Chronicles of Old Singapore

Loh Kah Seng
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  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I’m Dr Loh KS, a people’s historian. I’m interested in the history of Singapore and the lives of its people. In Chronicles of Old Singapore, I speak to people about their memories of Singapore before it became a global city today. We discuss three topics: 1. People and places. 2. Change and continuity. 3. The importance of heritage. Caveat: this is a podcast based on personal memory. As has been well-documented in oral history, memory is not always reliable and what is recalled here should not be taken as fact.

  1. Tong Siew Yin – Cinemas, Hawkers & Shops of Old Orchard Road | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    2D AGO

    Tong Siew Yin – Cinemas, Hawkers & Shops of Old Orchard Road | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Tong Siew Yin takes us back to old shops, businesses and hawkers of Orchard Road in the 1950s and 1960s before the shopping malls arrived. Ep1 | https://youtu.be/YD_B87867Gc Ep2 | https://youtu.be/fihcnpDpgkk 00:00 Emerald Hill 05:28 Somerset Staff Quarters 10:27 Hawkers at Emerald Hill 15:30 Fosters & Magnolia Snack Bar 17:13 Cold Storage 22:22 Tailors & Furriers 23:55 Fitzpatrick’s 27:41 Cuppage & Koek Roads 30:00 The Istana 33:39 198 Orchard Road Shophouse Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    38 min
  2. Gloria Kwok – My Granny & Sago Lane, Sei Yan Kai Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    4D AGO

    Gloria Kwok – My Granny & Sago Lane, Sei Yan Kai Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gloria Kwok spent several years during her primary school holidays living with her grandmother Sum Yin Yong at Sago Lane in Chinatown in the 1960s. This was the infamous street of the dead, which the Cantonese called ‘sei yan kai’. As Gloria recalls, her grandmother worked as a caretaker in the death house called Fook Sau and both of them lived on the second floor of the shophouse. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/PSDWCwFQ5-g Part 2 | https://youtu.be/-KoBOxSM8-0 00:00 Introduction 01:28 School Holidays at Sago Lane 04:38 My Granny 12:09 From Serangoon Gardens to Sei Yan Kai 16:33 Onto the Street 21:32 The Shophouse 24:23 Love for the Family 29:56 Shophouse First Floor 32:14 Second Floor Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    36 min
  3. 何乃强–战阵时期的牛车水第二集 | 旧新加坡记事录Ho Nai Kiong – War in Chinatown Part 2 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    6D AGO

    何乃强–战阵时期的牛车水第二集 | 旧新加坡记事录Ho Nai Kiong – War in Chinatown Part 2 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。何乃强医生回忆起日治时期家人逃往波东巴西，并藏匿贵重物品，以及他的学业如何受到影响。他谈到战争给新加坡带来的三个教训。 Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Ho Nai Kiong recalls fleeing to Potong Pasir with his family during the Japanese Occupation, hiding their valuables and how his studies were affected. He talks about the three lessons of the war for Singapore. 第一集 Ep1 | https://youtu.be/wS_Z7PdOfCA 第二集 Ep2 | https://youtu.be/UgfuDoarcmY 00:00 肃清 Sook Ching 01:04 逃难到波东巴西 Fleeing to Potong Pasir 07:11 粮食管制 Food Rationing 09:50 我的学业 My Studies 13:21 日本投降 Japanese Surrender 17:46 养正学校 Yeung Ching School 23:05 碰到日军 Encounters with Japanese Soldiers 25:02 日治的教训 Lessons of the Japanese Occupation Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    29 min
  4. 何乃强–战阵时期的牛车水第一集 | 旧新加坡记事录 Ho Nai Kiong – War in Chinatown Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    6D AGO

    何乃强–战阵时期的牛车水第一集 | 旧新加坡记事录 Ho Nai Kiong – War in Chinatown Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。何乃强医生讲述，日本轰炸新加坡时，第一枚炸弹落在牛车水。他讨论了肃清行动以及牛车水新加坡的一些个人叙述。 Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Ho Nai Kiong relates that when the Japanese bombed Singapore, the first bomb fell in Chinatown. He discusses the Sook Ching operation and several personal accounts of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. 第一集 Ep1 | https://youtu.be/wS_Z7PdOfCA 第二集 Ep2 | https://youtu.be/UgfuDoarcmY 00:00 介绍 Introduction 01:02 今天的冲突 Conflicts Today 05:13 第一枚炸弹 First Bomb on Chinatown 15:36 静方女校 Jing Fang Girls’ School 18:09 胸墙 Parapets 19:29 卢鹤龄《回首人生路》 Lo Hock Ling, My Life’s Journey 25:32 司徒醒铃《一个新加坡少女的战争日记》 A Young Girl’s Wartime Diary 29:19 肃清 Sook Ching 33:02林碧霞《翻译员的女儿》 Teresa Lim Seaward, The Interpreter’s Daughter Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    34 min
  5. Stephen Dobbs – The Singapore River & the Lightermen Part 3 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    FEB 9

