new day as W. Alexan- two-wheel wooden cart. Although more children. In the 1950s, babies were born at to break the play marathon.15 When they der wrote in The Straits Times in 1936: expensive, many women preferred arang the rate of 1,000 a week.13 Bidans literally ran out of money for cheap 10-cent-a-tick- as it could be broken into small pieces by lost sleep over this frenzied reproduction, et movies, the children would entertain Nowhere in the world does the hand unlike firewood which had to be with one bidan confessing in The Singapore themselves, running amok in the “open first flush of dawn [signal] a more chopped with a hatchet.5 Accompanying Free Press, “Sometimes I’d like to pretend I sprawling compounds”,16 playing games rapid and general awakening than the arang was the clay stove or anglo. haven’t heard the bell and turn over and like capteh. in Singapore… The noisy splash of In the early 1950s, the prices of fire- go to sleep… but I never do. I always think Capteh is a game known by different water indicates early ablutions in wood and charcoal soared, prompting the of the poor mother waiting for me.”14 names across Southeast Asia. The game one direction, while from another government to encourage the use of al- The modern bidan or government- requires a light, fit-in-the-palm object the clatter of cooking utensils and ternative fuel.6 Housewives turned to the trained midwife, fondly called “missy”, called capteh. The base of the capteh was

It’s hard to believe that Singapore was once a sleepy village outpost. Re-live those nostalgic kampong days with this laundry list of life as it once was.

KAMPON7 G LIVING A—Z plates gives promise of breakfast on kerosene stove, but in time it too proved surfaced when the colonial government made by stacking a few round pieces of studying the nature of the ground and crowd-pullers, while in a Malay village, the way. Charcoal fires, slumbering to be a fire hazard.8 The biggest blow to felt that the infant mortality rate was rubber usually taken from an expired the circumference of the tree, they could the surau (small mosque) rallied residents throughout the night, leap to life the arang trade was the introduction of too high and that Singapore needed the bicycle tube, held together by a nail judge the approximate distance a fallen for congregational prayers. when fanned … while a noisy clatter cylinder LPG (liquid-petroleum gas) in the guiding hand of Western maternity ser- poked through the middle of the rubber. durian would roll...”19 Kampong houses were designed to as pails are banged on stone draws 1960s that claimed to “solve all … cooking vices. The “missy” visited kampongs and Sprouting from the base would be a bunch Fruiting seasons were a heady af- facilitate both easy flow of air for ven- attention to the first patron of the problems… It lights up at once, … your co-existed with the bidan. Her trademark of rooster feathers tied with a rubber fair that reminded villagers of nature’s tilation and neighbourly interaction standpipe — an elderly woman who kitchen will sparkle and shine...”9 As Esso was the neat white uniform, but keeping band. The capteh is tossed up repeatedly bounty: “Life lost its monotony when the via open verandas and compounds. The carries her burdens slung from a cylinders were briskly delivered to kitch- it white was a challenge during her kam- using the side of one’s foot while the countryside resounded with the thud of boundaries of each dwelling were usual- yoke … Perhaps a quarter of an hour, ens from the mid-60s onwards,10 tongkangs pong rounds. The sight of a “missy” was other remains on the ground. Players falling durians and red bunches of lus- ly delineated by natural features such as perhaps twenty minutes after the along Geylang River — custom-made for often a welcome forebearer of an akan competed to see who could do this the cious rambutans brightened the land- trees, which meant that the compounds first streak in the sky, Singapore has the charcoal trade — were progressively datang (meaning “coming soon”) member most times consecutively without scape. All around were trees laden with frequently overlapped. This was more fully awakened from its slumber.1 laid up and scrapped in the 1970s.11 to the kampong. dropping the capteh.17 Capteh games mangosteens, langsat, rambai, nangka and typical of the houses in a Malay kampong, with exceptional players were long other seasonal fruits.”20 whereas houses in a Chinese one usually Many older Singaporeans would argue drawn — sometimes “… it took the whole had a waist-high wooden gate. But there Ethnic Enclaves that their kampong days had a lot more of recess hour and… continued the day E was sufficient visibility around the hous- character, their memories of village after or evening after school...”18 es in both types, fostering easy relations life firmly etched in their collective Stamford Raffles’ demarcation of Singa- and camaraderie that often translated D Dukus And Durians: consciousness even as the physical The Fruiting Season pore’s urban areas into ethnic enclaves into a strong kampong spirit that did not landscape, structures and habits of the took root in the kampongs too with pock- significantly diminish even in a mixed kampong disappeared over time. The act Having fruit trees in the house com- ets of Chinese huts sited apart from the kampong of Malay and Chinese dwellings. of recollecting the past, however, can pound was a treat for kampong residents Malay cluster, often separated by a hillock However, each kampong retained its dis- be a delightfully haphazard exercise. To who could freely pick the fruits from or a road. It was common to be asked if tinct name and way of life. sharpen your musings, BiblioAsia presents the trees. Durians, however, were an one came from the kampong cina (Chinese Often, a common tongue bridged many an A-Z laundry list of kampong living as it exception. As far back as 1936, the du- kampong) or kampong melayu (Malay kam- cultural gaps. In those days, it was com- once was. rian was already considered an expen- pong), a distinction borne out by varied mon to hear Malay being spoken not just sive fruit and attracted its fair share of housing designs and other cultural mark- by native speakers.21 Pasar (market) Malay, thieves. They would “crawl around the ers. The most distinct marker was reli- a colloquial form of the language gener- This article was researched by Nor Afidah trees in the dead of the night and drag gion: In a Chinese kampong, the Tua Pek ously spiced with exclamations of “ayya” 22 Abd Rahman, a senior librarian with the along a large piece of gunny into which Kong temple devoted to this Taoist deity and “ayoyo” helped smoothed conversa- National Library Board (NLB). the thorns of the durians would stick. By and the wayang (Chinese opera) stage were tions between the two communities.

(above) Infant growth assessment carried out by a trained midwife or “missy”, in 1950. School of Nursing (top) A man at a durian plantation circa 1915. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 20 collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 21 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

as one player described, “I was very good at hantam bola in my younger days, catch Oh bey som! tennis ball with left hand and whack any- one in front with the right hand.” Oh bey som was a means by which teams If unlucky, the ball would kena (hit) or individual players were selected. Players your face or head (followed by “tao pio ah” would shout “oh bey som!” and simultaneous- or “hit lottery”, a euphemism for being ly stick out their hands with their palms facing doused on the head with bird poop). Play- either up or down. All who had their palms ing hantam bola in the rain would send facing in the same direction would be part of one rolling into muddy puddles but the one team, and the rest on the other. A player fun would end immediately when your would be singled out to be the pasang (catch- mother saw your dirty state; she would er) if he or she was the only person with the hantam (whack) you instead! palm facing a different direction from the rest of the group. Otherwise, the players would Itinerant hawkers: I continue to oh bey som, eliminating the ma- Unlicensed taste jority until only a single player remained. Street food vendors used to travel from kampong to kampong peddling their sig- Five-Stones F nature delicacies. An expectant crowd team was to penetrate the entrances with- would gather in anticipation of the tan- out getting tapped by their opponents. If This was a tossing game, geared towards talising food, such as ice balls, char kway one player managed to break through, his The pasang would have to run to the tin of these buses invited many complaints, buses lost their buzz. By the 1950s, they girls with delicate fingers and usually teow (noodles) and satay.27 Unfortunately, team would win, but if one of them got and bring it back and shout “I spy!” which particularly about their horn-happy driv- were allowed to ply only in rural areas played sitting cross-legged on the floor. The the “dirt-cheap” hawker food was often tapped the whole team was out. signalled that the game had started prop- ers: “[they made] day and night hideous and the outer fringes of the city.31 “stones” — handmade by the girls them- dirt-riddled too.28 In the 1960s, in a move to er. If players needed a time-out they with their incessant horn-blowing (I could, K Kleret: He ain’t heavy, N Next-door Neighbours: selves — were actually small pyramid- improve food hygiene, food peddlers were he’s my brother would signal for a break by making the for instance, recognise from my bed No. “No salt? No problem!” shaped sachets simply sewn from scraps relocated to centralised hawker centres.29 “peace” sign with their fingers and shout 425 by his “signature tune” as he went up of cloth and filled with green beans, sand The aim of this game is to get a free piggy- “chope”, “chope night”, or “chope twist”! It or down Bukit Timah Road.) In those days, Today, when a housewife in the midst of Jelon or rice grains. Instead of five, some used J back ride from your opponent (pictured would be honoured and everyone could it was common for buses to tootle away, cooking realises she has no salt in her lar- seven stones. The game is played by below). take a break. while standing at the end of lorongs in der, she turns off her gas-powered stove “throwing [the stones] up into the air and Unlike hantam bola, jelon is played within Geylang Road, in order to inform potential and heads to the nearest grocery store. Lambong Tin Mosquito buses: L M 30 catching them back in some form of pat- a set boundary. This game is called galah (or “hide-and-seek”, “I spy” Uncontrolled Breeding travellers that they were waiting.” Decades ago, she would have probably left terned movements.”23 Each stage has a par- panjang or hadang-hadang (blocking) in or nyorok-nyorok) For all that ruckus, the mosquito bus- her arang stove on while she dropped in on ticular pattern and increases in complex- Malaysia but it is known as jelon (a cor- The mosquito bus (1920s–1950s) was a form es could only take six seating passengers her neighbour to borrow some salt. Priva- ity as the player progresses in the game. ruption of “balloon”) or belon acah (literal- Prior to the start of the game, a pasang of public transport that appeared about and one standing. Little wonder that cy in kampongs was less guarded as doors ly meaning “tease balloon”) in Singapore. (Malay for catcher) or spy would be select- every half hour. The unregulated growth when bigger motorcars appeared, these or gates were left ajar, inviting interac- GOLI (MARBLES) G When Singaporeans moved to flats, many ed via oh somm or oh beh som or wah peh ya tions and exchanging of small favours. A children played jelon at the void decks or som (see text box). Next, everyone would mother could tumpang (drop) her kids with It was easy to identify the marble king of a badminton courts. Within those spaces, gather around and one player would the next-door neighbour while she ran an district as he usually strutted around with mini-courts parallel to one another were shake a tin that had been filled with errand, or ask her neighbour to pick up pockets bulging with his spherical con- marked and one team would defend the stones and then fling it. The moment the some vegetables and fish on her behalf at quests. The earliest marbles were made of entrances to these courts. The aim of each tin was flung, everyone would disperse. the market. The gotong-royong (communi- clay before they were replaced by glass ty help) spirit was much alive with neigh- ones. There were multiple ways to win bours looking out for one another. each other’s marbles and regardless of O Open-air cinemas = their luck that day, all would return to the Open skies treatment same patch the next day to have another go at the goli galore. It was a game with Children who lived in rural areas were “lots of arguments and quarrels and fights able to enjoy the movies thanks to open- ... But by and large, the next day every- air cinemas. It cost 50 cents to secure a body would turn up again as if nothing (wooden) seat. Many children caught re- happened and start the game [again].”24 runs after school and when it rained, peo- ple would huddle to the side for shelter. Hantam Bola H One movie-goer remembered “patronis- ing the cheap open air cinema called Pe- One of most exhilarating kampong games, king Theatre located opposite the present hantam (or hentam) bola or rembat bola MacPherson market… [movies were only] (whack ball) is a fiercely competitive and 5 cents but [one had] to endure the mos- physical game. Speed and power reign su- quitoes and there were no refunds if the preme; players from one team will chase show was cancelled due to heavy rain or and hit their opponents with a tennis ball power failure.”32

(top left) Five Stones is played with five (above) Keleret must be played in pairs or teams. Flat stones or tiles (batu keleret) are thrown to get close to the (above) Tay Koh Yat bus service’s “Mosquito Buses” at (top) Unlicensed hawkers outside the Jalan Eunos 22 small triangular cloth bags filled with seeds, target line or circle (1950S). Courtesy of Singapore Sports Council (SSC) collection, courtesy of National Archives Sembawang (1955). F. W. York collection, courtesy of Wet Market in 1958. MITA collection, courtesy of 23 rice grains or sand (1960s). Singapore Sports of Singapore. National Archives of Singapore. National Archives of Singapore. Council (SSC) collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

U Use-first-pay-later: Rempah was freshly made daily and, 555 notebook stories. Even politics was not too grand the Street; others were lying in the centre in the days before home refrigeration, for the sarabat stall. Kutty Mydeen of the of the road while the herder, an old Kling only what was needed was prepared. The “555” notebook — with literally these Naval Base Labour Union recalled mak- man, was comfortably taking a nap on Such were the standards that went into numbers printed on the front cover — was ing an appointment to see lawyer Lee the ground under the shadow of the close the making of fish curries, asam pedas (a used by businesses to keep a record of Kuan Yew about the formation of a new hedge of a compound.”46 sour fish curry with pineapple chunks) customers’ tabs. It was a system built political party in the 1950s. Their pre-PAP In the 1930s, the area between Cross and spicy sambal concoctions. For ladies on trust: “when you go [to the provision roundtable talk was just one of the con- Street and New Bridge Road was known whose fingers were too delicate for the store], you buy provisions from them… versations that took place in a sarabat stall as Kampong Susu (milk kampong) and the hard work, hired hands were always You can just take [items], there’s a little one fine morning in Market Street.45 place lived up to its name from the many available for about $1.50 a month. In par- book and then they will write your name, Cattlemen and milkmen were mostly Indian milk sellers “identified by a tiny ticular, the Kadayanallur Muslim wom- block, your address and all this… And Tamils from South India. Serangoon was top knot of hair”.47 These Indian milkmen en, who migrated from Tamil Nadu in then, [at the] end of the month they will a cattle-rearing area in Singapore before (or bhai jual susu to the Malays) ran door-to- India, made this their signature trade, tell you how much you owe them.”39 This the activity was banned in 1936. The Sin- door delivering fresh milk. Sometimes, the making daily home deliveries from house handy little notebook also went round the gapore Free Press observed “a herd of 40 or cow was milked on the spot: “[The milk- to house carrying baskets of ground spic- kopitiam and warungs (coffeeshops) taking 50 cattle which completely blocked the men came] with a cow and people [would] es on their heads. Some of them also sold unpaid orders. At the end of the month public thoroughfare [in Victoria Street]. just buy the adulterated or diluted sort of fresh spice pastes at the wet market, however, the “owner would wave the 555 Some of the animals were grazing along thing. So fresh milk was really fresh…”48 which they ground with a granite rolling notebook; [a reminder] that the bills had pin and a slab. not been settled.”40 Another debt-reminder that was less S Stoneware Sisters: Batu giling and batu tumbuk pleasant than your sundry shop-owner was the chettiar, or Indian money-lend- Before blenders and food processors, er. Life usually turned bleak after taking stoneware ruled the kitchen and came a loan from them as come rain or shine, in a few shapes and sizes. One was a bol- the chettiar would never fail to show up at ster-shaped roller that crushed all kinds your doorstep to demand his dues. of spices on a rectangular slab called batu Vanishing trades: giling by the Malays. The batu giling’s im- V The bhai of yesteryears movable bulk earned it a fixed place in the kitchen, and perhaps also contributed to Several professions were synonymous its earlier demise than the more portable with men who migrated from India to pestle and mortar, called batu lesung or earn a living in Singapore. For example, batu tumbuk. The batu lesung is still used in the bhai serbat came to Singapore from Ut- many Singapore kitchens and tradition- tar Pradesh after the war and dominated alists still swear by the shrimp paste and the coffeeshop business. Others became chilli condiment called sambal belacan it laundrymen, security guards or sold Police and Thief P was getting ready for work or school. Af- makes. This implement is preferred over chapati (unleavened flatbread). ter things quietened, the next tranche its electrical counterparts as it “pulveris- Dhobies were laundrymen who even- This game of catch comprises two teams: of users were usually housewives who es by crushing hard ingredients into tiny tually had a street named in their honour. police who chase and the thieves who would crowd around the standpipes to fragments between two hard surfaces.” In 2005, a dhoby shop, which had retained flee. A spot would be designated as a pris- do their washing. Invariably, it was more It’s best for coaxing the fragrant oils from its “tossing and slapping” washing meth- on (to hold “arrested” thieves), usually the than just dirt that was swapped as the hard spices such as peppercorns, cinna- od, was found still running on St George trunk of a coconut tree. Thieves would not standpipe also doubled up as the village mon bark, cardamom, sesame seeds or Road. The owner of the shop, Mr Suppiah, only be busy running from the police, but rumour mill. coriander, “producing flavours superior came to Singapore in 1945 as a starry-eyed also freeing their imprisoned mates by to bottled or electric-ground spices.”35 15-year-old with big dreams. Life was R Rempah and Singapore’s infiltrating the prison and tapping them, own Spice Girls hard back then as he used to hand-wash T Tarik Upih: though this was not always possible: “The The Green F1 Race up to 500 articles of clothing a day, toiling captured thieves would be sitting near the Before there were powdered spices and from eight in the morning to 10 at night.42 tree waiting for some daring thief to tag packaged spice mixes, women used to The game starts with a child sitting on The sarabat (original) stallholder or them … the tree was tightly guarded make their rempah (spice paste) from an upih (dried palm leaf) which is then bhai serbat’s signature takeaway was teh … creating an impenetrable fortress … scratch. They would prepare ingredients dragged by his friend with as much speed sarabat (ginger tea) or teh tarik (pulled tea). even think Alcatraz [was not] this tough.33 such as shallots, lemongrass, garlic and as he can muster. The team that crosses The most famous sarabat stalls were those chilli and mix them with dry spices such the finishing line with the “passenger” along Waterloo Street opposite the old St Queuing at standpipes Q as coriander seeds, cumin, and cloves. still on top of the upih leaf wins. Girls, or Joseph Institution’s football field.43 An- All these would be crushed by stoneware the leaner ones, almost always enjoyed other was at Kerbau Road near Serangoon In the days before the convenience of tap crushers (see “S”) until the ingredients “priority seating” because it did not pay where at a tender age of 12 in the 1960s, water at home, kampong residents had to melded into a rempah ready for the frying to have a heavyset player sit on the upih if Mr Balbeer Singh was already juggling queue at the common standpipes or wells pan. Rempah is considered the heart and the team wanted to win. The steeper the and pulling tea.44 In the laid-back atmo- to draw their water; the worse time for soul of Malay, Eurasian and Peranakan slope, the bigger the thrill and the trickier sphere of the sarabat stall, Singaporeans this was in the morning when everyone curries and sauces.34 it was to remain on the upih.38 from all walks of life met and swapped

