SAM SUI HERITAGE ROOM / 三水文物馆

Heritage Room Introduction

 The Sam Sui Heritage Room located on level 2 is dedicated to showcasing the history and culture of Sam Sui people in Singapore. Our goal is to preserve and educate future generations about the rich heritage of the Sam Sui community. Through our exhibits and interactive displays, visitors will explore the traditions, customs, and significant contributions of Sam Sui people in Singapore’s nation-building process.

三水文物馆位于大厦二楼,致力于展示新加坡三水人的历史和文化。文物馆的目标是保护和教育后代,传承三水人丰富的文化遗产。通过我们的展品和互动展示,参观者能够了解三水人在新加坡建设过程中的传统、风俗和重要贡献。

Sam Sui Origins

San Shui District, Guangdong Province, China / 中国广东三水区

Sam Sui immigrants in Singapore originated from the current San Shui District, which is located in the middle of Guangdong Province, in the northwest corner of the Pearl River Delta. It is adjacent to Qingyuan to the north, Hua County to the east, Si Hui to the west, and faces Gao Yao across the river to the southwest. In the southeast, it is connected to Nanhai District, and has a narrow and long terrain that extends from northwest to southeast. It is a semi-hilly area with a total area of over 840 square kilometers. It is 38 kilometers east of Guangzhou and 240 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong. It is named San Shui because the West, North, and Sui Rivers converge in the town of Hekou within the district.

San Shui District was formerly known as San Shui County, which was established in the fifth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1526). It was a part of Nanhai County in the Qin Dynasty, and was divided between Panyu and Si Hui counties during the Western Han Dynasty until the Eastern Jin Dynasty. From the Sui Dynasty to the establishment of the county, it was under the jurisdiction of Nanhaidao County of Guangzhou Prefecture and Gao Yao County of Zhaoqing Prefecture. When the county was established, the county seat was located on Longfenggang in Baita Village (now a village within the Hekou District). San Shui was assimilated to the Guangzhou Prefecture during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and then to Guangdong-Hainan Dao after the Xinhai Revolution. After the dissolution of the Guangdong-Hainan Dao in 1920, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong province. In 1950, it was fell the jurisdiction of the Pearl River Commissioner’s Office, and in 1952, it moved to the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Central Administrative Commissioner’s Office.

In 1956, it was under the jurisdiction of the Foshan Commissioner’s Office (and was temporarily merged into Nanhai County from December 1958 to July 1959), and in 1975, it was under the jurisdiction of the Foshan Regional Administrative Commissioner’s Office. Since 1983, San Shui district has been under the jurisdiction of Foshan City. The district is rich in resources, with abundant mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, oil shale, coal, pyrite, limestone, gypsum, light wood, black and white porcelain clay, and pottery clay, which provide material resources for industrial development.

San Shui district has convenient water and land transportation, with the Guangzhou-Sanmao Line and Sanmao Line railways passing through it. The roads are well connected, and cars can reach rural areas. River transportation is frequent, with passenger and cargo ships heading upstream to Zhaoqing, Si Hui, Qingyuan, Shaoguan, and Wuzhou, and downstream to Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Hong Kong, and Macau, with direct port access to Hong Kong and Macau.

三水区位于中国广东省中部, 珠江三角洲西北角, 北接清远, 东邻花县, 西与四会交界, 西南与高要隔江相望, 东南方与南海区相連, 地形狭长. 地势 由西北向东南, 是个半丘陵地区, 全区面积八百四十多平方公里. 东距广州 三十八公里, 东南离香港二百四十公里. 因西、北、绥三江在区内河口镇汇 流, 而得三水之名.
三水区旧名三水县, 建县于明朝嘉靖五年(1526年), 秦时是南海郡属地, 西汉至东晉时, 分属番禺, 四会两县.;自隋朝至建县前, 则归广州府南海县 和肇庆府高要县; 建县时, 县城设在白塔村的龙凤岗(现河口区城内村) 。 明、清两代属广州府. 辛亥革命后属粵海道. 1920废道后直属于省. 1950年属 珠江专员公署, 1952年属粤中行政公署. 1956年属佛山专员公署(1958年12月 至1959年7月曾并入南海县), 1975年属佛山地区行政公署, 1983年至今属佛山 市。
区內资源丰富, 矿产较多, 有石油, 天然气, 油母页岩, 煤, 硫铁, 石灰 石, 石膏, 轻木, 黑白瓷土, 陶土等. 为工业发展提供了物质资源。
全区水陆交通方便, 铁路有广三线和三茂线. 公路四通八达。区内乡村可 通汽车, 内河运输频繁, 客货轮上游通肇庆、四会、清远、韶关和梧州等地, 下游直达广州、佛山、 江门、 中山、 香港、 澳门, 有直通港澳的口岸码 头。

