Chapter 4: How was life different for the various people in
colonial Singapore before World War Two?
Singapore- Crossroads of the East (1938)
• http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history• http://www.nas.gov.sg/nas/• http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/• http
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvhY6DtfZs
Raffles Town Plan
• Town plan developed by Lieutenant Philip Jackson under the instructions of Raffles– Different races were assigned to
different areas near the Singapore River
– Each community had its own kapitan (captain)
• Aim: Ensure that each migrant community had their own space to prevent confusion and disputes.
Why was this book written?Singapore is certainly the most convenient city I ever saw … It is like a big desk, full of drawers and pigeon holes, where everything has its place, and can always be found in it. Around the Esplanade you find the European hotels; around commercial square are shipping offices, warehouses and shops owned by European merchants; and along Boat Quay are all the ship chandlers. Nearby, you will find large Chinese medicine shops, cloth shops, tin shops, and shops kept by blacksmiths, tailors and carpenters. There are also people selling fruit, vegetables, grain, and so on … Because of the many different trades, one can do more business in less time in Singapore than any other town in the world.
Adapted from Two Years in the Jungle, a book widely found in the British colonies, by William Temple Hornaday
The roles that the various people played in colonial
Singapore before World War Two
The Chinese
The Chinese Middlemen• Traders from Europe and the
Malay Archipelago bought and sold their goods mainly through Chinese middlemen in Singapore
• The Chinese middlemen could speak sufficient English, Malay and local dialects to communicate with their clients.
• This allowed trade to take place easily as people could understand each other
Boat Quay
Coolies• Worked for traders and merchants
• These workers provided the much-needed manual labour
• Worked long hours
• As trade prospered, more workers were brought into Singapore– Increase in population
Merchants
• With increasing population support services were needed for the immigrants
• Merchants opened shops that catered to the daily needs of the community – Transportation– Provision of daily necessities (e.g. medicine, snacks)
- Created employment for the immigrants who came
Highlights: Raffl es Place (Commercial Square)
• Wealthy merchants set up warehouses• Built offices and residential buildings• New banks (e.g. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank)• Many departmental stores: e.g. John Little and
Robinsons (sources 5-8, pg 147)
Chinatown: Telok Ayer &
Kreta Ayer (bullock water-carts)
Sources 33, 34, 35, 36 (pg 162-163)
Amoy Street – Chinese opium dens(Sources 39, 40, pg 165)
Chin Chew Street main residential area for Sam Sui women (from Guangdong)
The Indians
• The Indians were mostly Money lenders (Source 10, pg 147)
or Transport Providers • They were successful in the
areas of banking and transportation
• They held the monopoly of transportation in Singapore until the 1860s
TELOK AYER MARKET
Indian Chettiars
Chulia Street – home to many Indians
Serangoon Road (most Indians eventually moved here)
Tamil labourers and coolies @ Hindoo Road (sources 51, 52 pg 174-175)
The Malays
• They became gardeners and huntsmen
• The Malays mostly provided basic necessities like firewood and foodstuff
• Some were skilled shipbuilders– Made ships and boats for the
Malay traders to ferry their goods to neighbouring islands
Kampong Glam – gelam trees
Kampong Bugis & Kampong Gelam
Arab Street, Haji Lane (allocated to the Arabs)
Sources 61-66, pg 180-183
Sultan Mosque @ Arab Street
Geylang Serai – (home of the Orang Laut)
coconut plantations, mills, growth of lemongrass plants
Sources 70-74, pg 186-187
The Europeans
• Set up trading companies and agency houses
• Some worked as government officials who served as administrators of the settlement to maintain law and order
Colonial Town Centre (Empress Place)
European buildings used for government, commercial, residential and entertainment purposes
Old Orchard and Tanglin areas
Many European families moved out to less crowded Orchard and Tanglin areas.*Sources 30, 31, pg 160
High Street
• Important government buildings (e.g. Old Supreme Court) found here
• Many British officials worked here
High Street• Colonial Office sent British officials to work in Singapore.• They had to learn Malay and Chinese dialects• They tried to improve Singapore’s living conditions
(building roads, hospitals and maintaining law and order)
Old Supreme Court
The Padang (Esplanade)
• Venue for social gatherings and sporting events for the Europeans (Sources 21, 22, pg 155)
Beach Road: Raffles Institution
• Beach Road/ Bras Basah Road: Residential area for European merchants
• First school set up (British education)
Raffles Hotel (centre for social events)
Source 27, pg 159
Eurasians & Peranakans
Katong area
• Telok Kurau, East Coast and Joo Chiat• Many Europeans and Peranakan families
settled here
Joo Chiat road