POH Ah Seng 傅亚成
Economic Development of Singapore,
Accession Number 002779
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 15
Total Reels
- Jesley Chua Chee Huan
Interviewer
- 08:44:34
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 15
Metadata
- 21 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:15
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Family background. Childhood games he played. His living environment and conditions. Need to maintain good relationship with landlord. Most tenants were hawkers. Interviewee used to follow vegetable seller mother to market. Saw gangsters fighting in the streets using bottles and parangs in the early days. Hawker fare in the past.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 15
Metadata
- 21 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Drink seller used to issue cards for drinks. Candy seller. Mobile cinema cart. Ice-ball seller. Hawker fare. Family's typical meal. Used to listen to stories on Rediffusion. Family discipline at home. Followed father to opium den. Description of an opium den he saw.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 15
Metadata
- 21 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaboration on what he saw in the opium den. Special dish they had for Chinese New Year and birthday. Ventilation in the house they lived in. Brief description of display in provision shop in those days. Many Hokkiens in Java Road. Description of his primary school (真 理 小 学）near Java Road. Subjects he took.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 15
Metadata
- 21 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:29:22
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Studied in 德 明 小 学, Private car was used as school bus. His first day in school. Mathematics was his favourite subject. Interviewee was not interested in his studies when young. Interviewee used racial riots as an excuse not to go to school when he was in secondary one, Telok Kurau School. His Malay neighbour. Interviewee's place was quiet during the riots as there were a lot of Chinese. Heard that gangsters teamed up to protect the Chinese. His parents' attitude towards education. Interviewee left school in 1965 to work as cashier but later worked for future father-in-law in his peanut business. Mentioned peanut companies in the early days. Future father-in-law's Tong Garden was set up in 1963. Tong Garden's workforce. Peanut production process. Tong Garden's logo.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 15
Metadata
- 22 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:21
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Used to sell peanuts in 2 sizes; 300 and 500g. Interviewee started in the sales department. They had specific sales routes. Interviewee would sell in smaller quantities to attract new customers. Interviewee felt that human dynamics was important. His salary. Different brands of peanuts in the past. Bigger peanuts came from China; smaller ones came from Malaysia. He worked for his future father-in-law for more than a year before quitting to help in family business. Re-joined Tong Garden in 1968. He subsequently left again to join a finance company. Why he ventured out on his own in 1972. Challenges he faced. Why he chose camel for his trademark. Mentioned other peanut companies and where they sell their products.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 15
Metadata
- 22 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:02
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Why interviewee shifted his factory. His initial sales. How he stored his peanuts. Wife and assistants helped him with the packaging. Interviewee handled production, delivery and sales. Interviewee produced sweet peanuts which other companies subsequently followed. Why he decided to import his own peanuts in early 1980s. His company was the first to import peanuts directly from China. He allowed his clients to pay on credit. Sold to Emporium.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 15
Metadata
- 23 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Had good working relationship with Emporium. His biggest clients include National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Cold Storage, Singapore Airlines (SIA). Interviewee got to know China peanut market through his friend in Hong Kong. Many people entered China through Hong Kong in early 80s. Gave his friend and importer commission. Visited Canton Fair. How interviewee entertained the Chinese with food. Interviewee's first trip to China. Why the Chinese had a good impression of interviewee. Volume of his first peanut purchase from China. Business etiquette in China.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 15
Metadata
- 23 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:20
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Requests made by interviewee's business partners in China. Interviewee's experience of doing business in China with one of his partners. Machines supplied for his peanut production. Made mistake of buying the wrong machine. Also obtained feedback from the market with regards to their machines. Mentioned his peanut production process from source to end products. Types of peanuts. His knowledge of peanuts.What constitute a good peanut.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 15
Metadata
- 23 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:20
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
They used machines to test their peanut quality in Qingdao (青 岛). Interviewee set up collection points for his peanuts in 2003. Interviewee obtained support from the local authorities. He had different collection points for different types of peanuts for various market needs. Price difference for the different collection points. Interviewee negotiated with the local authorities to sign contract with the various collection point suppliers. Why interviewee signed yearly contract. Interviewee employed local Chinese nationals to look after the collection and purchase of peanuts. Not easy to sack an employee in China.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 15
Metadata
- 23 Jul 2003
Recording Date
- 00:05:10
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Employee dismissal in China. Interviewee paid an employee an extra two months of salary for him to leave.
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