Theme: Vanishing Trades
Adults
by LearnX Singapore
Learn on the go. Check out our playlists for collections of short videos, and learning packages for articles, that will give you a slice of history and heritage.
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Cottage Industries
Playlist
A collection of short videos or selected podcasts, exploring topics around Singapore’s vanishing trades.
Playlist: Cottage Industries
Cottage industries are small-scale, family-run businesses typically producing goods and services of cultural significance. Cottage industries are different from other small enterprises in that their owners are directly engaged in production, which is traditionally labour-intensive and involves specialised skill. While machinery may be used to support production, the goods made by cottage industries remain primarily handcrafted. Examples include traditional food, furniture, jewellery, clothing, and religious items. What are some of the cottage industries in our midst? How have they survived through the years and what challenges confront them today? Watch the videos below to find out more.
Singapore’s Last Maker of Handwoven Rattan Chairs | Goldthread (4 mins)
For more than 50 years, Chen Foon Kee has been handweaving raw rattan — thin stems of a type of climbing palm found in tropical regions — into furniture and handicrafts. Today, in his 70s, he is one of Singapore’s last few rattan craftsmen, having inherited his father’s business, Chun Mee Lee Rattan Furniture. Chen shares the history of the rattan industry, stories of the family business and rattan craftsmanship in this video.
Source: Singapore’s Last Maker of Handwoven Rattan Chairs | Goldthread (2020, August 25). Retrieved 2022, October 5.
The Last Joss Stick Makers In Singapore | Tay Guan Heng | Our Grandfather Story (8 mins)
Joss sticks are often burnt as part of rituals during Chinese festivals. Founded in the 1930s, Tay Guan Heng is a family-run business specialising in the making of large joss sticks. Albert Tay shares the challenges that the trade has faced in recent decades and his journey in the family business.
Source: The Last Joss Stick Makers in Singapore | Tay Guan Heng (2020, December 19). Our Grandfather Story. Retrieved 2022, October 5.
Artisanal Soy Sauce In Singapore: The Future’s Brewing | On The Red Dot | CNA Insider (22 mins)
Join host Elizabeth Boon as she spends a week at Nanyang Sauce, a family-run sauce brewery set up in 1959 that still uses the same recipes and traditional methods passed down through the generations. This video features Ken Koh, the third-generation owner, and his mother, sauce master Tan Poh Choo, delving into the origins of the family business, the process of making artisanal soy sauce by hand, as well as efforts to market the product to younger customers.
Source: Artisanal Soy Sauce In Singapore: The Future’s Brewing | On The Red Dot | CNA Insider (2022, June 28). CNA. Retrieved 2022, October 5.
On The Michelin-Recommended List: Haig Road Putu Piring | MICHELIN Guide Asia (3 mins)
Aisha Hashim gave up her career as a pastry chef in America and returned home in 2006 to save her family’s putu piring (steamed rice cakes with a palm sugar filling, served with grated coconut) business. In this video, Aisha demonstrates how to make the heritage dessert with the recipe inherited from her great-grandmother and talks about innovating new flavours to attract younger customers.
Source: On The Michelin-Recommended List: Haig Road Putu Piring (2019, May 24). MICHELIN Guide Asia. Retrieved 2022, October 5.
Flower Power: The Right Way To Get Blessings From Hindu Gods | Our Grandfather Story (4 mins)
Jothi Store Flower Shop in Little India is a household name among the Indian community for its range of hand-made flower garlands and religious paraphernalia. Started as a small sidewalk shop in 1960 by Murugaia Ramachandra, the business has since grown into a 5-storey departmental store run by Murugaia’s son, Rajakumar Chandra.
Source: Flower Power: The Right Way To Get Blessings From Hindu Gods | Our Grandfather Story (2021, April 29). Our Grandfather Story. Retrieved 2022, October 5.
Learning Package: Cottage Industries
Cottage industries are small-scale, family-run businesses typically producing goods and services of cultural significance. Cottage industries are unique in that their owners are often directly engaged in day-to-day operations and management decisions. Then, the production process is labour-intensive and requires artisanal skills. While machinery may be used, the goods made by cottage industries are still mainly handcrafted.
Cottage industries in Singapore have come under pressure over the decades as the economy shifted towards capital-intensive, knowledge-based industries. Factors like rising costs and difficulty of finding suitable labour add to the challenge of survival. That said, some businesses in Singapore that started as cottage industries have successfully expanded and modernised their operations - even extending their footprint abroad.
