LEE Soo Seong @ Lee Ah Kia 李树雄
Education in Singapore (Part 2: Chinese),
Accession Number 001798
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 22
Total Reels
- Yap Wee Cheng
Interviewer
- 09:37:09
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:26:03
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee's family background. Why parents came to Singapore. Pre- and post-war hawker business. Mother sold fish to help support the family. Business along Singapore River in the early days. Description of interviewee's living conditions at Beo Lane. Villagers obtained extra income from pig-rearing and growing fruit trees. Villagers' main source of food. Landlord was involved in illegal wine brewing. Relationship amongst the neighbours.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:26:00
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of childhood games. Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. How interviewee felt about wearing new clothes for Lunar New Year. His Lunar New Year activities. Occupation of villagers. Distance between the village and town. Shopping venue for the villagers. Neighbouring schools and education opportunities for the young in the village. Moved to Geylang. Reasons for moving back to Bukit Ho Swee. Elaboration on his education.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:26:58
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of living conditions in Bukit Ho Swee. Family finances. Played in deserted cemetery in Jalan Bukit Ho Swee. Description of communal kitchen and washroom. Carried water from a nearby tap for daily use. Transportation problems. The incorporation of two bus companies into Hock Lee Bus Company. Modes of transportation. Popular activities after school. Impact of the elimination of dialect radio programmes on the elderly. Moral values learnt from Chinese opera were different from those learnt in school.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:24:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Dialect group of the residents in Bukit Ho Swee. Secret societies and their impact on the residents. Occupations of the residents. Gambling as an important source of income for the residents. Transportation in Bukit Ho Swee. Description of living conditions, population and sanitation in the area. Refused to move to HDB(Housing and Development Board) flats. The itinerant hawkers were given stalls in the hawker center in the 1960s. Views on the hawker center when it was first set up. Bukit Ho Swee fire in 1961. Fire prevention measures of that residential area.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:27:10
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Spirit of the neighbourhood after the Bukit Ho Swee fire. Relief measures provided for the affected. Donations from staff in San Shan School. Distribution of new flats. Description of the relief centers. Type of flats available and government subsidy. Transportation in the new neighbourhood. Impact of the fire. Memory of an air raid during the Japanese attack and description of his experience in an air raid shelter. Problem of rice rationing. Father was beaten up by Japanese soldiers. Japanese soldiers worked as odd job labourers after the war. Revenge on the Japanese by Singaporeans. Life in Quan Min (全民)School. Description of tables and chairs in the classroom.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 22
Metadata
- 19 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:25:13
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of facilities in Quan Min (全民) School. Interviewee used biscuit box as a school bag. Communicated in dialect with his classmates. Principal used dialect to tell stories. His journey to school and the problems he encountered. His first impression of the school. His father taught him how to study at night. Description of a day in school. Description of childhood games. Described school assembly. Students' attitudes towards school assembly. Description of music lessons and Children's Day celebrations. Impression interviewee had of a talented principal. Teaching methods. Description of the school building and environment.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 22
Metadata
- 20 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:27:37
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Further elaboration on the school environment. Students' background. Family moved to Geylang and later moved back to Bukit Ho Swee. Branch school of Quan Min (全民) was taken over by Jiegu (介 谷) School. Interviewee continued his education in Jiegu School. Expansion of Jiegu School and the improvement of facilities after expansion. Outdoor activities organized by the school. Physical education. Teachers' hostel. Registration for his transfer. School uniform. The naming of Jiegu School. Incorporation of Jiegu School and Quan Min School into Jie Min Primary School(介 民 小学). Closing down of Jiegu School. Discipline in school and description of the school prefects. School and classroom rules.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 22
Metadata
- 20 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:27:29
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Classroom rules. Discipline in Red Swastika School in the 1980s. Corporal punishment in the early days. Comparison of interaction with parents in the early days and present. Description of moral values incorporated into Chinese textbooks. Reasons for not emphasizing English. Description of English lesson and an English teacher. Classroom cleanliness. Chinese, Mathematics and Science were given more emphasis. Passing grades. Description of homework and tests. Impression of primary school teachers. Description of extra-curricular activities in school. Description of the Chinese Schools' Union Sports Meet in the early days. Sports meet in school. Recreation and entertainment during school holidays. Festivals that were held in the school compound. School leaving examinations.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 22
Metadata
- 20 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:27:25
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
School leaving examination results was used to register for secondary school. School fees. Pre-school tuition classes organized by Chung Cheng High School. Difference between primary and secondary school teachers' qualifications. Description of lessons in Chung Cheng High School during the early days. Bus journey to school. Impression of teachers in Chung Cheng High School. Academic subjects. Students and teachers who lived in Chung Cheng High School in the early days. Facilities of the school. Student population and the school system. Emphasis placed on each subject. Description of wall newspapers in school.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 22
Metadata
- 20 Nov 1996
Recording Date
- 00:27:27
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of demonstrations by students. Recalled a conflict in the school canteen. Fermentation of students' demonstrations. Songs written during anti-colonial days. Circulation of student's newspapers. The founding of People's Action Party. Activities during the climax of students' demonstrations. Motives of such demonstrations. Impact of such demonstrations. Description of the riot on 13 May 1954. Conflicts between teachers and students with different ideologies. His attitude towards these ideologies. Climax of the students' demonstrations.
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