SG100 - Goh Beng Seng

You are all very lucky

"When the Japanese came, I decided to become my own boss. I had two other partners, but they have both passed away.

When I was young, only when you work, then can you get to eat.  If you don’t work you have nothing to eat. Young people of this era do not have much worries, you are all very lucky. 

In China, you can work and earn for half a year and then enjoy the other half of the year. I wanted to grow old in China. Here, even when you are old, you have to keep working until you die. Money runs out fast in Singapore. 

I prefer taking the ship to travel to China. The aeroplane is fast…a ship takes five weeks, but there were more things to see.

The money I’ve earned, I sent some to China to build a temple…to repay Ma Zu for giving me safe passage to Singapore. I donated money for a school so village children can study, because I did not have the opportunity to go to school. 

I want to open a shop. At home, everyday sit down, nothing to do." 

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Mr Goh Beng Seng was born in 1913 in Fujian, China. He travelled to Singapore at 21 to work for a relative. He sold joss sticks at Joo Chiat for three years, going back to China for an arranged marriage. He then returned to Singapore at 26 to raise a family with his wife. He got married to his second wife during the Japanese invasion so she would not be taken in as a “comfort woman”. She left him after the Japanese surrendered. After supplying and trading joss sticks for over 60 years, Mr Goh retired in the 80s and handed his business over to his son. Raising children was the most important thing in Mr Goh’s life. He has six sons and three daughters. Throughout his entire career, Mr Goh had frequently donated money and visited China to help his relatives and villagers in Fujian, sometimes at the expense of his own family in Singapore. Leaving behind a legacy at his birthplace was of paramount importance to Mr Goh. 

Text by Adlina Maulod.

Commissioned to take portraits of Singaporean centenarians by the Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) for their recent conference titled 'Are Centenarians the Realisation of Successful Ageing: Insights from a Global Study'.

These portraits also feature as an exhibition together with the conference titled 'SG100: A Celebration of Our Centenarians'.

SG100 - Tan Swan Eng

You live better when you work for yourself

"Last time nothing to do, not enough to eat. Must find work to do. 

You can’t be happy working for others. It’s not good to work for other people. You live better when you work for yourself. Work from home, you earn a little bit but it is your own hard-earned money. 

My grandchildren sayang me. They take care of me so I don’t suffer but I prefer to work, earn my own money, so I don’t have to depend on my family. 

I still want to work. Never mind if I become a cleaner. If I don’t work there is no money.

Thinking about my husband, children and grandchildren makes me happy. I am also happy when the government gives me money. 

I’m 98…I don't remember. You’re asking what it’s like to be this old? No good. I am too old.. Don’t live until such an old age. The brain does not work well anymore.

Thank you…thank you…thank you for coming and talking."

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Madam Tan Swan Eng was born in Hainan, China in 1914. In the 1950s, together with her son, she joined her husband, a chicken rice seller, in Singapore. They had enough money for one child and had to leave their elder daughter behind. Madam Tan enjoyed keeping herself busy by working-from-home.. After retiring as a British amah, she made Chinese knot buttons, sewed, went door-to-door selling roti, and packed items for Singapore Airlines. After a bad fall, Madam Tan was certified bedridden, but she proved doctors wrong when she started walking again. She relaxes by listening to Hainanese opera using the cassette radio she purchased during her last visit to China in 2012. 

Text by Adlina Maulod.

Commissioned to take portraits of Singaporean centenarians by the Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) for their recent conference titled 'Are Centenarians the Realisation of Successful Ageing: Insights from a Global Study'.

These portraits also feature as an exhibition together with the conference titled 'SG100: A Celebration of Our Centenarians'. A great honour and deeply humbled by this experience. Big thanks to the CARE team.  

Sonny Chan - Singapore Architect

Photographed architect Sonny Chan for Singapore Architect in 2014. He was awarded the prestigious President*s Design Award in 2011.

Read more about his work here.

SG100 - Bulkis Yahya

Make good of the time you have

"I started cooking at a very young age. I had no choice. We were a family of many daughters. Every daughter took turns cooking for the family during the week. That’s how I became a good cook.

I made a lot of friends from the “club” (Young Muslim Women’s Association). We learned how to sew and do floral arrangements. What else could a young girl do at that time?

If someone asks for my age, I will say I am 200 or more. My answer is a prayer. If I give a higher number, Allah will bless me with longevity. Why lie about being younger? Why must we be afraid about being old? Do not fear!”

Always remember God. Don’t be easily influenced by others. Don’t wish ill upon others. Be kind. Follow your own path. Sit at home, cook…sew…use your hands! Make good of the time you have."

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Madam Bulkis Yahya was born in Singapore in 1915. She grew up in a Jewish neighborhood around Wilkie Road. Her best friend, Sophie, taught her some recipes for baking and cooking. She married at 21, and the couple toured around Singapore, as newlyweds, for their “honeymoon”. Madam Bulkis’s lifelong passion is sewing. She taught her granddaughters to sew during their school holidays. She was 95 when she made her last item—a knitted hat (as shown in the photograph). Family members describe Madam Bulkis as a highly creative person who was always doing something because she has trouble “keeping still”. These days, Madam Bulkis enjoys sitting in her chair, reciting verses from the Quran and people watching out of her window.  

Text by Adlina Maulod.

Commissioned to take portraits of Singaporean centenarians by the Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) for their recent conference titled 'Are Centenarians the Realisation of Successful Ageing: Insights from a Global Study'.

These portraits also feature as an exhibition together with the conference titled 'SG100: A Celebration of Our Centenarians'. A great honour and deeply humbled by this experience. Big thanks to the CARE team.  

Tang Guan Bee – Singapore Architect

Photographed architect Tang Guan Bee for Singapore Architect in 2014. He was awarded the prestigious President*s Design Award in 2011.

This quote sums up his approach to his work: "“Go beyond what you see, and treat the world as a blank canvas. A vision has no form, be daring to explore the formless form.”

Read more about his illustrious career here.