BiblioAsia Podcast
- Épisodes
- 56
- Parution
- hebdomadaire
- Dernier épisode
- 23 Oct 2026
À propos du podcast
The BiblioAsia Podcast explores Singapore stories: some unfamiliar, others forgotten, all fascinating. Does Singapore have a stone age? What’s happened to the murals at the old Paya Lebar airport? Who were some local tennis greats? Find out in this original podcast by the National Library Singapore.
Épisodes 56
The 160-Year-Old Tomb of Holy Man Habib Noh
Perched on a hill off Palmer Road, Maqam Habib Noh was reopened in January 2026 after 18 months of renovations. It is the resting place of Habib Noh, a revered Muslim holy man. In this episode, architectural …
Notes de l’épisode
Perched on a hill off Palmer Road, Maqam Habib Noh was reopened in January 2026 after 18 months of renovations. It is the resting place of Habib Noh, a revered Muslim holy man. In this episode, architectural historian Imran Tajudeen takes us through the history of Habib Noh and his mausoleum, from the fascinating multi-ethnic neighbourhood that once surrounded it, to its wartime history and recent restoration.
Dr Imran Tajudeen is a senior lecturer in the NUS Department of Malay Studies and Department of Architecture. He was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Aga Khan Program and the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden, and the Mutawa Visiting Fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He has published on Southeast Asia’s mosques in transregional and vernacular-Indic translations and is working on a monograph on this subject.
What Imran Talked About- 00:00 – Introduction
- 03:10 – Who Habib Noh was
- 05:44 – Places associated with Habib Noh: Kampung Sambau and Tanjong Malang
- 11:08 – Reverence for Habib Noh
- 13:51 – Hakka temple in Kampung Sambau
- 15:01 – Building of the mausoleum and the staircase
- 21:30 – The mosque at the base of the hill
- 24:59 – Stories of the site’s survival
- 25:50 – Habib Noh and Chinese opera
- 30:29 – Kelong at Tanjong Malang
- 35:22 – Kampung Sambau’s foreshore case
- 37:50 – The mausoleum’s recent renovation
- 40:21 – Visiting the shrine
- 43:47 – The forthcoming book on Habib Noh
- 46:10 – Resources in the National Library and National Archives of Singapore
- 47:20 – New findings on the history of Masjid Sultan
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-160-year-old-tomb-of-holy-man-habib-noh
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Red Ink Media. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Imran for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library of Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
A Woman's Mission to Revive Traditional Chinese Candy
After quitting her civil service job to become a pastry chef, Yeo Min decided to focus on preserving traditional Chinese candy when she realised the tradition was dying, even in the syllabus of the pastry …
Notes de l’épisode
After quitting her civil service job to become a pastry chef, Yeo Min decided to focus on preserving traditional Chinese candy when she realised the tradition was dying, even in the syllabus of the pastry school . In this episode, she talks about her journey to making traditional Chinese candy, writing the book Chinese Pastry School and founding the Museum of Food.
Yeo Min is a pastry chef, a chef instructor and the author of Chinese Pastry School (2024). In 2021, she was a finalist of the Channel 8 baking competition “Crème De La Crème” and came in second at the World Gourmet Summit Apprentice Chef Competition 2021. She is the co-founder of Museum of Food.
What Yeo Min Talked About- 02:33 – Why Yeo Min is passionate about preserving traditional Chinese candy
- 03:40 – Childhood influence
- 03:47 – The three candies representing past, present and future
- 06:58 – Vanishing street candy
- 11:08 – Ding ding tang and the future of traditional candy
- 15:07 – Homemade vs store-bought maltose
- 16:57 – Childhood memories of traditional candy
- 18:44 – Traditional Chinese candy versus Western confectionery
- 22:02 – Sugar sculptures in Chinese culture
- 25:06 – Why Yeo Min wrote Chinese Pastry School
- 42:10 – The Museum of Food and its mission
- 50:51 – Yeo Min’s next book
- 53:47 – Food heritage
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-a-woman-s-mission-to-revive-traditional-chinese-candy
- Watch Yeo Min make traditional Chinese candy: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-traditional-chinese-candy
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Yeo Min for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
Cooking Fish Head Curry
Fish head curry is a popular (and expensive) restaurant dish today, but this wasn’t always the case. Spice queen Devagi Sanmugam remembers when only poor people ate it. She delves into how the dish came about …
Notes de l’épisode
Fish head curry is a popular (and expensive) restaurant dish today, but this wasn’t always the case. Spice queen Devagi Sanmugam remembers when only poor people ate it. She delves into how the dish came about, spells out why fish head curry uses different spices from meat curries, and explains how a clay pot makes all the difference.
Devagi Sanmugam, also known as the Spice Queen in Singapore, is a consultant chef, chef educator and author of 24 cookbooks, including Indian Heritage Cooking (2011) and the award-winning I Am a Rice Cooker! (2016). Besides developing recipes and blends for spice companies, she has been a celebrity chef at events and a judge for culinary competitions, such as the locally produced Tamil version of the Master Chef cooking series and Channel 5’s cooking variety show Wok Stars.
What Devagi Talked About- 02:00 – Why Devagi chose to demonstrate fish head curry in From Book to Cook
- 03:13 – The origins of fish head curry in Singapore
- 05:30 – How fish head curry became a multiracial dish in Singapore
- 05:34 – Differences between Malay, Peranakan and Indian fish head curries
- 07:11 – Why fish curry uses different spices from meat curry
- 09:30 – Fish head curry across Asia
- 11:13 – Eating fish eyeballs
- 12:21 – Why fish curry is cooked in a clay pot
- 15:09 – The key ingredients in fish curry
- 17:06 – Devagi’s journey into cooking and teaching
- 32:33 – Devagi’s future plans
- 38:40 – Spices are…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-cooking-fish-head-curry
- Watch Devagi make fish head curry: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-fish-head-curry
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Devagi for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
Long Live Hokkien Mee
A hawker centre favourite, Hokkien mee is making a comeback in Singapore, according to Dr Leslie Tay, author of the blog ieatishootipost. He talks about the dish was created, what it takes to make a good plate …
Notes de l’épisode
A hawker centre favourite, Hokkien mee is making a comeback in Singapore, according to Dr Leslie Tay, author of the blog ieatishootipost. He talks about the dish was created, what it takes to make a good plate of Hokkien mee, and what is needed to ensure that hawker food continues to thrive in Singapore.
Leslie Tay and his wife, Lisa, are the people behind the blog ieatishootipost. Together, they cover the latest on the best hawker food, new discoveries, restaurants and recipes in Singapore and during their travels. As a home chef, Leslie enjoys re-creating his favourite hawker and classic dishes on their YouTube channel, coming up with recipes that are tried and tested and are suitable for home cooks. He has written The End of Char Kway Teow and Other Hawker Mysteries (2010) and Only the Best! (2014).