(top) A Malay house in Kampong Bedok Luat. (middle) A Nonya lady cooking in her kitchen using (above) Close-up of Indian dhoby ironing clothes in Serangoon Road (1982). Courtesy of National 24 Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. firewood. MITA collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 25 Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Wooden washboard: digalakkan”, Berita Harian, p. 4. their meanings”, The Singapore Free Press and Chew, D. (Interviewer) & Martin, M. (Interviewee). (1982, W The lean mean machine 23. (2009, April 16). “Zero point”, Ye Ye Orh…sajer. Mercantile Advertiser (1884 – 1942), p. 8. January 17). Communities of Singapore, reel 2, p. 20. Retrieved 2013, October 7, from: http://percicilan. 48. Oral interviews, National Archives Retrieved from National Archives a2o. wordpress.com/2009/04/16/zero-point/ 49. Chun, S.L. (2008, August 31). “More than 1 (Interviewer), & Milne, R. (Interviewee). (1986, August 4). This slim rectangular wooden block was 24. Chew, D. (Interviewer), & Milne, R. (Interviewee). type of kampong in Singapore”, Good Morning Communities of Singapore (Eurasian), reel 63, p. 566. a dirt-crusher that all housewives swore (1986, August 4). Communities of Singapore Yesterday. Retrieved 2013, October 24, from: http:// Retrieved from National Archives a2o. (Eurasian), reel 63, p. 562. Retrieved from National goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/2008/08/ (Interviewer), & Milne, R. (Interviewee). (1986, August 4). by to remove stubborn stains. But house- Archives a2o. more-than-1-type-of-kampongs-in.html Communities of Singapore (Eurasian), reel 63, p. 562. wives who spent hours using these boards 25. Leong, S. (2008-2013). Hantam bola. Retrieved 50. “Syair Kampung Gelam Terbakar”, Melayu Online. Retrieved from National Archives a2o. as they sat around communal standpipes 2013, October 23, from: http://www.singsupplies. Retrieved from: http://m.melayuonline.com/ind/ Chun, S. L. (2008, August 31). More than 1 type of com/showthread.php?152987-Hantam-bola literature/dig/2624/syair-kampung-gelam-terbakar kampong in Singapore. Retrieved 2013, October or wells wished they could give it up as 26. Tengok tu macam tak ada pape. (2012, October 16). 51. (2009, April 16). “Zero point”, Ye Ye Orh…sajer. 24, from Good Morning Yesterday blog: http:// it was literally a pain in the neck, back Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook. Retrieved 2013, October 7, from: http://percicilan. goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/2008/08/more- com/permalink.php?story_fbid=395545500513841& wordpress.com/2009/04/16/zero-point/ than-1-type-of-kampongs-in.html and bottom. The wooden corrugated sur- id=140704919331235 52. (1961, October 9). “Electricity supplies for several Eastley, A. (1955, 25 June). “Singapore's great baby face was also hard on the hands, and one 27. Chew, D. (Interviewer) & Martin, M. (Interviewee). kampongs”, The Singapore Free Press, p. 13. problem”, The Singapore Free Press, p. 12. could tell the washerwoman’s devotion to (1982, January 17). Communities of Singapore, reel 53. (2007, December 2). “From huts to high rises”, The Farrer, R. J. (1951, November 4). The bygone mosquito 2, p. 20. Retrieved from National Archives a2o. Straits Times, p. 30. buses: Hongking horrors. The Straits Times, p. 2 this tool from her well-worn hands. 28. (1949, December 31). “An upcountry tourist in 54. (1959, July 22). “150 homeless in big kampong Ghouse, A. (1999, November 19). “‘Bai serbat’ balik Singapore”, The Straits Times, p. 9. blaze”, The Straits Times, p. 1. kampung”, Berita Harian, p. 11. X “Xtreme” disasters: 29. (2008, August 9). “Makan mash-up”, The Straits 55. (1965, July 23). “Lights for all the kampongs by Irahhajerah. (2011, May 1). Ingat tak mainan canggih Floods and Fires Times, p. 9. early 1966”, The Straits Times, p. 5. kita zaman kanak-kanak dulu harga dia 20 sen jer? 30. Farrer, R. J. (1951, November 4). The bygone Retrieved 2013, October 26, from: http://irahhajerah. mosquito buses: Hongking horrors. The Straits References blogspot.sg/2011/05/ingat-tak-mainan-canggih-kita- Kampongs were subject to frequent flood- Times, p. 2 (1850, August 9). “Local”, The Singapore Free Press and zaman.html ing that occurred during heavy rainfall. 31. (1950, June 6). “The Chinese bus companies”, The Mercantile Advertiser (1884 – 1942), p. 4. Lam, C.S. (2006, October 28). “My friend Adrian Yeh Yeh (Zero-point) The flood waters often dragged objects Y electricity scheme which promised that Straits Times, p. 6. (1934, March 19). “Singapore place names and their Chua remembers his childhood days”, Good 32. Lam C.S., (2006, October 28). “My friend Adrian meanings”, The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Morning Yesterday. Retrieved from: http:// along its wake and, once, the residents of all villages would be provided with elec- Chua remembers his childhood days”, Good Advertiser (1884 – 1942), p. 8. goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/2008/08/more- Lorong Kinchir were astounded to spot a Yeh yeh requires a rope that is made by tricity by 1966.55 ● Morning Yesterday. Retrieved 2013, October 24, (1936, July 23). “And then the durian. Too costly in than-1-type-of-kampongs-in.html from http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot. Singapore”, The Straits Times, p. 1. (2008, August 31). “More than 1 type of kampong in crocodile in the Kallang River near their stringing rubber bands together. The aim sg/2008/08/more-than-1-type-of-kampongs-in. (1940, September 5). “Firewood”, The Straits Times, p. 8 Singapore”, Good Morning Yesterday. Retrieved 2013, kampong after a huge flood; apparently an is to jump over the rope as it is hoisted html (1949, December 31). “An upcountry tourist in Singapore”, October 24, from: http://goodmorningyesterday. inmate that had managed to escape from higher and higher by two other players endnotes 33. Nor-Afidah Abd Rahman. (2012, June 1). “Then The Straits Times, p. 9. blogspot.sg/2008/08/more-than-1-type-of-kampongs- and now: Games children play”, iremembersg. (1950, 5 October). “At Kandang Kerbau”, The Straits in.html 49 1. Alexander, W. (1936, April 4). “Singapore awakes: the Lorong Chuan farm. each holding one end of the rope. At the The first at the standpipe”, The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from http://www.iremember.sg/index. Times, p. 6. Lee, A. (1985, October 13). From kampung girl to a flat- Kampongs were also vulnerable to start of the game, the rope is laid flat on 2. (1962, August 12). “The upstage barbeque”, The php/2012/06/01/games-children-play/ (1950, June 6). “The Chinese bus companies”, The Straits dweller. The Straits Times, p. 36. Straits Times, p. 8. 34. Tan, S. & Tay, M. (2003). World Food: Malaysia Times, p. 6. Leong, S. (2008 – 2013). Hantam bola. Retrieved 2013, fires due to their wooden and attap struc- the ground with players exclaming “ze- 3. Chan, K. S. (2001, November 26). “Cooking with & Singapore (p. 51). Australia: Lonely Planet. (1950, October 28). “The unborn give her no peace”, The October 23, from: http://www.singsupplies.com/ tures. The Bukit Ho Swee fire of 1961 is one ro-point” as they jump over. Players then old king coal.” The Straits Times, p. 16 Retrieved 2013, October 26, from Google Books. Singapore Free Press, p. 5. showthread.php?152987-Hantam-bola that is etched in the nation’s conscious- jump across at increasingly “varying 4. (1940, September 5). “Firewood”, The Straits 35. (1983, February 19). The Straits Times, p, 2 (1951, January 15). “100 charcoal kilns close down”, The Mohd Yusoff Ahmad (Interviewer) & Mydeen Kutty Times, p. 8 36. Teru-teru bozu. (2010, December 4). “Kisah Singapore Free Press, p. 3. Mydeen (Interviewee). (1990, February 7). ness. The famous 19th-century Malay heights beginning with the ankle and 5. Chan, K. S., p. 16 si penajam batu”. Retrieved 2013, October 26 (1951, March 10). “Oil stove boom in Singapore”, The Communities of Singapore, reel 2, p. 19. Retrieved writer Munsyi Abdullah was living in ending with the head. To compete fur- 6. (1951, January 15). “100 charcoal kilns close down”, from: http://teruterubozu68.blogspot.sg/ Straits Times, p. 7 from National Archives a2o. The Singapore Free Press, p. 3. search?q=tajam+batu; Nazerin Harun. (2012, June (1959, July 22). “150 homeless in big kampong blaze”, The Nazerin Harun. (2012, 7 June). Pemenggal kepala. Kampong Glam when it was gutted by a ther, an ‘inch’ above the head is added. 7. (1951, March 10). “Oil stove boom in Singapore”, 7). Pemenggal kepala. Retrieved 2013, October 26, Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved 2013, October 26, from: http://nazerihn. fire in 1847, robbing him of his valuables The rule of thumb is no part of [your] body The Straits Times, p. 7 from: http://nazerihn.blogspot.sg/2013/06/kepala- (1961, October 9). “Electricity supplies for several blogspot.sg/2013/06/kepala-manusia-penguat- and letters. The incident so affected the can touch the rubber rope. Once any part 8. (1971, November 23). “When hundreds of hawkers manusia-penguat-jambatan.html kampongs”, The Singapore Free Press, p. 13. jambatan.html are using them”, The Straits Times, p. 17 37. A Kadir Jasin. (2010, July 28). “Potong kepala (1962, August 12). “The upstage barbeque”, The Straits Nor-Afidah Abd Rahman. (2012, June 1). “Then and now: writer that he was moved to pen his of [the] body accidently touch[es] the rope, 9. (1964, October 28). “Fuel important to good cook”, disiplinkan budak-budak desa”. Retrieved 2013, Times, p. 8. Games children play”, iremembersg. Retrieved from now-famous poem Syair Kampung Glam the jumper ‘mati’ (‘dies’) and the next per- The Straits Times, p. 18. October 26, from http://kadirjasin.blogspot. (1964, March 7). “From tear-jerking to trouble-free http://www.iremember.sg/index.php/2012/06/01/ sg/2010/07/potong-kepala-disiplinkan-budak- games-children-play/ 51 10. (1964, March 7). “From tear-jerking to trouble- cooking”, The Straits Times, p. 3 Terbakar (Kampong Gelam On Fire) that was son has to jump.” free cooking”, The Straits Times, p. 3; (1986, May budak.html; Nazerin, (2012, June 7) Pememnggal (1964, October 28). “Fuel important to good cook”, The Rais, A. (1982, August 12). “Bahasa pasar tak patut published in the same year.50 8). “Esso cuts price of cooking gas”, The Straits kepala. Straits Times, p. 18. digalakkan”, Berita Harian, p. 4. Z Zero-watt Nights: Sleeping Times, p. 15. 38. Irahhajerah. (2011, May 1). “Ingat tak mainan (1965, July 23). “Lights for all the kampongs by early Salmah Semono. (1979, March 4). Pemainan masa lalu with the enemy 11. Campbell, W. (1974, Mar 15). “Trading patterns canggih kita zaman kanak-kanak dulu harga dia 1966”, The Straits Times, p. 5. jalin ikatan kejiranan. Berita Harian, p. 4. change to keep pace with modern life styles”, The 20 sen jer?” Retrieved 2013, October 26, from: (1971, November 23). “When hundreds of hawkers are Seetoh, K. F. (2013, May 28). “The kari pap princess”, Electricity only reached the kampongs in Straits Times, p. 16 http://irahhajerah.blogspot.sg/2011/05/ingat-tak- using them”, The Straits Times, p. 17 Yahoo News. Retrieved 2013, October 26, from The Tajam Batu Man mainan-canggih-kita-zaman.html (1986, May 8). “Esso cuts price of cooking gas”, The Makanation: http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/ 52 12. (1950, 5 October). “At Kandang Kerbau”, The 1961. Before this, residents lit up their Straits Times, p. 6. 39. Tan, C. H. (Interviewer) & Richmond, B. Straits Times, p. 15. news/kari-pap-princess-160126469.html The tajam batu man was usually a Punjabi nights with kerosene lamps. The absence 13. Eastley, A. (1955, 25 June). “Singapore's great baby (Interviewee). (2007, April 26). Special project, (1990, June 9). “Teh tarik dan jambatan bawa nostalgia Soo, E. J. (2010, August 23). “Is the old 555 notebook (Sikh) who made his bicycle rounds in the problem”, The Singapore Free Press, p. 12. reel 1, p. 23. Retrieved from National Archives a2o. masa silam”, Berita Harian, p. 10. or the new iPad better”, AsiaOne.com. Retrieved of electricity in retrospect actually forced 14. (1950, October 28). “The unborn give her no 40. Soo, E. J. (2010, August 23). “Is the old 555 (2007, December 2). “From huts to high rises”, The Straits 2013, October, 26, from: http://news.asiaone. kampong with his sharp tools. He would people to interact more: “There was no peace”, The Singapore Free Press, p. 5. notebook or the new iPad better”, AsiaOne. Times, p. 30. com/News/AsiaOne+News/Asian+Opinions/Story/ call out “tajam batu!”, which literally means radio or television; and certainly no In- 15. Suhami Ahmad & Krew Apo2 Yolah. (2012, com. Retrieved 2013, October, 26, from: http:// (2009, April 16). “Zero point”, Ye Ye Orh…sajer. Retrieved A1Story20100823-233406.html March 14). Zaman hingus meleleh. Retrieved news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/ 2013, October 7, from: http://percicilan.wordpress. Suhami Ahmad & Krew Apo2 Yolah. (2012, March 14 ). “stone sharp(ening)” in Malay. The women ternet or online gaming to keep one away October, 2013, from: http://anaknegori.blogspot. Asian+Opinions/Story/A1Story20100823-233406. com/2009/04/16/zero-point/ Zaman hingus meleleh. Retrieved October 2013, from: would take out their stone slabs that had from others. After dark, the most one sg/2012/03/zaman-hingus-meleleh.html html (2012, October 16). Tengok tu macam tak ada pape. http://anaknegori.blogspot.sg/2012/03/zaman-hingus- 41. Ghouse, A. (1999, November 19). “Bai serbat’ balik Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook. meleleh.html become too smooth to crush the spices for 16. Lee, A. (1985, October 13). “From kampung girl to could do was to read a book by the glow of a flat-dweller”, The Straits Times, p. 36. kampung”, Berita Harian, p. 11. com/permalink.php?story_fbid=395545500513841& Suppiah, P. (2005, January 20). “A clean break? Not yet”, him to service. He would chisel the surface a kerosene lamp…”53 17. Salmah Semono. (1979, March 4). “Pemainan masa 42. Suppiah, P. (2005, January 20). “A clean break? id=140704919331235 Today, p. 30. of the slabs with a giant nail and hammer, However, many unfortunate villag- lalu jalin ikatan kejiranan”, Berita Harian, p. 4. Not yet”, Today, p. 30. “Syair Kampung Gelam Terbakar”, Melayu Online. Tan, C. H. (Interviewer) & Richmond, B. (Interviewee). 18. Chew, D. (Interviewer), & Milne, R. (Interviewee). 43. Seetoh, K. F. (2013, May 28). “The kari pap Retrieved from: http://m.melayuonline.com/ind/ (2007, April 26). Special project, reel 1 , p. 23. etching small holes to make the surface rough ers became victims of fires as a result of (1986, August 4). Communities of Singapore princess”. Retrieved 2013, October 26, from literature/dig/2624/syair-kampung-gelam-terbakar Retrieved from National Archives a2o. for better grinding.36 For some reason, adults accidentally overturning these oil lamps. (Eurasian), reel 63, p. 566. Retrieved from National Makanation: http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/ A Kadir Jasin. (2010, July 28). “Potong kepala disiplinkan Tan, S. & Tay, M. (2003). World Food: Malaysia & Archives a2o. news/kari-pap-princess-160126469.html budak-budak desa”. Retrieved 2013, October 26, from Singapore. Australia: Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2013, would scare children with stories of the tajam One such incident was reported in The 19. (1936, July 23). “And then the durian. Too costly in 44. (1990, June 9). “Teh tarik dan jambatan bawa http://kadirjasin.blogspot.sg/2010/07/potong-kepala- October 26, from Google Books. batu man kidnapping children, decapitat- Straits Times in 1959, where “[a fire] roared Singapore”, The Straits Times, p. 1. nostalgia masa silam”, Berita Harian, p. 10. disiplinkan-budak-budak.html Teru-teru bozu. (2010, December 4). “Kisah si penajam ing them and offering their heads for new 20. Ibid. 45. Mohd Yusoff Ahmad (Interviewer) & Mydeen Alexander, W. (1936, April 4). “Singapore awakes: The first batu”, Retrieved 2013, October 26 from: http:// through a kampong about 50 yards from 21. Chun, S. L. (2008, August 31). “More than 1 Kutty Mydeen (Interviewee). (1990, February 7). at the standpipe”, The Straits Times, p. 10. teruterubozu68.blogspot.sg/search?q=tajam+batu constructions, bridges in particular. Scenes of the Alexandra Road fire station at 1.35 type of kampong in Singapore”, Good Morning Communities of Singapore, reel 2, p. 19. Retrieved Campbell, W. (1974, Mar 15). “Trading patterns change to Yen, F. (2008, August 9). “Makan mash-up”, The Straits scampering children would often precede the a.m. and destroyed 30 huts housing about Yesterday. Retrieved 2013, October 24, from: http:// from National Archives a2o. keep pace with modern life styles”, The Straits Times, Times, p. 9. 46. (1850, August 9). “Local”, The Singapore Free Press p. 16 (2009, April 16). “Zero point”, Ye Ye Orh…sajer. Retrieved 37 54 goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/2008/08/ arrival of this “devilish” man. 150 people.” To stem the hazard, the more-than-1-type-of-kampongs-in.html and Mercantile Advertiser (1884 – 1942), p. 4. Chan, K. S. (2001, November 26). “Cooking with old king 2013, October 7, from: http://percicilan.wordpress. government introduced the 1963 kampong 22. (1982, August 12). “Bahasa pasar tak patut 47. (1934, March 19). “Singapore place names and coal”, The Straits Times, p. 16 com/2009/04/16/zero-point/ 26 (top) Women washing laundry at a common standpipe, circa 1960s. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 27 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Unable to keep pace with Singapore’s economic progress and development, many of Singapore’s early crafts and trades have disappeared. Sharon Teng tells us about these trades and what is being done to remember them.

