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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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

MasterChef Singapore judge Damian D’Silva grew up by the sea and spent many happy hours foraging for horseshoe crabs, shellfish and sea snails that would end up in the cooking pot. In this episode, he talks about how his childhood and grandfather influenced his cooking philosophy, when he found his calling in the kitchen (later than you'd expect), and what's left for him after winning the prestigious culinary award La Liste. Chef Damian D’Silva is a judge on MasterChef Singapore and the first Singaporean to be awarded the prestigious culinary prize Artisan & Authenticity Award 2024 from La Liste, a French ranking and restaurants guide. An advocate for local culinary heritage, he helms Rempapa, a multicultural restaurant serving dishes from the ethnicities in Singapore. What Damian Talked About 02:15 – Why Damian chose to cook sea snail and papaya curry on From Book to Cook 04:26 – Foraging in the sea and on land 07:46 – His fascination with Western culture and food as a teenager 08:28 – The Malay and Peranakan version of the sea snail and papaya curry dish 08:50 – His experience of growing up in a community with different ethnicities 10:09 – Foraging for horseshoe crabs and cooking them 12:32 – About his grandfather, who had the greatest influence on Damian’s cooking journey 14:20 – The difference between a cook and a chief 18:01 – When Damian found out that cooking is his calling 20:26 – Why heritage cuisine is important 22:45 – How Eurasian cuisine is unique 25:23 – What’s next for Damian D’Silva after winning the Artisan & Authenticity Award 2024 from La Liste 27:53 – Why he has not written a cookbook 29:18 – The hardest thing about being a chef 32:28 – The one thing Damian would rather buy than make on his own 34:06 – Food is… Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-sea-foraging-eurasian-cuisine/ Watch Damian make sea snail and papaya curry: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-sea-snail-papaya-curry/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore: https://form.gov.sg/616799db4d9b61001398f79b This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Damian for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Growing up as a Chetti Melaka (Peranakan Indian), Tanya realised her family was different when she was seven or eight years old. Her family spoke Malay at home, ate sambal belacan, and had huge parties with a lot of unusual food. In this episode, Tanya talks with pride about the rituals of the ancestor worship known parachu and the cookbook containing traditional recipes of the Chetti Melaka community. A Peranakan Indian, Tanya Pillay-Nair is the coordinator of the cookbook Heritage Food of the Peranakan Indians in a Chitty Melaka Kitchen (Peranakan Indian Association of Singapore, 2023). The book contains close to 100 Peranakan Indian recipes, from everyday dishes to festive fare. What Tanya Talked About 01:58 – Who the Chetti Melaka are, and where they are from 04:32 – How the Chetti Melaka are different from and similar to other communities 05:19 – The importance of food culture especially in ancestor worship known as parachu 10:04 – The language spoken by Chetti Melaka 10:37 – The musicality of the community and a version of the song Di Tanjong Katong commissioned by the Chetti Melaka (Peranakan Indians) Association (used with permission) 12:10 – The local community in Singapore and origins of the Chetti Melaka Association 15:00 – How the book Heritage Food of the Peranakan Indians came about 19:59 – Tanya’s background as a Chetti Melaka 23:11 – Classic Chetti Melaka dishes 24:44 – How the Chetti Melaka otak blangah is different from the usual otak-otak 26:29 – Reception of the book 29:06 – A must-try and simple dish in the cookbook 29:30 – The importance of preserving heritage food 30:11 – Food is… Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-food-peranakan-indians/ Watch Tanya make otak blangah: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-otak-blangah/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore: https://form.gov.sg/616799db4d9b61001398f79b This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Tanya for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Set up by five Buddhist women in 1946, Loke Woh Yuen was the first Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Singapore. It employed an all-female staff, was known for its popular shark’s fin made from maize, and was sometimes so packed that it had to set up dining tents that stretched to the main road. Its efforts to spread vegetarianism were complemented by other Buddhist women and nuns who wrote cookbooks and fundraised for charity. Kelvin Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from the National University of Singapore. He was a research assistant for the project “Mapping Female Religious Heritage in Singapore: Chinese Temples as Sites of Regional Socio-cultural Linkage” funded by the National Heritage Board. What Kelvin Talked About 01:48 – The founders of Chinese vegetarian restaurants in 1940s–50s 05:28 – The most popular dishes at the vegetarian restaurant Loke Woh Yuen 06:26 – How Fut Sai Kai Vegetarian Restaurant differs from Loke Woh Yuen 07:26 – Ko Tian-gu, the founder of Fut Sai Kai 08:37 – Cookbooks that helped to spread vegetarianism 10:57 – The famous vegetarian soon kueh recipe by Abbess Yang Qincai of the temple Hai Inn See 12:24 – Legacy of early Chinese vegetarian restaurants in philanthropy and Buddhist education 13:55 – Resources Kelvin used in his research. 16:40 – Why early Chinese vegetarian restaurants have Cantonese heritage 18:58 – The vegetarian dish that Kelvin wants to master next Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-chinese-vegetarian-foodscape/ Watch Kelvin make soon kueh: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-soon-kueh/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore: https://form.gov.sg/616799db4d9b61001398f79b This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Kelvin for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