What Leslie Talked About- 02:42 – The origins of Hokkien mee
- 08:52 – Why frying time matters in Hokkien mee
- 10:46 – The dry and wet styles of Hokkien mee
- 15:24 – Why young hawkers are selling Hokkien mee but not char kway teow
- 18:31 – The return of pork lard
- 20:25 – Key ingredients for Hokkien mee
- 24:04 – Why Hokkien mee is served on opeh leaf
- 28:49 – Leslie’s motivations for starting his food blog
- 38:30 – Turning hawker knowledge into written recipes
- 40:49 – Leslie’s recommendation on Hokkien mee
- 42:20 – The future of hawker culture in Singapore
- 46:54 – Leslie’s favourite hawker dish
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-long-live-hokkien-mee
- Watch Leslie cook Hokkien mee: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-hokkien-mee
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Leslie for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
Serikaya: Family of Kaya-based Confections
What is commonly referred to as "kaya" belongs to a wider Malay repertoire of egg-based coconut confections known as serikaya. Award-winning writer and food historian Khir Johari tells the origins and meaning …
Notes de l’épisode
What is commonly referred to as "kaya" belongs to a wider Malay repertoire of egg-based coconut confections known as serikaya. Award-winning writer and food historian Khir Johari tells the origins and meaning of serikaya, its common misconceptions and the different food he can concoct from the classic combination of eggs, sugar and coconut milk.
Khir Johari is an educator and food historian. In his book The Food of Singapore Malays (2021), he explores the gastronomy and cultural history of Singapore Malays. The book won Singapore’s Book of the Year 2022, Gourmand World Food Culture Award’s Best of the Best Book 2023, and its prestigious Best of the Last 25 Years. Following the success of his book, he founded “Dialogues by Khir Johari”, a platform for exploring Nusantara’s gastronomy through events and online discussions.
What Khir Talked About- 02:40 – Meaning of serikaya
- 04:05 – Origins of serikaya and the Portuguese connection
- 11:44 – Misconceptions about serikaya
- 13:07 – Earliest literary references to serikaya
- 15:39 – Importance of historical research in food studies
- 19:13 – How common serikaya was in the past
- 21:25 – Regional variations of serikaya
- 24:55 – Different serikaya dishes in the “From Book to Cook” video
- 27:33 – Kueh salat vs kueh putri salat
- 29:23 – Agar-agar serikaya innovation
- 31:24 – Evolution of serikaya over time
- 35:15 – Early commercial kaya and tin labels
- 40:02 – What makes a good kaya
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-serikaya-family-of-kaya-based-confections
- Watch Khir make serikaya: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-kaya
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Khir for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
A Layered Stewed Sweetness: Jackfruit Payasam Made Local
Cookbook author and former restaurateur Dhershini Winodan tells us how she has adapted jackfruit payasam, a common Malayalee dessert, by using local elements like gula melaka. She also talks about growing up in …
Notes de l’épisode
Cookbook author and former restaurateur Dhershini Winodan tells us how she has adapted jackfruit payasam, a common Malayalee dessert, by using local elements like gula melaka. She also talks about growing up in the Telecoms quarters in Yio Chu Kang and how the Malayalee community in Singapore has changed over time.
Dhershini Govin Winodan is a former restaurateur who started Chat Masala along Upper East Coast Road. Her latest book, My Long Table: Recipes & Memories (2023), contains over 130 recipes from Indian classics to popular international dishes, and the stories behind them. She has written articles for magazines like Her World, and appeared on radio and TV shows, including the episode “Indian Upma with a Twist” on the YouTube series Woking with Sunshine.
What Dhershini Talked About- 02:41 – Why jackfruit payasam is unusual
- 03:20 – What is payasam made of
- 04:12 – Using coconut milk in payasam
- 04:27 –Jackfruit payasam in Kerala
- 08:38 – Malayali cuisine in Singapore vs Kerala
- 09:19 – Malayali weddings in Singapore
- 12:08 – Malayali festivals beyond Onam
- 15:24 – Managing jackfruit
- 19:27 – The legend of payasam and Lord Krishna
- 21:32 – Types of jackfruit for cooking
- 22:21 – How using the bronze urli pot makes a difference
- 24:03 – Ingredients that make her jackfruit payasam special
- 27:14 – How Dhershini learnt to cook
- 29:02 – Why she came up with the name for her restaurant Chat Masala
- 31:40 – About her book My Long Table
- 36:53 – How Malayali food is different from other Indian regional cuisines
- 38:26 – What Malayali food means to Dhershini
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-a-layered-stewed-sweetness-jackfruit-payasam-made-local
- Watch Dhershini make jackfruit payasam: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-jackfruit-payasam
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Dhershini for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
The Crisped, the Baked, the Spiralled: Curry Puffs and Their History
Award-winning writer Christopher Tan talks how the Indian samosa led to the curry puffs we know today, as well as the different types of curry puffs – baked, spiralled, made with mutton fat and fillings like …
Notes de l’épisode
Award-winning writer Christopher Tan talks how the Indian samosa led to the curry puffs we know today, as well as the different types of curry puffs – baked, spiralled, made with mutton fat and fillings like otak-otak and taro.
Christopher Tan is a food writer, culinary instructor and photographer. His articles, columns, recipes and photographs have appeared in many publications, including Singapore’s Sunday Times and Straits Times, The Peak magazine, and America’s Saveur magazine. He has authored and co-authored many cookbooks, most recently Nerdbaker 2: Tales from the Yeast Indies (2024).
What Christopher Talked About- 01:56 – What a curry puff is
- 02:24 – Types A, B, C curry puffs
- 05:35 – How Christopher became fascinated with curry puffs
- 12:06 – Curry puff vs samosa vs Cornish pasty
- 16:17 – Portuguese empanadas and Southeast Asian connections
- 21:46 – The earliest curry puff recipe in Singapore
- 29:10 – Why modern curry puffs rarely use pork
- 31:14 – The three curry puffs made for From Book to Cook
- 33:20 – Traditional fats used in layered pastry
- 40:39 – Why spiral curry puffs stay crispy
- 44:21 – Christopher’s research process for developing recipes
- 47:51 – How the curry puff scene has changed since the 1920s
- 53:58 – Curry puffs are…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-crisped-the-baked-the-spiralled-curry-puffs-and-their-history
- Watch Christopher make the curry puffs: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-curry-puffs
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Christopher for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
Putting Together a Family Recipe of Abacus Seeds
When chef, filmmaker and writer Sarah Huang Benjamin wanted to make Hakka abacus seeds for Chinese New Year, her relatives were of little help. The exact recipe was something the older generation had not passed …
Notes de l’épisode
When chef, filmmaker and writer Sarah Huang Benjamin wanted to make Hakka abacus seeds for Chinese New Year, her relatives were of little help. The exact recipe was something the older generation had not passed on. Armed with her childhood memories of helping to make the dish, Sarah spent hours doing research and conducting countless experiments before she came up with something she was happy with.
Sarah Huang Benjamin is a chef, content creator, filmmaker and writer. She won the inaugural Asian Food Channel’s “Food Hero” competition in 2014, and later hosted, wrote and produced multiple shows on the Asian Food Network. She creates videos for her YouTube channel, which has gathered over a million views.