Sharon Teng is a Librarian with the National time Library Board. She has contributed articles to BiblioAsia as well as Infopedia, NLB’s online encyclopedia of Singapore. Her interest areas include the use of technology and social media forgotten in libraries. the streets of chinatown, little india and ed “knife sharpeners, streetside barbers, tisanal craftsmen such as tinsmiths, sil- the arterial roads encircling the Central mask makers and fortune tellers” as well versmiths and goldsmiths. The arduous Business District were once crammed as “locksmiths, letter writers, traditional life of a goldsmith, for example, with its cheek by jowl with shophouses, street medicine men or bomoh” (Malay shaman) long hours, meagre wages and a long ap- vendors and roadside stallholders ped- and several others.2 prenticeship (up to five years) discouraged dling a mind-boggling variety of goods new entrants into the profession. and services. These traditional peddlers A TRADE BY ANY OTHER NAME Singapore’s evolving economic, land trades are now virtually extinct — economic and labour policies also spelt the de- progress and urbanisation having dealt Merriam-Webster defines a tradesman or mise of these trades. During the 1980s a death blow to these small-time trading tradesperson as a skilled worker engaged and 1990s, many shophouses were de- activities. in a particular trade or craft. Trades are molished and itinerant five-foot-way From the late 19th to the early 20th an integral component of the manufac- peddlers relocated to flatted factories. centuries, there was a continuous influx turing industry; in traditionally run The subsequent increase in overheads, of unskilled immigrants from China, businesses, inter-generational workers coupled with anti-pollution regulations India and Southeast Asia who came to usually engage in labour-intensive work, and the difficulty in finding new work- seek their fortunes in Singapore. Many sometimes using simple machinery or ers — particularly among the young- had minimal or no education, meagre hand tools to produce a commodity for er generation who eschewed manual possessions and limited funds. Some were sale. Sullivan defines these trades as work — made it impossible for the small- already skilled tinsmiths, goldsmiths, “making-things business” or “cottage in- er trades and cottage industries to sus- locksmiths, seal carvers, image carv- dustries”, emphasising the “handwork tain their businesses.5 ers, boat makers, and mask and dragon aspect of such manufacturing”.3 These A few trades have survived the march makers while others with more artistic trades are usually family-run, “have less of time, such as the mobile ice-cream inclinations had been trained as por- than twenty workers, including [the] cart vendor, roadside cobbler, tradition- trait and photo artists, opera actors and working proprietor; may consist of only al bakeries and provision shops and the actresses, glove puppeteers and calligra- one or two people … [and the] work space odd shoe last maker, but their numbers phers. Others picked up various trades af- and living space are combined or are are slowly dwindling and it is a matter ter they arrived in Singapore by serving nearby”.4 of time before they are completely wiped as apprentices to local barbers, cobblers, out from the cityscape. There are sporad- furniture restorers and clog makers. disappearing trades ic openings of new “old” shops that try A few enterprising immigrants start- and recapture some of these time-hon- ed plying their trades along the “five- Over time, some trades have been com- oured trades, but these are usually hard- foot-ways” — which was what sheltered pletely obliterated due to dramatic chang- nosed businesses that use nostalgia to pedestrian walkways measuring five es in lifestyles or a drop in demand, such create a commercial buzz. Chye Seng feet wide were called in colonial times — as charcoal dealers and craftsmen mak- Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road for in- in front of shophouses. These make- ing paper bags, hair buns, daching (beam stance is a hip coffee bar operating in a shift stalls sold inexpensive goods and scales), wooden barrels, stools and masks. restored 1950s shophouse that still bears services that required minimal financial Due to technological advancements its original name, while Dong Po Colonial outlay and equipment to set up. These and mechanisation, factories were able Café in Kandahar Street tries to recapture trades were known as gho kha ki (Hokkien to mass-produce goods cheaply and more a slice of yesteryear with its old-fashioned for “five-foot-way”) trades1 and includ- efficiently, contributing to the end of -ar butter cakes and thick black coffee. 28 (left) A barber shop along a five-foot way at Wayang Street in 1986. Ronni Pinsler collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 29 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Singapore’s Early Entrepreneurs: the statue of Buddha or other Chinese de- Five-foot-way Traders ities, lighted incense or joss sticks, pic- tures of palms, cards, bamboo sticks and Cobblers → books among others. History When Singaporeans switched An Indian fortune teller, dressed in from wearing clogs to modern footwear a white dhoti and shirt, would have had during the 1950s, cobblers filled in the an even more basic set-up: a small table demand for shoe repairs. Many cobblers or even just the pavement itself, where started out as shoe shop apprentices be- a deck of 27 fortune cards would be dis- fore setting up their own businesses. The played along with some charts, a note- trade comprised predominantly Chinese book and caged parakeets. To supplement males, although there were also several their paltry daily incomes of $10 to $15, Malay and Indian cobblers. they would also participate in cultural shows and trade exhibitions, earning up Job Scope Cobblers worked flexible hours to $100 to $200 per job. with incomes varying from month-to- month and provided services such as Then and Now in the past, fortune tellers shoe polishing, replacement of worn-out were usually found along five-foot-ways heels and soles, and stitching-up of torn and in temple grounds. Today, Chinese slippers. Some branched out into more fortune tellers are still commonly seen premium services by making and sell- around Chinatown, at Kwan Im Thong ing their own slippers (capal) and shoes. Hood Cho Temple in Waterloo Street, and who sold drinks in addition to these cool Kachang Puteh Sellers ↑ Replacing the sole or heel of a shoe would at older HDB estates such as Bedok, Toa delicious treats. History A Malay phrase, “kachang” (nuts, have cost around $1.50 in the late 1970s, Payoh and Ang Mo Kio. beans or peas) and “puteh” (meaning with the cobbler earning around $300 a Parrot astrologers were based in Job Scope To make an ice-ball, the ice- white) was a popular snack up until the month on average. Serangoon Road but they also made house ball seller would use a towel to press a 1990s. The peanuts coated with melted calls, especially during festive occasions. block of ice against an ice shaver. One white sugar is one of the most popular Tools of the Trade Cobblers used an array Today, there are fewer than five still in hand would hold a bowl beneath to catch varieties and probably accounts for the of tools; “different kinds of knives, ham- business in Little India, as many Indians the shavings. He would then shape the name “white nuts”. Kachang puteh origi- mers, nails, pincers, adhesive, shoe lasts, have ceased to believe in this method of ice shavings into a semicircle, enclosing nated from an Indian snack called chev- shoe polish, shoe brushes, thread and divination.8 within ingredients such as cubes of agar- do.10 Nuts of various colours and prepared needles, scissors, leather, vinyl, rags and agar, or jelly, sweetened red beans and at- in a variety of ways (steamed, fried, roast- rubber pieces”.6 tap-chee (mangrove palm seeds). Using yet ed or coated with sugar) were sold by the more ice shavings, he would deftly com- vendors, who were mostly Indians. Then and Now Cobblers used to operate pact it into a spherical snowball. Then along five-foot-ways and roads in city ar- lashings of red and green and palm sugar Job Scope The early itinerant kachang eas. They stationed themselves at fixed syrup are drizzled over the ice-ball, fol- puteh seller hawked his wares stored in locations or moved around housing es- lowed by a trickle of evaporated milk for bottles or paper bags from a tray balanced tates on bicycle-carts filled with the added sweetness. on his head, moving from one location to tools of their trade. Traditional cobblers the next. Some used push carts or bicy- can still be found in Chinatown and Tools of the Trade The ice-ball vendor’s cles, while others stationed themselves RafflesP lace, although they are gradual- stall or pushcart would be packed with at fixed locales. Typically between five ly being replaced by shoe repair chains glass bottles of soft drinks and drinking and 20 varieties of kachang puteh would be such as Mister Mint and Shukey Services glasses, plastic containers filled with var- sold and each serving (either a single or that are conveniently located in shop- ious sugar syrup concoctions, ingredients mixed flavour of nuts) would be packed ping malls.7 for the ice-ball fillings and the all-import- into rolled-up paper cones, using pages Job Scope There were several popular and birth date. The astrologer would then ant wooden ice shaver. torn from old newspapers, Yellow Pages FORTUNE TELLERS ↗ methods that Chinese fortune tellers used, interpret the image on the card (which directories and school exercise books. History Chinese fortune-telling as a such as palmistry, face reading, bazi (us- depicted deities of different faiths, accom- Then and Now Ice-ball vendors were trade began in the 1800s when there was ing one’s birth date to predict one’s des- panied by lucky messages) that would ad- usually found near schools or along shop- Tools of the Trade Kachang puteh vendors a huge influx of Chinese immigrants to tiny or to gauge the compatibility of a dress the customer’s concerns, which houses but sometimes moved to differ- either roasted and flavoured their own Singapore. Having little or no education, match-made couple), kau cim (using a set ranged from chances at the lottery and ent locations with their mobile carts. kachang at home (a lengthy and pains- people who needed help with selecting a of 78 sticks for short-term predictions) matrimonial compatibility to the recov- Ice-balls are the predecessors of the more taking process) or bought ready-made felicitous date for a wedding or the open- and tung chu (using the almanac to select ery of a sick loved one. elaborate plated dessert called ice kachang kachang directly from suppliers. ing of a shop for example, would seek the auspicious dates for important events sold in hawker centres and food courts. advice of a fortune teller. such as weddings and shifting house). Tools of the Trade Chinese fortune tell- ice-Ball Sellers ↑ In 2011, ice-balls were brought back as Then and Now Kachang puteh sellers used Parrot astrology was the domain of Indian fortune tellers relied on their ers operated from a simple consultation History ice-balls were hugely popular part of the dessert menu at the Singapore to frequent schools, cinemas, swimming Indian fortune tellers who originated specially trained green parakeets to fore- booth, furnished with a small table and during the 1950s and 1960s, particular- Food Trail (a dining attraction featuring pools and shopping centres. Such inde- mainly from Tamil Nadu and Kerala in tell the future. The bird would pick a for- a few stools for customers. On display ly among school children and teens. Ice- popular local dishes), located next to the pendent vendors have all but vanished South India. tune card based on the customer’s name would be religious iconography such as ball sellers were mostly Indian males, Singapore Flyer.9 today, except for perhaps the sole surviv-

(top) Cobbler operating from pavement (1980). (middle) Parrot fortune teller at Serangoon Road in (above) An Indian ice-water seller making a syrup (top right) A roadside ‘kachang puteh’ seller (1985). Chu Sui Mang collection, courtesy of National 30 Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 1980. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. coated ice-ball in 1978. Courtesy of Ministry of Archives of Singapore. 31 Information and The Arts (MITA). BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature ing kachang puteh seller in Singapore, Mr ate, bridging the physical and emotional contributed to the trade’s decline. Letter Singapore’s early trades and craftsmen. Nagappan Arumugam, who has manned distance between relatives who resided writers today focus primarily on writing Exhibitions organised by societies and a pushcart at Peace Centre on Selegie Road thousands of miles away and their fami- ancestral tablets for the younger Chinese cultural groups with demonstrations of for over 20 years.11 Kachang puteh is now lies in Singapore. The letters were written generation and entertain occasional re- long-lost or soon-to-be-extinct trades de- available in commercially pre-packed ver- in a mixture of classical and vernacular quests from tourists to compose spring liver an experiential learning dimension sions at supermarkets and 24-hour conve- Chinese. The writer would sometimes couplets and auspicious words or to have for a contemporary audience by making nience stores all over Singapore. A push write “spring couplets, invitation cards, Chinese translations of their English history come alive through authentic rec- cart stall can also be found at the Singapore leases [and] marriage certificates”13 and, names written.14 reations of the past. Food Trail.12 sadly, even suicide notes. Letter writers also wrote ancestral tablets for religious Street Barbers → print and digital documentation Letter Writers ↓ worship and to display at home for immi- History Street barbers gained popu- History The thousands of illiterate grants who moved into new residences. larity after the 1911 Chinese Revolution, From a national perspective, libraries, and semi-literate Chinese immgrants Due to the usually penurious circum- when Chinese immigrants who arrived museums and archives are seen as the in Singapore — coolies (manual workers), stances of his clientele, the letter writer in Singapore lopped off their braided appointed custodians and curators of amahs (domestic helpers) and Samsui wom- in the 1960s charged nominal sums for “pigtails” (which had been a symbol of re- the country’s social, economic, politi- en (female construction labourers from his services, such as a dollar per letter and pression during the Qing Dynasty). Many cal and cultural history. In this vein, the Guangdong Province) — who yearned earned about $250 a month. barbers were self-taught, while some ap- Singapore Memory Project was started in to communicate with their families in prenticed at barber shops. The profession 2011 as a national initiative “to collect, China resulted in the demand for letter Tools of the Trade The letter writer’s stall was equally represented by the Chinese, preserve and provide access to Singapore’s writers. The 1950s and 1960s were boom was spartan, furnished with only a small Malay and Indian races. knowledge materials, so as to tell the times for such letter writers, with long table, one or two chairs and his writing Singapore Story”.16 Visitors to the portal, queues of people patiently waiting to instruments, comprising paper, Chinese Job Scope Operating along five-foot-ways and its accompanying iremembersg blog, send word back home after World War brushes, ink and an abacus. or in roadside makeshift tents, street bar- are able to view personal memories post- II, along with food, clothing and mon- bers offered haircuts, shaving, ear wax ed by members of the public on vanishing ey. Letter writers were usually Chinese Then and Now Letter writers were once a removal, nose-hair trimming, and scalp, trades such as the “Chinese wayang”, “ice- males in their 50s and 60s. common sight in Chinatown but the trade face and shoulder massages. ball vendor” and “painted typography”. lost its popularity after the 1980s with the Barbers worked from around eight in Other sources include articles on Job Scope A letter writer would pen the passing of many old-time patrons. The the morning to dusk, charging about 50 long-lost trades by the National Heritage feelings and thoughts of his customers increase in literacy and communication cents for a haircut in the 1960s, and rais- Board, as well as newspaper articles from and also read letters aloud for the illiter- technology such as the telephone also ing their prices during the Chinese New the National Library Board’s digitised newspaper archive, NewspaperSG. These Year season to cater to increased demand. Immortalising the Trades articles provide credible first-hand ac- Some made house calls to shave the heads of Yesteryear counts of significant historic personal- of babies or to provide haircuts for the el- ities and events, and offer an objective derly and infirmed. Although many of the early trades and binocular view of Singapore’s past. cottage industries no longer exist today, Blogs17 created by individuals and Tools of the Trade A street barber’s equip- they have nonetheless left indelible im- community groups are private archival ment usually included one to three barber prints on the economic and social fabric repositories shared with an online public chairs, several pairs of scissors, manual of Singapore. Official documentation and audience. These blog entries express the clippers, combs, brushes, razor blades, archival records of these early trades act blogger’s personal thoughts, opinions powder puffs and a mirror. as historical and sociological testaments and insights. These “man-in-the-street” of how people lived and worked in early perspectives reveal the private expres- Then and Now Street barbers once oper- Singapore. These records acknowledge sions of what the national “Singapore ated along the aptly named Barber Street, and pay tribute to the contributions of Story” represents to distinct individuals between Jalan Sultan and Aliwal Street Singapore’s early entrepreneurs in the in society. and at the cobbled lane between Jalan economic development of the island. At Sultan and North Bridge Road. They were the national level, memory recorders and photographs also found in Chinatown, Serangoon archivists hope that by helping the pub- Road and Tanjong Pagar. lic understand the people and events that Photographs are visual records that pres- With the erection of high-rise flats in shaped the nation’s past, a deeper collec- ent a still-life simulacrum of a bygone the 1960s, barbers plied their trade along tive understanding and appreciation for era. NLB’s PictureSG and the National the corridors of housing estates. Today, Singapore’s history can be nurtured. Archives of Singapore’s (NAS) picture ar- however, they operate out of air-condi- Cultural institutions, societies, com- chives database, PICAS, provide a visual tioned shops found in virtually every mercial entities and private individu- tableau of Singapore’s history and social neighbourhood, with modern equipment als have in their own ways expanded development and serve as invaluable re- such as electric clippers and shavers. What the government’s efforts — using tra- positories of Singapore’s early trades and has survived is the unique icon denoting ditional and new media, such as print, craftsmen. these neighbourhood barbers — the bar- oral recordings, photographs, videos and Beyond that, image hosting social ber’s pole, with its spinning helix of social media platforms like FaceBook, platforms such as Flickr allow users to tri-coloured red, white and blue stripes.15 Instagram and Twitter — to immortalise share personal photographs. This enables

(above) A letter writer with a customer along a five foot way in Kreta Ayer. From the Kouo Shang-Wei collection 郭尚慰收集. All rights reserved, family of (top) Barber at Tras Street in 1988. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 32 Kouo Shang-Wei and National Library Board, Singapore, 2007. 33 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