Did you know...
Historically, cottage industries have enabled those with little capital and formal education to earn a livelihood in an entrepreneurial way. Cottage industries also play an important role as living, intangible heritage due to the values of craftsmanship and tradition embedded in the product or service they supply.
Get to know more about our cottage industries through the resources here.
Articles
Making of Gold Jewellery by Indian Goldsmiths.
This article introduces the practice of traditional handmade gold jewellery in Indian culture. The trade is typically family-run and is usually passed down from father to son or other male kin. The goldsmith crafts the jewellery completely by hand, melting the gold over a small burner and shaping it with tools such as tweezers. In its heyday in the 1950s, there were some 500 Indian goldsmiths in Singapore and their shops were mainly located in the Buffalo Road area.
Source: Making of gold jewellery by Indian goldsmiths (2019).Roots.Retrieved 2022, October 5
Making of Chinese paper offerings.
The burning of paper offerings is part of Chinese religious and cultural practices. A handful of businesses specialise in the making of these paper offerings in Singapore. This article provides an overview of the practice of making paper offerings, the types of offerings available, and features an interview with Mr Lai Yew Onn, one of the few remaining paper offerings craftsmen in Singapore.
Source: Making of Chinese paper offerings(2019).Roots.Retrieved 2022, October 5
eBook
Moving Singapore from Rickshaws to Motorbikes: Raising Singapore Family Business
Tan, Eileen. (2019). Moving Singapore from Rickshaws to Motorbikes: Raising Singapore Family Business Singapore: Partridge Publishing.
A family business history of motorbike dealership Ban Hock Hin, interwoven with the biographies of its founder, Tan San Chwee, and his eldest son, Robert Tan, who inherited the reins. It is also a history of the transport trade in Singapore, which the Henghua dialect group came to specialise in from the late 19th century. The first two chapters describe how Ban Hock Hin started in 1939 as a bicycle repair shop that later expanded into production with the innovation of its own carriage tricycle, hiring fellow Henghua clansmen as workers to support the growing business.
Retrieved from OverDrive (a myLibrary username is required to access the eBook).
Books
“Can survive, la”: cottage industries in high-rise Singapore
Sullivan, Margaret. (1993). “Can survive, la”: cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: G. Brash. (Call no.: RCLOS 338.634095957 SUL)
A rich collection of interviews conducted in the early 1980s with diverse cottage businesses in Singapore from spice mills and traditional medicine shops to tinsmiths and shoemakers. Aiming to provide a personal history of those involved in cottage industries, each profile traces how and when the trade was learnt, who taught it, how the product was made, the state of the industry and its future.
The Hainanese family business: a legacy of the heart
-. (2015). The Hainanese family business: a legacy of the heart. Singapore: MediaCorp Pte Ltd. (Call no.: RSING 338.708995105957 HAI)
Tells the stories of successful Hainanese family businesses in Singapore, such as Tai Sun, Ya Kun, and Jack’s Place, that had their roots as small shops and cottage industries.
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Five-Foot-Way Traders
Playlist
A collection of short videos or selected podcasts, exploring topics around Singapore’s vanishing trades.
Playlist: Five-Foot-Way Traders
The term “five-foot-way” refers to the veranda area in front of shophouses. During the colonial period, due to the lack of available jobs, some immigrants to Singapore set up small one-person businesses in these areas, selling food items—such as street hawkers and the kacang putih man—or services—such as letter writers, cobblers, and street barbers. There were also entertainers, such as snake charmers. As Singapore grew to become more industrialized in the 1970s and these tradesmen grew older, some trades started to sunset due to a lack of successors, a lack of interest in the profession, and/or low income. Other street trades moved into proper premises.
Check out these resources to help you gain some understanding of the five-foot-way traders in Singapore.
The Bygone Age Of Letter Writing In Old Singapore | A Frame In Time 2 | Full Episode (48 mins)
This show helmed by filmmaker Kelvin Tong uses Ong Kim Seng’s painting of the 'Night Calligrapher’ to set the scene of what the age of letter writing was like. It intermixes a short fictional story as well as interviews with the artist, academics, the son of a letter writer, and a ma jie, among others. “Letter writers played the important role of helping Singapore’s migrant forefathers write letters to their loved ones in their city of birth. They also doubled as calligraphers for Chinese New Year couplets and ancestral altars.” There are segments of the video with English subtitles.
