Local Icons
Singapore’s National Souvenir: The Gold-plated Past of RISIS
Much more than a tourist souvenir, Singapore’s gold-plated RISIS orchids were a triumph of grit and branding.
![Image alt text](/images/Online Only Articles/RISIS Singapore/IMG0077.jpg)
Tools of the Trade: Letterpress Printing in Singapore
Letterpress printing may be obsolete today but the tools involved continue to be objects of fascination.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: BiblioAsia Reels/Tools of the Tradev2/A2___Photo_2.jpg)
BiblioAsia Reels
Traditional Letterpress Printing in Singapore
Typesettingsg founder Sun Yao Yu shares more about this printing technique – once the main commercial printing method here in the 19th century.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: BiblioAsia Reels/Letterpress_standfirst.png)
From Book To Cook
Sea Snail & Papaya Curry: A Eurasian Delight
MasterChef Singapore judge Damian D’Silva makes this uncommon Kristang curry that combines two very unlikely ingredients: sea snail and papaya.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/6Sea Snail/Sea_Snail___Papaya_Curry.jpg)
VIDEO: FROM BOOK TO COOK
The Scoop on Otak Blangah
How does this Peranakan dish compare with otak-otak? Tanya Pillay-Nair from the Peranakan Indian Association of Singapore revives this old recipe with her aunt.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/5Otak Blangah/Otak_Blangah.jpg)
Local Icons
Sentosa’s Cable Cars at 50
As Singapore’s cable car system commemorates 50 years of service, we look back at the journey of this iconic attraction that has brought joy to many a rider.
![Cable Cars](/images/Vol 20 Issue 2/Cable Cars/mt_faber_cable_car_topics.jpg)
VIDEO: FROM BOOK TO COOK
Soon Kueh Stories
What does a soon kueh recipe have to do with a Buddhist temple? Find out as researcher Kelvin Tan conquers sticky dough to make this humble vegetarian snack.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/4Soon Kueh/Soon_Kueh.jpg)
People
Cikgu Asfiah Abdullah: A Cultural Luminary
A former teacher and mak andam fulfils her dream by writing a book on Malay recipes in 1986, the first all-Malay cookbook from Times Books International.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 20 Issue 2/Asfiah/asfiah_img4.jpg)
People
Reconstructing Charles Darwin’s Lost Library
Almost 20 years of painstaking scouring and sleuth work have resulted in what is probably the largest and most comprehensive resource on Charles Darwin.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 20 Issue 2/Darwin/van_Wyhe_library_right.jpg)
VIDEO: FROM BOOK TO COOK
Peeling Back the Layers of Bunga Kobis
What is bunga kobis and why was it prepared only for special occasions? Join librarian Toffa Abdul Wahed as she puts together this many-layered pastry.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/3Bunga Kobis/Bunga_Kobis.jpg)
Video: From Book to Cook
Unravelling the Mystery of Mee Maidin
Food historian and author Khir Johari whips up this noodle dish from Kampong Gelam, and reveals its special ingredient – krill.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/2Mee Maidin/Mee_Maidin_homepage.jpg)
Theatre and Dance
From Betty of Balmoral Road to Emily of Emerald Hill
A study of early drafts of Emily of Emerald Hill reveals fascinating choices and paths not taken.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 20 Issue 2/Emily/img_2.png)
Podcast
The Tragedy of Singapore’s First Boxing Superstar
Tan Teng Kee was the Mike Tyson of Singapore boxing in the 1920s. Known as Battling Key, the larger-than-life boxer attracted crowds wherever he went.
![Image alt text](/images/Podcast/isomer_abhishek.jpg)
Sports
Battling Key, Yeo Choon Song and Singapore Boxing
In the aftermath of World War I, the “noble art” became wildly popular in Singapore thanks to two Straits Chinese who took on all-comers, including each other.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 20 Issue 3/Boxing/Image1.png)
PODCAST
Chia Boon Leong: The Homegrown Football Olympian
Nicknamed “Twinkle Toes” for his agility, Chia Boon Leong (1925–2022) is widely regarded as one of Singapore‘s most talented football players.
