Source 19: Adapted from an account by Mr Ng Kar Eng, a rickshaw puller in Singapore in the late 19th century.

Some rickshaw pullers wore rubber sandals, but generally speaking, no shoes were worn. Initially, when I first started to pull rickshaws, the roads were not as good then; it used to be tarred roads and the tar* used to melt under the sun. Sometimes, your feet ran over the burning tar, with the fierce sun shining. The tar stuck to the feet, and you got blisters. It was better in rainy weather because the road was harder, and it was easier to run. The hot weather was more difficult on one’s feet; the road was soft, the tar got soft and melted.

* tar: a dark, thick flammable liquid used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber.

Source Origin: Warren, J.F. (2003). Rickshaw Coolie: A People's History of Singapore, 1880-1940. Singapore : Singapore University Press.

Use Record: Assumption English School, 2017.