26. Ministry of Defence. (2013). Vanishing Trades in Lo-Ang, S. G. and Chua, C. H. (Eds). (1992). Vanishing cess to the stories of individuals who efforts are being made at the individual, Singapore. This three minute video features the trades of Singapore. Singapore: Oral History have lived through significant moments community and national levels to cap- Wah Keow Hair Salon, located in Joo Chiat. The Department. (Call no.: RSING 338.642095957 VAN) family-owned salon opened in 1954 and has been Lo-Ang, S. G. (1992). Vanishing trades: a catalogue of in Singapore’s history. These oral records ture, document and preserve the memo- in operation for 59 years. This entry won the Jury's oral history interviews. Singapore : Documentation document Singapore’s political and social ry of our early trades and the people who Choice (Open Category) Best Editing award in the Unit, Oral History Department. (Call no.: RSING 2013 ciNE65 Season II competition. 016.338642095957 SIN) histories, covering periods such as the toiled at their crafts. We can take comfort 27. (1977, November 19). Craftsman behind another Mediacorp. (2013). My Grand Partner – Webisode Japanese Occupation, political and lead- that Singapore’s pioneer tradesmen and vanishing trade... The Straits Times, p. 7. 11 – Shoe makers and pen repairing. Retrieved 19 ership transitions and the development craftsmen will not likely disappear from 28. Ho, S. B. (1996, February 8). Old trades a new hit in September, 2013 from http://video.xin.msn.com/ phone-card series. The Straits Times, p. 15. watch/video/my-grand-partner-webisode-11-shoes- of the arts, education and sports, among society’s consciousness but continue to 29. (1997, June 29). Vanishing trades MRT cards. The makers-and-pen-repairing/1b9kzuv50 other areas. The reflections and emotions live on in our communal memories and Straits Times, p. 28. Ministry of Defence. (2013). Vanishing Trades in 30. Gee, J. (2008, January 15). The Samsui women of Singapore. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from https:// of men and women who laboured and national chronicles. ● today. The Straits Times. cine65.sg/film/vanishing-trades-in-singapore/33 contributed towards Singapore’s econo- Nathan, D. (1990, March 12). Indian heritage to go my in the pre- and post-war periods are References on show at Indian village in two weeks. The Straits (1977, September 28). 'Vanishing Trades’ theme for Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 from captured in these interviews. Times calendar. The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved 12 NewspaperSG. The recordings reveal fascinating de- September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. National Archives of Singapore. (2002). PICAS. Retreived (1977, November 19). Craftsman behind another vanishing 19 September, 2013 from http://a2o.nas.sg/picas/ tails such as the reasons for entering or trade... The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved 12 September, public/internetSearch/ abandoning a trade, remuneration, de- 2013 from NewspaperSG. National Archives of Singapore. (2003). Collection endnotes (1983, March 5). Vanishing trades: How do they fare? of Oral History Collection Database. Retreived 19 tails of goods and services provided, 1. (1987, March 16). All kinds of everything along Singapore Monitor, p. 21. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 September, 2013 from http://a2o.nas.sg/cord/public/ customer profiles, business practices, walkways of old. The Straits Times, p. 26. from NewspaperSG. internetSearch/index.jsp 2. Thulaja (2005), Five-foot-way Traders. challenges and triumphs of the profes- (1987, March 16). All kinds of everything along walkways National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along 3. Sullivan (1985), p. 14. of old. The Straits Times, p. 26. Retrieved 12 September, Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV. Retrieved sion, anecdotes on training and appren- 4. Sullivan (1985), p. 15. 2013 from NewspaperSG. September 5, 2013 from http://www.nhb.gov. ticeship, family stories and comparisons 5. Sullivan (1985), p. 26. (1994, February 13). Phonecards retrace the early trades. sg/NHBPortal/content/conn/ucmnhb/path/ 6. Thulaja, (2004), Traditional Cobblers. The Straits Times, p. 14. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 Contribution%20Folders/NHBPortal/Contents/ of past and present standards of living. 7. National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along from NewspaperSG. Education/E-Books/NHB_eBook_Heritage_Along_ Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV, pp. 4 – 5 (1997, June 29). Vanishing trades MRT cards. The Straits Footpaths.pdf and Thulaja, (2004), Traditional Cobblers. documentaries and dramas Times, p. 28. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 from National Library Board. (2013). Singapore Memory 8. National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along NewspaperSG. Portal. Retrieved September 17, 2013 from http://www. Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV, pp. (1999). Vanishing Trades. Retrieved 20 September 2013 singaporememory.sg/ 8 – 10, Thulaja, (2005), Parrot astrologers and Lo- Vanishing trades have been document- from http://library.thinkquest.org/29175/ National Museum of Singapore. (2013). Exhibitions: Ang, and Chua, (1992), pp. 60 –64. (2010, May 17). The Vanishing Trade: Trishaws in Trading Stories: Conversations with Six Pioneering ed in local Chinese documentaries such 9. National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along Singapore. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http:// Tradesmen. Retrieved September 20, 2013 from http:// as Vow of Celibacy (1980)22, The Vanishing Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV, pp. sgtrishaws.wordpress.com/ www.nationalmuseum.sg/NMSPortal/faces/oracle/ 12 – 14. Trades (1983)23 and My Grand Partner (webi- Choo, J. (1983, June 27). That old barber shop is going. webcenter/portalapp/pagehierarchy/Page8 10. Lin, Z. (2005, May 21). Sell kacang puteh It s a The Straits Times, p. 13. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 Ng, S. and Yeo, J. (2012). Lost arts of The Republic 24 sode 11), which featured a traditional tough nut to crack. The Straits Times. from NewspaperSG. of Singapore. Retreived 20 September, 2013 11. Ibid. disparate individuals and groups to en- cieties such as the Singapore Handicraft shoe maker and fountain pen repairman. Chua, R. (1983, October 12). Chinatowners’ last words. from http://www.flickr.com/photos/supertoufu/ 12. National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 sets/72157629622611629/ gage and network, and facilitates the col- Centre, Singapore Heritage Society, These trades have also been the focus of Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV, pp. from NewspaperSG. Sim, G. (2004, April 12). Chinatown nightlife to return. 16 – 18. Chua, R. (1985, March 21). Vanishing trades? Can survive, The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 lective pooling of materials that result in Chinatown Heritage Centre, Indian local Chinese drama serials such as Five- 13. Lo-Ang and Chua (1992), p. 36. 25 la, says author. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved 12 from NewspaperSG. a deeper and richer multi-varied histori- Heritage Centre and the Malay Heritage Foot-Way (1987) and Samsui Women (1986). 14. Ibid, pp. 35 – 37, Sullivan (1985), p. 38 and Thulaja September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. Sng, M. (2002, June 30). She chews, She bites, She cal narrative. Through the social platform Centre have been actively organising cul- Videos on vanishing trades can also (2005), Letter Writers. Economic Development Board. (1982). Report on the scores. The Straits Times, p. 18. Retrieved 19 15. National Heritage Board. (2013). Heritage Along medium, the subject of vanishing trades tural exhibitions and trade fairs, providing be found on YouTube, posted by teachers census of industrial production 1981. Singapore: Dept. September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. Footpaths. Community Heritage Series IV, pp. of Statistics. (Call no.: RSING 338.095957 SIN) Sullivan, M. (1985). “Can survive, la”: cottage industries is reinvigorated for the digital generation. those still engaged in Singapore’s pioneer- and students for school projects, as well 20 – 22 and Thulaja, (2004), The roadside barbers. Economic Development Board. (2011). The Report in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: G. Brash. (Call no.: 16. National Library Board (2013). Singapore Memory on the Census of Manufacturing Activities 2011. RSING 338.634095957 SUL) ing trades the opportunity to showcase dy- as film enthusiasts through local short Portal. exhibitions / trade fairs 19 26 Retrieved September 15, 2013 from http://www. Tan, J. and Leong, W. K. (1977, November 24). ‘Protect ing or long-forgotten crafts or arts. film competitions such as ciNE65 and 17. Ghetto Singapore. (2013). Vanishing Trades of edb.gov.sg/content/dam/edb/en/resources/pdfs/ our vanishing trades’ call to govt. The Straits Times, p. In December 2011, the National also by local history buffs and hobbyists. Singapore; Lim, J. (2013, March 15). Trading stories others/Report%20on%20the%20Census%20of%20 10. Retrieved 12 September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. with six tradesmen; (2010, May 17). The Vanishing “The Lost Arts of The Republic of Heritage Board put together a roving ex- Manufacturing%20Activities%202011.pdf Teo, J. (2013). Vanishing Trades/ Scenes in Singapore. Trade: Trishaws in Singapore; Teo, J. (2013). Gee, J. (2008, January 15). The Samsui women of today. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://www. 18 Singapore” is an example of a vanishing hibition called “Traditional Provision commemorative memorabilia Vanishing Trades/ Scenes in Singapore; (1999). The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September, 2013 from jenniferteophotography.com/1/category/vanishing%20 Vanishing Trades. trades project that straddles the physical Shops: A Thriving Past & An Uncertain http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+Straits+Times/ trades%20scenes%20in%20singaporef2dde4e691/1. 18. Ng, S. and Yeo, J. (2012). Lost arts of The Republic Story/A1Story20080115-45004.html html and digital realms. This project was initi- Future”, which showcased 18 traditional Vanishing trades have been featured in of Singapore. Ghetto Singapore. (2013). Vanishing Trades of Singapore. Thulaja, N. (2004). Traditional cobblers. Singapore ated by two local artists to “document the provision shops and collectibles.20 commemorative memorabilia such as 19. Nathan, D. (1990, March 12). Indian heritage to go Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://www. Infopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from on show at Indian village in two weeks. The Straits current state of vanishing arts and crafts The National Museum of Singapore the 1978 Straits Times calendars27 and a set ghettosingapore.com/category/vanishing-trades-of- http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_143_2004-12-14. Times, p. 19; Lim, P. and Lim, S. T. (1982, June 6). singapore/ html?s=Traditional cobblers of Singapore”. Through interviews with 10 has also curated several exhibitions on of collectible Econ minimart phonecards Glimpses into trades and tidbits of bygone days; Ho, S. B. (1996, February 8). Old trades a new hit in Thulaja, N. (2005). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore (1977, November 19). Craftsman behind another existing practitioners, the artists crafted vanishing trades over the years, with sold in 1996.28 Street traders of the early phone-card series. The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved Infopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from vanishing trade... The Straits Times, p. 7; Sim, G. 12 September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_105_2005-01-04. an exhibition for the Pop-Up Singapore the most recent being “Trading Stories: 1900s were also featured on a series of the- (2004, April 12). Chinatown nightlife to return. The Koh, S. T. (1987, March 16). Sweet-and-sour lives of html?s=Five-foot-way traders House and London Design Festival in 2012, Conversations with Six Tradesmen” in matic MRT cards released in 1997.29 Straits Times, p. 1. pedlars of old. The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved 12 Thulaja, N. (2005). Letter writers. Singapore Infopedia. 20. Toh, K. (2011, September 11). National Heritage September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from http://infopedia. which presented a fresh interpretation March 2013, which featured true-life ac- Samsui women, with their iconic red Board exhibition to showcase 18 old-style provision Leong, W. K. (1997, May 13). He writes love letters, nl.sg/articles/SIP_603_2005-01-04.html?s=Letter of traditional symbols and transformed counts of six pioneer tradesmen who have headgear and black trousers, have also shops. The Straits Times. angry letters. The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved 12 writers 21. National Museum of Singapore. (2013). Exhibitions: September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. Thulaja, N. (2005). Parrot astrologers. Singapore them into modern narratives. The exhi- either retired or are still active in their been immortalised as dolls and t-shirt Trading Stories: Conversations with Six Pioneering 21 Lim, J. (2013, March 15). Trading stories with six Infopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from http:// bition was featured in two local journals occupations. emblems sold at the Chinatown Heritage Tradesmen. tradesmen. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http:// infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_602_2005-01-04. 22. Sng, M. (2002, June 30). She chews, She bites, She thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/vanishing- html?s=Parrot astrologers (The Design Journal, March 2012, and Zaobao Centre. Photographs of samsui women were scores. The Straits Times, p. 18. oral recordings trades/ Thulaja, N. (2004). The roadside barbers. Singapore Fukan, July 2012). In addition, the artists also displayed at bus stops during the M1 23. (1983, March 5). Vanishing trades: How do they Lim, P. and Lim, S. T. (1982, June 6). Glimpses into trades Infopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from posted photos of their exhibition and jour- Singapore Fringe Art Festival in 2011.30 fare? Singapore Monitor, p. 21. and tidbits of bygone days. The Straits Times, p. 7. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_49_2004-12-24. 24. Mediacorp. (2013). My Grand Partner — Webisode nal write-ups on Flickr. Established in 1979, the Oral History While the demise of these trades is Retrieved 12 September, 2013 from NewspaperSG. html?s=The roadside barbers 11 — Shoe makers and pen repairing. Lin, Z. (2005, May 21). Sell kacang puteh It s a tough Toh, K. (2011, September 11). National Heritage Board Through the decades, commercial and Centre of the National Archives of inevitable due to economic progress and 25. (1987, March 16). All kinds of everything along nut to crack. The Straits Times. Retrieved from exhibition to showcase 18 old-style provision shops. walkways of old. The Straits Times, p. 26. non-profit cultural organisations and so- Singapore documents and provides ac- advancements in technology, continual NewspaperSG The Straits Times.

(top) Some of the individuals featured in the 2013 exhibition, “Trading Stories: Conversations with Six (middle left and right) “The Lost Arts of The 34 Pioneering Tradesmen” by the National Museum of Singapore include Sam Sui women and a movie Republic of Singapore” (2012) documented the 35 poster painter. Courtesy of National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board. vanishing arts and crafts of Singapore. Courtesy of Su-Jin Ng. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

Lee Meiyu is a librarian at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library at the National Library Board. style and form of new genealogies writ- The subject of genealogy is close to her heart ten by Chinese families in Singapore have and she has worked on resource publications changed drastically. that complement NLB’s exhibitions such as This new form of jiapu is written in Money by Mail to China: Dreams and Struggles of Early Migrants (2012) and ROOTS: Tracing English and commonly records only three Family Histories — A Resource Guide (2013). to five generations due to the short history of the migrant family, and includes names of female members, which is a departure from the traditional norm. Their contents are simpler, often comprising generation charts, oral history documentations and photographs. In fact, it might be more appropriate to describe these as family history records as opposed to traditional 家 jiapu. The changing content of the new jiapu reflects the environment in which Singapore Chinese found themselves. For n ancient Chinese society, jiapu (家谱) example, it is uncommon for clan rules or Chinese genealogy records, were to be detailed in jiapu in the context of a created for the express reason of doc- society with a fully developed legal sys- umenting the ancestry of each fami- tem, as the legal framework would super- ly. Before the Song Dynasty (960–1279 cede the clan rules. These texts reflect a CE), lineage determined a person’s so- change in the purpose of recording jiapu; Icial class in China, and jiapu were used as today, the documentation is more for cre- official documents by the imperial court ating a sense of self-identity than a social to prove the identity of a member of the tool to regulate the functions of a clan. ruling class and justify his position. This In this essay, the rich history tracing 谱 objective, however, evolved during the the development of different chapters in a Song Dynasty when jiapu became a social traditional Chinese jiapu will be explored, — tool to unify families by kinship instead. illustrated with selected examples from This shift took the practice of recording the National Library’s jiapu collection. Since jiapu served to document lineage, tracing the origin jiapu beyond the realm of the courts to of a clan’s surname became an important chapter in the the non-ruling classes, leading to a peak Title of genealogy (pu ming 谱名) evolution of the jiapu. This was especially so if the surname in genealogy studies and documentation.1 could be traced to an ancient king or noble line that As genealogical studies flourished and In traditional practice, the title of a jiapu glorified the clan and affirmed their social status. matured in China, guidelines on how, was important as it indicated which clan what and when a jiapu could be written the records belonged to. It was common — were formulated. These guidelines were for the title to be made up of a combina- flexible and evolved with the times. As tion of the name of the settlement area, information that had been recorded in ruling class. These new surnames were the jiapu was a lineage blueprint that surname, name of the ancestral temple, the previous edition. Hence, it was not often derived from official titles, names The jiapu served as a basis for families to function, district-names, name of first migrant an- uncommon for earlier compilers to re- of ruling areas or living places.5 its presentation and content reflected cestor, and even the number of revisions cord unverified information and leave Due to the form in which surnames the characteristics and beliefs of society done to the jiapu.3 remarks for future generations to verify were derived, they became associat- at a particular point in time. As society the content when new sources of infor- ed with the historical developments of evolved, so did the function of the jiapu, Introduction (pu xu 谱序) mation surfaced. Due to the nature of the clans and revealed information about chronicles and consequently, its content. research, compilers tended to be scholars migration and ancestral history. Studies Provenance was a very important criteria or clan members who had an in-depth on Chinese surnames appeared as early Invented Traditions and Nationalism in jiapu. The reason and goals for revision, knowledge of classical texts.4 as the Han Dynasty6 (206 BCE–220 CE), identity of the reviser, the year and back- which explained the historical origins of what's in a name? Origins of Surname Although the history of jiapu documenta- ground of revision, and the revision pro- each surname. Since jiapu served to docu- tion in Singapore can be traced to China, cess were all recorded in the introduction. (xing shi yuan liu 姓氏源流) ment lineage, tracing the origin of a clan’s over time, the form and content of lo- An interesting practice was to include all surname became an important chapter in cal Chinese genealogical records have previous introductions found in the old- Chinese surnames have a long history. the evolution of the jiapu. This was espe- evolved. In general, jiapu published by er editions of the jiapu in the current edi- Some studies postulate that surnames cially so if the surname could be traced to Records of family lineage were important in Singapore’s clan associations still follow tion, so as to keep the provenance intact. first appeared in the matrilineal society an ancient king or noble line that glorified traditional Chinese society. Lee Meiyu charts the the structure of older jiapu, since the ma- Apart from updating the jiapu with of Chinese civilisation from approximate- the clan and affirmed their social status. history of these documents, or jiapu, which track jority of them are revised editions or com- the latest clan members’ information, ly 5,000 to 3,000 BCE. Surnames were used The chapter on surnames from the ge- 白 not only family roots but also the social norms pilations of the originals. However, with the compiler also had to ensure and veri- to differentiate descent through maternal nealogy of the Bai ( ) clan from Bangtou the introduction of the English language fy that all information recorded was true, lines. As society became patrilineal, new Town in Anxi County in Fujian Province and cultural values of China at the time. and influences from other cultures, the accurate and authoritative. This included surnames appeared, beginning with the (福建安溪榜头), China, is a classic exam-