Sam Sui Descendants in Singapore / 三水乡亲在新加坡

Life and Occupation / 生活与行业

In 1841, most Chinese immigrants in Singapore were from Fujian and Chaozhou, with some coming from Guangdong and even fewer from Sam Sui. The main period of immigration from Sam Sui happened mostly in the 1920s and 1930s. Due to the great flood in 1915, Sam Sui County, located at the confluence of the Beijiang, Suijiang and Xijiang rivers, was particularly severely affected, with houses and farmland submerged, and many casualties. In order to rebuild their homes and make a living, people left for Singapore.

公元1841年时,新加坡华人以福建和潮州人居多,很多福建人是由马六甲南下经商,广府人为数不多,三水人更为有限。三水人到新加坡谋生的,应该以廿世纪二、三十年代为最多,因1915年之大水灾,三水县位於北江,绥江和西江汇流之处,灾情特别严峻,房舍农田,均为洪水淹没,成为一片汪洋泽地,人畜伤亡惨重,人民为了生活和重建家园,只有离乡别井,飘洋过海,到新加坡寻找生計。

Most Sam Sui people who came to Singapore to make a living had little education and lacked specialized skills. Therefore, most did manual labor, with women working in factories collecting rosin, cutting rubber sheets, and working at construction sites carrying bricks and cement (known as “Sam Sui Women”). Men mostly worked as machinists or assembled sanitary water pipes.

南来新加坡谋生的三水人,大都是受教育不多,又欠缺专门技艺,所以到新加坡后,大多数投入劳动行列,女性多到工厂捡松香,剪胶片,和到建筑工地从事挑砖,担水泥的工作(红头巾);男性则以做机械和装配卫生水喉者居多。

Due to the lack of information, there were no records of the early life and work of Sam Sui people in Singapore. However, before and after World War II, Sam Sui people were observed to be holding stable jobs and had savings. Some gradually developed careers in various industries, achieving some success. Many of those in the machinery industry opened their own factories, such as Mr Lu Bolin’s Shunan Machinery Factory, Mr Peng Weiqing’s Shunxing Machinery Factory, and Mr Peng Daqing’s management of Shunxing later became more prominent, and he actively participated in community activities and served the public, earning the honorific title of Justice of Peace bestowed by the President of Singapore. In the Lavender area of Jalan Besar, there were machine factories opened by many businessmen of Sam Sui origins. 

新加坡三水人早期的生活和工作情况,因欠缺资料,无从述说;在二战前后,三水人在本地生活了一段时期,工作稳定,有了些儲蓄,就逐渐向各行业发展,而且亦有所成就。很多从事机器业的,都开设了机械厂;如鲁保林的顺安机械厂,和彭维清的顺兴机械厂,顺兴后来由彭维请之子彭大庆管理,业务更具规模,彭大庆更积极参与社区活动,服务大众,荣获我国总统封赐太平局绅荣銜。在小坡十字路(劳明拉街)一帶开设机械厂的三水人也很多。

There were many Sam Sui businessmen operating in the Tanjong Pagar area during the post-World War 2 period, which varied from transportation, flowers, provisions, funeral services, and tailoring, to various food & beverage set-ups.  

二战后期,丹戎巴葛地区有很多三水商人经营各种业务,包括交通运输、花卉、生活用品、殡仪服务、裁缝以及各种餐饮服务。

从事洋服业者为数亦不少,岑誉照在水仙门的天天洋服和叶新强的全新洋服,均以製作西装大衣为主。业有祥益栈(陆文权父親創设) 。纸盒店有叶燊才的叶维新纸盒,余景森纸盒和余耀成的新加坡纸盒。钱宝泉兄弟在小坡大马路经营烧腊店。黃信滿于二战前,就在小坡陈桂兰街开设了大新酒楼,兼营早点饱饺点心;其哲嗣黄永权接管大新酒楼后,更在东海岸路购地兴建大新海鲜园,为饕客晚间之好去处;海鲜园地段现已改建为公寓;全记和大坡的新纪元酒楼乃黄国全所经营。六十年代後,有冼良酒家,华记饭店。

Mr Sin Leong is a famous chef in Singapore, one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” of Cantonese cuisine. In addition to running the Sin Leong Culinary Institute and Sin Leong Restaurant on Upper Serangoon Road and Marine Parade, he collaborated with partners to open Red Star Restaurant. Mr Sin Leong won many culinary awards both domestically and internationally. In the photography industry, there are the Art Light (Tang Guoxiang) Studio on Guanghe Yuan Street, the Shuangxi Studio and the Luxury Studio owned by Mr Mai Haoxing. Mr Cai Fuli, Mr Cai Guangcai and his son provided cleaning services for offices and business premises, while Mr Cai Derong ran a men’s clothing fabric business. Finally, Mr Li Naishang sells clothing materials such as needles, zippers, and buttons at Chinatown.