![Image alt text](/images/Podcast/isomer_Nick.jpg)
Podcast
Singapore Bands in Wartime Vietnam
In the 1960s and ’70s, Singaporean musicians went to South Vietnam to perform for US troops during the war. They were met with cheers, bullets and assault.
![Image alt text](/images/Podcast/isomer_Boonlai.jpg)
podcast
Saving Singapore’s Film Heritage
Thanks to restoration, classic films like The Teenage Textbook Movie (1998) can still be shown on a big screen 20 years after its cinema run.
![Saving Film Heritage](/images/Podcast/isomer_teepao.jpg)
BiblioAsia Reels
Yip Yew Chong’s “I Paint my Singapore”
Yip Yew Chong’s masterpiece captures scenes of a bygone Singapore. Find out how he ensured historical accuracy in this 60-metre-long work.
![Image alt text](/images/Videos: BiblioAsia Reels/yipyewchong_img.png)
podcast
The Lost Gold Coins of the Old Singapore Library
More than 180 years after two ancient gold coins went missing, librarian Foo Shu Tieng tries to solve the case.
![Lost Gold Coins Library](/images/Podcast/isomer_Shu.jpg)
Collection Highlights
A History of the Singapore Chin Woo (Athletic) Association
One of Singapore’s oldest martial arts associations donated its unique collection of photographs and materials to the National Library, Singapore.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 20 Issue 1/Chin Woo/chin_woo.png)
podcast
The True Story Behind Ubin's German Girl Shrine
A young German girl met an untimely end on Pulau Ubin in 1914. A shrine set up in her honour becomes Internet-famous.
![Ubin's German Girl Shrine](/images/Podcast/isomer_home_william.jpg)
Collection Highlights
By the Public and for the Public
Singapore’s National Library is hard at work collecting new forms of documentary materials today for the sake of future generations.
more places and Buildings
Interview with Victor Savage
From Desker Road to Xilin Avenue, street signs around Singapore recall the lives of people whose stories are a part of the nation’s history.
![Victor savage](/images/Online Only Articles/Interview with Victor Savage/victor_savage_5184x3456px.jpg)
PODCAST
Artist Yip Yew Chong Paints His Story in History
Yip Yew Chong’s 60-metre-long work, “I Paint my Singapore”, merges history, memory and nostalgia.
![Image alt text](/images/Podcast/YC_painting_3.jpg)
Governance
Singapore's Hippie Hysteria and the Ban on Long Hair
Hippie culture was seen as a risk to Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s. To reduce its influence, the government began a campaign against men with long hair.
![Hippie Hysteria](/images/Vol 20 Issue 1/Hippie Hysteria/Image6.png)
Culture
A Plethora of Tongues: Multilingualism in Malayan Writing
From the melting pot of cultures and languages in postwar Singapore came the search for a Malayan identity, negotiated and presented through multilingualism.
![Multilingualism](/images/Online Only Articles/A Plethora of Tongues/20100000306_IMG0038.jpg)
People
Remembering William Lim
The late architect William Lim did more than shape Singapore’s skyline. He was also deeply passionate about urban planning, culture, the arts.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 4/6 William Lim/william-lim.png)
Places and buildings
A Short History of John Little at Raffles Place
A look back at John Little’s 170-year history and the lasting mark the store has made on our island.
![Image alt text](/images/Online Only Articles/John Little at Raffles Place/2a 19980005119 (j) img0043.jpg)
Art
Seeking the Unnamed Artists of Diard & Duvaucel's Drawings
Natural history drawings might seem clinical and cold, but an unlikely medium pulls back the curtains to find the humanity behind them.
![About the Painters](/images/Online Only Articles/About the Painters/mnhn_poissons_topic.png)
BiblioAsia Reels
Professor Yu Chun Yee Plays on NLB's Heritage Piano
Professor Yu, who used to teach at the Royal College of Music in London, plays on the refurbished Chappell grand at the National Library.