    Stephen Dobbs – The Singapore River & the Lightermen Part 3 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Stephen Dobbs and I trace the redevelopment of the river for tourism and entertainment in the early 1990s. We reflect on the efforts to conserve the rich heritage of the river. Although the façade of the old shophouses was retained, the lightermen, and the pre-existing socio-economic life generally, were removed from the river, creating a very different commercial area. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/UBEsiwawVl4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/FYFXGWMU1AE Part 3 | https://youtu.be/NfTtBicx2us 00:00 A New Vision for the River 04:29 Three New Quays 08:17 Heritage & Tourism 10:12 Relocation of the Lighters 18:22 Fates of the Lightermen 21:41 Impact on the People 26:33 A Living River The Singapore River: A Social History, 1819-2002 https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/the-singapore-river Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    31 min

  6. FEB 8

    Marc Rerceretnam – Early Roman Catholics & Peranakans Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian Marc Rerceretnam relates how he uncovered an unknown history of intermarriages in colonial Singapore in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These took place among the Roman Catholics, who were made up of diverse subgroups of Peranakans, Teochews and Eurasians who had converted to the religion. Many of them had revolted against the powerful kongsi (clan/brotherhood) system in the 19th century. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ssEaCj88qnk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/k0PDhV-Ivik 00:00 Introduction 05:14 Roman Catholics in Singapore 12:07 Peranakans, Teochews, Eurasians 20:31 Rebels Against Kongsis 30:38 The Gambier Industry 34:56 Traditional Culture 39:45 Intermarriages 48:04 Racial Ideologies Marc Sebastian Rerceretnam, A History of Immigrant Roman Catholics and Converts in Early Singapore 1832-1945 (2012). https://www.amazon.sg/Immigrant-Catholics-Converts-Singapore-1832-1945/dp/0645236403 Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    53 min
  7. Jamidah Subardy – Kampongs of Old Pasir Panjang Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    FEB 3

    Jamidah Subardy – Kampongs of Old Pasir Panjang Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jamidah Surbardy grew up at 26 Jalan Pasir Ria in the heart of the kampongs of Pasir Panjang. She recounts the carefree lives of the residents and children and the schools she attended (Labrador Primary and Pasir Panjang Secondary). Pasir Panjang is better known as a major battleground during the Japanese invasion but less remembered for its numerous villages after the war. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/NP0XnXGpKkg Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Ji58cC_bu1M 00:00 Introduction 00:51 Jalan Pasir Ria 08:04 Carefree in the Kampong 13:49 Schools 21:37 Kampongs East of Haw Par Villa 26:35 Warehouses & Wharves 29:28 What Remains Today Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    33 min
  8. Soh Weelian – A Boy from Kampong Potong Pasir Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    FEB 1

    Soh Weelian – A Boy from Kampong Potong Pasir Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

    Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Soh Weelian spent five short years in Kampong Potong Pasir as a young boy in the 1970s but this was enough to etch rural life in his mind. He talks about his parents and their wooden house with an attap roof by a drain near the Kallang River and the Woodleigh Waterworks, before they were resettled in a HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio New Town. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/Ds6fcU4k_BI Part 2 | https://youtu.be/mAfSUvwSj2c 00:00 Introduction 02:03 My Family in Potong Pasir 09:08 House by the Kallang River 21:45 Parents’ Wedding 28:58 The Drain by Our House 33:02 Ghost Stories 42:45 My Neighbours 46:31 Leaving Potong Pasir Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

    54 min
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About

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I’m Dr Loh KS, a people’s historian. I’m interested in the history of Singapore and the lives of its people. In Chronicles of Old Singapore, I speak to people about their memories of Singapore before it became a global city today. We discuss three topics: 1. People and places. 2. Change and continuity. 3. The importance of heritage. Caveat: this is a podcast based on personal memory. As has been well-documented in oral history, memory is not always reliable and what is recalled here should not be taken as fact.

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