TEOH Veoh Seng 郑耀盛
Vanishing Trades,
Accession Number 002647
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 11
Total Reels
- Jesley Chua Chee Huan
Interviewer
- 05:14:17
Total Running Time
- Teochew
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 11
Metadata
- 3 May 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Father was a child when he came to Singapore. Why grandparents came to Singapore. Grandparents lived in Pasir Panjang near Haw Par Villa. Racial composition of residents in the Pasir Panjang kampong. There were about 20-30 attap houses in the area.
Occupations of villagers. Grandfather used to farm in China. Father told interviewee not to job-hop as life was difficult in China. All of interviewee’s children were born within the compound of Haw Par Villa and one of his daughters was married there. Various workers in Haw Par Villa. Visitors need to have a pass to enter Haw Par Villa. The pass also allowed visitors to Tanglin Jade House. Interviewee used to work in the various Haw Par houses.
Interviewee’s brother never attend school. His father followed the footsteps of his grandfather. Father worked in a brick factory during Japanese Occupation.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 11
Metadata
- 9 May 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:51
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Haw Par Villa is only a garden with rocks originally. Later, two master sculptors from Hong Kong went to work there. Interviewee helped to sell drinks when he was about nine. Kept bottles in a container of crashed ice. Description of his stall. Why he gave up studying. Description of seaside at Pasir Panjang. The rocks in the villa were taken from the beach at Pasir Panjang. The Pasir Panjang beach at low tide in those days allowed one to walk more than an hour out into the sea. Fishermen used to be attacked by sea pirates along the coast. Some of the fishermen never returned. The area used to be a beautiful seaside with clear waters. Interviewee’s leisure activities. Freak shows at Gay World. Description of ghost rides.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 11
Metadata
- 9 May 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaboration on how the ghost rides work. Prizes for games. Food sold. Details on how ice-cream was made in the early days. How mee siam was sold in the early days. Saw gang fights in Tiong Bahru. Food sold during wayang performances. Leaves used for wrapping food. Interviewee had exclusive rights to sell drinks in Haw Par Villa. Interviewee played with Haw Par’s family members when young. Aw Boon Par’s family. Aw Boon Haw’s first wife.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 11
Metadata
- 9 May 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:49
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Aw Boon Haw’s wives. Aw Boon Haw was illiterate. Used to ask his son to help him when communicating with the Caucasians. Aw Boon Haw used to go to Haw Par Villa at seven in the morning. Aw Boon Haw’s employees were mostly Burmese. Example showing Aw Boon Haw’s first wife’s thriftiness. Aw Boon Haw would dismiss a worker if need be. Most of Aw’s relatives who visited Haw Par Villa were mainly Burmese. Aw Boon Haw spoke to his employees in Hokkien. How Aw Boon Haw addressed his workers. Frequency of his visits to the villa. Aw Boon Haw never scold them when they sculptured the statues wrongly. Aw Boon Haw noticed details on the statues. How Aw Boon Haw is dressed. They had annual salary increment with fixed 2 months bonus.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 11
Metadata
- 18 Jul 2002
Recording Date
- 00:31:06
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee’s attap house within the compound of Haw Par Villa. His family gave all their money to their grandmother. Grandmother was the matriarch of the family. How his grandfather was killed by the Japanese. How his father escaped death. Discipline at home. Haw Par Villa had pythons and deer. How the pythons were kept in enclosures. Description of the enclosures for deer. Grandfather used deer antlers as clothes hangers. What they fed the deer with. Haw Par Villa used to be a garden with only flowers. Location of the former swimming pool in Haw Par Villa. Size of the swimming pool. Description of the silt house located at 5th Milestone.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 11
Metadata
- 18 Jul 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
There was a guard for every house belonging to the Haw Par family. Description of Haw Par’s Jade House. Interviewee and other workers were driven to the Jade House to work. Interviewee worked there when he was in his teens. Stone statues in Haw Par Villa were destroyed after the war. Sold drinks in Haw Par Villa after the war. How family obtained two vessels from Haw Par family to store water. Interviewee was asked to learn sculpturing from the Hong Kong masters as they would eventually return home to Hong Kong.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 11
Metadata
- 29 Aug 2002
Recording Date
- 00:31:05
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
The Hong Kong workers lived in the servant’s quarters after the war. Haw Par Villa’s scenes from hell were sculptured by the Hong Kong masters. The Hong Kongers were divided into two fractions. Reasons why they cannot get along with each other. The sculptures were all done by the Hong Kongers. How they sculpture the statues. How they mixed powder into paint. Interviewee’s relationship with the Hong Kongers.
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