(top) Women folding kim chua (paper money) for (middle left) Ancestral altar tablets displayed in a (middle right) An ancestral hall of the 36 religious or ancestral offering along Clarke Quay in clan ancestral hall (1978). Ronni Pinsler collection, Hakka community at Lorong Makam (1986). 37 1978. Ronni Pinsler collection, courtesy of National courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Archives of Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

tem into their ruling structure so suc- the Lu generation chart, the names of the Liugui Hall (六桂堂). Although the term In traditional Chinese society, jiapu could comprise the following cessfully that it had a lasting impact on Five degrees of mourning eldest sons in each generation are writ- liugui is not the district name of the clan, 18 types of information2: the entire Chinese civilisation. The Zhou ten directly below their fathers’ names in there is good reason for naming it so. The people were ruled by a king who was clothes (wufu 五服) larger text, at the beginning of the second original surname of the clan was Weng »» Ancestor portraits and praises »» Clan rules known as the Son of Heaven. This posi- column. The clear presentation of contin- (翁), descendents of the royal family of the »» Content page »» Clan practices tion was passed down from a father to uous lineage serves as an easy reference Zhou Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, »» List of editorial members »» Ancestral hall his eldest surviving son. Younger sons to determine the hierarchy of a member six brothers were successful in the impe- »» Introduction »» Ancestral graves were conferred the title of feudal lords, in relation to others in the clan. rial examinations and became officials. It »» Writing style guide »» Clan properties and their titles were in turn inherited was a glorious occasion for the clan and »» Records of meritorious deeds »» Documents pertaining to by their eldest sons. Lineages formed by Generation names (zi bei 字辈) the event was remembered as liu gui lian »» Genealogy studies and its history properties the eldest sons of each feudal lord fami- fang (六桂联芳), meaning “the six brothers »» Origin of surname »» Literary works ly were known as the “Main Branch” (da- Generation names were used to differen- who became officials”. Hence, the term li- »» Generation chart »» List of members who had a zong 大宗), while those formed by younger tiate the generation that clan members ugui was associated with this significant »» Biographies copy of the genealogy sons were known as the “Side Branch” belonged to within a large clan, which historical event, and was used to remind (xiaozong 小宗). The Main Branch enjoyed would in turn determine the appropriate descendents of their ancestors’ achieve- Some of the information listed, also known as chapters as they appeared higher social status than the Side Branch greeting and conduct of members. Those ments. The six brothers later adopted dif- in the jiapu, are still being recorded today. This is especially true for modern and was granted more privilege, respect born in the same generation would have ferent surnames — Weng (翁), Hong (洪), publications that are merely updated editions of older jiapu. and power. As blood relatives to the Son the same Chinese character as the first Fang (方), Gong (龚), Jiang (江), and Wang of Heaven, feudal lords were obliged to Wufu was the set of rules that determined the character of their names. In most cas- (汪), and lived in different parts of China. protect him and rule their given lands on mourning clothes and the mourning periods es, clans would use Chinese characters Although the descendents of these six his behalf. The Zhou ruling class created to be observed by different clan members from a poem that recorded meritorious branches live separately and have dif- a society that used lineage as the basis within nine generations (jiu zu 九族). The clan deeds or virtues valued by the clan ferent surnames, they maintain contact to determine the distribution of wealth nine generations were defined as the four as the sequence of characters to be used. with each branch through their local an- and power. This set of societal rules was generations before oneself (from father to Hence, clan members would be able to in- cestral halls that have preserved their known as the “System of Lineages” (zong great great-grandfather) and the four genera- fer the seniority of another based on the clan records. fa zhi du 宗法制度). tions after oneself (from children to the great sequence of their generation names as in- A 1949 drawing plan shows the Liugui The Zhou ruling system did not sur- great-grandchildren). Mourning clothes were dicated in the poem.11 Hall built in Quanzhou, China — where vive after the fall of the dynasty. However, separated into five different types, and mourn- the six brothers originated from. There it was later adopted by the Chinese as a ing periods ranged from three months to three Ancestral hall (ci tang 祠堂) was a hall for the ancestral tablets, man- means to organise their clans. The con- years. In general, the closest kin to the de- agement offices for clan members and a cepts of Main Branch and Side Branch ceased wore the coarsest fabric and observed Ancestor worship is an important activi- stage for Chinese opera. Their jiapu was were adopted into the jiapu, which re- the longest mourning period. These five de- ty in Chinese culture, based on the belief republished in conjunction with the con- corded every clan members’ ancestry and grees of mourning were separately known as that the spirits of the dead can influ- struction of the ancestral hall (see page 41). served as documented proof of his inher- zhancui (斩衰); zicui (齐衰); dagong (大功); ence the activities of the living. In order itance rights and social status. The doc- xiaogong (小功); and sima (缌麻).10 to gain the blessings of the spirits, rites Lands belonging to the umentation methodology matured with are performed to appease them. Apart ancestral hall (ji tian 祭田) the publication of two ground-breaking from obtaining blessings, ancestral rites works during the Song Dynasty — “The Branch as descendents of younger sons also serve as important familial focal Funds were needed to upkeep the ances- genealogy chart of the Ouyang clan” within five generations, with Su Xun also points and reminders of their blood ties. tral hall as well as pay for the expansion (Ouyang shi pu tu 《欧阳氏谱图》) and “The stating that generations beyond the fifth Ancestral tablets of a clan are housed in of the building, the performance of ances- genealogy of the Su clan” (Su shi zu pu were no longer considered as part of the an ancestral hall and this is also where tral rites, clan events, distribution of mon- ple of how surnames and district names first originated or prospered. The dis- 《苏氏族谱》). The authors, Ouyang Xiu clan.8 In modern Chinese genealogy this the jiapu is kept. The ancestral hall is a ey to needy members, and even updating reveal information about the lineage and trict-names associated with the Bai clan (欧阳修) and Su Xun (苏洵), became the pi- restriction is not followed, even though physical manifestation of the connection of the jiapu. Different households would migration history of a clan. The chapter are: Fengyi (冯翊, in modern-day Shanxi); oneers of traditional Chinese genealogy.7 the representation of five generations in between the generations, bestowing a contribute funds to the ancestral hall, begins by pointing out the uncertainty Taiyuan (太原, in modern-day Shanxi); The generation chart of the Lu (吕) a chart is generally still practised. sense of identity on the clan as a whole as but it was common for richer clan mem- of the surname’s origin, with four possi- Nanyang (南阳, in modern-day Henan); clan from Tiannei Town in the Meishan The concept of the Main Branch stip- well as individually. bers to donate land to the ancestral hall. ble origins proposed. These origins sep- and Xiangshan in the Luoyang area area (嵋山田内) is an example of how tra- ulated that eldest sons of eldest sons The naming of the ancestral hall is of These were rented out as sources of reve- arately suggest that the Bai surname (洛阳香山, in modern-day Henan). This is ditional Chinese generation charts are formed the main bloodline of a clan, and utmost importance. An appropriate name nue that went to the management of the descended from either an official, Bai Fu followed by the migration history of the laid out. Read from right to left, the right- they could inherit the privileges and re- reflects the history of the clan or reminds ancestral hall. Information on these lands (白阜), who lived during the pre-dynastic Bai clan from northern China into the most column of the chart states the differ- sponsibilities of a clan patriarch. Such future generations of a desired virtue. was often recorded in the jiapu as well.13 times of the Yan Emperor; Bai Fen (白份, southern regions. The first ancestor to ent generations of the clan, with the first privileges included the inheritance of It is common for ancestral halls to be 12th-century BCE), lord of the feudal state migrate to Anxi was Yi Yu (逸宇公) during generation at the top and the fifth gener- wealth, power and social status. The re- named after the district names of the Biographies (zhuan ji 传记) of Zhang; Bai Yibing (白乙丙, 7th-century the Ming Dynasty in 1424 CE. Yi Yu es- ation at the bottom. Descendents of the sponsibilities of a clan patriarch was to clan. In traditional Chinese society, BCE), a general of the State of Qin; or Bai caped to Anxi with his family when they same generation are placed side by side, ensure clan harmony, lead ancestral rites one’s district name was often introduced Biographical writings in jiapu appeared Gongsheng (白公胜, 5th-century BCE), an were falsely accused of treason. with the oldest to the youngest son in the and prayers, and groom the next patri- together with one’s surname at social as early as the Han Dynasty. An exam- advisor in the State of Chu. same row. The genealogy is composed of arch, thus ensuring the bloodline re- gatherings; this would enable others to ple would be the “Records of the Grand The second section of this chapter deals Generation Chart (shi xi tu 世系图) several charts, and limiting the docu- mained unbroken.9 The clan patriarch of know which ancestral temple and clan a Historian” (Shi ji《史记》) by Sima Qian with the origin of district-names (junwang mentation to five generations per chart each generation had great power and con- person belonged to.12 in which a compilation of 12 royal ge- 郡望) of the Bai clan. District names re- The Zhou Dynasty (1066–221 BCE) rulers was a concept first proposed by Ouyang trol over other clan members who were Some jiapu are named after their an- nealogies appeared in the “Imperial fer to the geographical areas where clans incorporated the patriarchal lineage sys- Xiu and Su Xun. Both defined the Side considered to be of lower hierarchy. In cestral halls, such as the genealogy of the Biographies”. Biographical writings con-

(above) The Lu clan’s generation chart is an example of how traditional Chinese generation charts are (top) A wufu chart was used to determine the mourning clothes and duration of mourning for a clan member. 38 laid out. It is limited to five generations, with the first generation at the top and the fifth at the bottom. All rights reserved. Ningxiang Nantang Liu shi si xiu zupu (Genealogy of Liu clan from Nantang Town in 39 It is read from right to left. Meishan Tiannei Lu shi jiapu (Genealogy of the Loo clan from Tiannei Town Ningxiang County), 2002, Chen Zhanqi, China National Microfilming Center for Library Resources, Beijing. in the Meishan area), 1994, Singapore Loo Clan Association, Singapore. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

2. Wang, pp. 279 – 348. tinued to appear in jiapu, eventually branch, Ai (Ai Gong, 爱公). The poem re- 3. Wang, pp. 279 – 280. forming its own chapter. As biographies counts that Ai, on orders from the impe- 4. Wang, pp. 288 – 291. Memorial arches 5. Qian Hang. (2001). Xue yuan yu di yuan zhi detailed the lives of individuals, they rial court, was assigned to develop the jian: Zhongguo li shi shang de lian zong yu lian (pai fang 牌坊) were used to highlight illustrious ances- Quanzhou area during the Tang Dynasty. zong zu zhi (Connection between blood and 15 locality — the history of combined ancestry and tors, glorifying the clan indirectly. The biography states the year of his as- their organisations). Shanghai: Shanghai Academy In general, there were two main types of me- Similar to biographies were chap- signment (678 CE) and that he moved from of Social Sciences Press, pp. 82 – 109. morial arches: the Meritorious Deeds Memori- ters of “Ancestor Portraits and Praises” Yaolin to Shigui in 710 CE after deciding 6. Zhu Hongbin. (2006). Xun geng wen zu: zhong hua xing shi yuan liu (The origin and history of Chinese al Arch (gong de pai fang 功德牌坊) and the (zu xian xiang zan 祖先像赞) and “Records that Yaolin was too small for the clan if surnames). Beijing: Unity Press, pp. 11 – 13. Virtuous Memorial Arch (dao de pai fang 道 of Meritorious Deeds” (en rong lu 恩荣录). its numbers grew. Ai was a general with 7. Qian, pp. 184 – 219. 德牌坊). These arches glorified the clan and 8. Qian, pp. 211 – 219. Important individuals such as first mi- an illustrious military career and had 9. Chen Weirong. (2008). Zhongguo jin dai zong zu reminded descendents of desired virtues and grant ancestors, ancestors within the three sons. The ancestral temple honour- zhi du (The lineage organisations in Contemporary conduct through the stories inscribed on the nine generations, ancestors who had il- ing him and his sons was destroyed and re- China). Shanghai: Xuelin, pp. 31 – 39. 10. Chen Zhanqi. (2002). Ningxiang Nantang Liu shi arches. Memorial arches were sometimes lo- lustrious careers, and ancestors who had built several times over the course of time. si xiu zupu (Genealogy of Liu clan from Nantang cated near the ancestral hall and considered performed virtuous or meritorious acts Town in Ningxiang County). Beijing: China National 家法 Microfilming Center for Library Resources, pp. part of the compound. are included in these chapters. clan rules (jia fa ) 535 – 542. In traditional Chinese society, women Biographies typically only con- 11. Qian, pp. 220 – 255. were usually not mentioned in jiapu, unless 12. Liu Liming. (2007). Xue mai: citing, lingpai, jiapu tain text, while “Ancestor Portraits and Besides documenting familial ties, jiapu de chuan cheng xue qin xi su (The continuity of they had given birth to sons, in which case, Praises” include pictures and poems that were also instrumental in guiding mem- lineage practices in ancestral halls, ancestral their surnames would be recorded. However, praise the importance of an individual. The bers’ conduct towards one another to pro- tablets, and genealogies). Taipei: Shuquan, pp. 许 1 – 32. if a widow did not re-marry after the death biographies in the genealogy of the Xu ( ) mote harmony and cohesion within the 13. Liu, pp. 28 – 32. of her husband, her virtue would earn her a clan from the Shigui and Yaolin areas in clan. This appeared in a chapter called 14. Qian, pp. 19 – 22. chastity memorial arch. These women were 福建晋江石龟瑶林 15. Wang, pp. 64 – 65, 112 – 115. Jinjiang, Fujian ( ) com- “Clan Rules”. Clan rules was a set of mor- 16. Wang, pp. 315 – 323. also granted a chapter in the biographical bine both the “Ancestor Portraits and al teachings stating how clan members section of the jiapu, which was considered to Praises” and biographical writings into should behave in order to avoid conflict.16 霞露) had 15 rules to abide by: to be filial, References 14 Bose, Jyotsna K. & Palmer, Spencer J. (Eds.). (1972). be a great honour. one chapter. It highlights the first mi- The genealogy of the Huang (黄) clan maintain harmony within the clan, Studies in Asian genealogy. Provo, Utah: Brigham grant ancestor of the Shigui and Yaolin from Pengzhou and Xialu Village (蓬洲 maintain peace with neighbours; be Young University Press. Chen Weirong. (2008). Zhongguo jin dai zong zu zhi du humble and courteous; committed to (The lineage organisations in Contemporary China). work; to strive for knowledge; obey teach- Shanghai: Xuelin. ers; maintain ancestors’ graves; avoid Chen Zhanqi. (2002). Ningxiang Nantang Liu shi si xiu zupu (Genealogy of Liu clan from Nantang Town in having same names as elders; avoid court Ningxiang County). Beijing: China National Microfilming cases; avoid bad habits; obey superiors; Center for Library Resources. Genealogy of Peh Clan Pangtou Anxi Fujian China. (1989). avoid deviating from sagely teachings; Singapore: Singapore Peh Clan Association. avoid committing crimes; and to revise Hong Tiansong. (1949). Leok Kooi Tong genealogy. Quanzhou: Leok Kooi Tong. jiapu regularly. This was followed by a Jones, Russell. (1989). Chinese names: the use chapter on implementing the rules in of Chinese surnames and personal names in daily activities. Singapore and Malaysia. Petaling Jaya, Selangor: PelandukPublications. Such chapters were heavily influ- Kee, Pookong, Chai, Kwai Keong, Zhuang Guotu (Eds). enced by Confucian teachings on respect- (2002). Genealogies and Chinese migration studies. Singapore: Chinese Heritage Centre. ing authority and elders, and emphasised Lim, Patricia. (1988). Myth and reality: researching the that rituals were important activities Huang genealogies. Singapore: Institute of Southeast that reinforced hierarchy and united clan Asian Studies. Liu Liming. (2007). Xue mai: citing, lingpai, jiapu de members. These chapters also proved that chuan cheng xue qin xi su (The continuity of lineage jiapu were used as basic documents that practices in ancestral halls, ancestral tablets, and genealogies). Taipei: Shuquan. recorded the “laws” of a clan. Meishan Tiannei Lu shi jiapu (Genealogy of the Loo clan from Tiannei Town in the Meishan area). (1994). Conclusion Singapore: Singapore Loo Clan Association. Pengzhou Xialu Huang shi zupu (Genealogy of the Huang clan from Pengzhou and Xialu). (n.d.). (n.p.). The jiapu chapters discussed here offer Qian Hang. (2001). Xue yuan yu di yuan zhi jian — Zhongguo li shi shang de lian zong yu lian zong zu only a peek into the wealth of informa- zhi (Connection between blood and locality — the tion found in traditional Chinese gene- history of combined ancestry and their organisations). Shanghai: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press. alogical records. There are no fixed rules Wang Heming. (2011). Zhongguo jiapu tong lun (General on how to write a genealogy, and many discussion on genealogies in China). Shanghai: Chinese families have adapted aspects Shanghai Guji Publishing House. Xu Jiali. (1987). Fujian Jinjiang Shigui Yaolin Xu shi zupu of jiapu that best suit the needs of their (Genealogy of the Xu clan from Shigui and Yaolin area families. As a result, the jiapu is an ev- in Jinjiang in Fujian). Taipei: Xu shi zupu zhen cang zi liao shi (Resource center for Xu clan). er-evolving document that captures the Xu Jianhua. (2002). Zhongguo de jiapu (The genealogies characteristics of society at a particular Endnotes of China). Tianjin: Baihua Literature and Art Publishing point in time, and also offers a glimpse 1. Wang Heming. (2011). Zhongguo jiapu tong lun House. (General discussion on genealogies in China). Zhu Hongbin. (2006). Xun geng wen zu: zhong hua into the historical continuity of Chinese Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Publishing House, pp. xing shi yuan liu (The origin and history of Chinese family structure and beliefs. ● 50 – 115. surnames). Beijing: Unity Press.

(above) A chapter in jiapu discussing the origins of the Bai surname. Here, the chapter explores the (above) Floorplans of the ancestral hall of the Liugui clan. Ancestral halls were the focal points for clans, where 40 four possible origins of the Bai surname. All rights reserved. Genealogy of Peh Clan Pangtou Anxi Fujian ancestral tablets were kept, and ancestral worship rites and other clan activities took place. All rights reserved. 41 China, 1989, Singapore Peh Clan Association, Singapore. Leok Kooi Tong genealogy, 1949, Hong Tiansong, Leok Kooi Tong, Quanzhou. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

Kevin Khoo is an archivist at the National ed vast monuments to commemorate Archives of Singapore. He is a historian by training, and alumni of the National University the achievements of their reigns. But of Singapore’s history department. His interests such efforts are typically futile if there include cultural and social history, comparative is no general and voluntary consensus religion, philosophy, literature and poetry, corresponding with the self image of economics and archival science. those in power. Shelley’s haunting poem, Ozymandias comes to mind:

I met a traveler from an antique from here to land / Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, / Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command… / And on the ped- estal these words appear: / “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Eternity Mighty, and despair!” / Nothing besides remains. Round the de- cay / Of that colossal wreck, Archiving and Immortality boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away.4

Thus most fundamentally, one’s “im-  Man is immortal; Mankind has sought immortality in youth for whom the goddess Eos procures mortality” rests on the acclaim and rec- therefore he must die endlessly. a variety of ways, the most obvious being immortality. But she forgets to ask for en- ognition by others. Memory cannot be For life is a creative idea; it can physical immortality. Rooted in the joys during youth, and Tithonus degenerates forced, and immortality is not something of mortal life and the fear of oblivion at into a withered object of horror, longing won by mere dictate or design. only find itself in changing forms. death, this form of immortality — to be to die but unable to.3 — rabindranath tagore forever youthful and deathless — remains Immortality is also at the heart of  Surely God would not have a goal of medical science and has found many religions and forms of spiritu- created such a being as man, expression in contemporary popular cul- ality — whether Platonic, Abrahamic, ture, with its morbid fascination for vam- Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu or Taoist — in with an ability to grasp the mmortality — the idea of living eternal- pires, who live forever, albeit at a terrible the notion of an immortal soul that sur- infinite, to exist only for a day! ly, never aging, dying or being forgotten cost.1 Indeed the pursuit of physical im- vives the death of the physical body and No, no, man was made — has captivated mankind throughout mortality, perhaps for its hubris and over- continues in an afterlife as a spirit, or in for immortality. history. Humans — as sentient beings reach, has a history closely intertwined a reincarnated body or a glorified resur- — abraham lincoln gifted with intellect, self-awareness with morbidity. One recalls the Chinese rected body — depending on one’s belief. and creativity, capable of love and the Emperor Qin Shih Huang’s attempts to Immortality in such instances is never Icapacity to conceive and perceive infinity, prolong his life by consuming mercury questioned either because of one’s first- Archiving and Immortality yet bound by mortal bodies which invari- pills, which instead led to his insanity hand interaction with immortal beings ably age and die — have always sought an and premature death,2 as well as the grim or a personal conviction that such super- An archive is in effect a repository of escape from this inevitable fate. Greek legend of Tithonus, a handsome natural beings exist, whether as spirits, memory — of records of legal, historical angels, or God Almighty. As the reason- and cultural significance, generated and ing goes — since immortals exist, and be- in the hope of becoming a memory” worse, an email) written the last year, or organised in the course of business or so- cause humanity has the means to relate as the Argentine poet Antonio Porchia perhaps even last week? cial transactions across the lifetime of with them, immortality is possible. But said. Recollection gives one’s achieve- As memory is probably the most individuals and organisations. As a pri- such immortality is at best intangible be- ments permanence far beyond a mortal plausible way for man to attain a mea- mary function of an archive is to safe- cause it is experienced in another place life, creating a legacy and freeing one’s sure of immortality in this world, it has keep records that have been appraised and time. work from the futility inherent in most encouraged many to strive to realise ex- and deemed worthy of preservation, doc- human activity, to be forgotten soon af- cellences that merit recalling. Yet the uments selected for an archive’s perma- immortality and memory ter it is accomplished. Today, we still re- paradox is that while an achievement nent collection acquire — by extension call and honour the works and deeds of might be personal, the process of recol- — a form of immortality. Archives form More tangible is the idea of immortality people such as Aristotle, Alexander the lection and recognition depends on the a select corpus of records that allow peo- gained through memory, in the remem- Great, Newton, Lao Zi, Shakespeare, Paul ones who remember. For unless others ple to reconstruct and understand events brance and recollection of human ac- of Tarsus and Pythagoras centuries and actually choose to remember, the mem- that have occurred in past times. As ar- complishments, recorded permanently even millennia after their deaths. But ory of one’s achievement invariably dies. chived records are carefully safeguarded in the annals of history. Here “one lives how many remember a news article (or Rulers, seeking immortality, have erect- to preserve their provenance — or their

