Japanese occupation of Singapore

Japanese Occupation of Singapore The Japanese Occupation of Singapore refers to the point in time in the history of Singapore between 1942 and 1945 when Japanese forces occupied Singapore during World War II, after having defeated the combined British, Indian and Malayan garrison. The occupation was to become a major turning point in the history of several nations, including that of the Japan, the United Kingdom, and to the then colony of Singapore itself. Singapore was renamed Syonan-to (-W� ShMnan-tM, "Light of the South Island" in Japanese) by the Japanese. Contents [hide]  1 Events leading to the Occupation 2 Repression 3 End of the Occupation 4 Consequences 5 See also 6 External links Events leading to the Occupation ....... The Japanese, who sought to gain control of South-east Asia in World War II, had overrun the Malay Peninsula in the Battle of Malaya with the main intent of occupying Singapore to gain greater control over her war-time resource gathering efforts, as it was a strategic port and the lynchpin of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM). After having taken all of Malaya in under a month, the garrison defending Singapore surrendered only a week after the invasion of Singapore commenced. Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942 the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history. Repression The Japanese Occupation is generally regarded by Singaporeans as the darkest period of Singaporean history. The Japanese had claimed that they were liberating Southeast Asia from colonialism, but in reality they were far harsher rulers than the British ever were. In addition to civilian casualties, numerous atrocities were committed by Japanese troops, particularly by the Kempeitai, the Japanese military's secret police, and the Japanese military's use of rape and comfort women. For instance, the Sook Ching Massacre of ethnic Chinese, including civilians who had donated to charities to aid the war effort in China, claimed between 25,000 and 50,000 lives in Malaya and Singapore. End of the Occupation After Japan surrendered to the Allies on August 15, 1945, there was a state of anomie in Singapore, as the British had not arrived to take control, while the Japanese occupiers had a considerably weakened hold over the populace. Incidents of looting and revenge-killing were widespread. Much of the infrastructure had been wrecked, including the harbor facilities and electricity, water, and telephone services. It would take four or five years for the economy to return to pre-war levels. When the British finally arrived, they were met with a cheering crowd and fanfare. Consequences Although the British had been welcomed back into Singapore, the fact remained that the British had failed to defend Singapore, and in the eyes of many Singaporeans this had cost them their credibility as infallible rulers. The decades after the war saw a political awakening amongst the local populace and the rise of nationalist and anti-colonial sentiments. Hence, the Japanese Occupation caused the path to eventual independence to be greatly accelerated, as public confidence in the ability of their British leaders in protecting them and their ways of life crumbled. See also Battle of Singapore History of Singapore External links Fall of Malaya and Singapore A detailed history of the Battle of Singapore.Template:Singapore-stub Category: History of Singapore

