Secret Societies in Singapore: Featuring the William Stirling collection

Secret societies have played a colourful, often violent role in the Singapore story. They were a force in the Chinese community from the 1820s, when Chinese immigrants first came in large numbers to the island, and, In a debased form, were still to be reckoned with as recently as the 1960s. This book brings their story to life with the aid of a unique collection of objects associated with them, many nearly a hundred years old. It shows items used in initiation ceremonies, society seals, membership certificates and many other documents of interest. They were collected, mostly as a result of police raids, by William Stirling, who was Assistant Protector of Chinese in Singapore during 1921 to 1931. Secret soceties no longer wield the influence they once did. However, as demonstrated by the success of "Entering the Hung Gate", the Singapore History Museum's exhibition of some of Stirling's collection, they are of huge interest to today's generation of Singaporeans.

Language: :English
Number of Pages: :109
Format: :HB
Imprint: :(NMS) National Museum of Singapore
Publication Date :1999




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