What Sarah Talked About- 02:31 – What abacus seeds are
- 03:23 – Whether abacus seeds are only for Chinese New Year
- 03:46 – Why Sarah chose abacus seeds to demonstrate in the video for From Book to Cook
- 04:56 – Learning how to make the dish
- 09:27 – The difficulty of finding authentic abacus seed recipes
- 10:03 – Researching recipes through cookbooks and family knowledge
- 12:00 – Using fish sauce in her recipe
- 13:42 – The size and history of the Hakka community in Singapore
- 18:29 – Where to find abacus seeds in Singapore
- 19:32 – Why homemade abacus seeds taste different
- 21:21 – Sarah’s mixed Hakka and Peranakan heritage
- 22:53 – Plans for Sarah’s future cookbook
- 27:33 – What Sarah is working on now
- 30:58 – Family recipe is…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-putting-together-a-family-recipe-of-abacus-seeds
- Watch Sarah make abacus seeds: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-hakka-abacus-seeds
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Sarah for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
The Untold Negotiations Behind Singapore's Independence in 1965
For decades, the conventional wisdom was that Singapore was “kicked out” of Malaysia. However, newly released documents in Dr Goh Keng Swee's Albatross file reveal a more complex history. In this episode …
Notes de l’épisode
For decades, the conventional wisdom was that Singapore was “kicked out” of Malaysia. However, newly released documents in Dr Goh Keng Swee's Albatross file reveal a more complex history. In this episode, Janadas Devan, the coordinator for the Albatross File project, tells us more about the secret negotiations by Singapore’s leaders to separate from Malaysia, even as many of them still hoped to preserve a looser federation.
Janadas Devan is Senior Advisor (Government Communications) of Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Prime Minister’s Office, and Director of the Institute of Policy Studies. A former journalist, he was educated at the National University of Singapore and Cornell University in the United States.
What Janadas Talked About- 00:00 – Introduction to the Albatross File book and exhibition
- 04:41 – Why Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963
- 08:18 – Agreement between Lee Kuan Yew and Tunku to keep out of Malaysian politics
- 10:25 – UMNO’s performance in Singapore general elections 12:09 – PAP’s participation in Malaysia general elections and politics
- 15:05 – What Janadas remembers of the rallies in Malaysia
- 16:42 – Last straw that led to separation
- 24:46 – Goh Keng Swee’s proposal to separate
- 25:25 – Why Lee Kuan Yew was disliked by Malaysian politicians
- 28:54 – Why the British opposed a looser federation
- 31:02 – Why negotiations on separation were kept secret
- 31:50 – Opposition within Singapore leadership to the idea of looser federation
- 34:43 – Why the narrative of Singapore being “kicked out” of Malaysia was dominant
- 37:52 – What the Albatross file reveals about separation
- 41:47 – Importance of archives in other countries and Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs
- 43:00 – Whether a looser federation would have worked
- 44:13 – Whether Goh Keng Swee had a vision for independent Singapore
- 47:07 – How the book and exhibition came about
- 52:25 – Which document in the Albatross file surprised Janadas
- 57:03 – How to begin reading the book
- 57:45 – Possible second edition
- 1:00:47 – The books Janadas is working on
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-untold-negotiations-behind-singapore-s-independence-in-1965/
- Read the related BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-22-issue-1-apr-jun-2026-the-architect-of-separation/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Red Ink Media. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Janadas for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
A Tang Dynasty City in Singapore: Flying Swordsmen, Terracotta Warriors and Pagodas
A film studio and theme park in Jurong opened to grand fanfare in 1992. Named Tang Dynasty City, it was modelled after the ancient city of Chang’an. Despite its underground terracotta warriors and other …
Notes de l’épisode
A film studio and theme park in Jurong opened to grand fanfare in 1992. Named Tang Dynasty City, it was modelled after the ancient city of Chang’an. Despite its underground terracotta warriors and other attractions, it struggled to draw visitors, as Senior Librarian Lim Tin Seng tells us.
Lim Tin Seng is a senior librarian with the National Library Singapore. He is the co-editor of of Roots: Tracing Family Histories (2013), Harmony and Development: ASEAN-China Relations (2009) and China’s New Social Policy (2010). He writes regularly for BiblioAsia.
What Tin Seng Talked About- 00:00 – Introduction
- 02:09 – About Tang Dynasty City
- 03:54 – Who came up with the idea of Tang Dynasty City
- 05:25 – Why Chang’an was picked as the city to replicate
- 06:54 – The difficulty of getting construction materials
- 08:34 – Movies and shows shot at Tang Dynasty City
- 10:40 – Food options at Tang Dynasty City
- 12:38 – Popularity of the theme park
- 14:38 – Underground terracotta warriors
- 15:54 – How Tang Dynasty City tried to attract more visitors
- 19:10 – What Tin Seng enjoys about archival research
- 20:30 – Curiocity project, on story maps
- 23:03 – The research significance of Tin Seng’s favourite BiblioAsia article he has written
- 26:09 – How Tin Seng’s article on Sarong Island broke new ground
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-a-tang-dynasty-city-in-singapore-flying-swordsmen-terracotta-warriors-and-pagodas
- Read the article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-22-issue-2-jul-sep-2026-an-ancient-chinese-city-in-jurong-/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Red Ink Media. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Tin Seng for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
The Italian Merchant and Lexicographer Who Once Owned Pulau Bukom
Giovanni Gaggino came to Singapore around 1874 and lived here for more than 40 years. During that time, he set up a successful business providing supplies to vessels passing through Singapore, he wrote an …
Notes de l’épisode
Giovanni Gaggino came to Singapore around 1874 and lived here for more than 40 years. During that time, he set up a successful business providing supplies to vessels passing through Singapore, he wrote an Italian-Malay dictionary and once owned the Pulau Bukom. Writer Alex Foo tells us about the life of Gaggino and his legacy.
Formerly a literary arts librarian at the National Library Board, Alex Foo has written for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orientations and ArtsEquator. Singapore history.
What Alex Talked About- 02:32 – About Giovanni Gaggino
- 03:57 – Why Gaggino came to Singapore in 1874
- 04:48 – The small Italian community in 19th-century Singapore
- 05:39 – What a ship chandlery is
- 07:18 – Acquiring and Monetising Pulau Bukom
- 08:21 – Gaggino’s other business ventures across Asia
- 09:18 – Writing a dictionary for trade
- 14:13 – Gaggino’s death and unfulfilled legacy
- 17:17 – How the story of Gaggino was reconstructed
- 22:16 – Libraries are…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-italian-merchant-lexicographer-who-once-owned-pulau-bukom/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Alex for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
Changing Times: Time Zone Changes in Singapore since 1905
Singapore's time zone has been changed at least seven times since 1905, including during the Japanese Occupation when it was synchronised to Tokyo time. Arts librarian Kenneth Tay explains the historical …
Notes de l’épisode
Singapore's time zone has been changed at least seven times since 1905, including during the Japanese Occupation when it was synchronised to Tokyo time. Arts librarian Kenneth Tay explains the historical context for the time zone changes, the origins of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) system, and ways to measure time, including a rare atomic clock in a local laboratory.