Please read: A personal appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales Read now National Museum of Singapore From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia National Museum of Singapore Native name: Chinese: 新加坡国家博物院 National Museum of Singapore Location: Singapore Coordinates: 1°17′48.2″N 103°50′55.1″ECoordinates: 1°17′48.2″N 103°50′55.1″E Built: 1849 Architectural style(s): Neo-Palladian, Renaissance Governing body: National Heritage Board National Monument of Singapore Designated: 14 February 1992 Location of National Museum of Singapore in Singapore The National Museum of Singapore (Chinese: 新加坡国家博物院) is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution. After several relocations, the Museum was relocated to its permanent site at Stamford Road at the Museum Planning Area in 1887. The Museum is one of the four national museums in the country, the other three being the two Asian Civilisations Museums at Empress Place Building and Old Tao Nan School, and the Singapore Art Museum. The museum focuses on exhibits related to the history of Singapore. The Museum was named the National Museum of Singapore in 1965. For a brief period between 1993 and March 2006, it was known as the Singapore History Museum, before reverting back to its previous name. The Museum underwent a three-and-a-half-year restoration and reopened on December 2, 2006, with the Singapore History Gallery opening on December 8 of the same year. The revamped National Museum was officially opened by former President of Singapore S R Nathan and Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang on 7 December 2006.[1] Contents  [hide]  1 History 1.1 Redevelopment works 2 Facilities 3 Artifacts 4 Architecture 5 References 6 Literature 7 See also 8 External links [edit]History The eastern wing The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee. It was called the Raffles Library and Museum and it exhibited items of historical and archeological value in Singapore and Asia. The museum was part of an establishment of a public repository of knowledge of Malayan in a school, museum and library. This objective can be traced to a 1823 meeting called by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, to discuss a revival of the region's cultural heritage. The museum occupied a section of the library of the Singapore Institution, later became the Raffles Institution. In 1874, the museum moved to the Town Hall (now known as the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall). However, due to the growing collection in the museum, it moved back to the Singapore Institution in 1876 situated at the new wing of the institution. The Raffles Library and Museum later moved to Stamford Road in a new building that was commissioned by the colonial government in 1882. The museum was officially opened on 12 October 1887 which also marked the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The library was referred to by the locals in Malay as Rumah Kitab (house of books) or Tempat Kitab (place of books). The museum was designed by Sir Henry McCallum but a scaled down version was used as the Colonial Office rejected the initial proposal, Major J.F. McNair co-designed the later version. In its early years, the museum was well known for its zoological and ethnographic collections of Southeast Asia especially Malaya and British Borneo before the World War II. The museum was a centre of research and knowledge, directors and curators were by and specialists of good research accomplishments including zoologists Richard Hanitsch, John Moulton, Cecil Boden Kloss, Frederick Chasen and anthropologists HD Collings and Gibson-Hill who were also interested in ornithology, Malay history, ethnography and photography. The museum was the seat of the editorial office of the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, it was visited by scholars who were en-route to their trips to Malaya and Indonesia. The collections included a selection of northern Nias objects from the field trips of Elio Modigliani, as well as the basketwork gifted by Dr William Abbott, who collected them during the 1900s for the United States National Museum, later the Smithsonian Institution. Extensions were carried out in 1906, 1916, 1926 and 1934 due to the inadequate space for the growing number of artefacts and books. During the Japanese Occupation, the place was left intact by the Japanese occupying army due to its reputation of its Raffles collection and research integrity. The museum split with the library with the latter forming the National Library adjacent to the museum building in 1960 which was demolished and relocated to Victoria Street in 2005, the former was housed in the Stamford Road building. After Singapore's independence in 1965, the museum focused its collection to nation-building and the history of Singapore and was renamed the National Museum. Its zoological collections was moved to the biology department of the National University of Singapore and to some museums such as in Kolkata in India and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This all happened in 1969. Its most iconic artifact was the skeleton of a blue whale found in Port Dickson in 1893 and was displayed from 1903 to 1969. The museum then featured exhibits on history, ethnology and arts of Singapore and the region. Hawpar Group donated a jade collection in January 1980. Restoration works of the building were carried out in 1985 which included a repainting of the building and restoring some of the distinctive features. After restoration, the museum was gazetted as a national monument on 14 February 1992. The museum came under the management of the National Heritage Board in 1993 and was renamed the Singapore History Museum becoming the flagship of the four national museums in Singapore. The