Apr–Jun 2024

Director's Note

Memory. History. Art: Yip Yew Chong’s “I Paint my Singapore”
Yip Yew Chong’s 60-metre-long work, “I Paint my Singapore”, mixes memories and research to produce stories about Singapore. Jimmy Yap. (PDF)

Singapore’s Hippie Hysteria and the Ban on Long Hair
Hippie culture was seen as a risk to Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s. To reduce its influence, the government began a campaign against men with long hair. Andrea Kee. (PDF)

American Troops. Singapore Bands. The Vietnam War
Lured by the prospects of money and adventure, local performers braved the dangers of the Vietnam War to provide entertainment to American troops. Boon Lai. (PDF)

A Quick History of the Singapore Speedway
The history of the Singapore Speedway was as fast and furious as the races it hosted. Yap Jo Lin. (PDF)

Photo Studios and Photography During the Japanese Occupation
During the Japanese Occupation, local photographers worked under challenging conditions. Zhuang Wubin. (PDF)

A Plethora of Tongues: Multilingualism in Malayan Writing
From the melting pot of cultures and languages in postwar Singapore came the search for a Malayan identity, negotiated and presented through multilingualism. Lee Tong King. (PDF)

Joseph Conrad’s Singapore
Joseph Conrad’s visits to Singapore in the late 19th century are immortalised in some of his novels, such as Lord Jim, The End of the Tether and The Shadow-Line. Ian Burnet. (PDF)

By the Public and for the Public: Contemporary Collecting at the National Library
Singapore’s National Library is collecting new forms of documentary materials today for the sake of future generations. Janice Loo and Lee Meiyu. (PDF)

Conquering the World’s Tallest Mountain
David Lim led the first Singapore team to successfully summit Mount Everest in 1998. This is an excerpt from his book, Mountain to Climb. David Lim. (PDF)

One Hundred Years of Martial Arts: A History of the Singapore Chin Woo (Athletic) Association
One of Singapore’s oldest martial arts associations donated its unique collection of photographs and materials to the National Library, Singapore. Seow Peck Ngiam. (PDF)

New Books on Singapore History
New books available in the National Library’s collection. (PDF)