Kenneth Tay is a librarian with the Arts and General Reference team at the National Library Singapore. He is interested in the histories of global systems such as the internet, logistics and time zones, and where Singapore figures in them.
What Kenneth Talked About- 03:02 – How Kenneth became interested in time zones
- 05:09 – Why Singapore changed its time zone in 1982
- 06:43 – Why Singapore followed Malaysia’s time change
- 08:13 – Singapore’s experiment with daylight saving time
- 11:35 – Public reaction to Tokyo time during Japanese occupation
- 14:05 – Re-colonising time after the war
- 15:02 – What the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is
- 23:42 – The time zone change in 1905
- 26:29 – Difference between UTC and GMT
- 31:39 – Atomic clocks in the world
- 35:23 – Whether time is arbitrary or political
- 38:51 – How research changed Kenneth’s notion of time
- 46:22 – Time history is…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-changing-times-time-zone-changes-in-singapore-since-1905/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Kenneth for coming on the show.
Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.
The First Local to Head the National Library: Hedwig Anuar
Hedwig Anuar was the first Malayan to head the National Library, a position she held for 23 years until 1988. She was also involved in the setting up the Singapore Book Council, National Archives of Singapore …
Notes de l’épisode
Hedwig Anuar was the first Malayan to head the National Library, a position she held for 23 years until 1988. She was also involved in the setting up the Singapore Book Council, National Archives of Singapore and Association of Women for Action and Research. Her daughter, Shirin Aroozoo, tells us about Anuar as a mother and a person, and about how her convictions about books, children's education and women empowerment were shaped by her upbringing and life events.
Shirin Aroozoo is the daughter of Hedwig Anuar, who was the director of the National Library from 1965 to 1988.
What Shirin Talked About- 02:40 – Growing up as the daughter of a public figure
- 03:17 – Early childhood memories of the National Library
- 04:57 – Hedwig Anuar’s family background and upbringing
- 10:33 – Early signs of activism at university
- 13:05 – Painful memories of the war
- 16:09 – Becoming a librarian by chance
- 19:57 – Championing children’s books and education
- 21:12 – A quiet, bookish childhood at home
- 25:25 – Travelling together
- 38:21 – Libraries are…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-first-local-to-head-the-national-library-hedwig-anuar/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Shirin for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
The Civil Servant in Charge of Clean and Green Singapore, Lee Ek Tieng
Lee Ek Tieng (1933–2025) was the civil servant who headed the clean-up of the Singapore River, had the foresight to modernise the sanitation system, and ensured water self-sufficiency for Singapore. Writer …
Notes de l’épisode
Lee Ek Tieng (1933–2025) was the civil servant who headed the clean-up of the Singapore River, had the foresight to modernise the sanitation system, and ensured water self-sufficiency for Singapore. Writer Samantha Boh tells us how he did it with his colleagues and earned their respect.
Samantha Boh is a journalist and an author who covers the environment and science. She has written extensively on scientific breakthroughs in biomedical science, robotics, water resources, recycling, and food wastage over more than a decade. She is a co-author of The Last Fools, The Price of Being Fair and Lee Ek Tieng: The Green General of Lee Kuan Yew.
What Samantha Talked About- 02:59 – About Lee Ek Tieng
- 07:16 – Lee Ek Tieng’s key achievements
- 12:31 – His personality and leadership style
- 19:07 – Conflict with Economic Development Board during industrial pollution control and backing from Lee Kuan Yew
- 24:01 – Building water self‑sufficiency
- 29:20 – How NEWater got its name
- 31:16 – What colleagues said about him
- 35:31 – His hobbies and DIY spirit
- 38:03 – Books by Nutgraf
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-civil-servant-in-charge-of-clean-and-green-singapore-lee-ek-tieng-samantha-boh/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Samantha for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
The Days Before Air Conditioning
Before air conditioning was introduced in Singapore in the 1920s, temperature control was a matter of architectural design. Environmental historian Fiona Williamson tells us how people kept themselves cool …
Notes de l’épisode
Before air conditioning was introduced in Singapore in the 1920s, temperature control was a matter of architectural design. Environmental historian Fiona Williamson tells us how people kept themselves cool before air conditioning arrived, why weather science was important to the colonial enterprise, and what environmental history can tell us about a city’s development.
Fiona Williamson is an environmental historian with a particular interest in the history of the climate, meteorology and extreme weather in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. She is professor of environmental history at the Singapore Management University.
What Fiona Talked About- 03:12 – How people kept cool before air conditioning
- 05:49 – When and how air conditioning was introduced to Singapore
- 07:53 – Who could afford early air conditioning
- 10:19 – European reactions to tropical heat
- 12:51 – Meteorology as a colonial science
- 15:31 – Observational stations and instruments
- 18:07 – Colonial attempts to manage water and flooding
- 23:15 – The MacRitchie Reservoir mistake
- 28:03 – Fiona’s book Imperial Weather
- 34:19 – Fiona's work with the International Commission for the History of Meteorology
- 36:52 – Climate history is…
- 38:02 – Whether climate change can be reversed
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-days-before-air-conditioning-fiona-williamson/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-4-jan-mar-2026-air-conditioning-in-singapore/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Fiona for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Searching for Family in the Shadows of War
Jan Beránek sets out to find out what happened to his granduncle, Silvestr Němec, who left his Czech village for Singapore in 1938 and died as a volunteer during WWII. He finds Silvestr’s story woven with that …
Notes de l’épisode
Jan Beránek sets out to find out what happened to his granduncle, Silvestr Němec, who left his Czech village for Singapore in 1938 and died as a volunteer during WWII. He finds Silvestr’s story woven with that of the Bata Shoe Company, the Czechoslovak community and volunteer forces in Singapore.
Jan Beránek is a Czech environmentalist and an energy expert. He was born and raised in the Czech city of Brno, where he studied physics and sociology. Jan has worked for several environmental organisations and was also the chairman of the Czech Green Party. He currently lives in Amsterdam, working for Greenpeace International as Director for Organizational Strategy and Development. He is the author of In Search of Silvestr: Unravelling My Granduncle's Fate, Bata, Czechoslovaks and World War II in Singapore (Landmark Books, 2025).
What Jan Talked About
- 01:31 – Introduction to the podcast and Bata’s Singapore history
- 02:07 – Silvestr Němec’s disappearance
- 02:29 – Jan Beránek’s research journey
- 03:26 – Family memories
- 04:37 – The post-war search for Silvestr
- 05:49 – Discovery of family letters in 2017
- 07:25 – Motivation for beginning the investigation
- 08:45 – How Silvestr was sent to Singapore by Bata
- 09:20 – Silvestr’s job at Bata’s flagship store
- 10:05 – Bata’s international success and localisation
- 11:42 – Bata’s early operations and expansion in Malaya
- 13:17 – What made Bata successful
- 14:11 – The Czechoslovak community in Malaya
- 14:55 – Czechoslovaks’ impressions of colonial Singapore
- 16:35 – Czechoslovakia during WWII and Bata’s wartime challenges
- 22:26 – Silvestr’s service in the Volunteer Corps
- 24:44 – What happened to Silvestr
- 28:37 – Jan’s research process and reflections
- 36:07 – The number of Bata shoes Jan owns
- 36:58 – Family history is…
Transcript and Resources
- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-searching-for-family-in-the-shadows-of-war-jan-beranek/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-4-jan-mar-2026-lost-family-silvestr-nemec-war-search-czech-singapore/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Jan for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Negotiating OB Markers When Running the Straits Times
Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng tells us how he negotiated OB markers with the government during his tenure (1987–2006), how he balanced the interests of the paper’s stakeholders, and which …
Notes de l’épisode
Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng tells us how he negotiated OB markers with the government during his tenure (1987–2006), how he balanced the interests of the paper’s stakeholders, and which news story he nearly went to jail for.