building was closed in April 2003 for extension and restoration works and the museum was temporarily relocated to Riverside Point where an exhibition known as Rivertales was displayed. [edit]Redevelopment works The dome consists of 3,000 zinc fish-scaled tiles and stained glass panels. The Glass Passage. The National Museum building was closed for a period of three and a half years and museum operation was temporarily located at Riverside Point. The building underwent a S$132.6 million revamp with a new annexe block behind the building on the site, which was formerly the demolished Drama Centre. Its new wing is partially built on ground hollowed out from nearby Fort Canning Hill, and a 30-metre deep diaphragm wall was built to prevent the earth from sinking. A foundation stone ceremony was held on 25 November 2004 and it was then the museum publicly announced the name change. The structural top out ceremony was on 28 November 2005 and the new building is twice as large as the old one. The temporary museum at Riverside closed its operation on 6 March 2006 and the new museum is scheduled to reopen on 7 December 2006. Poor restoration works in the 1980s cost some of its architecture features to be hidden or badly damaged. The fish scaled tiles were all taken down and cleaned, all 3,000 tiles were individually numbered in order to allow it to be replaced in the correct sequence. Every row of tiles were shaped differently to match its dome's curves. Badly restored tiles were removed and new replaced tiles were made in the original zinc material used in the old 19th century tiles made in Manchester, England. The condition of the tiles were badly deteriorated due to the effects of acid rain. A titanium-zinc-based coating was used to protect the new tiles, to prevent further oxidation and eroding. On the building's dome, there are stained glass panels, these panels were all taken down, inspected and cleaned. These panels had deteriorated due to its age and the effects of gravity on the lead works. Each panel had to be transported in a special mould and sent to a stained glass restorer who used 18th century reinforcement techniques to restore the lead and glass works; the process took four months to complete. Modern staircases have been installed in the building to contrast the old and new. A spiral staircase which leads to the roof of the old museum building was restored. The windows and doors were conserved and the original type and size of timber and 18th century carpentry techniques were used to restore the timber windows and doors. Some of the original timber works used huge timber sections made of kapur wood. These sections required about four months to source, supply, fumigate, treat, cut and deliver to the site. The balustrades on the second floor of the old rotunda were patterned after those in London's Royal Albert Hall. The details of the balustrades were hidden after years of paint. The old paint was removed and a special clear coat was applied to prevent rusting of the wrought iron and to allow the details to be visible. Plaster works were carried out on the plaster motifs, cornices, balustrades, capitals and carving of the old building were either deteriorated or destroyed during the earlier renovations. Skilled artisans from India were brought in to recreate the plaster works which include restoring many of the windows, doors and cornices. Its largest work done was the coat of arms of Queen Victoria and the entire northern facade which had been destroyed. An ornate rose timber ceiling rose in the original galleries were hidden by false ceilings constructed for air-conditioning in the 1980s. The rear of the building had few windows and replicas had to be made for windows facing Fort Canning and timber wood was imported from Indonesia. A 22-metre long and 11-metre high glass connector replaced a hard ceiling for visitors to view the museum's dome from the museum itself, whereas previously, one had to view the entire dome across Stamford Road. [edit]Facilities See also: Singapore History Gallery, Singapore Living Galleries, and Goh Seng Choo Gallery Interior of the rotunda, topped by a dome. The museum will have a permanent 2,800 m² gallery space at the new glass clad building within a glass rotunda known as the Singapore History Gallery. It will feature the history of Singapore from the 14th century in a story-telling approach. Images and film can be projected on its 15-metre high cylindrical walls. There will be a narration of the history and display of artistic expressions of the history. Other permanent exhibitions include the Singapore Living Galleries which will feature exhibits of photography, cuisine, film, fashion and other lifestyle artifacts. A ramp spiral in the new building leads down to an exhibition space holding the nation's treasures which includes the Singapore Stone and 14th century gold ornaments unearthed from nearby Fort Canning Hill in 1928. There will be a 250-seat auditorium known as The Mesh for talks, lectures and workshops for the young and old at the Fort Canning entrance. It will have retail facilities as well as a cafe and a restaurant at the Stamford Road block of the building. Elevators and escalators have been constructed to facilitate the disabled to have access to the museum. An area will feature classrooms and outreach programmes. A vehicular entrance can be accessed by Fort Canning Road at the new building. In the basement, there is a column-free 1,200 m² exhibition gallery for temporary exhibits. It has insulated walls without windows and the space is climatically controlled to protect the exhibits from light and heat or humidity changes. A resource centre will be housed in the building which will contain old books, photographs, negatives and stamps for public viewing. National Museum introduced a new