冼良是新加坡名厨師,为粤菜四大天王之一,除办有冼良烹饪学院,开设冼良酒家于实龙岗上路和马林百列,更与友好合营红星酒家;冼良曾获得国内外多项厨艺殊荣。摄影业有广合源街的艺光(唐国祥)影室,麦浩兴的双喜影室和豪华影室;,蔡福流,蔡广财父子,都是承包办公室和商务处清洁服务,蔡德荣经营男装布料,黎乃裳在珍珠市场售卖针线、拉鍊、纽扣等等服装用料。

There are also many Sam Sui businessmen in the shoe industry. Mr Lu Xiangcheng customized leather shoes for people with foot defects. Mr Qian Fen specialized in making machine-made wooden models. Mr Lu Xianchang’s Yichang Plastic Products Private Limited belonged to Singapore’s emerging industry and his factory in the Kallang Basin was inaugurated by Minister Lim Kim San. Its Mingci tableware is popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and China. Mr Qian Shaoping ran a wholesale business for imported goods. Mr Guo Zhaoqi opened a Western-style tableware shop on Tanjong Pagar Road. Mr Liu Fengzhen was originally an art designer in an advertising company and later worked in the insurance industry. He became the regional manager of AIA Insurance Company after only six years in the industry. Despite his busy work, he still found time to volunteer. Few Sam Sui men work in the construction industry, but Mr. Ye Haoming and his friends jointly operated He Fa Construction Engineering Private Limited and Ye and Wu Private Limited.
These are some of the jobs and careers of Sam Sui people in the 1960s and 1970s. Due to social and economic development, as well as the impact of urban redevelopment plans, many of them closed their businesses. The new generation of Sam Sui origins received a good education, and many became professionals in their respective fields, such as finance, medicine, law, accounting, and education.

三水人做鞋业的也不少,陆项成在密驼的伊士顿驳脚,专为足下有缺陷的人士定製皮鞋;钱芬则专长於製造机噐木样;陆显昌的义昌塑胶製品私人有限公司属於新加坡新兴工业,其在加冷盆地的工厂,由林金山部长主持开幕礼;所出品之铭瓷餐具,暢销新马,工厂业务发展至马来西亚及中国。钱少屏经营洋杂批发生意。郭兆琦在丹戎百加路开碗碟洋杂店。刘凤珍原是广告公司美术员,後从事保险业,为人勤奋,乐于助人,入行六年,即成为AIA保险公司区域经理,在繁忙工作中,仍抽出宝贵时间去当义工。三水人男性从事建筑行业者甚少,叶浩明与友人合资经营和发建筑工程私人有限公司,和叶及巫私人有限公司,可算是凤毛麟角了。
上述都是廿世纪六、七十年代部份三水人的工作和事业,由於社会和经济的发展,加上市区重建计划的影响,老一輩的退休,很多都已停业。新一代的三水人,都接受过良好的教育,所从事的职业已向多方面发展,受过高深教育者,多从事如金融,医学,法律,会计和教育等专业事务。

Sam Sui Women / 红头巾

Sam Sui women are a group of Cantonese-speaking women who migrated to Singapore for work from the Sam Sui area of China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In those days, they were identified by their trademark red headgear. These women were known for their resilience and hard work, as they often worked long hours in the harsh conditions of Singapore’s early industrialization period. Despite facing discrimination and marginalization, Sam Sui women made significant contributions to Singapore’s economy and society, particularly in the construction industry during the mass building of high-rise buildings.

”红头巾“ 是一群来自中国广东三水地区的女性,于19世纪末和20世纪初移民到新加坡工作。那时候,她们以标志性的红色头巾为特征。这些女性以其坚韧和努力工作而闻名,因为她们经常在新加坡早期工业化时期的恶劣条件下工作长时间。尽管面临歧视和边缘化,红头巾在新加坡的经济和社会方面做出了重要贡献,特别是在高层建筑的大规模建设中的建筑业。