The Bygone Age Of Letter Writing In Old Singapore | A Frame In Time 2 | Full Episode (2021, December 31). CNA Insider. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Fading Trades: The Kachang Puteh Man (2 mins)
Once a common sight outside cinemas and markets, the local road-side snack institution is vanishing. This video interviewed Mr. Amirthaalangaram Moorthy who manned the stall. The video is subtitled in English and Chinese.
Fading Trades: The Kachang Puteh Man (2018, August 13). MICHELIN Guide Asia. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Singapore's Street Barber | The Vanishing Cut Documentary (12 mins)
A short documentary on Mr. Lee Yuan Dong, one of Singapore’s last street barbers. He talks about some of the difficulties he has faced and it also gives you a sense of what kind of patrons visit him for his services.
Singapore's Street Barber | The Vanishing Cut (2019, June 25). Anthony Merciar. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
The Cobbler Of Waterloo Street (6 mins)
CNA interviewed Mr Lee Tai Chin, a street cobbler at Waterloo Street. He uses Mandarin, Malay, and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) to communicate with his patrons and the video is subtitled in English.
The Cobbler of Waterloo Street (2017, September 15). CNA Insider. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
The Last Snake Charmer (5 mins)
Mohammad Yusof is a third-generation snake charmer in Singapore and is perhaps the last of his profession. In this video, he shares his experiences and how he began to perform.
The Cobbler of Waterloo Street (2017, September 15). CNA Insider. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Learning Package: Five-Foot-Way Traders
Five-foot-way traders were largely craftsmen who conducted their businesses along covered shophouse walkways. The name “five-foot-way” refers to the original stipulation that the walkways be five feet wide. The walkways, which originated in Malaya during the early 19th century, were meant to protect pedestrians from the elements. Due to the movement of peoples throughout the 19th-20th century, this architectural feature can be found in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.
In Singapore, the five-foot-way traders engaged in trading inexpensive commodities (such as selling newspapers or food items)—and services (this included roadside barbers, shoe shining, locksmiths, fortune tellers, letter writing, traditional medicine healing, and knife sharpening to name a few). These trades started propping up when the influx of migrants to Singapore found it difficult to find work. Some began to use the corridors to set up these small businesses and paid rent to the shopkeeper. By the mid-1970s, as Singapore became more industrialized and these traders became older, some of these trades were either in decline or had moved into proper retail areas.
Did you know...
These curated set of articles and books will give you a better understanding of five foot way traders in Singapore.
Articles
Give Me Shelter: The Five-Footway Story by Lim, Fiona
Fiona Lim explores the colourful history of the five-foot-way and the trades that went on there. The article depicts how the certain shophouse quarters became specialized for certain trades—Kampong Glam’s five-foot-ways specialized in Islamic trades; Chinatown’s five-foot-ways hosted Chinese calligraphers and letter writers; and Little India’s five-foot-ways was the site for Indian parrot astrologers, for example.
Source: Lim, Fiona.Give Me Shelter: The Five-Footway Story. BiblioAsia 15(3) (October-December 2019). Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Time-forgotten Trades by Teng, Sharon.
Sharon Teng describes some useful resources regarding vanishing trades as well as what is being done to remember them. The five-foot-way traders that are discussed in the article are cobblers, fortune tellers, ice-ball sellers, kacang putih sellers, letter writers, and street barbers.
Source: Teng, Sharon. Time-forgotten Trades. BiblioAsia 9(4) (January-March 2014). Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Five-foot-way traders by Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala.
Thulaja gives a short history of five-foot-ways before giving some resource links for knife sharpeners, roadside barbers, mask makers, fortune tellers, locksmiths, letter writers, traditional medicine men, newspaper vendors, storytellers, tinsmiths, hair-bun makers, stool makers, garland makers, stamp dealers, and food vendors.
Source: Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala. Five-foot-way traders. (2016). Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Books
Vanishing Trades of Singapore
Lo-Ang Siew Ghim and Chua Chee Huan (Eds.). (199). Vanishing Trades of Singapore. Singapore: Oral History Department. (Call no.: RSING 338.642095957 VAN)
Written in both English and Chinese, this book is a key resource that outlines 20 vanishing trades based on oral interviews. As some oral interviews were given in non-English languages, this may be the most accessible way for readers to learn about the various five-foot-way traders. Included in the book are occupations such as the letter writer, parrot astrologer, and snake charmer.