wireless technology which allow automatic playing of audio and visual material when visitors enter designated zones. The museum has held several temporary exhibitions before its official opening which include a film festival and a men's fashion show, during which the main foyer will feature nude male mannequins. [edit]Artifacts The museum used to house a vast collection of zoological items, but were transferred to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and other museums in the Commonwealth. It currently has eleven precious artifacts, namely the Singapore Stone, the Gold Ornaments of the Sacred Hill from East Java, Dagguerreotype of Singapore Town which was one of the earliest photographs of Singapore, the will of Munshi Abdullah, the portrait of Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the hearse of Tan Jiak Kim, a Peranakan coffin cover, the mace of the City of Singapore commemorating King George VI's raising of the island's status to a city in 1951, the Xin Sai Le puppet stage, William Farquhar's drawings of flora and fauna and the portrait of Shenton Thomas, who was the former governor of Singapore. Rocks from the nearby Fort Canning Hill were used to create two sculptures commissioned from Cultural Medallion-winner Han Sai Por. [edit]Architecture The Concourse of the museum, an amalgamation between Classicism & Modernism. National Museum was designed in Neo-Palladian and Renaissance style and consists of two rectangular parallel blocks, with a dome at the front of the building. Its architects were Henry McCallum who designed the original version and J.F. McNair who designed the scaled down version of the building. The building has two rotundas, a new glass-clad rotunda at the rear area of the building. Its glass rotunda is a cylindrical shaped building which is made up of two drums, with the outer one made of glass which sheathes an inner one made of wire mesh. Black out curtains has the same length of the inner drum with images projected on sixteen projectors in the day. The curtains are drawn after sunset, and projection can be beamed out through the glass to get a view of the city. Coats of arms are found on the building's front. The redeveloped building was designed by local W Architects with the glass-clad rotunda designed inspired by Chinese American I.M. Pei. The chief design consultant was Mok Wei Wei from W Architects, who was appointed in June 2004 and modified the designs of the glass rotunda and the atrium between the two buildings. The new glass clad building was designed such that the old building would still be the centrepiece of the museum. A six-metre gap exists between the back of the main museum building and its new annexe as conservation guidelines do not allow old and new buildings to be directly connected. In the gallery theatre, bricks are designed in a herringbone brick pattern, which helps to control the echoes and acoustics in the space. Initially, the designers planned to use bricks from the old National Library building, but the cost was too expensive. Black concrete flooring was used for the new block instead of gray granite flooring as initially planned. [edit]References National Heritage Board, Archipelago Press, Singapore's 100 Historic Places (2002), ISBN 981-4068-23-3 Norman Edwards and Peter Keys, Times Books International (1996), Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets and Places, ISBN 981-204-781-6 The Sunday Times, April 16, 2006 "National Museum of Singapore (Singapore Biennale) 2006". Singapore Biennale. Archived from the original on 25 July 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006. The Straits Times, 29 July 2006 ^ Clara Chow, "National Museum opens after $132m makeover", The Straits Times, 8 December 2006 [edit]Literature Lenzi, Iola (2004). Museums of Southeast Asia. Singapore: Archipelago Press. p. 200 pages. ISBN 981-4068-96-9. [edit]See also Singapore History Gallery Singapore Living Galleries Goh Seng Choo Gallery William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings [edit]External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: National Museum of Singapore Official website Virtual tour preview of the National Museum [hide]v · d · eMajor Tourist Attractions in Singapore WRS Parks Singapore Zoo · Night Safari · Jurong Bird Park · River Safari (U/C) Integrated Resorts Resorts World Sentosa · Marina Bay Sands Amusement Parks Escape Theme Park · Haw Par Villa · Sentosa · Wild Wild Wet · Resorts World Sentosa (Universal Studios Singapore · Equarius Water Park (U/C)) Oceanariums Underwater World · Marine Life Park (U/C) Museums Asian Civilisations Museum · Baba House · Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum · Changi Museum · Fort Siloso · Images of Singapore · Malay Heritage Centre · Malay Village · National Museum of Singapore · Old Ford Motor Factory · Peranakan Museum · Raffles Hotel · Reflections at Bukit Chandu · Science Centre Singapore · Singapore Discovery Centre · Singapore Philatelic Museum · Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall · The Battle Box · Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium (U/C) · ArtScience Museum Nature Parks Bukit Timah Nature Reserve · Singapore Botanic Gardens · Gardens by the Bay (U/C) · Pulau Ubin (Chek Jawa) · Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve · Central Catchment Nature Reserve · Labrador Nature Reserve · HortPark · Chinese Garden · Japanese Garden Monuments Bukit Batok Memorial · Civilian War Memorial · The Cenotaph · Early Founders Memorial Stone · Former Indian National Army Monument · Japanese Cemetery Park · Kranji War Memorial · Raffles' Landing Site · SGH War Memorial Others Merlion · Orchard Road · Singapore River · Singapore Flyer · Marina Barrage · Clifford Pier · The Helix Bridge Singapore Tourism Board View page ratings Rate this page What's this? 