Asian Civilisations Museum part 2: Samsui Women

Something else that sparked my interest at the ACM. And I have since read a little more about...

I was amazed and impressed to hear about this group of females from the Guangdong region of China. They came to Singapore between 1934 and 1950, and apparently made a great contribution to the rise of the city.

These ladies were mostly Cantonese, some Hakka, and many from the flood-stricken Sanshui - three rivers - county in Guangdong (hence the nickname). Apparently, not only were environmental home factors difficult for making a living, but social expectations were for women to be both sole bread-winner for the household, and mother. Some decided they did not want this life of double hardship (who can blame them!)

In 1933 immigration for male workers to Singapore was limited by law. But not for females. This was the Samsui women's opportunity - they took vows never to marry, and headed to Singapore to work and live independent lives. They traditionally rejected jobs relating to drugs or prostitution, even when probably in good need of the money such work offered. Samsui women instead undertook hard labour on rubber plantations and construction sites. Many sent money and regular letters (using letter-writers) home.

These ladies were famed for their dark-blue and red clothing and became known in Chinese as 'red bandana women' because of their headgear. Relatively little was known of their lives until recently: most could not read or write down their own stories, plus their insular lives as a group, speaking with a regional accent difficult for other Chinese to understand, meant that much of their history was lost.
Fortunately, some Samsui women are still alive in Singapore today - though in their very old age. And there has been some recent interest in them. In fact their hard-work and moral ethics have been held up for good example in modern Singapore.

There was even a well-received Singapore drama made about this group, which I hope to watch one day (hopefully not too schmaltzy!)

To a modern female, the Samsui women's toughness and resolution is admirable, and I can only imagine the stigma and hardships they went through back in those times. Equality is still not perfect today, but we certainly have come a long way!

Image courtesy of missingthepast.com