![Professor Yu Chun Yee](/images/Videos: BiblioAsia Reels/prof yu chun yee.jpg)
WAR
Konfrontasi: Singapore's Experience of an Undeclared War
Opposing the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, Indonesia waged a three-year armed conflict against Malaysia and Singapore.
![Konfrontasi](/images/Vol 19 Issue 4/3 Konfrontasi/img0101_img 5.png)
People
The Curious Visit of Qing Ambassadors to Singapore
The visit by Qing officials to Singapore in 1876 led to the establishment of the first Chinese consulate here a year later.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 4/1 Qing Ambassadors/qing_homepage v2.png)
The Early History of Printing in Singapore
Printing in Singapore dates back 200 years with the establishment of a press by Christian missionaries.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 3/10 Printing/cermin mata_homepage.jpg)
Sports
Coach Choo Seng Quee, A Giant of Singapore Football
Uncle Choo masterminded Singapore’s famous Malaysia Cup victory in 1977. Four decades after his death, we remember his many contributions to the sport.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 3/7 Coach Choo Seng Quee/choo_award_homepage.png)
Sports
Forgotten Heroes of the Malaya Cup
We remember some legendary players of the interwar years who left an indelible mark on the local football scene.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 3/6 Malaya Cup/malayacupheader2.jpg)
podcast
The Recording Industry in Singapore, 1903-1985
Singapore used to be a major recording centre in Southeast Asia, with over 10,000 local recordings made before 1960.
![Recording Industry](/images/Podcast/Ross.jpg)
podcast
The Stories Behind the Shrines on Kusu Island
Researcher William L. Gibson undertakes a pilgrimage into the archives to uncover the history of the keramat on Kusu Island.
![kusu island shrines](/images/Podcast/william episode 9.jpg)
podcast
The Mystery of Sarong Island
Librarian Lim Tin Seng rediscovers Singapore’s first island resort getaway and solves various mysteries surrounding it, including where Sarong Island is now.
![Image alt text](/images/Podcast/tinseng-sarong island.jpg)
video: From Book to Cook
Recreating a Recipe from the "Eat More Wheat" Campaign
What does a 1969 Chinese recipe for noodles have to do with a murukku press?
![Singapore’s old recipes](/images/Videos: From Book to Cook/Milk Noodle Soup pg 18-19.jpg)
ARTS
From Singapore Dance Theatre to Singapore Ballet
As the history of the company shows, its new name is less about breaking away from the past as it is about leaping confidently into the future.
![Singapore Ballet](/images/ballet under the stars 2022 (resized).jpg)
Collection Focus: A Comic Book Version of Operation Jaywick
The story of Operation Jaywick, a daring attack on Japanese ships at Keppel Harbour in September 1943, is retold in a comic aimed at boys.
![Operation Jaywick](/images/Vol 19 Issue 2/Operation Jaywick/image_4.png)
Places and Buildings
32 Binjai Park: The Modernist Home of an Architect
The house that Lee Kip Lin built has stood the test of time, reflecting its simple yet modern and clean design.
![Lee Kip Lin's house](/images/Vol 19 Issue 2/Binjai/image10.png)
Places and Buildings
Remembering Punggol’s Kampong Wak Sumang
Kampong Wak Sumang, one of Singapore’s earliest fishing villages, was purportedly founded by a warrior-diplomat whose musical abilities landed him in trouble.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 2/Tok Sumang/kampong-wak-sumang.jpg)
podcast
My Grandfather Was a Rōmusha
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army used forced civilian labourers, known as rōmusha, to build the infamous Thai-Burma Railway.
![Rōmusha WWII labourers](/images/Podcast/ba ep1 romusha.jpg)
Film, Sound and Photography
The Singapore Record Industry in the 1960s
In this extract from the book From Keroncong to Xinyao, the author looks at why the record industry in Singapore took off in the 1960s.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 2/SG Record Industry/image2.png)
Film and Photography
Restoring Classic Singaporean Films
Money No Enough, Forever Fever and The Teenage Textbook Movie are prime candidates for restoration.
![Image alt text](/images/Vol 19 Issue 2/Restoring SG Films/restore_classic_singapore_films_homepage_image.jpg)