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By Leila Battison Science reporter A lock of hair is all that is needed to decode the history of an entire people A lock of hair has helped scientists to piece together the genome of Australian Aborigines and rewrite the history of human dispersal around the world. DNA from the hair demonstrates that indigenous Aboriginal Australians were the first to separate from other modern humans, around 70,000 years ago. This challenges current theories of a single phase of dispersal from Africa. An international team of researchers published their findings in the journal Science. While the Aboriginal populations were trailblazing across Asia and into Australia, the remaining humans stayed around North Africa and the Middle East until 24,000 years ago. Only then did they spread out and colonise Europe and Asia, but the indigenous Aborigines had been established in Australia for 25,000 years. Australian Aborigines therefore have a longer claim to the land in which they now live than any other population known. The research also highlights the exciting future possibilities of comparing the genomes of multiple individuals to track migration of small indigenous groups. Tiny genetic differences Archaeological remains are known from Australia from around 50,000 years ago, putting a maximum age of the Aborigines' settlement there. But the history of their journey and their relationship with the indigenous people of Asia and Europe had not been solved. It was previously thought that modern humans dispersed in one pulse out of Africa and the Middle East, and because of the distances involved, the modern Europeans would have separated from the Asians and Australians first. Genetic information from a lock of Aboriginal hair has been used to show that the Australians set off a lot earlier. By looking at the tiny (fraction of one percent) differences between the DNA of Aborigines and other ancient humans, the scientists show that the indigenous Australians were first isolated 70,000 years ago. Dr Francois Balloux, of Imperial College London described how a "population expanded along the coastline because of the rich resources available there. They could walk almost the entire way because the sea level was much lower". Just one small sea crossing would be required to reach Australia. Any potential archaeological remains of this journey, which lasted 25,000 years, would be lost to the deep sea under rising sea levels. The remaining populations in the Middle East moved out to colonise Europe and Asia 24,000 years ago, and the aboriginal genome records some interbreeding between Asian populations and aboriginal ancestors at this time. Discovering the history of human migration with DNA has been made possible by improvements in the techniques used to study the genome. Traditionally, genetic divergence dates were arrived at by combining the number of unique mutations in the DNA with an assumed rate of acquiring those mutations. Now, computationally powerful models can simulate lots of different scenarios for migration timings and directions, and researchers can compare and choose the situation that most closely matches what is seen in the genome. By comparing the Aboriginal genome with the DNA of African, European and Han Chinese individuals it was possible to highlight the later interbreeding after initial colonisation. Comparison with Eurasian populations show that the Australian Aborigines have a similar percentage of Neanderthal genes within their DNA as their Eurasian counterparts, suggesting that any interbreeding occurred before the Aborigines embarked on their colonising journey. The findings of these researchers are supported by an independent study, published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics, which looks at the characteristic DNA from an extinct, archaic form of human, the Denisovans. Denisovans lived over 30,000 years ago, and contributed genes mostly to present-day New Guineans. This independent study identifies a pattern of Denisovan DNA in Asian individuals that can only be explained by two separate waves of human migration: the first of Aboriginals colonising Australia, and the second involving the occupation of Asia itself. 'Jurassic Park science' The Aboriginal research was carried out on a single lock of hair, which was donated by a young Aboriginal man to the British anthropologist Dr A C Haddon in 1923. "At this time, it was fashionable to take human samples," said Dr Balloux. The collection of hair was one of the more innocuous efforts of anthropologists at the time. The researchers chose to examine the hair, as opposed to any other type of remains, for legal reasons. Hair is not classified as a human tissue. "More important to us was that the research would be acceptable from a social and moral point of view" said Dr Balloux.To the surprise of the scientists, the people they consulted were very supportive of the study and its results. Dr Balloux explained that in the past, indigenous people have been "extremely sensitive of the motivations of western scientists". The research has been published with "strong endorsement" from the Goldfields Land and Sea Council, the organisation that represents the Aboriginal traditional owners of parts of Western Australia, he said. Genomics techniques like those used in this study have the potential to be used more extensively in the study of human migrations and the evolution of health and disease. The international team next plans to look in more detail at the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa, as well as solving how and when the Americas were colonised. Dr Balloux said he was excited about the unexpected potential of the techniques, describing it as "borderline Jurassic Park science".