Cheong Yip Seng is a veteran journalist. He was editor-in-chief of the Straits Times from 1987 to 2006 and editorial adviser to the South China Morning Post from 2012 to 2020. He has written OB Markers: My Straits Times Story and Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel.
What Cheong Talked About- 00:55 – Podcast introduction
- 01:48 – Why a sequel to OB Markers
- 03:21 – Differences between the two books
- 06:24 – Events leading to Cheong's appointment as editor-in-chief
- 11:33 – Accusations of the Straits Times (ST) as government mouthpiece
- 17:16 – Impact of social media on traditional news
- 18:28 – Cheong's near arrest over a leaked story
- 20:50 – Hardest decisions as editor-in-chief
- 21:52 – Importance of ST credibility
- 24:06 – Cheong's principles in negotiating OB markers
- 27:40 – Criticisms ST faced over its coverage of the 1987 “Marxist Conspiracy”
- 29:48 – Cheong’s outlook on ST in the next two decades
- 33:30 – Why Cheong became a journalist
- 26:29 – Person who had the greatest intellectual impact on Cheong
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-negotiating-ob-markers-when-running-straits-times-cheong-yip-seng/
- Read Cheong's books: OB Markers: My Straits Times Story and Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Cheong for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
25 Hawkins Road: Home to Vietnamese Refugees
The Hawkins Road camp in Sembawang was home to thousands of Vietnamese refugees until it closed in 1996. Researcher Rebecca Tan talks about how the refugees spent their days in the camp and their lives after …
Notes de l’épisode
The Hawkins Road camp in Sembawang was home to thousands of Vietnamese refugees until it closed in 1996. Researcher Rebecca Tan talks about how the refugees spent their days in the camp and their lives after Singapore.
Rebecca Tan is Digital Preservation Archivist at the National Archives of Singapore. She was previously Children and Teens Librarian at Toa Payoh Public Library, and Digital Heritage Librarian at the National Library.
What Rebecca Talked About- 01:17 – Overview of Hawkins Road camp
- 02:26 – Conditions in the camp
- 03:18 – Life in the refugee camp
- 08:08 – Singapore’s plan for long-term refugees
- 10:17 – What the refugees said about Singapore
- 11:20 – Singapore's evolving refugee policy
- 14:41 – How Rebecca knew about the refugee camp
- 15:25 – Rebecca’s research
- 16:49 – Interview with a Hawkins Road camp refugee who still lives in Singapore
- 22:07 – Being a librarian at Toa Payoh Public Library
- 24:26 – The libraries and archives are...
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-25-hawkin-road-home-to-vietnamese-refugees-rebecca-tan/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://studio.isomer.gov.sg/all-sections/hawkins-road-refugee-camp/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Rebecca for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
The Making of "Majulah Singapura" as We Know It
The national anthem that we know today wasn't the original version composed by Zubir Said. His first version was longer and was set at a higher key. Emeritus Professor Bernard Tan talks about how "Majulah …
Notes de l’épisode
The national anthem that we know today wasn't the original version composed by Zubir Said. His first version was longer and was set at a higher key. Emeritus Professor Bernard Tan talks about how "Majulah Singapura" came about and how it changed over the decades, and illustrates how these versions differ on his piano.
Emeritus Professor Bernard T. G. Tan is a retired professor of physics from the National University of Singapore who also dabbles in music. Some of his compositions have been performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He is a former chairman of the Sing Singapore organising committee.
What Prof Tan Talked About- 00:00 – Introduction to Singapore’s national anthem
- 03:16 – How “Majulah Singapura” came about
- 04:14 – Zubir Said’s composition of “Majulah Singapura”
- 06:18 – Adoption of the anthem and its unauthorised shortening
- 09:24 – Comparison of different versions and musical implications
- 15:18 – Prof Tan’s detective work to verify Zubir Said’s original manuscript
- 19:31 – Fanfare introduction and early concert arrangements
- 22:22 – Government-led initiative to reorchestrate the anthem
- 25:48 – Lowering the anthem’s key from G major to F major
- 27:45 – Lee Kuan Yew’s suggestion on the anthem
- 33:18 – Controversial arrangements of "Majulah Singapura"
- 36:57 – Origin of “Negaraku”, Malaysia’s national anthem
- 40:22 – How Prof Tan juggles his roles as a composer, professor of physics and SSO board member
- 42:51 – How he helped found the SSO
- 48:44 – His career at NUS
- 51:20 – Similarities between scientific research to music writing
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-making-of-majulah-singapura-as-we-know-it-bernard-tan/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-1-apr-jun-2025-sing-singapore-national-day-songs/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Prof Tan for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
First Spy Chief of Independent Singapore, Tay Seow Huah
Tay Seow Huah, then Permanent Secretary for the Home Affairs Ministry, helmed Singapore’s response to the 1974 Laju hijacking incident. This was when four terrorists tried (but failed) to destroy Shell’s oil …
Notes de l’épisode
Tay Seow Huah, then Permanent Secretary for the Home Affairs Ministry, helmed Singapore’s response to the 1974 Laju hijacking incident. This was when four terrorists tried (but failed) to destroy Shell’s oil infrastructure on Pulau Bukom Besar and subsequently took five hostages. Little is known about the enigmatic spy chief, who was the founding Director of the Security and Intelligence Division. Simon Tay, lawyer, academic and winner of the 2010 Singapore Literature Prize, tells us how his Penang-born father – who lived through WWII, the Malayan Emergency and the political tumult of the 1960s – came to play a giant role serving a newly independent Singapore.
Simon Tay is the chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, a non-profit think tank. He is an associate professor of law at the National University of Singapore and a former Nominated Member of Parliament. In 1995, Simon was named a Singapore Young Artist, and his novel City of Small Blessings won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2010. In 2021, he received the S.E.A. Write Award, a regional award given to leading ASEAN poets and writers.
