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Learning Theme: Vanishing Trades
Adults
by LearnX Singapore
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.
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
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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, November 1.
Books
Vanishing trades of Singapore
Lo-Ang, Siew Ghim and Chua Chee Huan (Eds.). (1992). Vanishing trades of Singapore. Singapore: Oral History Department, Singapore. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 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.