Source 6: An account by a Eurasian man, describing Europeans living in Singapore before World War Two.

The upper class Europeans were very snobbish. They would not lower themselves to mix with the Eurasians unless they had to do business with them. The Eurasians were not treated very well by the Europeans. The Europeans might even sneer at them or just ignore them. There were also places that were just for the Europeans, such as the Singapore Cricket Club. There was a lot of snobbery on their part. However, when I was in school there was no racial barrier. We were all treated the same, and we treat each other the same, regardless of your nationality or race.

 

Source Origin: Kevin Tan, Marshall of Singapore: A biography

Use Record: Greenridge Secondary School, 2015

Source 5: An account by a Malay man, describing the form of entertainment enjoyed by Malays before World War Two.

The Malay people would go to see the bangsawan (traditional Malay opera). The bangsawan actors spoke in Malay, so the audience were all Malays. Back then, there was no other entertainment for the Malays so it was popular among them. Many people would squeeze and travel on bullock carts from Tanjong Pagar just to see the performances as they could not afford other forms of transportation.

 

Source Origin: National Archives of Singapore, Oral History Trancript

Use Record: Greenridge Secondary School, 2018

Source 4: A description of the coolies living area in Chinatown. 

Chinese coolies mostly lived in the area of Chinatown. They took on many jobs that involved hard labour. Most of them lived in shop-houses. The Chinese coolies suffered much hardship. They were very poor and lived in cramped rooms with no windows and light. The occupants of these shop-houses or terraced houses lived in small rooms which were overcrowded and dirty. About twenty-four coolies occupied a small room with no proper sanitary* facilities. The entire belongings of the occupants were in the corner of the small room. Their storage boxes and a cardboard doubled up as a bed for them at night. This unsanitary living conditions led to numerous diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis spreading among them.

sanitary*- conditions that affect hygiene and health, especially the supply of sewage facilities and clean drinking water

 

Source Origin: http://chineselifeinsingapore.blogspot.sg/

Use Record: Fajar Secondary School, 2015