From Chettiars To Financiers sculpture

Public Art: From Chettiars To Financiers sculpture

Sculptor: © Chern Lian Shan

Description: The bronze sculpture is a memorial to the early financial services that operated along the river. They were mainly run by the Chettiar from South India. The group features a man with a long ponytail holding an abacus trading with a seated Indian man with his ledger opened on a small table. A businesswoman in a modern suit has her arm raised as though included in the bidding.

Date Unveiled: 2002

Location: The Chettiars to Financiers group can be found along the Singapore River, near the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore.

Inscription:

From Chettiars To Financiers

Chern Lian Shan
Sculptor

Singapore’s position as a centre for entrepot trade led to the proliferation of financial institutions. The settlement’s first bank was the Union Bank of Calcutta established in 1846. Financial businesses set up their offices near the Singapore River to be close to the area’s many trading houses.

Early services were always along ethnic lines. The moneylending in the early days was primarily run by the Chettiars who came from South India. The Chettiars congregated at Market and Chulia Streets, and their offices were easy to spot. These usually comprised a clerk and a manager who sat behind a small low desk on a woven mat, as shown here. Clearinghouses were the domain of the Chinese. Capitalising on abundant trade between Singapore and China, these companies thrived. Clerks, like this standing pig-tailed man, were a common sight as they bustled to and from offices in Commercial Square (Raffles Place).

Today major local and multinational financial institutions provided a wealth of sophisticated financial services. On the trading floor of the Singapore Exchange almost every day, are hundreds of traders, whose distinctive jackets have become the symbol of economic growth. The tableau’s lady trader hails the knowledge-driven future, symbolised by the Millennium figure who leads the way to the Asian Civilisations Museum.

A community project proudly sponsored by
ExxonMobil

in collaboration with
Singapore Tourism Board
National Heritage Board
Singapore Land Authority

People Of The River sculpture series: This is one of 4 sculptures in the People Of The River sculpture series commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board. The other three are – The River Merchants, A Great Emporium and First Generation.