 

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Part of KTM railway line to be reopened to public
Fri, Sep 02, 2011 | AsiaOne
Part of the former KTM railway land will be reopened for public walks and recreation from September 16.

The land to be reopened stretches from the Bukit Timah bridge south towards Holland Road.

Some parts of the tracks have been removed, while others, such as the stretch next to Bukit Timah Railway Station and along the bridge, have been preserved.

Works to remove the tracks and other rail structures are ongoing and are about 30 per cent complete, said the Singapore Land Authority.

klim@sph.com.sg

HISTORY OF OLD CHINA TOWN

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Travel Guide » Tourist Guide » Facts of Old Singapore

History of Old Singapore Chinatown
by: Mr Dhoraisingam S. Samuel


Early settlement of Chinese
Immigrants - locality assigned
By Stamford Raffles in 1822; living and working under
Extreme conditions they contributed to the
Development of Singapore.
In November 1822 Stamford Raffles wrote to the Town Committee in Singapore about his plans for the layout of the Town and the setting of the various major ethnic groups in the island. These major ethnic areas were for the poor but the rich could settle anywhere they chose to.

'The Chinese,' Raffles wrote, 'will form by far the largest portion of the community' and he assigned the south-west of the Singapore River to them. They should also be settled according to the provinces they came from in China and be under the immediate control of their respective chiefs for the maintenance of law and order.

Raffles also suggested that the streets in Chinatown should run as far as practicable at right angles and the artisans - blacksmiths, carpenters and others should be concentrated in certain areas. Fro the sake of uniformity Raffles specified that the shophouses and houses be built in brick and tiled and each house should have a verandah or covered passage five feet wide to provide an open space where the dwellers in the crowded houses could have fresh air and also where food hawkers could operate. The houses and shophouses were built in neat rows and in the centre was an air-well open to the Sky. This served for the collection and storage of water for ventilation and light.

Chinatown became a crowded place particularly after the 1830s when the large scale emigration from South China took place. The occupants of these shop-houses or terraced houses lived in cubicles-sordid, dark, grimy and self-contained living areas. The corridors that divided the cubicles were narrow. The entire belongings of the dwellers were in the corner of the cubicle-the storage boxes and a board which double up at night as a bed.

Until 1935 the night soil (collected in buckets) was carried through the front door. Later back lanes were created and the buckets were removed from there. How fortunate Singaporeans are today living in Housing and Development Boar flats with modern sanitation, water supply and electricity!

Despite the hard living conditions, the Chinese to sustain their cultural heritage, their traditions and identity, built several Chinese Temples in the area, had their own singing halls and 'wayang' (opera) theatres.

Unfortunately there were also government licensed opium dens (opium was one of the main sources of revenue), illegal gambling houses and brothels. There were also rickshaw depots and most of the coffee shops were patronized by the rickshaw pullers.

Secret Societies originated in South China operated in Chinatown and it was a major problem in early Singapore.

Sago Street was named by the Cantonese, 'Street of the Dead' where the funeral clothes, paper models of cars and houses were sold. There was Sago Lane where the death houses were; 'these are where the sick go ostensibly for treatment but where chances of recovery are almost nil'. Inmates of these death houses simply wasted away slowly and then after death were moved to the funeral parlours. Many died of epidemics like cholera and malaria.

In Chinatown lived the Sam Sui Women who were extremely industrious workers who carried earth which was a back-breaking occupation.

These women came from three districts of Kwantung: Sam Sui. Shun Tak and Tong Koon. The Sam Sui women were found predominantly in Upper Chin Chew Street, Upper Nanking Street and Eu Tong Sen Street. Upper Chin Chew Street was nicknamed 'Black Cloth' street because of the colour of the clothes of these women. The Sam Sui women wore scarlet head-dress, loose black 'samfoos' (jacket and trousers) and lived in cubicles. These Cantonese women rarely married and led a life of frugality but they were colourful and conservative; they kept largely to themselves. They were generally kind and had a sense of humour; they ate plain food - rice and vegetables - but sent regular remittance to their families in China.

It was estimated that by 1941 there were several thousands of these Sam Sui women working and contributing to the economic growth of Singapore.

Most of those who lived in Chinatown worked in the tongkangs, twakows and lighters and ferried goods from sea going vessels to the several warehouses along the Singapore River; many worked in the early years in the spice plantations and later in the Singapore Harbours and the Dockyard.

Other races also dwelt in Chinatown. There were a large umber of Indians; proof of this is the number of old Tamil Mosques and the oldest Hindu Temple in Chinatown. Upper Cross Street was also known as 'Kampong of the Indiana' where a number of Indian spices traders and boatman lived. Indonesians lived in 'pondoks' (lodging houses); one such example is the one still at 32 Club Street off Upper Cross Street. Near Havelock Road is Kampong Malacca and one of the oldest Mosques. Near North Canal was the early quarter of the Jews as well as their oldest Synagogue.

During the Battle for Singapore Chinatown was bombed daily by the Japanese. The heart of Chinatown was roughly an area of 30 acres with almost 20,000 crammed into it. There were no air raid shelters in Chinatown because the British authorities had bungled their air-raid policy. Many had to cower in their crowded homes or lie panic stricken in filthy monsoon ditches. The Japanese bombers made indiscriminate raids on Chinatown and the casualties mounted day by day.

