BUSINESS, STATE AND SOCIETY: CHINESE BOOKSHOPS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Many Chinese bookshops in Singapore are currently nestled in Bras Basah Complex. As of 2014, the complex is being upgraded to revitalise its ageing facade in the hopes of attracting more customers. This facelift ironically belies a vibrant and highly dynamic history of Chinese bookshops on the island. Some of the earliest Chinese bookshops in Singapore arrived from China during the early years of the 20th century, existing as branches of their Chinese mainland headquarters. Since then, indigenous, Singapore-based Chinese bookshops sprung up. Not just engaging in commerce, these spaces linked Chinese culture from the mainland to the island. They also had a crucial role in Chinese education in colonial Singapore. However, post-war Singapore oversaw dramatic changes that affected the operations of Chinese bookshops. The changes in Chinese governance, alongside Singapore's march towards selfgovernance and decolonisation all had important implications for the industry. Bouncing back from such challenges, Chinese bookshops held their own, their numbers peaking during the years of merger till separation, only to falter with the gradual elimination of Chinese as a medium of instruction in schools in Singapore, a move complete in 1987. Many Chinese bookshops relocated to the Bras Basah Complex in 1980, a housing cum commercial complex, in an effort aided by the government to do so. Yet their earlier fortunes could not be replicated in an environment that differed so radically from their golden eras that occurred a mere two decades ago.