A KING'S CHINESE : A STUDY OF SONG ONG SIANG

Abstract

The King’s Chinese were Straits-born Chinese who were proud of being British subjects and were noted for their loyalty to the British Empire. Although they constituted only a small portion of the Chinese population in Singapore, they contributed tremendously to the political, economic and social progress of the Colony. This Academic Exercise focuses on the career and contribution of Song Ong Siang (later sir Ong Sian Song), a prominent Straits Chinese leader in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. One of the main difficulties faced by the writer was the lack of documents which were lost during the Second World War. These included Song’s private papers, records and files of the Straits Chinese British Association and the Prinsep Street Church in Singapore. Some other documents were also misplaced in the National Library. The writer had also to contend with the difficulties of oral history. The writer wishes to thank the following persons for their invaluable assistance:- Messrs. C.A. Koh, C. J. Koh, Song Kok Hoo, Tan Kek Kiam, Anthony Teo (the current Honorary Secretary of the Straits Chinese British Association), Rahim Kassim (who translated the Bintang Timor), Madam Elsie Kiong (who gave the writer various photographs of Song) and Mrs Mabel Williams. Last but not least, the writer acknowledges her deepest gratitude to Dr. Ernest Chow for the supervision of this Exercise.