Vanishing Trades: A Catalogue of Oral History Interviews
Oral History Department. (1992). Vanishing Trades: A Catalogue of Oral History Interviews. Singapore: Oral history Department. (Call no.: RSING 016.338642095957 SIN)
This catalogue by the Oral History Department is a summary of the 112 persons interviewed from over 70 different types of trades. The five-foot-way traders include the cobbler; the fortune teller; kacang putih seller; and letter writer cum calligrapher. One of the supplementary tapes contains an interview with a snake charmer. As many of the interviews were given in non-English languages, this is a useful resource.
Contesting Space in Colonial Singapore: Power Relations and the Urban Built Environment
Brenda S. A. Yeoh. (2013). Contesting Space in Colonial Singapore: Power Relations and the Urban Built Environment. Singapore: NUS Press, 243-280. (Call no.: RSING 307.76095957 YEO)
In the chapter on “The Control of ‘Public’ Space: Conflicts over the Definition and Use of the Verandah,” Brenda Yeoh dives deep into the issues regarding the use of five-foot-ways as public space during the colonial period. The shop owners and five-foot-way traders who used the space for goods and services were at odds with the municipal government, who saw the space as a public thoroughfare that needed to be kept clear for pedestrian use.
A Blink in Time: Memories of Singapore’s Vanishing Past
Chew, Angela, Ricky Gui, and Jason Leong, (2016). A Blink in Time: Memories of Singapore’s Vanishing Past Singapore: Studio Ink Asia Pte Ltd. (Call no.: RSING 959.5705 CHE)
This coffee table book is meant to capture anecdotes and provide some pictures of Singapore’s vanishing past. There is a section in the book named “Under the Sun” where cobblers, the kacang putih seller, the street barber, parrot fortune teller, and koyok seller are shown. This book would be suitable for sharing with younger readers as the anecdotes are short and sweet, and the images are vibrant.
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Vanished Trades
Playlist
A collection of short videos or selected podcasts, exploring topics around Singapore’s vanishing trades.
Playlist: Vanished Trades
Vanished trades can be defined as trades and occupations that no longer exist in society today or have evolved significantly from their traditional iterations to adapt to the needs of modern times.
While no longer be practiced, these trades and ocuupations provide a glimpse into old Singapore and reveal stories of the men and women who provided unique products and services that have since disappeared.
Check out these resources to learn more about some trades and occupations that can no longer be found in Singapore.
The Greatest Gift of a Generation: Tok Tok Mee | irememberSG (4 mins)
Watch Mr Lai Quoquan reminisce and share about his days as a 'Tok Tok Man'. Walkng the streets, Mr Lai would sell bowls of noodles while rapping on a wooden instrument, signalling to his customers that he was open for business.
Source: The Greatest Gift of a Generation: Tok Tok Mee (2015, January 3). irememberSG. Retrieved 2022, November 1.
Singtel TV: OUr Lovepedia Episode 18 – Samsui Women | Singtel (3 mins)
Watch a retired samsui woman share anecdotes about the work she did as a samsui woman, her relationship with other samsui women, and the reasons why they wore the iconic red headscarf.
Source: Singtel TV: Our Lovepedia Episode 18 – Samsui Women (2015, September 16). Singtel. Retrieved 2022, November 1.
Clearing Illegal Hawkers In 1960s Singapore | A Frame In Time | Episode 1/3 | CNA Insider (48 mins)
Helmed by Singapore director Kelvin Tong, this documentary takes inspiration from social realist Koeh Sia Yong's painting of itinerant street hawkers fleeing from licensing officers titled, "Here They Come". The video explores the lives and experiences of itinerant street hawkers who used to peddle their food along alleys and roads, and covers the street hawker's eventual disappearance as new laws were enacted to clean up the streets.
Source: Clearing Illegal Hawkers In 1960s Singapore | A Frame In Time | Episode 1/3 (2020, April 17). CNA Insider. Retrieved 2022, November 1.
Learning Package: Vanished Trades
With rapid technological advancement and economic development, many occupations and trades that used to be found in Singapore have slowly disappeared.
