KO, Almond 高鸿图
New Citizens,
Accession Number 003866
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 10
Total Reels
- Lye Soo Choon 赖素春
Interviewer
- 06:18:23
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 10
Metadata
- 7 Mar 2014
Recording Date
- 00:37:34
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born in Guangzhou, China in rich family. Family supported New China, wealth was given to the country. Born 1958. Mother brought him to Hong Kong, their debtors refused to pay debts, got into financially difficulties. Difficult life during childhood. Mother chose to work as school helper so that he could have free education. Memories about China. Primary education, only Chinese Language result was good, unable to go to public secondary school. Private school was expensive, started to work as child labor and did part-time study in factory. Mother put him to work in publishing factory. Limited things that he could learn as apprentice as the master seldom teach.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 10
Metadata
- 7 Mar 2014
Recording Date
- 00:39:13
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee’s mother changed her job to work in English school as she saw the potential and importance of English language. Made interviewee study English in the school. Interviewee worked hard, sacred to loose job. Self-study. How Hong Kong had influenced his life. Felt lost during his teenage. Got into a Japanese publishing company, worked day and night. Asking himself what sort of life he wanted. Became volunteer of charitable organisations. Opportunity came by in 1980, to set up publishing company in China. Visited few cities in China, recall his experience in visiting China in 1980. His brother who was in China shared his experience in Cultural Revolution with interviewee. Recall working in China from 1980-1983, felt he had performed well. Reason for him to leave China in 1983 without a job.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 10
Metadata
- 7 Mar 2014
Recording Date
- 00:38:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Recall impulsive resignation in 1983. Left his job in China, felt lost. Returned to Hong Kong, worked for an uncle, learnt to do trading. Studied bookkeeping and Japanese in evening. Got married before his mother went to United States. Recall how he came to Singapore for job interview. Wife left high paid job and followed him to Singapore. Talk about relocating and settling down in Singapore. Unhappy with his job in Singapore, communication problems. Brother persuaded him to stay in Singapore, started printing company with his brother. Became Singapore citizen after two years. Difficulties during starting stage of his printing company. Standard Charted Bank approved his overdraft and his company managed to survive and progress. Started colour printing in 1989 with government help, became one of the top printing company in Singapore. Brother left Singapore, sold his share to interviewee. Recall the setting up of his company in 1984, daily work routine at that time. Expanded his business.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 10
Metadata
- 18 Mar 2014
Recording Date
- 00:38:59
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Felt Singapore had a need in printing technical professionals in 1980s. Different attitude among Singapore and Hong Kong workers. Felt Hong Kong did not have government support, so people had to fight and work hard. Felt Malaysian were better worker and Singaporean were better manager. Talk about printing technology in Hong Kong, more advance than Singapore in 1980s. Singapore printing industry became more advance than Hong Kong in 1990s as government provided support and funding. Singapore was attracting people and technology from Hong Kong in 1980s-early 1990s. Complaints about Singapore that he heard from his friends who moved to Singapore. How and why he was different from them. Recall starting stage of his printing business, provided good and timely services that got him big clients such as Times Magazine. Felt as immigrant, he loose out in business network and relationship in Singapore. How he motivated his workers and staff. Became top company in black and white printing in end 1980s.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 10
Metadata
- 4 May 2014
Recording Date
- 00:38:42
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Business competitors which did not have advance technology as interviewee. Investment in new machines, especially in colour separation. Singapore printing industry had surpassed Hong Kong in 1990s. Most of his products were for overseas clients since 1990s. Due to currency crisis in 2008, interviewee decided to increase the percentage of local business, why. Describe challenges faced in 2008 Crisis. Efforts he made to retain his employees. Got into deficits during crisis. Three crises that he met, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, economy crisis in 1997 and currency crisis in 2008. Did not change staff benefits during those crises. Account onvarious crises that he met, how he handled. Business picked up in 2011 and started to gain profits in 2013. Changes in printing industry since 1980s. How interviewee increased total sales. Decline in gross and net profits over the years. Measures he imposed to advance his business. Talk about his partnership with China.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 10
Metadata
- 4 May 2014
Recording Date
- 00:37:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Had friends in Hong Kong, able to help him to expand his network in China. Talk about his partnership in China, commitment in China including areas in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Downsizing Singapore business and moving on to China was for survival, Singapore cost had been too high. Talk about providing one-stop service in printing and publication. The need in business transformation to cater to the changes in the market. Felt human capital investment was most critical, trained his staff. Felt educational qualification was not that important. Recall how officer of SPRING Singapore approached him in mid 2000s to set up a training institute. The setting up of SCI Print Technology Institute with some grants from SPRING Singapore. Provided certificate, then diploma and later degree course. Engaged his experienced manager to be teaching staff. Due to policy, he could not start the Institute soon and resulted in great lost. How he looked for suitable location and purchase machinery for the Institute.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 10
Metadata
- 4 May 2014
Recording Date
- 00:36:09
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Talk about the setting up of SCI Print Technology Institute, started planning in 2005. Student recruitment. First batch of students were local, employees of local printing firms. Response was encouraging. Problems in claiming students’ fees from SDF Skills Development Fund. NTUC and SPRING Singapore were not supportive. Describe challenges working with SPRING Singapore. Talk about SPRING SEEDS (Startup Enterprise Development Scheme), why interviewee withdrew his proposal. Reasons that he felt why government was not supportive later. SPRING funding did not come in. Bank did not provide loan for private school, interviewee mortgaged his company to get loan. Felt pain and disappointment. Recruited students from China, but could not come in due to quota issue. Did some short courses for WDA (Workforce Development Agency) for local students. Had many students from local companies, but still in deficits. Few fulltime students, high cost. Expanded their income by providing consulting services, conducting short courses for company and polytechnics, summer course for China students. Intended to introduce RMIT University from Australia to provide degree course, why not successful. SPRING provided some fund for setup of pilot project. Four reasons why SPRING was not supportive after two years. Considered to sell the Institute in 2012, no government support.
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