History
Cantonese were one of the first groups to migrate to Singapore, originating from the southern part of Guangdong Province in China. When they came to Singapore, the Cantonese were mostly engaged in occupations such as miners, artisans, tailors, jewellers and goldsmiths. Today, 15% of the Chinese in Singapore are Cantonese. When the Cantonese migrated to Singapore in the early 19th century, they settled at streets like Temple Street and Pagoda Street in Chinatown.
Samsui Women
In the early years of Singapore, Chinese women from Samsui province who did labourious construction work are known as the Samsui women.
They are found in construction sites in Singapore, wearing navy blue clothing and red headscarf. The red headscarf (hong tou jin) not only protects their head but has become an image representing this particular group of hard working women.
They mainly work at the Singapore Riverside and the pier near Keppel Harbour (Keppel Harbour), making great contributions to the early construction of Singapore. Between 1934 and 1938, some 190,000 women came to Malaya from China, mainly along the waves of immigration. The Samsui Women mostly live in Tofu Street in Chinatown, doing manual work of mixing cement, picking bricks, and moving timber. They work from dawn to dusk for more than 10 hours daily. Their daily wages may range from 50 or 60 cents to 11 or 12 dollars. They quietly contributed to the local economic development. If Singapore is said to be a global stage, with elites performing dramas that awe the world, then surely the Samsui Women is the foundation of this stage because every brick and tile of Singapore's high-rise buildings has been permeated with their sweat.
The early days of the "Samsui Women"
The early days of the Singapore River and Keppel Bay
The early days of
Tofu Street
Ma Jie
Ma Jie are another pioneer group of Cantonese women working as domestic servants.
They tied their hair in braids and wore black and white samfu outfits.
They are also referred to as "Sister Ma" in some literature. In order to make a living, they have traveled thousands of miles from their hometowns to Singapore from Guangdong, and they will never marry nor have children. They do domestic work for others and sent most of the meagre pay home to support their families. As such, some Ma Jies had to live selling old cardboards, old boxes, old newspapers, and old magazines in their later years. They survived on leftovers and the rotten vegetables that they managed to find. Their toiled life is often exchanged for a lonely and desolate old age.
References
Chen Ziyu (May 1, 2020). How much do you know about the five places of origin of the Chinese in Singapore and the industries they are engaged in? Lianhe Zaobao. Online date: February 10, 2022. Checked from: https://www.redants.sg/good-reads/story20200501-3960
Promotion of Chinese Language Council (date unknown). Red turban. Singapore Chinese Database. Online date: February 10, 2022. Checked from: https://www.languagecouncils.sg/mandarin/ch/learning-resources/singaporean-mandarin-database
Singapore Eye (19 July 2014). Chinatown in Singapore - the past and present of Chinatown. Online date: February 10, 2022. Checked from: https://www.yan.sg/chinatownhistory/