While they may no longer be practiced, vanished trades and occupations provide a glimpse into old Singapore as well as the workers who sustained the people relying on their myriad of products and services. Their histories reveal stories about what the generations before us valued and consumed as part of their daily lives.
This resource defines vanished trades as trades that no longer exist in society today, or trades that have evolved significantly from their traditional iterations to adapt to the needs of modern times.
Did you know...
Singapore's economic, labour and land policies in the 1980s and 1990s led in part to the end of these trades, as many shophouses were demolished and itinerant street peddlers were relocated to specific places like flatted factories or hawker centres to continue their trade, albeit with significant changes.
These curated set of articles and books will give you a better understanding of trades no longer practised in Singapore.
Articles
Chinese street storytellers by Tan, Fiona.
Chinese street storytelling was a popular form of entertainment in Singapore during the colonial period up till the 1960s. Working from makeshift premises in various locations, storytellers would read stories aloud in dialect to paying customers. However, this trade met its demise with the rise of television and radio, and the reduced use of dialects.
Source: Chinese street storytellers (2014, July). Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 2022, November 1.
Night jaga by Naidu Ratnala Thulaja.
Jaga is Malay for a watchman or caretaker. They are traditional watchmen or guards who used to stand vigil outside banks, godowns and shops o prevent theft and damage to property. Jaga became a dying trade by the 1980s and is virtually extinct today thanks to the introduction of modern security systems and services.
Source: Night jaga (2017). Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 2022, November 1.
Shoelast maker by Naidu Ratnala Thulaja.
Shoelasts are made of wooden bases or moulds, carved into different sizes, styles and fits, and are used to form the finished shoe. The golden age of shoelast making was in the 1970s when there were many shoemaking factories in Singapore, creating a high demand for shoelasts. However, the shoelast industry began to decline after it was badly affected by the 1983 recession, in addition to changing consumer trends.
Source: Shoelast maker (2020, September). Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 2022, September 1.
Books
Vanishing trades of Singapore
Lo-Ang Siew Ghim and Chua Chee Huan (Eds.). (199). Vanishing Trades of Singapore. Singapore: Oral History Department. (Call no.: RSING 338.642095957 VAN)
Produced by the National Archives of Singapore's Oral History Department, this resource documents 20 vanishing trades of yesteryear. While many trades covered in this book are still on the brink of vanishing, certain trades featured like "Charcoal Dealer" (a tradesman who produces and sells charcoal), "Photo Artist" (an artist who paints colour onto black and white photographs), and "Wooden Barrel Shop Owner" (a craftsman who hand-crafts wooden barrels for sale), can no longer be found in Singapore. The book is written in English and Chinese.
A slow ride into the past: The Chinese trishaw industry in Singapore, 1942-1983
Lim, Jason. (2013). A slow ride into the past: The Chinese trishaw industry in Singapore, 1942-1983. Clayton Victoria: Monash University Publishing. (Call no.: RSING 388.4132095957 LIM)
The trishaw was a popular mode of transport in post-war Singapore. Using travelogues, government records, association records, and oral history interviews, this book provides a resource for learning about the personal experiences of trishaw riders, as well as the rise and decline of the trishaw industry.
Remembering the Samsui women: Migration and social memory in Singapore and China
Low, Kelvin E. Y. (2015). Remembering the Samsui women: Migration and social memory in Singapore and China. Singapore: NUS Press. (Call no.: RSING 305.420959570904 LOW)
This book examines the lives of the Samsui women who migrated to Singapore in the early twentieth century for work and studies how these women's stories were eventually co-opted as part of the memory-making in Singapore. Chapters four and five trace the phases of their lives from when they left China to when they worked in Singapore, feature personal narratives of their everyday life experiences, as well as explore their unique kin networks.
Superior servants: The legendary Cantonese amahs of the Far East
Gaw, Kenneth. (1988). Superior servants: The legendary Cantonese amahs of the Far East. Singapore: Oxford University Press. (Call no.: RSING 331.481640460951 GAW)
Amahs were single women from the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province in China who migrated and worked in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong in the 1930s to 1970s, primarily as nannies, cooks, and live-in domestic help. This book provides a useful resource for understanding the unique customs and work practices of the Pearl River Delta province they hailed from, their social backgrounds, as well as their working lives in Singapore and other places far from home.