What Simon Talked About- 00:00 – The 1974 Laju hijacking and its significance
- 02:03 – Tay Seow Huah’s legacy and role in Singapore’s security operations
- 07:37 – Singapore’s strategic and diplomatic response to the Laju incident
- 10:38 – Why Lee Kuan Yew appointed Tay to lead the Special Branch
- 11:50 – Background on the Laju hijackers and geopolitical tensions in the 1970s
- 16:39 – Insights from S. R. Nathan’s memoir
- 17:38 – Why Tay did not accompany hijackers to Kuwait although he volunteered
- 17:42– Challenges of writing about classified events and uncovering the past
- 19:05 – Tay’s childhood in Malaya and educational achievements
- 19:56 – Speculations about Tay’s post-university activities before joining civil service
- 22:23 – Comparison between Tay and James Bond
- 28:02 – How Simon’s relationship with his father changed after Tay’s heart attack
- 30:26 – Tay’s declining health and early retirement from civil service
- 32:19 – Tay’s struggles in his retirement years
- 33:03 – Simon’s reflections on his grandmother’s strength and complexity
- 35:13 – How Tay’s childhood hunger shaped his habits
- 35:57 – Tay’s party trick
- 38:09 – Simon on his public service journey
- 43:45 – Why Simon’s wrote the book Enigmas
Transcript- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-tay-seow-huah-first-spy-chief-of-independent-singapore-simon-tay/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Simon for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Hawker Culture in Singapore
Hawkers traditionally sell their food on streets. Uniquely in Singapore though, they ply their trade in fixed stalls in hawker centres. Ryan Kueh, author of the bestselling From Streets to Stalls, tells us how …
Notes de l’épisode
Hawkers traditionally sell their food on streets. Uniquely in Singapore though, they ply their trade in fixed stalls in hawker centres. Ryan Kueh, author of the bestselling From Streets to Stalls, tells us how the hawker culture has evolved in Singapore since the colonial period and what hawker centres have come to represent.
Ryan Kueh holds a master’s degree from Tsinghua University under the Schwarzman Scholars programme and completed his bachelor’s at Yale–NUS College, where he read philosophy, politics, economics and history. His key research focus is consumption culture and history, with a secondary interest in international affairs. He is the author of From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore.
What Ryan Talked About- 00:00 – How the term “hawker” is understood differently in Singapore, compared to in other countries
- 04:44 – When hawking might have started in Singapore
- 05:20– Preconditions for hawking
- 07:11– Colonial records, and hygiene and urban discipline issues during colonial times
- 09:06 – Why hawking was an attractive and accessible job then
- 10:39– Challenges colonial authorities faced in controlling hawkers
- 11:47 – Post-independence reforms in hawking
- 14:25– Establishment of hawker centres and their purpose
- 15:47 – How rent subsidies keep hawker food affordable
- 17:43– Origins of the first hawker centre and differences from hawker shelters
- 20:12– Loss of food heritage
- 23:27– Gentrification in hawker centres
- 25:27– Hawking as a vocation in the past and today
- 27:44– Why Singapore’s hawker culture won the UNESCO recognition for intangible cultural heritage
- 30:04– Contemporary political use of hawker centres
- 31:51– What Ryan is working on and what his favourite hawker centre is
- 36:47 – Hawking is…
Transcript- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-hawker-culture-in-singapore-ryan-kueh/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Ryan for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Badang the Strongman: A Miracle-Working Grave, A Folk Tale and a Nation’s Mythology
Many people know of the story of Badang the strongman, an aboriginal slave who gains supernatural strength after eating the vomit of a spirit. He throws a stone, which might or might not be the Singapore Stone …
Notes de l’épisode
Many people know of the story of Badang the strongman, an aboriginal slave who gains supernatural strength after eating the vomit of a spirit. He throws a stone, which might or might not be the Singapore Stone, and his miracle-working grave is believed to be on Pulau Buru in the Riau Archipelago. However, independent scholar William Gibson tells us the tale of Badang (and the location of his grave) is much more complicated than is generally known.
Dr William L. Gibson is an author and researcher based in Southeast Asia since 2005. A former Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow of the National Library Singapore, he is the author of Keramat, Sacred Relics and Forbidden Idols in Singapore (Routledge, 2024). His articles have appeared in Signal to Noise, PopMatters.com, The Mekong Review, Archipel, History and Anthropology, the Bulletin de l’École française d’Extrême-Orient and BiblioAsia, among others.
What William Talked About- 00:00 – What a keramat is
- 01:13 – Legend of Badang the strongman
- 02:20 – William's past research on keramat
- 03:07 – Badang as a national icon and his myth in the Malay Annals
- 04:43 – British interest and early translations of Badang’s story
- 06:26 – The rock-throwing legend and its transformation into a national tale
- 08:26 – Origins of the Singapore Stone and colonial myth-making
- 11:00 – The three different rocks associated with Badang
- 13:02 – The search for the real burial site of Badang
- 18:08 – The shrine’s transformation into a government-designated cultural site
- 20:40 – The Karimun inscription and its link to Badang folklore
- 22:00 – Other stones with footprints and mythical associations
- 24:00 – Theories of Badang’s burial sites
- 26:00 – Other folktales with vomit-eating as a power transfer motif
- 28:00 – Broader meaning and significance of keramat and nature shrines
- 31:05 – Existing keramat in Singapore
- 35:10 – Stories of the keramat Habib Noh
- 39:01 – Challenges of preserving keramat in Singapore
- 42:00 – Fates of kermat in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia
- 44:07 – The heritage value of keramat
- 47:55 – Mythology is…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-badang-the-strongman-a-miracle-working-grave-a-folk-tale-and-a-nations-mythology/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-1-apr-jun-2025-origins-badang-strongman-singapore-stone/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to William for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Peng Tsu Ying: Singapore's Pioneering Deaf Educator
When Peng Tsu Ying came to Singapore from Shanghai in the late 1940s, he could not find a deaf person like him. Determined to improve the situation for the deaf community, he founded Singapore's first school …
Notes de l’épisode
When Peng Tsu Ying came to Singapore from Shanghai in the late 1940s, he could not find a deaf person like him. Determined to improve the situation for the deaf community, he founded Singapore's first school for the deaf in 1954. Librarian Nathaniel Chew tells us about Peng's advocacy, his own journey learning the Singapore Sign Language and the different ways it has evolved.
Nathaniel Chew is a librarian with the National Library Singapore. He works with the Singapore and Southeast Asia Collection, and his research interests lie at the intersection of language and society.
What Nathaniel Talked About- 02:13 – Who Peng Tsu Ying was
- 04:07 – What Singapore was like for the deaf community before WWII
- 05:34 – How Peng started the first school for the deaf
- 07:42 – Peng’s foray into car racing
- 10:12 – Joining forces with the Red Cross
- 11:13 – What the Singapore Sign Language is
- 19:00 – How Nathaniel got interested in sign language
- 19:40 – Peng’s influence on Singapore’s deaf community
- 22:17 – Nathaniel’s research interest in linguistics
- 23:56 – Nathaniel’s take on Singlish
- 25:28 – BiblioAsia is…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-peng-tsu-ying-singapore-pioneering-deaf-educator-nathaniel-chew/. The transcript includes clarifications on the Singapore Sign Language and a correction to the opening year of the Mountbatten Vocational School.