The Civil Defence unit comprised mainly Chinese who were brave and worked around the clock, clearing roads, and debris; rescue workers had to extricate the victims in bombed buildings and death lorries had to be manned to collect the unclaimed bodies for mass burials in deep pits. To show respect to the different races the bodies were grouped according to the races and kept apart in the pits.

Many in Chinatown and whose homes were bombed and had become homeless sought refuge in the several Chinese Temples and in the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church.

Despite urban renewal projects several parts of Chinatown are still intact and Singaporeans should visit these areas (some renovates) to realize how our ancestors had lived and toiled to make Singapore what it is today.

Click for an overview of all Facts of Old Singapore

TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL

Tan Tock Seng Hospital
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
National Healthcare Group


The new 15-story Tan Tock Seng Hospital was marked as a historic institution on 25 July 2001.
Geography
Location Novena, Singapore
Coordinates 1°19′17.8″N 103°50′45.4″ECoordinates: 1°19′17.8″N 103°50′45.4″E
Organisation
Hospital type District General
Services
Emergency department Yes Accident & Emergency
Links
Website http://www.ttsh.com.sg
Lists Hospitals in Singapore
The Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Abbreviation: TTSH; Chinese: 陈笃生医院; Malay: Hospital Tan Tock Seng) is the second-largest hospital in Singapore after the Singapore General Hospital, but its accident and emergency department is the busiest in the country largely due to its geographically centralised location.[1] Set up in 1844 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tan Tock Seng, the hospital came under the international spotlight when it was designated as the sole treatment centre for the SARS epidemic which struck the country in 2003.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Location of Services
3 Clinical and Allied Health Services
4 TTSH Heritage Museum
5 The Art of Healing Programme
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links
[edit]History

Singapore was a successful trading centre. Large numbers of immigrants came, hoping to make their fortune here. The majority of immigrants were poor and destitute. Malnutrition was common and it was estimated that about 100 immigrants died each year from starvation.
The British government set up a pauper's hospital in the 1820s but it closed in the 1830s because of insufficient funds. The government then suggested that the better-off members of each community take care of their own poor. Subsequently, some of the more benevolent members of the community responded. One such person was Tan Tock Seng, a successful businessman, philanthropist and the first Asian Justice of Peace. In 1843, Tan offered funds for the construction of a hospital.
The foundation stone of the Chinese Paupers' Hospital, Singapore's first privately funded hospital, was laid on 25 July 1844, on Pearl's Hill. Construction took three years and a shortage of funds saw the hospital stand empty for two more years. Finally, the first batch of patients was admitted in 1849. About 100 sick and destitute people had been housed in an attap shed at the foot of Pearl's Hill when a fierce storm destroyed the shed, leaving them homeless. Rather than have them wander the streets, the government decided to place them in the hospital. In the hospital's early years, money was a constant problem, alleviated from time to time by donations from kind benefactors. A shortage of staff and no reliable water supply also made things difficult.
Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52. The hospital's name was changed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and, in 1861, it relocated to new premises on the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road. A lepers' ward was also added. In 1903, the land on Moulmein Road, where the present hospital stands, was bought.
By the 1980s, the hospital's services and patient intake were beginning to outgrow the 1950s hospital building. A new 15-storey building was constructed and officially opened on 1 April 2000.
As a result of a restructuring exercise in the local health-care scene, the hospital became a member of the National Healthcare Group in 2000.
The hospital prides itself as a pioneer in the development of Geriatric Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Rehabilitation Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. It is also a major referral centre for Geriatric Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gastroenterology, Otorhinolaryngology and Orthopedic surgery. In 2003, the hospital was declared the designated hospital for SARS screening and treatment by the Ministry of Health.
[edit]Location of Services

The Hospital Complex
Completed in 1999, the complex is specially designed to provide comprehensive in-patient and out-patient services under one roof. Most services are provided in the modern complex, comprising the Hospital Block, the TTSH Medical Centre and the Podium Block. On average, specialist clinics receive 1,500 patients daily, while the Emergency Department attends to a daily 400, making it Singapore's busiest emergency department.
Communicable Disease Centre (CDC)
The Communicable Disease Centre is the national referral centre for the diagnosis and management of communicable diseases that include HIV and SARS. The CDC is made up of 2 campuses, equipped with in-patient and out-patient facilities to handle disease outbreak as well as laboratory facilities to conduct research for better disease management and patient care.
TTSH Rehabilitation Centre
The TTSH Rehabilitation Centre located at Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital offers the largest in-patient rehabilitation services in Singapore. Managed by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, it also conducts therapy programmes and out-patient rehabilitation services.
Specialist Clinics
Closer to the community, TTSH operates specialist clinics at Hougang Polyclinic and Yew Tee MRT Station.
[edit]Clinical and Allied Health Services

