Historical Investigation Group 1
Chang Hok Xi (Ship boat builder)
Au Pak Chuan (Coolie)
Alex Yan Yan (samsui women)
Chinese coolies were engaged mostly and usually in unskilled, hard labour, formed the early backbone of Singapore’s labour force. They were mainly impoverished Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore in the latter half of the 19th century to seek fortune, but instead served as indentured labourers. Coolies were employed in almost every sector of work including construction, agriculture, shipping, mining and rickshaw pulling.
From https://goo.gl/2yLcJP
Chinese coolies | Infopedia - NLB eResources
They were usually trapped in a cycle of poverty, usually owing money that could never be repaid. This they were stuck with their hard labour, and the hard earned money would usually end up spending on the 4 sins of singaoire.
Ship boat builders built different types of boats. Some were trading boats, others could be for military purposes, some to transport goods or humans.
Many boatmen used to live in the bumboats, especially those with no homes would live in kampung villages near the sea others would just stay in their boats
They were female immigrants mainly from shan sui
They arrived in singapore in large numbers in the mid 1930's
They had very difficult lives, and although their jobs seemed meaningless, they had numerous and big contributions towards society. Without them, we would not have to buildings we live in and work in today. They had chosen this life of suffering through coolie Brokers, people who lied to them of riches and fortunes waiting for them in Singapore, only to be enslaved.
How was life different among the people of different occupations in Singapore before World War II
The key words in the questions are: life, different, occupations, before, World War II
A large number of these women lived together in shared accommodations
They are often depicted as thrifty and resilient individuals who helped to build up the country’s infrastructure
The time frame for this investigation is: before World War II (before 1939)
The historical concepts is: taking historical perspectives analysing the cause and the effects
Cayden Ong (Rickshaw Pullers)
As Rickshaw pulleys, they had to pull rickshaws to transport people around, earning about $1 a day and around 20 to 30 cents of that daily income went to the rickshaw rental.
Rickshaw Pulleys lived good but difficult lives. Rickshaw-pulling was an easy means of earning a livelihood since it did not call for special skills and only required coordination, physical strength and stamina. However, pullers not only had to bear with the physical strain, but also the risks of injury and even death from overexertion and mishaps.
They chose to be rickshaw pulleys as they just had to pull rickshaws to transport people and they can have a stable income to survive. By pulling rickshaws, it is a good public transport to make people go around conveniently and comfortably. This contributed to Singapore's progress.
Pullers drew the two-wheeled cart using the long shafts protruding by the wheels. The hood of the rickshaw was always down unless a passenger requested it to be up for protection against the harsh weather, or to maintain anonymity while travelling
limits were placed on the number of male immigrants allowed to enter Singapore, but no restrictions were placed on females. This opened the door for female immigrants to work in singapore
They also came from shunde
They also came from fujian
They also came from Chao'an
They also came from dongguan
The samsui womens's families living in China were in desperate need of money. With restrictions placed on the number of males allowed to seek work in the British colonies, many samsui women left their hometown while in their teens to seek employment in singapore in order to earn money and send it back home
Some of the women found employment as labourers in tin mines and rubber estates; others became domestic servants in wealthy households. Most were hired as general labourers on construction sites to carry building materials and clear debris – these women became referred to as samsui women
They lead difficult lives, as they had to work for 10 hours a day and they had to do rough labour that man usually did
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Tongkang, which means “bumboat” or “lighter” in Malay, is also known as the timber tongkang. It was built only in Singapore, as well as Kota Tinggi and Mersing in southeast Johore.13 Also spelt as tongkan and tonkang, these beamy and unwieldy boats are usually sailed with caution at low speed.14 Operated by Chinese Hokkiens and Indians, these boats plied mainly inter-island as they are bigger in size. Before bridges were built across the Singapore River, the large tongkang could enter Boat Quay to load and unload goods. However, when bridges were built, the decks were too low for the tongkang to pass beneath. Consequently, these lighters had to moor at the Kallang and Rochor rivers, or the city waterfront.15
Bumboats, also known as lighters, are large boats or sea-going barges. They were used in the Malay Archipelago for loading, unloading and transportation of cargoes, supplies and goods from ship to shore, and vice versa.1 The name had originated from the English “scavenger’s boat” or “dirt-boat”, which carried dirt and refuse, and also ferried foodstuffs to and from off-shore ships.2 In Singapore, bumboats are also called twakow or tongkang. They were once used extensively for transport purposes along the Singapore River, Rochor and Kallang rivers, and also along the coast of the mainland and other nearby islands.3
Rickshaws are hand-drawn taxi-cabs used in colonial Singapore. Originating from Japan, rickshaws were first brought to Singapore in 1880, becoming a major form of public transport. Rickshaw-pulling was a primary source of income for thousands of Chinese immigrants
Rickshaws offered an affordable and convenient means of getting around. Popular among the rich and poor alike, rickshaws were ideal for short journeys through crowded inner-city streets and alleys. Besides from passengers, rickshaws also carried goods, manure and even cadavers. Commuters used it to get to work, ferry children to school or attend social gatherings. Rickkshaws could last for at least five years with regular maintenance. However, the purchase cost was high, amounting to at least a year’s salary of a rickshaw puller in 1917. In an attempt to cut costs, rickshaws began to be produced locally in 1921, but the product proved inferior compared with the Japanese-made ones.