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-1-apr-jun-2025-deaf-education-singapore-sign-language/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Nathaniel for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
The Misunderstood Trip That Led to the 1953 Landmark Art Exhibition
In 1952, four Singapore artists – Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang – travelled to Java and Bali in search of artistic inspiration. The following year, they put up an exhibition …
Notes de l’épisode
In 1952, four Singapore artists – Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang – travelled to Java and Bali in search of artistic inspiration. The following year, they put up an exhibition showcasing art they had produced from the trip, an exhibition often hailed by art historians as a milestone in Singapore art history. Yet much of the trip has been shrouded in mystery, until Gretchen Liu, the daughter-in-law of Liu Kang, discovered Liu Kang's archives and photographs from the trip. She tells us how the trip came together, what the artists did in Java and Bali, and what the trip meant to them as artists.
Gretchen Liu is a former journalist, a writer and an independent scholar with an interest in visual culture and heritage. She is the editor and author of several books. Most recently, she has been researching the early life of her father-in-law Liu Kang, a journey that has taken her deep into early 20th-century Chinese art history. Her latest book is Bali 1952: Through the Lens of Liu Kang.
What Gretchen Talked About- 02:14 – The importance of the 1953 exhibition in art history
- 05:20 – The story of the shoebox
- 08:17 – What makes the newly discovered photographs special
- 11:00 – The significance of the artists’ journey to Bali and Java
- 14:11 – How their journey began with the kindness of strangers
- 16:07 – The life and times of the four pioneering artists
- 21:11 – Gretchen’s journey following in the footsteps of the artists
- 23:15 – Her intention in showcasing the photographs alongside the art they inspired
- 26:14 – The hardest part about researching the book
- 27:29 – How Gretchen became interested in Singapore’s visual history
- 30:02 – The book she is most proud of
- 32:21 – Her experience as the in-house historian for the Raffles Hotel
- 35:19 – What is next for Gretchen
- 35:56 – Family history is…
Transcript- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-misunderstood-trip-that-led-to-the-1953-landmark-art-exhibition-gretchen-liu/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Gretchen for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
More Than Mr Mari Kita: The Life and Legacy of Zubir Said
Zubir Said (1907–87) gave Singapore its national anthem, “Majulah Singapura”, and its official Children’s Day song, “Semoga Bahagia”. Working with theatre company Wild Rice, music director Julian Wong put …
Notes de l’épisode
Zubir Said (1907–87) gave Singapore its national anthem, “Majulah Singapura”, and its official Children’s Day song, “Semoga Bahagia”. Working with theatre company Wild Rice, music director Julian Wong put together a critically acclaimed production on the life of Pak Zubir that mixed history, music and memory in a moving show, Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita. Performances were sold out in 2022 and 2024. In this episode, Julian tells us the challenges of putting up the show, including the research and transcription, and reveals if he’s a Swiftie.
Julian Wong is a composer, arranger, music director, educator and performer. He has composed for Wild Rice, including An Inspector Calls, Pinocchio, Tartuffe: The Imposter, etc. As music director, he has helmed overseas assignments such as Liao Zhai Rocks! (Shanghai) and Spotlight Singapore (Mexico City), as well as home-grown projects such as Hossan Leong’s Hossan-AH! 50, Pam Oei’s Faghag and The Theatre Practice’s If There’re Seasons. Additionally, Julian has conducted and arranged for Joyful Strings, Ministry of Bellz, Orchestra of the Music Makers, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, and many more. Julian graduated from Berklee College of Music, where he received the Professional Music Excellence Award and Alex Ulanowski Award. In 2023, he received the Young Artist Award, Singapore’s highest award for young arts practitioners.
What Julian Talked About- 03:07 – How the show Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita came about
- 05:17 – Julian’s research into the life of Pak Zubir Said
- 08:04 – Performing the show during Covid
- 10:13 – How Julian arranged his version of “Semoga Bahagia”
- 12:35 – Difficulties of researching Pak Zubir’s life
- 13:40 – The most interesting discovery about Pak Zubir
- 15:49 – A touching story about Pak Zubir
- 17:50 – Continuing the legacy of teacher-student collaborations
- 18:59 – How “Majulah Singapura” was conceived
- 22:44 – What Julian learnt about Pak Zubir from his teacher Iskandar Ismail
- 24:42 – Julian’s relationship with his teacher
- 26:37 – Mentoring students budding musicians at ITE
- 27:57 – On winning the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council
- 29:43 – Favourite song from Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita
- 31:36 – What he’s working on
- 32:54 – Julian’s favourite musician
- 34:06 – Is he a Swiftie?
Transcript- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-life-and-legacy-zubir-said-julian-wong/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. This version of “Semoga Bahagia” was composed by Zubir Said, produced by Julian Wong and performed by Wild Rice. Special thanks to Julian for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Somerset Maugham Scandalises 1920s Singapore
Sharing the literary landscape with contemporaries like D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) travelled to Singapore in 1921. Though he was already well-known as a writer then, it …
Notes de l’épisode
Sharing the literary landscape with contemporaries like D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) travelled to Singapore in 1921. Though he was already well-known as a writer then, it was his stay in Singapore that inspired some of his most celebrated short stories. Crime fiction writer Tracey Morton tells us how Singapore inspired his works, why they remain relevant, and whether the Menendez brothers deserve their sentence.
Tracey A. Morton is a Singapore-based Irish/Australian writer and a Cambridge graduate. She is co-host of the podcast, The Asian Bookshelf, and author of the upcoming novel, The Coffee Shop Masquerade. In 2020, she was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize for her short work, “Faded Ink”, and the Virginia Prize for Fiction for The Queen, The Soldier and The Girl. Her novel, Someone Is Coming, based on plantation murders in Malaya in the 1900s, was published by Monsoon Books in 2022 and has been optioned for television.
What Tracey Talked About- 02:29 – Who Somerset Maugham was
- 04:11 – Why Maugham came to Singapore?
- 06:46 – Which Maugham’s stories had the most impact
- 07:38 – Maugham’s writing style
- 10:03 – How Maugham’s work would be received today
- 10:45 – The influence Asia had on Maugham and his stories
- 13:26 – How Tracey became interested in Maugham’s life and works
- 16:28 – What inspired her to write stories about Maugham
- 18:07 – Tracey’s journey into crime fiction writing and historical research
- 22:18 – How the idea for Someone Is Coming came about
- 26:23 – Tracey’s new book The Coffee Shop Masquerade
- 28:45 – What the Singapore literary scene lacks
- 35:07 – Crime writing is…
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-somerset-maugham-scandalises-1920s-singapore-tracey-morton/
- Check out the BiblioAsia article "W. Somerset Maugham: Secrets from the Outstations": https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-20-issue-4-jan-mar-2025-william-somerset-maugham-secrets/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Tracey for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
What Makes An Animal Singaporean?
Singaporeans love animals, but only selectively. Otters, Ah Meng the orangutan, and Inuka the polar bear are among the beloved. Less favoured are monkeys in the Botanic Gardens, many of which were culled before …
Notes de l’épisode
Singaporeans love animals, but only selectively. Otters, Ah Meng the orangutan, and Inuka the polar bear are among the beloved. Less favoured are monkeys in the Botanic Gardens, many of which were culled before WWII, and pesky Aedes mosquitoes. Environmental historian Timothy Barnard tells us how some of these migrant animals came to be here, how they’ve been treated, and what makes them Singaporean.