(above) Selected pages from Sir Stamford Raffles' original instructions to Sir William Farquhar for the (above) Percy Bysshe Shelley was inspired by the imminent arrival of this colossal fractured statue of the 42 development of Singapore Town, 25 June 1819.10 Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II (image via Wikimedia Commons5) in London to write his poem "Ozymandias" in 43 1818. The statue was acquired by the British Museum and remains a centrepiece of the museum.6 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

Endnotes original form and context — they have the Han Dynasty. Written in the 1st cen- reconstruct from such routine records 1. Housel & Wisnewski, (2009) been accorded a special value by research- tury BCE, his work drew heavily on the how Singapore had administered the 2. Wright, (2011) 11 3. Bullfinch, (2004) ers and historians since ancient times. Han imperial court archives and remains island and its waters for a long time. 4. Shelly, (1818) As records — “frozen in time” as it a classic and reliable resource on ancient Another notable and innovative applica- 5. Image of Ramesses II Bust: Permission is granted 8 to copy, distribute and/or modify this document were — properly archived documents Chinese history to this day. tion of seemingly routine archives was under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation have a basic trustworthiness relative to License, Version 1.2 or any later version published other sources. Such archived documents — by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover can impart a lasting quality to works As a primary function of an archive is to safekeep records that have Texts. A copy of the license is included in the based on them. An example of this is the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License. been appraised and deemed worthy of preservation, documents 6. British Museum, (2013) Justinian Code or “Corpus Juris Civilis”. 7. Freedman, (Fall 2011) Commissioned in 6th century CE by the selected for an archive's permanent collection acquire — by 8. Watson, (1958) Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Code 9. Image of Emperor Justinian: The work of art extension — a form of immortality. depicted in this image and the reproduction was based on centuries of carefully ar- — thereof are in the public domain worldwide. chived Roman legal precedents and re- The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. mains the basis of much European civil The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot law till today.7 Another example is the For all its impressive possibilities in how social historian James Warren used Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.Image of Sima Historical Records of the Grand Historian relation to immortality, a notable fea- coroner records to understand the way of Qian:This image (or other media file) is in the Sima Qian, the famed court historian of ture of an archive is that it may contain life, diet and disease common to rickshaw public domain because its copyright has expired. many records that are not monumental. pullers in pre-war Singapore.12 This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the While treasures can be found in most Many modern archives also have author plus 70 years. state archives — iconic documents such growing collections of photographic and 10. Raffles, (1819) 11. Jayakumar, S. & Koh, Tommy, (2009) as the English Magna Carta (1215), the audio-visual records that capture every- 12. Warren, (2003) Declaration of Independence of the day scenes in which historical changes 13. Duranti, (Spring 1994) United States of America (1776), and here in aesthetics, mannerisms, technology 14. British Military Administration, (1946) in Singapore, records such as the letters of and others aspects of material culture references Sir Stamford Raffles and the Singapore’s are captured in a highly evocative form. British Military Administration, File No. 62/45, “Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 1946”, (1945), National own Proclamation of Independence As the famed British archivist Sir Hilary Archives of Singapore, Microfilm NA1309 (1965) — a large part of archived records Jenkinson put it — because routine re- British Museum, Statue of Ramesses II, the ‘Younger are more operational and administra- cords are created as a by-product of ev- Memnon’, Retrieved on 28 Oct 2013 from: http://www. britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_ob- tive in nature. At the National Archives eryday actions, and were not consciously jects/aes/c/colossal_bust_of_ramesses_ii.aspx of Singapore (NAS), one finds alongside produced “in the interest or for the in- Bullfinch, Thomas, Bullfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fables or Stories of Gods & Heroes, (2004), New York: records on key decisions and policy-mak- formation of posterity” they ironically Modern Library Paperbacks ing, documents on school attendance, can become some of the best sources for Duranti, Luciana, “The Concept of Appraisal and Archival Theory”, (Spring 1994,v. 57) American Archivist marriages, cemetery records, applica- telling us, with relative impartiality and Freedman, Paul, “The Reign of Justinian – The Early Mid- tions for licences, appeals for wage in- naturalness, things as they actually hap- dle Ages: 284-1000 AD”, (Fall 2011), Yale Open Courses, creases, and other records that might be pened in the past.13, 14 Retrieved on 20 Oct 2013 from: http://oyc.yale.edu/ history/hist-210/lecture-9#ch6 considered routine in nature. Immortality is a concept fraught Gollner, Adam Leith, “Live Forever, Can Science Deliver Yet, routine records can be of great with paradoxes. As far as physical im- Immortality”, (19 Aug 2013) Salon Magazine, Retrieved on 21 Oct 2013 from: http:// practical and historical importance. And mortality remains impossible, it im- www.salon.com/2013/08/18/live_forever_can_sci- not infrequently, it is such routine re- plies a non-material existence which ence_deliver_immortality/ cords that help historians immortalise a extends beyond mortal life; the contin- Housel, Rebecca & Wisnewski, J. Jeremy, Twilight & Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians and the Pursuit period in writing. For example, because uation of a personality beyond death of Immortality, (2009), Hoboken, New Jersey: John property and taxation records established (whether in spirit or on record), and the Wiley & Sons. Jayakumar, S. & Koh, Tommy, Pedra Branca: The Road to legal obligations vital to governing pop- retention of its capacity to influence the World Court, (2009), Singapore, National Univer- ulous and geographically widespread this world however disembodied. The sity of Singapore Press states like Imperial Rome and China, his- idea has pre-scientific roots, but retains Posner, Ernst, Archives in the Ancient World, (1972) Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press torians have used these records to address a hold on a popular culture that is in- Raffles, Sir Stamford, Original Instructions to William Far- questions such as how government was creasingly dominated by empirical stud- quhar on the Plan of Singapore Town, (25 June 1819), Straits Settlements Records, L10, National Archives of organised and the relationship between ies and science. Immortality is granted Singapore, Microfilm No: NL 57 state and society at the time. to people and events that merit remem- appreciate who we are as a people and how we archival records, some of which date back to Records Management Handbook, (2011), Singapore, National Archives of Singapore Highly operational records, such as bering, but also, as reflected in the con- became a nation. the early 19th century. Shelly, Percy Bysshe The Complete Poetic Works of Percy lighthouse maintenance and adminis- tents of an archive, it is given to things As the official custodian of the corporate NAS protects the rights of citizens by Bysshe Shelly Volume 2 — Ozymandias, The Literature trative records, meteorological records, which may have had no intention or con- memory of the government of Singapore, NAS providing evidence and accountability of gov- Network, Retrieved on 27 Oct 2013 from: http://www. online-literature.com/shelley_percy/672/ immigration control records, as well as scious desire of being remembered. ● manages public records and provides advice to ernment actions. Its repository of archival Warren, James Rickshaw Coolie: A People’s History of shipwreck salvage permits and accident government agencies on records management. materials makes NAS an important research Singapore, 1880 – 1940, (2003), Singapore, National University of Singapore Press reports are examples of archives used in The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) From government files, private memoirs, his- centre for those in search of information Watson, Burton, Ssuma Ch’ien: Grand Historian of China, Singapore’s successful defense of its sov- houses the collective memory of the nation, torical maps and photographs to oral history about the country's history. NAS also pro- (1958), New York: Columbia University Press ereignty over the island of Pedra Branca which allows current and future generations interviews and audio-visual materials, NAS is motes public interest in Singapore history and Wright, David Curtis, The History of China: Second Edi- tion, (2011), California, Greenwood Press at the International Court of Justice in of Singaporeans to understand its different responsible for the collection, preservation and heritage through educational programmes 2008. Singapore’s legal team was able to cultures, explore its common heritage and management of Singapore's public and private and exhibitions.

(top) Mural depiction of the Emperor (above left) Painting of Sima Qian, who served as (top) An image of Orchard Road circa 1900s when its surroundings were mostly spice and fruit plantations. This 44 Justinian who ruled between 527–565 CE court historian during the Han Dynasty between is a far cry from Orchard Road today (above), which is a highly urbanised and chic shopping belt. Courtesy of 45 at the height of the Byzantine Empire's 145/135–86 BCE. Image via Wikipedia Commons.9 National Archives of Singapore and Kevin Khoo, respectively. influence. Image via Wikipedia Commons. BIBLIOASIA JAN – MAR 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

Bonny Tan is a Senior Librarian who has served Anglican missionary work east of the and Seremban (1893).1 This was a natural at the Reference Library at the National Library Suez, including that of Penang and later consequence as the Malay States opened Board (NLB) since 1997. She has a keen interest in Singapore church history and has been Malacca and Singapore. up with the signing of the Pangkor Treaty A Colonial researching this subject since the early 1990s. In 1823, Stamford Raffles chose the in 1874 and the British started to establish strategic location — the Esplanade — as themselves commercially, in businesses the place to build the first Anglican and plantations, in the Peninsula. During church in Singapore soon after establish- this time, local Tamils and Chinese from ing the settlement. The large green ex- various dialect groups began joining the Heritage ESTABLISHED IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY BY THE panse sat in the heart of the European res- Anglican church. East India Company (EIC), the devel- idential population, locked between the opment of the Anglican church in business centre and the Chinese town to The Anglican Church in Singapore was closely intertwined with the west, and the Malay community to the the 20th century Collections of the Anglican that of the colonial government, which east. St Andrew’s Cathedral (see text box initially supported the chaplains and on page 48) still stands there today, a tow- Increasingly, the need to centre Anglican Diocese of Singapore priests as government employees and ering testament to the vision of Raffles. missionary work in Singapore became subsidised the construction of Anglican apparent. Archdeacon Hose, a brilliant churches on the island. Singapore’s evo- The Straits Settlements period preacher and Malay scholar, started the lution as a political entity, first as a col- Bishopric Endowment Fund to help set ony of Great Britain and subsequently as After Singapore, Malacca and Penang an independent nation, has thus strong- were brought together to form the Straits ly influenced the growth and shape of Settlements in 1826 and the colonial cap- The Singapore Diocesan the Anglican Church in Singapore. In ital was established in Singapore, the turn, woven into the story of the local Anglican church received its first full- Magazine (Diocesan Digest) Anglican church are the larger stories time Chaplain, Reverend Robert Burns. of changes within the Malay Peninsula Subsequently, a year after the control of during colonial times. the Straits Settlements was transferred The Anglican church first gained a from Bengal (in India) to the Colonial foothold in the Malay Peninsula when Office in Britain, the first Colonial Captain Francis Light took formal pos- Chaplain, Reverend John Beckles, was session of Penang in 1786. Services for the appointed in 1868. British colonials and their families were The centre of authority for the at first conducted by itinerant chaplains Anglican church moved gradually but, gradually, as the community became from Calcutta to Southeast Asia when a more established, priests were assigned United Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and to specific churches, and the building of Sarawak was formed in 1881. In the late schools and more churches followed. In 19th century, churches were increasingly 1814, the Diocese of Calcutta was formed established across the Peninsula, includ- under the EIC. Its jurisdiction covered all ing Taiping (1887), Kuala Lumpur (1887)

First published as the Singapore Diocesan Magazine in November 1910,6 it was “a quarterly record of church work etc. in the Diocese”.7 The Diocese of Singapore, formed in 1909, had extended beyond the Straits Settlements to include the Federated Malay States, Java and Siam (Thailand). The first issue noted how the Singapore Diocesan Mag- azine was inspired because “we in the Church of England seemed to know very little about each other’s doings, and in consequence were not sufficiently united.” The quarterly thus gave updates on recent church activities and events in each district as well as in the church-run homes, schools and institutions along with appointments of both clerics and laity. The digitised collection spans from the first issue of 1910 until Volume 27, Number 104 of November 1936. The magazine contin- ues today as the Diocesan Digest.

(above) The Anglican Diocese at St Andrew's Village. All rights reserved, National Library Board, Singapore. (above) The Singapore Diocesan Quarterly Leaflet, (above) An example of subsequent editions renamed (above) Cover page of the first issue 46 Vol. 1, No. 2, May 1939. Image courtesy of the Archives the Singapore Diocesan Association Magazine, of the Singapore Diocesan Magazine. 47 of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. August 1964. Image courtesy of the Archives of the Courtesy of the Archives of the Anglican Anglican Diocese of Singapore. Diocese of Singapore. 1786–1814BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 1814–1869 1869–1881 1881–1908 1908–1959 1960–1969 1970 1996vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

The British annexed Penang The Malayan chaplaincies of the Singapore and the rest of the A United Diocese of Singapore, The Diocese of Singapore The Diocese of SIngapore and With the separation of The establishment of the Province in 1786 and established the Straits Settlements — Penang, Malayan chaplaincies of the Labuan and Sarawak is formed becomes a separate entity. Malaya is formed. Singapore from Malaysia, the of South East Asia sees Bishop Anglican Church through the EIC Malacca and Singapore — come Straits Settlements are placed with St Andrew's Church in Diocese of Singapore became a Moses Tay from Singapore serving in the Malay Peninsula. under the jurisdiction of the under the jurisdiction of the Singapore being made the geographically distinct Diocese. as the first Archbishop of the Bishop of Culcutta. Diocese of Singapore, Labuan Cathedral Church of the newly Province. The province of South and Sarawak. established Diocese. East Asia covers the Dioceses of Kuching, Sabah, Singapore and Brief History of the West Malaysia. Anglican Church in (left to right) The front cover of the January 1937 issue of The Courier can be found in the holdings of Southeast Asia the Anglican Archive;9 Letters of Patent to the Straits Settlements in the 33rd year of HM Queen Victoria (Largely based on Batumalai (2007). A bicentenary history of the Anglican Church (1869) and its accompanying seal. All rights reserved, of the Diocese of West Malaysia with inputs from Reverend Canon Soon Soo Kee) National Library Board.