Division of Ambulatory & Diagnostic Medicine
Diagnostic Radiology
Emergency Medicine
Oncology Services
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Division of Medicine
Cardiology
Clinical Epidemiology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
General Medicine
Geriatric Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Psychological Medicine
Rehabilitation Medicine
Respiratory Medicine
Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology
Division of Surgery
Anaesthesiology
General Surgery
Ophthalmology
Orthopaedic Surgery
Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
Urology
Clinical Support Services
Complementary Integrative Medicine
Nutrition & Dietetics
Occupational Therapy
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (Blood Transfusion, Haematology, Clinical chemistry, Anatomical pathology & Clinical microbiology)
Pharmacies (Outpatient, Inpatient & Retail)
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Prosthetics & Orthotics
Psychological Services
Respiratory Therapy
Speech Therapy
Travellers' Health & Vaccination Centre
Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory
[edit]TTSH Heritage Museum

The Tan Tock Seng Hospital Heritage Museum opened its doors on July 25, 2001. Honouring the legacy of its founder Mr Tan Tock Seng, the museum features a collection of Peranakan items from the mid-19th century, during Mr Tan's time.
Medical equipment and hospital artefacts of yore capture the enduring spirit of Singapore's first community hospital dedicated "to care for the sick poor of all nations". The hospital's development and achievements - in particular, its pioneering role in the treatment of tuberculosis (1940s) and its monumental leadership in the fight against SARS - are presented through narrative displays, salvaged historical objects and a time capsule.
The TTSH Heritage Museum is a member of the National Heritage Board's Museum Roundtable.
[edit]The Art of Healing Programme

Tan Tock Seng Hospital's The Art of Healing programme, an initiative that aims to use the arts as a form of therapy to soothe patients’ mind and body and help them on their path to recovery, was launched on February 6, 2006. Through the arts, the hospital is transformed to a warm, welcoming and enriching environment for patients, families, staff and visitors, and helps to distract patients from their ailments, express their feelings and reduce anxiety. By this, the hospital hopes that there will be an improvement in patients' blood pressure and intake of pain medication, which in turn should lead to faster recovery and a shorter length of hospital stay.
The programme is an on-going project where activities such as exhibitions (paintings, pottery, wire sculptures, etc.) and performances (orchestras, big bands, string quartets, plays, dances, etc.) are unveiled regularly. This helps to promote the hospital as a centre of holistic healing of mind and body, and transforms the hospital environment from a traditionally sterile, cold and fearful one to a warm, non-threatening and welcoming place of healing. The programme provides an enriching multi-cultural experience for patients and staff and welcomes artists of all art forms to be a part of these performances.
Under the arm of "The Art of Healing" programme, the hospital's Healing Sky Garden and Orchid Botanica were launched in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
[edit]Notes

^ "TTSH's Emergency Dept has longest waiting time". Channel NewsAsia. 2005-03-01. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
[edit]References

National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tan Tock Seng Hospital
[edit]External links

Tan Tock Seng Hospital
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Categories: Hospitals established in 1884 | Hospitals in Singapore | Novena

TAN TOCK SENG

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tan.
Tan Tock Seng (simplified Chinese: 陈笃生; traditional Chinese: 陳篤生; pinyin: Chén Dǔshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tok-sing; 1798–1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 [1] to an immigrant Fukien (Hokkien) father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.
Most of his wealth came from the results of his speculations with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. Horrocks Whitehead died in September 1846 at the age of 36. His tombstone at the old cemetery on Fort Canning was erected, "as a token of affection on the part of a Chinese friend, Tan Tock Seng."
Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.
Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed $36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.
References

^ One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore
External links

Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Genealogy of Tan Tock Seng
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Categories: 1798 births | 1850 deaths | Singaporean people of Chinese descent | Singaporean people of Hokkien descent | Singaporean businesspeople | Singaporean philanthropists