Timothy P. Barnard is an associate professor in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore, where he specialises in the environmental and cultural history of island Southeast Asia. He is the author of Imperial Creatures and Nature's Colony, and the editor of Nature Contained and Singaporean Creatures.
What Timothy Talked About- 02:26 – Monkeys in the Botanic Gardens before WWII
- 07:15 – Understanding Singapore’s history through its animals
- 08:41 – What makes a creature Singaporean?
- 10:10 – How the Garden City concept shaped human-animal relationships in Singapore
- 12:34 – Why some recognisable Singaporean animals were left out of the book
- 14:31 – Otters as returning migrants
- 16:33 – Singaporeans’ fondness for the zoo and its creatures
- 20:31 – How Tim came to be interested in environmental history
- 23:37 – Challenges in teaching environmental history
- 26:01 – The animal he would like to interview
- 27:13 – The profession he would pick if he weren't a historian
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-what-makes-an-animal-singaporean-timothy-barnard/
- Check out the book: Singaporean Creatures: Histories of Humans and Other Animals in the Garden City.
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Tim for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
A Tour of 60 Asian Port Cities with Ex–ACM Director Kennie Ting
To write a book about 60 Asian port cities, ex–ACM director Kennie Ting travelled as far as the Middle East and Africa. He tells us how port cities can tell a different history of Asia, and what his "eat, pray …
Notes de l’épisode
To write a book about 60 Asian port cities, ex–ACM director Kennie Ting travelled as far as the Middle East and Africa. He tells us how port cities can tell a different history of Asia, and what his "eat, pray, love" cities and his favourite ACM artefacts are.
A writer and museum professional fascinated by the history, heritage and culture of Asian port cities, Kennie Ting is the former director of the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum in Singapore. He has written The Romance of the Grand Tour: 100 Years of Travel in South East Asia (2015) and Singapore 1819: A Living Legacy (2019). His recent book, The Great Port Cities of Asia in History (2024), re-examines Asian history from the perspective of 60 port cities across the region.
What Kennie Talked About- 02:00 – How Kennie found time to write his book The Great Port Cities of Asia in History while heading two museums
- 04:17 – Kennie’s travel experiences
- 05:37 – How his fascination with port cities began
- 06:57 – His writing approach and themes of the book
- 10:09 – How he categorised port cities into six eras in his book
- 13:18 – The hardest thing about writing this book
- 14:36 – His favourite artefacts in the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM)
- 16:00 – Wuhan’s significance as a historic port city
- 18:23 – Kennie’s research process
- 18:59 – His “eat, pray, love” port cities
- 22:19 – The port cities Kennie would pick to live in
- 26:32 – What he misses about ACM
- 27:14 – What’s next for Kennie Ting
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-asian-port-cities-with-ex-acm-director-kennie-ting/
- Check out Kennie's book: The Great Port Cities of Asia in History
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Kennie for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
He Wrote the National Pledge: S. Rajaratnam, Singapore's First Foreign Minister
A journalist turned politician turned diplomat, S. Rajaratnam (1915–2006) wore many hats in the service of Singapore. His contribution to Singapore is so great that to cover his life adequately required 20 …
Notes de l’épisode
A journalist turned politician turned diplomat, S. Rajaratnam (1915–2006) wore many hats in the service of Singapore. His contribution to Singapore is so great that to cover his life adequately required 20 years of research and over 1,200 pages of writing. Irene Ng, his authorised biographer, tells us little-known facets of the man, his legacy as Singapore’s founding foreign and culture minister, and his relationship with Lee Kuan Yew.
Irene Ng is the authorised biographer of S. Rajaratnam and writer-in-residence at the Institute of ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. She was formerly an award-winning senior political correspondent and a Member of Parliament in Singapore.
What Irene Talked About- 02:29 – Irene’s first meeting with S. Rajaratnam and her impressions of him
- 04:17 – How a journalistic background helped Irene connect with him
- 06:10 – Rajaratnam's personality
- 07:55 – Main themes of the second volume of Rajaratnam biography, The Lion’s Roar
- 10:24 – Why young Singaporeans should read the biography
- 14:49 – How Singapore’s pledge came from Rajaratnam’s ideals
- 19:07 – Rajaratnam's relationship with Lee Kuan Yew
- 24:41 – Rajaratnam’s legacy in shaping Singapore’s foreign policy
- 26:11 – Qualities that made Rajaratnam the ideal founding foreign minister
- 28:04 – Rajaratnam’s impact as the culture minister
- 30:51 – His forgotten achievements as the labour minister
- 35:10 – What inspired Irene to write Rajaratnam’s biography
- 37:30 – Challenges in writing the second volume of the biography
- 39:40 – Irene’s take on criticisms about the book based on her history as a politician
- 44:58 – What Irene reads for leisure
- 46:06 – Biographies that inspired Irene
- 49:00 – What’s next for Irene
- 49:38 – Irene’s Singapore dream
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-s-rajaratnam-singapores-first-foreign-minister/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-20-issue-3-oct-dec-2024-rajaratnam-biography-lions-roar/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Irene for coming on the show.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
Stella Kon: Beyond Emily of Emerald Hill
Stella Kon is known for creating the beloved Emily of Emerald Hill – possibly the most frequently staged play in Singapore. She is also a novelist and musical theatre writer, and she has adapted her landmark …
Notes de l’épisode
Stella Kon is known for creating the beloved Emily of Emerald Hill – possibly the most frequently staged play in Singapore. She is also a novelist and musical theatre writer, and she has adapted her landmark play into a musical after falling in love with the genre. In this episode, Stella talks about the difference between writing plays and musicals, her favourite actor who played Emily, and her writing process.
What Stella Talked About- 02:15 – How Stella felt watching the first version of the play Emily of Emerald Hill come to life
- 04:13 – Why the character of Emily resonated with many and inspired countless adaptations
- 05:25 – Her favourite portrayal of Emily
- 06:10 – How the play evolved from draft to final product
- 07:07 – About creating Emily the Musical
- 08:26 – How Stella wrote “Love Was All I Wanted” for Emily the Musical
- 09:19 – What draws Stella to the musical genre
- 11:21 – Her musical Lim Boon Keng, which is based on the life of her great-grandfather
- 13:03 – Her new novel, 4 Pax to Emptiness
- 14:37 – Common themes in her work
- 16:33 – Her writing process, practices and rituals
- 18:45 – Her writing influences
- 20:10 – What’s next for Stella Kon
- 20:49 – Her advice to writers
- 22:17 – Writing is…
- 22:39 – Stella’s proudest moments
Transcript and Resources- Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-stella-kon-beyond-emily-of-emerald-hill/
- Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-20-issue-2-jul-sep-2024-emily-of-emerald-hill-stella-kon/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Stella for coming on the show. The song "Love Was All I Wanted" was written by Stella Kon and Desmond Moey.
The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.
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