A Great Emporium sculpture
Public Art: A Great Emporium sculpture
Sculptor: © Malcolm Koh
Description: This bronze group depicts an early European trader negotiating with the Chinese and Indian coolies. In the early 1800s trade included spices, silk and cotton. This later shifted to rubber and tin. The Chinese coolies are the figures with the pigtails (queues) and the Indian with the turban. The group depicts what it would have been like along the river during the 1800s. The European trader sitting relaxed on bags of spices, trading with his fingers. A Chinese trader, known as a towkay, squats on his sack of produce, with an abacus in hand. An Indian and Chinese coolie weigh a bag. The European looks very much the odd man out, wearing a safari suit, long socks and shoes. The other men are all barefooted.
Date Unveiled: 2002
Location: A Great Emporium sculpture is located along Singapore River, in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
Inscription:
A Great Emporium
Malcolm Koh
Sculptor
Sir Stamford Raffles wrote in 1819, ‘Our object is not territory but trade; a great commercial emporium.’ At the heart of the settlement’s trade was the Singapore River. Lighter craft crowded the banks of the River along Boat Quay, and merchants had offices and godowns either here or at Commercial Square (Raffles Place). early trade was in the cotton, species and other exotic commodities; in the 19th century, this shifted to rubber, tin, and copra. European traders, like those here, profited from Singapore’s trade but it was the Chinese traders, like the towkay holding an abacus, who generated the most wealth.
Providing much-needed labour to the trading industry were Chinese and Indian coolies. Chinese coolies came from the southeastern provinces of China, while Indian coolies hailed from South India. The Chinese coolie and towkay in the sculpture are identified by their queue, or pigtail, which the Qing authorities required all Chinese men to wear. When the Qing dynasty ended in 1912, queues were done away with. The Indian coolie wears the customary turban. Life as a coolie was difficult. Coolies lived in cramped and squalid conditions, often with no proper ventilation or ?. Many a coolie ended his days in Singapore, alone and penniless, plying the trading boats that crowded the Singapore River.
Growing hand-in-hand with trade was the finance industry. The sculpture to the right encapsulates the dramatic changes that the finance industry has undergone: from traditional moneylenders to today’s stock market dealers.
A Community Project Proudly Sponsored by
ExxonMobil
in collaboration with
Singapore Tourism Board
National Heritage Board
Singapore Land Authority
Background to the A Great Emporium: In the early years of Singapore trade the Singapore river played an important role. In fact, it was the heart of the trade district. Boats crowded the shores of the river selling exotic products such as spices, silk and cotton. Among the traders were the Chinese and Indian Coolies. The Chinese coolies came from the southern provinces of China and the Indian coolies came from the southern regions of India. The Chinese coolies wore pigtails known as queues. The Qing dynasty demanded that all Chinese men wore them.
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, From Chettiars to Financiers and First Generation.