up the Diocese of Singapore.2 The Diocese and the two World Wars. To make mat- to ride the new wave of nationalism. The For the genealogist, there are sever- tained in the Singapore Auxiliary Diocesan ENDNOTES 1. Loh, 1963, p. 4 of Singapore was formed in 1909 and in- ters worse, the Japanese Occupation chaplaincy system was replaced by par- al resources that may prove valuable for Association Quarterly Leaflets. Much earli- 2. Batumalai, 2007, p. 16 cluded the Straits Settlements, name- seemed to have obliterated what was left ishes in 1947, a signal of the endorsement research. Baptism records indicate per- er records have also been digitised, such 3. Batumalai, 2007, p. 20 ly Singapore, Penang and Malacca, as physically of the Anglican church as its of “a permanent civil establishment”.3 tinent details of a child and the family as the Church Records of the St Andrew’s 4. Minutes of A Meeting of the Trustees of the St. Andrews’ Church, (19 Nov 1868), from the well as the Federated Malay States, Java expatriate priests were interned. In 1960, the Diocese was renamed the such as date of birth, parents’ names, lo- Church Committee from the mid-19th holdings of the Anglican Archives digitised by NLB and Siam (Thailand). Unfortunately, the Thankfully, a stronger Asian leader- Diocese of Singapore and Malaya, soon cation of home and even father’s vocation. century; these are often scrawled min- (040002935, p. 106) 5. Birth, marriage and death records Diocese suffered financially during this ship emerged after the war. The church, after Malaya’s independence from British There are also marriage notices, includ- utes of meetings in elegant but not always 6. Singapore Diocesan Magazine, (November 1910), period because of the Great Depression with an awakened local laity, arose ready rule in 1957. By 1970, five years after ing records of marriages consecrated at St legible handwriting. Vol. 1, Issue 1, p. 1 Singapore separated from Malaysia, the Andrew’s Cathedral during the Japanese These digitised resources are avail- 7. From the title page of The Singapore Diocesan Magazine, November 1910 Diocese of Singapore reverted back to her Occupation between 1944 and 1945. The able for onsite viewing at the National 8. Cornelius-Takahama, V. and Tan, J.H.S. “St former name with jurisdiction only over records indicate the ages of the newly- Library of Singapore. Some significant Andrew’s Cathedral”. Infopedia. Retrieved 20 St Andrew's Cathedral November 2013 at http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/ Singapore initially but later expanding in weds, the profession of the groom, the national gems within its holdings in- SIP_25_2_2008-12-01.html the 1990s to encompass the six deanery residential addresses of both partners clude the Letters of Patent to the Straits 9. The Courier is not in NLB's holdings but is available countries of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and the name as well as profession of the Settlements in the 33rd year of HM Queen at the Anglican Archives. references Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. groom’s father. The respective nation- Victoria (1869), which officially placed Batumalai, S. (2007). A bicentenary history of the alities of the bride and groom were also the Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Anglican Church of the Diocese of West Malaysia The anglican archives in singapore required, revealing several Chinese and Sarawak directly under the jurisdiction (1805-2005) : from historical, theological and missiological perspectives. Melaka : Syarikat Indian names. Nominations to lay leader- of the Archdiocese of Canterbury as well Percetakan Muncul Sistem As early as 1868, the Church showed con- ship present details such as place of birth, as the Letters of Patent to Labuan and its Cornelius-Takahama, V. and Tan, J.H.S. “St Andrew’s Cathedral”. Infopedia. Retrieved 20 November 2013 cern that its records “[were] in danger of marital status, number of children and dependencies in the 34th year of HM’s at http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_25_2_2008- being injured or lost” and its leadership occupation, alongside details of minis- reign (1870). These massive manuscripts 12-01.html took steps to obtain a small iron safe.4 try experience. The Cathedral’s most ex- are housed in glass cases along with their History. Diocese of Singapore. Retrieved 3 August 2013 from http://www.anglican.org.sg/index.php/ However, the Anglican Archives at the tensive death records is the nine-volume impressive large seals complete with em- archives/category/history Diocese was not formally established un- Book of Remembrances, acknowledging bossed images. Loh, Keng Aun. (1963). Fifty years of the Anglican Church in Singapore Island, 1909 – 1959. Singapore: til 2008. those who had died in the war. Besides these rare items are limited The Department of History, University of Singapore. That same year, the National Library Besides primary BMD5 records, the numbers of photo albums, architectural Northcott, Michael S. (1992). Two hundred years The location where St Andrew’s Cathedral rial called Madras chunam, a mixture of egg Board of Singapore (NLB) began digitising archival holdings also include sever- drawings and various handwritten let- of Anglican mission. In Robert Hunt et al (Ed.s) Christianity in West Malaysia: A denominational now stands was selected by Sir Stamford white, coarse sugar, lime, coconut husk and the heritage records preserved in its hold- al publications unique to the Diocese, ters and records. The Anglican Archives history. Selangor: Pelanduk Publications Raffles in 1823. Prior to the construction of water that has weathered surprisingly well in ings. These include nine volumes of the namely Singapore Diocesan Magazine and continues to grow as it receives and col- Soon, Soo Kee. (2009). Introduction. In Richard Magnus & Stanley Lai (Ed.s) Crossing a century: the Anglican St Andrew’s Cathedral stood the St Andrew’s Singapore’s tropical climate. Church Record Book spanning from 1838 the Singapore Diocesan Quarterly. Minutes lects invaluable materials such as The Church of Singapore. Singapore: The Diocese Church, which was designed by George D. During the Japanese Occupation, church to 1941 — comprising old manuscripts of meetings such as the Singapore Courier, the St Andrew’s Cathedral’s mag- PRIMARY REFERENCES AT THE ANGLICAN ARCHIVES Coleman and completed in 1836. The build- services ceased as the cathedral acted as an from St Andrew’s Church (later rebuilt Diocesan Association records (1911–1931) azine published since 1915, and several Marriage documents in the Diocese of Singapore ing was deemed unsafe in 1852 — after being emergency hospital, treating casualties of Collection as St Andrew’s Cathedral) and include re- are not merely administrative records; other publications from various church- Minutes of a meeting of the Trustees of the St. Andrews’ struck twice by lighting — and was eventual- the frequent bombings. A memorial plaque cords such as minutes of meetings, ap- when taken as a whole, these unfold es within its fold. The Anglican Archives Church. (19 November 1868). Singapore Diocesan ly demolished. stands in the church grounds, commemorat- pointments and updates. As the church much of the history and ministry of is open to researchers who make advance Magazine, (November 1910), Vol 1, Issue 1, p. 1 St Andrew’s Cathedral as we know it ing Malayan Civil Service officials who died was closely linked with Singapore’s colo- the Anglican community in the Malay appointments. ● today was designed by Lieutenant-Colonel in World War II. nial government, these manuscripts give Peninsula. The records include profiles of Ronald MacPherson and built between 1856 St Andrew’s Cathedral is the oldest Angli- insight not only to the clergy and laity leaders and details on the establishment The author would like to thank Ms Lau Jen Sin and 1864 by Indian convict labourers. Inter- can house of worship in Singapore and was within the church but also make refer- of churches, schools, hospitals and oth- and Reverend Canon Soon Soo Kee for review- estingly, the walls are plastered with a mate- gazetted as a national monument in 1973. ences to early leaders in the colonial gov- er forms of social infrastructure. These ing this article. ernment in Singapore. are supplemented with information con- 48 (centre) St Andrew's Cathedral. chooyutshing, via Flickr. 49 BIBLIOASIA JAN – MAR 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

← National Stadium CURATOR'S SELECTION With the passing of time, many places and “Very fond memories, I’ve been here before I buildings in Singapore have undergone joined the Sports Council: to watch football games, of course watched some concerts as well. facelifts or changed their identities, Michael Jackson sang here twice. Before I joined Old Singapore while some have disappeared altogether the Sports Council, I think the early part of 1993, and become part of our history. However, that was the first time Michael Jackson came many who grew up, played or worked at here. [T]he stage was right at the northern end of the stadium, at the other side. And I remem- these places still have vivid memories of ber I came with my family, we were watching them. The National Archives of Singapore on the stands. Second time he came back was (NAS) is a treasure trove for Singaporeans I think 2001 or 2002 around that period. So I Places in pictures watched it the second time. So there are a lot of seeking for a bit of nostalgia or to capture concerts here, of course National Day Parade something of the old charm and colour of has always been here and I attend every National yesteryear. Journey back in time and re- Day Parade so I watched a lot of National Day visit Singapore through these interviews Parades here, watched a lot of football games. So I’ve got very pleasant memories of this place.” And Oral History and images from NAS’s Oral History Centre and photograph collection — each — Col (Ret) Kwan Yue Yeong, former executive director of the Singapore Sports Council, on his a personal story, yet immediately recog- memories of the National Stadium in the 1990s nisable to many as cherished collective and early 2000s. Oral history interview no. 3101, memories of a different era. reel 3, conducted in 2006.

← Capitol Theatre ← National Theatre “Capitol [had] a very wide hall, I mean, it may “There were cats running up the stage, bats fly- [have been] three times as large as Pavilion ing around the stage and sometimes brushing [Cinema] and it’s got some three dimension- against the performers because they picked al figures on the sides. It had quite a decorative up sounds but not lights due to their blindness. ceiling, they had curtains that come down and Such things would affect the performance. But come up – very attractive. Well, all in all it’s a we could not do anything when faced with such building that would have caught the attention of incidents. We tried to prevent, for example, prior many people who went there for the first time to to the performance we would blast loud music to admire, unlike [the] Pavilion.” chase the bats away; our cleaning staff would get rid of the cats and rats but since animals moved — Mr Khoo Beng Chuan Benjamin, former prin- around, they could return.” cipal of Chai Chee Secondary School, on the interior of Capitol Theatre and why it was such a — Mr Yap Pau Eng, former director of National distinctive cinema in the 1930s. Oral history in- Theatre Trust, on precautionary measures taken terview no. 2911, reel 26, conducted in 2005. to minimise disruptions during performances. Translated from Chinese oral history interview Old Hill Street police Station → no. 1489, reel 2, conducted in 2009. “The area where family activities were held was City Hall → at the café area of the current MICA building — at that time the space was larger. There was “Third floor, Ministry of Culture... All I remem- a screen showing black-and-white films. They ber was that I just went up there. It was just a would sit there and eat. To be frank, [the] level of room. I don’t know what it was before. It was just hygiene was low; there was the smell of food. As a City Council office with little cubby-holes. All I children, we would walk in from the main door. had was a table and a chair. So I said “How do The police officer would ask why we wanted to you start?” I think the first couple of days was go in. Sometimes he would not allow us to enter. just bringing in furniture and files and digging We would ask ourselves what to do. So we went up stuff. At one point, I thought of having my by the back door; there was a drain. We went in Ministry in Radio Singapore because that was from there and blended in with the police officers’ one part of the Ministry of Culture. But that would children. We were playful, we watched black have been out of the way.” and white films. I remember they showed Tarzan, — Mr S. Rajaratnam, then-Minister for Culture, (The) Lone Ranger, those old Western films. There describing his office in City Hall on his first day of were also Indian films.” work in 1959. Oral history interview no. 0149, reel — Mr Tay Kiam Hong, artist and interior designer, 28, conducted in 1982. on his childhood memories of the Old Hill Street Police Station, where he would participate in Grand Hotel de l’Europe → activities organised for the families of police of- “…when we were at Europe Hotel, for dinner ficers in the 1950s. Translated from Chinese oral we used to play classical music which included history interview no. 1504, reel 2, conducted opera, German waltzes and all sorts of things. in 2010. French waltzes, all sorts of things we used to Lu Wenshi is an Oral History Specialist with the play… We frequently [played] the Italian operas. National Archives of Singapore. She conducts Any tune, I tried to improvise the thing and it oral history interviews with individuals from turned out to be well.” different walks of life. Some oral history extracts — Mr Claude Oliveiro, pianist at Grand Hotel de in this article were contributed by Wenshi’s l’Europe, on the music he used to play at the lux- interviewees, and their narrations inspired ury hotel, which eventually made way for the Old her to curate this selection. She also conducts Supreme Court in the 1930s. Oral history inter- training for institutions that are keen to embark view no. 1085, reel 2, conducted in 1989. on their own oral history programme.

(top, middle and bottom) Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. (top, middle and bottom) MITA collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore; Ronni Pinsler 50 collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore; Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. 51 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

In this second article by Professor Zhang 王清建先生所藏历史文献，参以其它史料， 王 先 生 所 藏 文 献 中 ，有 康 有 为 手 书 题 神 仙 眷 属 居 然 遇 ，著 述 姻 缘 亦 太 奇 。 邱菽园与康有为的 Ren Feng (the first was published in 勾勒出邱、康两人友谊与交往的初步框架， 邱菽园《选诗图》的真迹（见附图）。更 遂 令 亡 人 忘 忧 患 ，妄 思 新 论 入 琴 丝 。3 BiblioAsia Oct – Dec 2013, Vol. 9 Issue 3), 亦冀随着这批史料的进一步解读而不断充 有趣的是康的另一首诗作手迹。1900年 he outlines the 20 years of friendship be- 实 ，日 臻 完 善 。 春 夏 ，在 客 居 他 乡 ，为“ 国 事 郁 郁 久 矣 ” 严 复（ 又 陵 ）原 配 王 氏 夫 人 1892年去 tween Khoo Seok Wan (1874 – 1941) and 的心情中，忽闻严复续娶的喜讯，难得悦 世，此后便专心翻译《天演论》等西方 友谊与交往 — 再读 Kang You Wei (1858 – 1927) that began at 一、 南洋初会 乐 开 怀 ，赋 诗 以 述 ，并 将 诗 作 写 录 一 遍 ， 哲 学 、社 会 科 学 名 著 ，为 近 代 中 国 引 进 the start of the 20th century by piecing 赠送邱菽园。“事涉游戏，未知真否”，故 西 方 思 想 文 化 作 出 巨 大 贡 献 。《 天 演 论 》 together their letters to one another over 戊戌变法失败，康有为流亡日本，次年去加 称“游戏之作”，即今日所谓“搞笑”。 以“物竞天择，适者生存”为中心，对晚 邱菽园后人王清建 the years, as well as their respective poet- 拿大成立保皇会，以维新改良思想，唤起海 这首诗辑入崔斯哲手写本《康南海先生 清知识界求变、改良、保种、图存思潮的 ry. In the course of his research, Professor 外华侨爱国求变、民族振兴的激情。邱菽园 诗 集 》（ 商 务 印 书 馆 1937年影印本）。 形成有极大的影响，诗句“我生思想皆 Zhang clarifies some myths about their 原 本 敬 佩 康 有 为“ 公 车 上 书 ”的 胆 识 ，1899 《康有为全集》又据以迻录，但文字与康氏手 天 演 ”即 是 此 意 。1900年初夏，他在上海 先生珍藏历史文献 friendship, as well as provides insights 年末，邱菽园邀请康有为从香港前往新加 稿多有出入。现据手稿重录，并附原件照片 续娶受过良好教育的朱明丽女士。这两 into certain historical events in the late 坡居住。此时邱、康两人尚未谋面。王先生 （见附图 1），以 飨 读 者 。 首诗所记乃文坛趣事，然则在更深的层 Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911). The manu- 收藏两封康自港发出的信件，已录入拙文 次，反映了邱、康等维新人士的共同思想 script of Khoo and Kang’s letters are kept 《1900 – 1901，康有为在南洋》（载 BiblioAsia 闻 严 又 陵 以 译《 天 演 论 》得 奇 女 子 嫁 基础。 by the family of Mr. Ong Cheng Kian, de- 2013年10 – 12月号）。康还有七绝记述两人订 之。亡人闻之，忘其忧患。妄欲论撰，以 scendent of Khoo Seok Wan. 交之起始: 冀奇遇。以国事郁郁久矣，今日轩渠，可 二、 自立军起事前后 愈肝疾。写告观天演斋主，并寄贺译《天 邱菽园与康有为的友谊与交往，历二十余 邱 菽 园 孝 廉 未 相 识 ，哀 我 流 离 ， 演 》者 。 1900年，中国国内最重大的政治事件是慈禧 载，然而记述这段历史的文章不多见。2007 自 星 坡 以 千 金 远 赠 于 港 。赋 谢 。 盲目排外，招致八联军入侵北京和长江流域 张人凤 1940年生 曾长期从事继续教育工作现为上海市文史研究馆馆员著有《张元济年 谱长编》、《智民之师张元济》、《张元济 研究文集》，编有十卷本《张元济全集 》 年中国人民大学出版社出版姜义华、张荣华 天下谁能怜范叔，余生聊欲托朱家。 传 闻 天 女 嫁 维 摩 ，花 散 端 因 说 法 多 。 发生唐才常为首的自立军起事。 两位先生编校的《康有为全集》，是目前收 英雄末路黄金感，稽首南天一片霞。1 绝世爱才何悱恻，生天诸界共婆娑。 英国当局为保护康有为的人生安全，于 Professor Zhang Renfeng is a member of the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture 集康氏著述最完满的文本，书后选用三篇极 渡江桃叶何须檝，入海玄珠不用罗。 七 月 邀 康 迁 居 ， 于 是 康 有 为 离 开 新 加 坡 。“ 七 and History. He has been involved in the study of Zhang Yuanji, renowned educationist, 具权威性的康传：梁启超《南海康先生传》、 康有为与梁铁军、汤觉顿、侄康同富遂于 昨夜双星窥织女，光衔东壁过银河。 月偕铁君及家人、从者居丹将敦岛灯塔。岛 bibliographer and founder of China’s modern publishing business. He compiled the 陆乃翔、陆敦骙《南海先生传》和张伯桢 己亥年十二月廿九日离港，庚子年正月初二日 在麻六甲海中，顶有灯塔百尺，照行海船。吾 10-volume Works of Zhang Yuanji; his own works include the Collection of Research Papers on Zhang Yuanji, and Zhang Yuanji, an Enlightener of the People, Chronicle of Life of Zhang 《南海康先生传》，对此均未提及。本文试 抵新，“寓星坡邱菽园客云庐三层楼上，凭窗览 我生思想皆天演，颇妒严平先译之。 居住塔院顶楼中。”“七月朔入丹将敦岛，居 Yuanji, and Zhang Yuanji, an Enlightener of the People. 图以在新加坡国家图书馆见到邱菽园外孙 眺，环水千家，有如吾故乡澹如楼风景，感甚。”2 亿 劫 死 心 沈 大 海 ，老 夫 春 气 着 花 枝 。 半月而行。”“七月望英总督亚历山大以轮船

(above) 附图 1. All Rights Reserved, the late Khoo Seok Wan Collections, National Library Board, 52 Singapore 2013. Courtesy of Ong Family, descendents of Khoo Seok Wan. 53 BIBLIOASIA JAN – MAR 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 NL NOTES

