RENOWNED CANTONESE PERSONALITIES
The Samsui Woman
She came to Singapore in the early part of the 20th century in search
of construction and industrial jobs, and became a critical component of
Singapore’s development. Her hardiness and determination were second
to none, carrying rocks, digging holes and conducting other menial work
around the site. The strength she displayed belied her small physical
stature. Her moral steadfastness was also legendary; she would reject jobs
involving vice such as opium peddling and prostitution even though they
paid more. She lived with the other Samsui women in cramped shophouses
in Chinatown, living and eating simply until retirement. Most of them took
vows never to marry, relying on each other instead. Today, there are less
than a hundred of her sisters still in Singapore, with most of them being in
their 80s and 90s.
Eu Tong Sen (1877 – 1941)
The son of Eu Kong Pai and his first wife Madam Leung, Eu Tong Sen was a
businessman who led the traditional Chinese medicine giant, Eu Yan Sang,
during the pre-war years. He was handed the re