的压力，不敢公开称颂康梁，不敢公开与康 冬又来到槟榔屿，1910年5月和1911年 初 ，两 此 钞 来 沪 ，皆 游 戏 之 作 ，然 多 有 寄 托 。”13 的交谊，但他支持维新变法的思想 — 即与 度前往新加坡，并与邱菽园相聚。两人回首 是绝好的证明。王先生所藏文献，有几 康 有 为 友 谊 的 基 石 ，丝 毫 没 有 改 变 。 往 事 ，吟 诗 作 赋 ，畅 叙 离 情 。今 选 录 两 人 的 封康有为致邱菽园信，是研究这一时期 自立军事件持续的时间很短，1900年8 诗作，表明他们的友谊续存，并不存在外界 邱、康交往的重要资料。 月 ，唐 才 常 等 被 杀 之 后 ，余 波 也 很 小 。康 有 传闻的所谓“绝交”。 为也许自知力量远不足以与清廷抗衡，此后 久 不 得 讯 ，顷 得 书 ，勤 勤 厚 问 ，至 感 。不 逐渐转向思考中国的思想与文化的改造、重 庚戌十二月再还新加坡，菽园三书请助 见又十年，国事益不可言，吾亦日老而无 塑等问题。在槟榔屿期间，开始着手《大同 卒 岁 计 ，并 出 新 诗 百 用矣。与老弟是廿年前过来人。今之云 书》的创作。王先生珍藏的文献中，看到一 余相示。追思庚子立储之变，菽园因迎吾 来已登云，与弟则逍遥诸天，俛视五浊可 封信： 来 坡 ，为 之 感 慨 。 也。厦门游还何不便道游沪，馆于吾家？ 前 度 康 郎 今 又 来 ，桃 花 开 落 费 疑 猜 。 可一见诸老或同游苏杭，亦与弟灵山会 《 李 觉 传 》窅 而 曲 ，往 而 复 ，造 境 运 笔 十 年 来 往 星 坡 梦 ，笑 指 苍 桑 变 几 回 。 后 不 可 少 之 因 缘 。□ 今 年 消 息 至 佳 ，或 有 皆 以 极 险 极 逆 为 之 ，诚 为 佳 作 文 。少 看 昨夜云开见月明，天容海色渐澄清。 以报。弟近作诗稿想益多，望钞示。书法 山，不当平。若如井田，有何可观？惟壑 钓 竿 拂 得 珊 瑚 树 ，犹 听 老 龙 嘘 浪 声 。11 高 雅 ，杜 陵 谓 峻 拔 为 之 主 。由 唐 入 六 朝 ， 谷 幽 深 ，峰 峦 起 伏 ，乃 令 游 者 赏 心 悦 目 。 正 得 其 妙 。吾 昔 年 书 不 足 观 。伍 君 带 港 或 绝 崖 飞 瀑 ，动 魄 惊 心 。山 水 既 然 ，文 章 邱菽园同期亦有记述两人晤面的诗作： 之书，或可分赠人耳。海云万里，迢企为 正尔。固知中外同然，乃天理人心之自然 （ 限 于 篇 幅 ，仅 录 四 首 之 一 ） 身 ，敬 问 万 福 。 也。尊批发明透彻，盖妙义亦赖发明者， 菽园老弟 有为示 二月十九日 乃令人易见。拙著《物质救国论》关系甚 康更生先生自五大洲游归，重晤新坡，蒙 游 是 一 身 ，偶 然 辛 园 ，家 累 甚 大 ，不 易 迁 大，而未有批发明。君暇何不批之？俾再 出诗稿全集 复 。有 书 可 常 通 ，上 海 于 吾 名 ，人 皆 知 ， 刻。（当于中国有益）拙诗亦然。已批评 属 校 ，感 赋 四 首 。 不必住址也。去年于西湖得一地，占湖 来迎，同往槟榔屿，即馆吾于督署”4 康入住 君力汇款，甚是甚是。前函已告急矣。在 在 福 建 原 籍 的 家 族 ，逃 脱 不 了 酷 吏 的 手 掌 。 点 定 ，不 欲 观 。 惨淡风云久遯荒，但论诗界合称王。 山第一好处。顷营园，林广袤，高下可三 槟榔屿，几与外界隔绝，也不希望有外人去 外与人借，甚无体面之故。惟五百盾是几 于是邱立即在11月22日《 天 南 日 报 》刊 登 启 菽园老弟多福 更生 五月廿九日 10 杜 陵 忠 爱 悲 君 国 ，屈 子 芳 馨 动 楚 湘 。 十 亩 ，营 菟 裘 以 为 老 计 。弟 来 ，园 粗 成 ， 见他，唯与邱菽园的通信，是他与外界联络 何？望示。美中千金仅得五百金用耳。恐 事，宣布“谢绝人事”，1901年6月 ，又 有“ 报 渺 渺 寥 天 飞 只 鹤 ，森 森 万 木 绕 虚 堂 。 可 共 登 临 。爰 居 爰 处 ，联 吟 题 咏 ，其 乐 的 主 要 渠 道 。这 里 有 一 封 仅 署“ 廿 二 日 ”的 当寄足。再阅书，知已足千金矣。 效 闽 赈 银 二 万 两 ，以 明 心 迹 ”，以 及 10月22日 这封信书写的年份待考。据《康有为全 乾坤终古皆陈迹，我自低吟欲断肠。12 无量。 更甡又启14 信，当书于他入住槟榔屿不久： 采风不顶亦可，听之公。僕亦无成心。今 在《 天 南 新 报 》发 表《 论 康 有 为 》文 ，表 示 与 集》，《物质救国论》完成于1904年 。此 信 日诚以存款为要（檀山尚有四万未交） 康决裂。7 一次次被迫表态，终于使张之洞 中对邱的称呼，既不是开始交往时“菽园仁 他们以各自的身家性命相护持的开明君 上面这封信是两人多时未通音问之后， 井 上 有 书 来 ，言 品 虎 狼 也 ，今 以 供 应 不 若 公 不 决 ，则 千 五 百 金 即 以 赠 李 提 ，余 为 满意，奏请朝廷予以开脱罪责，一家满门始 兄 ”那 么 拘 束 、客 气 ，也 不 是 自 立 军 起 事 前 主已经离开人世，他们维新改良救国保种的 康 接 邱 来 信 ，并 悉 邱 将 还 厦 省 亲 ，遂 复 信 邀 足 ，几 有 胁 制 反 噬 之 心 。介 □ 亦 有 养 虎 善后，办海事可也。购报事再待详复亦 得活命。 后“救国大士”那么激情。这表示他们之间 共同理想也已破灭，从此空怀悲怆而已。 至上海，可以居住辛园（在上海新闸路），也 之喻。然勉尚携以来见，可谓谬甚。若果 可。千五金亦不能为大用，且恐勉失然诺 然而，一次次被迫表态的同时，邱菽园 的友谊已然度过了汹涌激荡的政治风暴，趋 可一同去杭州新营建的别墅。下面一封短信 来，公可告以坡督新迁吾某岛，非坡督 耳 。公 意 刻 印 刓 ，诚 是 。僕 亦 同 之 矣 ，故 究竟真实的思想如何，有待深入研究。王先 于成熟，内容也纯粹是谈论文章的写作，稳 五 、“ 不 见 又 十 年 ” 则是得知邱来沪日期，并打算去海宁观潮， 船，不能往，寄信亦然，且须数日一见。 主 意 反 不 定 ，请 公 决 之 。僕 与 公 一 体 ，共 生藏有其时康有为致邱菽园的一封信： 健而平实。 康即复： 即告以此，俾易于谢之。别有书示勉，即 二人也。 有文章论说邱菽园生平，称其1920年返 望 交 之 。复 有 来 访 者 ，凡 未 信 妥 之 人 ，皆 大士 大庇 洞贼之电可笑。彼既日悬重赏以购，可笑 三、 十年重逢 福建省亲，此为其定居新加坡后唯一一 闻来申有期，今暂不远游，以待弟至。八 望 以 此 意 行 之 。勿 遽 告 信 址 ，如 答 藻 裳 、 前 属 寄 二 千 日 本 还 紫 珊 ，今 亦 不 甚 催（ 尚 复为此何耶？ 次 回 到 故 籍 ，但 未 曾 提 及 邱 还 到 了 上 海 ， 月观潮恐不可及，九月后观红叶乎？复问 宫崎之类是也。 欠 五 千 ），可 不 必 汇 二 千 ，或 汇 一 千 数 百 公何不致二罗钦差、领事书以攻诘之？ 康有为于1901年12月7日离槟榔屿前往印 并会晤康有为。康撰《邱菽园集序》， 菽园仁弟游祺 游为 八月二日15 大岛吾兄 廿二日5 以 见 意 ，如 何 ？ 洞 贼 交 钱 恂 电 曰 ：“ 外 部 云 ， 地 可 割 ， 款 度，开始了长达八年的游历和考察，1909年 有“ 吾 问 其 近 作 ，菽 园 谓 正 集 未 编 ，手 写 （见附图 3） 公又笑吾刻印刓手段，可笑。6（见附图 4） 可 赔 ，惟 皇 上 必 不 可 复 。”则 有 丝 毫 为 中 康有为被慈禧为首的清政府视为眼中 国为皇上之心耶？吾欲如尊意代唐烈士 钉 ，必 欲 除 之 而 后 快 。派 人 暗 杀 的 可 能 性 很 以唐才常为首的自立会1900年初在上海成 为洞逆檄文刻之，以重其事。如何？但 大。康也十分注意自身的安全。对“凡未信 立 ，及 夏 ，八 国 联 军 攻 陷 北 京 ，慈 禧 与 光 绪 恐便宜此贼。8 （见附图 2） 妥 之 人 ”一 概 不 见 ，连 通 信 地 址 都 要 保 守 秘 出亡西安。他们便以“勤王”为名，意图发动 密。读到这些自我保护措施同时，更可以看 起义，推翻慈禧政权，“归政”于光绪。但一 这封信书写的时间不详，但很可能是1900年 到康对邱菽园的绝对信任。其时，康将所住 帮毫无军事、政治经验的书生，仓猝起事， 9月7日张之洞第二次致电罗丰禄之后，“可 英督的庇能节楼称为“大庇阁”，后来将这段 能调动的力量都是无能之辈，甚至乌合之 笑复为此何耶”中的“复”字可证。可以肯 时间内所作147首诗汇集成《大庇阁诗集》。 众 ，因 此 ，在 老 谋 深 算 、心 狠 手 辣 的 湖 广 总 定，邱菽园把张之洞要求两位罗姓外交官对 因此，有一封信署名“大庇”的致邱氏信，亦 督张之洞面前，即时失败，唐才常等人立遭 他“开导”的信息，即时全盘告诉了康有为。 必书于同期： 杀 害 。康 有 为 远 在 南 洋 ，鞭 长 莫 及 ，再 说 他 1901年3月，张之洞给他的学生、新任两 也 未 必 真 有 军 事 指 挥 的 能 力 。邱 菽 园 慷 慨 捐 广 总 督 陶 模 去 电 ，要 求 他 对 在 新 的 康 、邱 、 桃发得书（得廿日书），匆匆答，见一 助自立军，一人一己之力，毕竟有限，资金流 林 文 庆 等 人 的 活 动 密 查 严 防 。陶 模 以 规 劝 口 答一。 动的渠道不畅，究竟有多少可以达于自立军 吻撰文刊登在新加坡等地报纸上，邱菽园有 论某人，诚是。但僕今日不可失人心，断 之 手 也 很 难 说 。康 、邱 在 南 洋 面 对 的 是 无 情 感于此，写了三千字的《上粤督陶方帅书》， 天下之望。仍乞酌拨款，或千或数百，以 的、严酷的事实。这对他们的友谊是极大的 慷慨陈辞，讴歌皇上推行新政，坦言自己是“ 济 其 急 。听 桃 与 之 面 商 。 考验。更为严峻的考验是邱菽园被张之洞发 维新中人也”，不否认结识康梁，并称“维新 公甚得处双木之法，但密事惟公与僕两 现是自立军的主要资助人，于 1900年多次致 变 法 者 ，天 下 之 公 理 公 言 也 ，无 所 用 其 禁 ，而 人 共 之 便 可 。前 事 罢 论 。 电清政府驻英国公使罗丰禄和驻新加坡总 亦非刑禁所能穷”。又言“若夫复辟（按，指 盈竟未来。 领事罗忠尧（按，当时新为英属地，清政府驻 光 绪 皇 帝 重 新 执 政 ）难 期 ，不 闻 新 政 ，沉 沉 译书彙编望寄来。 新领事隶属于驻英公使管辖）请其“劝导” 此 局 ，坐 俟 瓜 分 ，是 天 未 欲 平 治 中 国 也 ”。 崔洞又一洞矣。总之今日之洞无不变。 邱 菽 园 ，与 康 有 为 断 绝 关 系 。此 时 ，邱 本 人 一片爱国之心，跃然纸上，十分感人，即陶模 章君文雅，惟人品不可近。 虽身居南洋，朝廷一时还奈何他不得，但他 亦为之所动。此时，邱迫于朝廷和张之洞辈

(top left) 附图 2. All Rights Reserved, the late (top right) 附图 3. All Rights Reserved, the late (above) 附图 4. All Rights Reserved, the late Khoo Seok Wan Collections, National Library Board, Singapore 54 Khoo Seok Wan Collections, National Library Board, Khoo Seok Wan Collections, National Library Board, 2013. Courtesy of Ong Family, descendents of Khoo Seok Wan. 55 Singapore 2013. Courtesy of Ong Family, descendents Singapore 2013. Courtesy of Ong Family, descendents of Khoo Seok Wan. of Khoo Seok Wan. BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014 vol. 9 issue 4 feature

的“劝导”而终止政治活动。张之洞本人学 识渊博，才干过人，口碑也不错，但他是一 个既得利益者，镇压自立军之后，当然邀功 请赏，禄位永保，宁做慈禧的忠实奴仆，把 统治集团通过自身改革、体制内调适和变 革，从而达到民族振兴，跟上世界进步潮流 的大门紧紧关闭，使清廷永远错失了近代中 国走上改革、立宪的机会。正是慈禧、张之 洞等人，扼杀维新改良思潮和维新派的非暴 力活动，使之很快衰退，影响迅速消解，使 革命派获得了良机，从此形成了在中国非倡 言 革 命 便 无 法 容 身 社 会 的 局 面 ，卷 入 了 从“ 革 命 尚 未 成 功 ”到“ 无 产 阶 级 专 政 下 继 续 革 命”的漩涡，百年来无法自拔。贬低乃至妖 魔 化 异 己 者 ，历 来 是 各 种 政 治 势 力 、利 益 集 团 惯 用 的 手 法 。今 天 我 们 回 顾 这 段 历 史 的 时 候，宜依据史料、史实，不受各种政治派别 的 蛊 惑 ，远 离 已 经 固 化 的 思 维 模 式 ，还 原 历 史真实面貌。 本文写作过程中，得到新加坡国家图书 王 先 生 所 藏 文 献 中 ，有 康 有 为 为 邱 菽 园 了华侨汇款，导致唐才常兵败死难。这种说 馆王连美女士、赖燕鸿先生、叶若诗女士的 《啸虹生诗钞》撰写序言的毛笔抄稿。何人 法出自冯自由《革命逸史》所说“菽园缘是 大力相助，谨表感谢。● 抄录，则不得知，但很明白，书于壬戌秋九 熟知康徒骗款卖友内幕”。笔者认为，这种 月 ，即 1922年10月，与《康有为全集》辑入的 说法系不实之词。首先，邱、康并没有“绝 《 邱 菽 园 集 序 》由 编 者 注 明 撰 写 月 份 晚 了 交”，本文引用的资料足以说明这一点。其 三 个 月 ，文 字 上 也 有 较 大 的 差 异 。不 过 文 意 次 ，康 有 为 1901年4月5日在槟榔屿致女儿康 大致相同，故本文不再采录。所见康有为致 同薇书中说：“吾本决往欧西久矣，……而苦 邱菽园的最后一封信书于壬戌年六月朔，即 于无款。观此情形，今各款不来，恐往欧徒成 1922 7月24日 。是 年 ，康 有 为 65岁，邱 菽 园 49 虚 愿 也 。”17 如果说康有为果真侵吞邱菽园援 岁。原件不署书写年份，信中“顷悼亡”，指 助自立军的巨额款项，何愁欧西之行“苦于 引注 Khoo Seok Wan (1874 - 1941) was a master poet and a key 1922年康有为元配夫人张云珠去世，书写年 无款”？康同薇、同璧是康有为子女中最出 1. 《康有为全集》第12集 ，姜 义 华 、张 荣 华 份据以确定。 色的二位，受过良好的教育，康在国外流亡 编校，中国人民大学出版社2007年9月 player in the reformist activities of early Singapore. Visit this 多年间，重大事情甚至不告知老母、妻室，而 版 ，第 201页 exhibition to discover a slice of 20th century Singapore through 璧女来，承万福，得诗集，即再序付印 是与这两个女儿商量。因此给女儿私信的内 2. 《康有为全集》第12集 ，姜 义 华 、张 荣 Khoo’s poetry and colourful life. （ 前 序 亦 失 ）。此 集 少 ，选 炼 更 佳 ，则 容是真实的，“苦于无款”之说是可信的。第 华编校，中国人民大学出版社2007年 避误亦反有益，亦塞翁之失马也。顷悼 三，邱菽园到了行将步入知天命之年，汇集一 9月版 邱菽园 (1874 - 1941) 是享誉文坛的新加坡早期诗人，也是 亡 ，既 伤 怀 ，不 多 及 。即 问 菽 园 仁 弟 近 祉 生 所 作 诗 篇 ，打 算 结 集 出 版 ；1949年 邱 、康 都 3. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 光绪末年维新运动在本地的主要支持者。浪漫的诗意和革新 期更甡示 六月朔 已经作古，邱的女儿邱鸣权、女婿王盛治合 4. 《康有为全集》第12集 ，第 205、206页 的激情在他身上交织着，谱写出他跌宕起伏的一生。欢迎亲 再 者 ，久 别 南 洋 ，故 人 离 索 或 不 知 一 切 。 编《丘菽园居士诗集》，两者都冠以康序，18 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 5. 临本展，借由邱菽园的诗歌和富传奇性的人生，一探新加坡 今□讣文三十（已有廿寄昌婿），望代分 如果邱果真认为康是一个“骗款卖友”的恶 6. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 廿世纪初历史。 寄（ 与 昌 婿 同 商 之 ，璧 女 所 熟 识 者 亦 可 ） 棍，那么怎么会将一个恶棍书写的序言置于 7. 此处资料转引自茅海建《张之洞策反邱 。星 坡 、槟 屿 、仰 光 、大 小 霹 雳 旧 交 ，度 卷端以玷污自己或先人的作品集呢？这一 菽园》，载《四川大学学报》哲学社会 亦寥寥矣。 点，恰是一项毋须史学家研究考证便不解自 科学版，2012年第1期 又及16 明的常识。 8. 原件，王清建藏。此信仅见此一页，未 确实，邱菽园曾在《天南新报》上发表 见称呼、署名、书写日期 信中“璧女”是康的二女康同璧，“昌婿” 《 论 康 有 为 》文 表 示 与 康 决 裂 ，此 前 也 还 有 9. 邱菽园《上粤督陶方帅书》，载《菽园 22 November 2013 – 18 May 2014 是二女婿罗昌。信中提到邱的诗集，“前序亦 多次刊登表示脱离《天南新报》等的启事。 赘谈》，排印线装本，上海图书馆藏 Promenade, Level 7 & Level 8 失 ”，“ 即 再 序 付 印 ”，可 能 就 是 上 述 署 明“ 壬 笔者认为，这一切皆迫于清政府的巨大压 10. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 戌 秋 九 月 ”的 那 篇 序 。 力。慈禧专制政权视维新思潮及其代表人物 11. 《康有为全集》第12集 ，第 316页 National Library Building, Singapore 康有为、梁启超如蛇蝎，必欲除之，而邱竟 12. 《 丘 菽 园 居 士 诗 集 》，丘 鸣 权 、王 盛 治 六 、结 语 在海外与之“ 勾结”，唐才常是真刀真枪对 同 编 ，排 印 本 ，1949年新加坡印行出版， 抗朝廷的“叛逆”，而邱竟以巨款相助，这比 卷 三 ，新 加 坡 国 家 图 书 馆 藏 国家图书馆大厦 本文意在 将笔者所见到王清建先生珍藏文 办报倡言维新或发通电要求光绪归政严重得 13. 《康有为全集》第11集，第213页 七楼与八楼长廊 献中的部分康有为致邱菽园信件加以整理、 多。如果邱菽园其人在国内，必被拿获问罪， 14. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 抄录，介绍给读者，因此文内所引用的信件 刑罚不下于谭嗣同和唐才常。此时，邱不在 15. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 2013年11月22日–2014年5月18日 都 全 文 迻 录 ，以 保 持 其 原 真 性 。信 中 蕴 藏 大 国内，但专制政权使出诛灭九族的毒手，不 16. 原 件 ，王 清 建 藏 量历史信息，有待读者进一步解读。有一个 是没有可能。其时清政府虽摇摇欲坠，但慈 17. 《康有为全集》第5集 ，第 393页 问题须要说明：笔者见到过一些文章，称邱 禧依托张之洞之辈镇压诚实本分的老百姓 18. 《 丘 菽 园 居 士 诗 集 》，有 康 有 为 庚 戌 夏 五 菽园在 年 月自立军起事失败，唐才常 却依然易如反掌，在福建老家的大家族面临 （ 夏）序，与编入《康有为全集》的 1900 8 1910 Organised by 主办机构 Supported by 支持机构 遇害后，即与康有为绝交，原因是康梁扣押 极大的危险，他不得不顺从张之洞、陶模等 《 啸 虹 生 诗 集 序 》不 同

(top) 附图 5. All Rights Reserved, the late Khoo Seok Wan Collections, National Library Board, 56 Singapore 2013. Courtesy of Ong Family, descendents of Khoo Seok Wan. 57 BIBLIOASIA Jan – Mar 2014

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