A tireless steward of Malay culture, Hajah Asfiah worked all her life to preserve and pass on Malay crafts. When she was just 10, she began teaching embroidery and flower arrangement in school. Later in life, she was a mak andam (wedding attendant) for more than 20 years and worked with more than 1,000 brides. At age 65, she got her cookbook Hidangan Warisan Kita (Our Heritage Dishes; 1986) published by Times Books International; it was the publisher’s first cookbook, written in Malay by a Malay person. The book had recipes for dishes that have since become extinct. Sadly, she died a year later, but thanks to the book she wrote and the many courses she taught, her memory lives on. Toffa Abdul Wahed is an associate librarian with the National Library, Singapore, and works with the Singapore and Southeast Asia Collection. She has written about cookbook author Siti Radhiah and belacan in BiblioAsia. What Toffa Talked About 00:26 – About bunga kobis (flower of the cabbage), the dish Toffa made in Season Two of From Book to Cook 03:57 – Why bunga kobis is a special dish 04:30 – The complicated process of making the six-layer dish 05:39 – Why Toffa chose to make this dish for the video 06:39 – Toffa's special family connection to the dish 07:36 – How Toffa practised making the dish for the video 09:43 – When bunga kobis was a trendy dish at Malay weddings 10:16 – The secret to making bunga kobis 12:00 – Garnish and presentation for the dish 13:42 – Why Cikgu Asfiah is considered a guardian for Malay arts 15:35 – Cikgu Asfiah's background 18:07 – Why Cikgu Asfiah was invited to teach at age 10 18:40 – The significance of her first cookbook Hidangan Warisan Kita 20:01 – Why she decided to write a cookbook 23:00 – Why her cookbook had limited reach 24:08 – Her work as a mak andam (wedding attendant) 26:15 – How her children helped her 28:43 – What a mak andam does 33:21 – The resources Toffa used to research on Cikgu Asfiah 35:42 – Why food history is important 37:35 – Food is… Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-hajah-asfiah-guardian-traditional-malay-culture/ Watch Toffa make bunga kobis: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-bunga-kobis/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore: https://form.gov.sg/616799db4d9b61001398f79b This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Toffa for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

You hear Malay, Javanese, Tamil and Punjabi as you wander the streets with shops selling colourful textiles and carpets, spices and flowers. Here you find different curries and bread, nasi padang, sup tulang, mee siam, a Javanese kitchen, Hainanese coffeeshops. Bookstores sell literature and newspapers as far away as Cairo. In this episode, Khir tells us about the Kampong Gelam he grew up in. Khir Johari was born and raised in historic Kampong Gelam, Singapore. He studied mathematics at Santa Clara University in California, and completed a masters in education at Stanford University. Since returning to Singapore, Khir has focused on research into the food cultures of maritime Southeast Asia. He is the author of The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels through the Archipelago (Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2021). What Khir Talked About 02:32 – The origins of mee maidin, the dish that Khir cooked in From Book to Cook 07:18 – Kampong Gelam as the incubator for the Nusantara (Malay World) kitchen 09:19 – Four main streets in Kampong Gelam selling food, including the only place in Singapore that sells mee odong 14:35 – The origins of mee siam 17:46 – Three types of mee siam that came out of Kampong Gelam 18:36 – Khir’s childhood in Kampong Gelam, where the Tamil Muslim community organized an annual commemoration of a Sufi saint 20:23 – Publishing houses in Kampong Gelam 22:51 – Why Khir spent 10 years writing the book The Food of Singapore Malays 27:12 – What Khir is working on now 28:38 – Khir’s dream job if he lived in Kampong Gelam in the 19th century 29:37 – The most maligned ingredient in Malay cooking 31:15 – The one recipe in his book Khir wants people to try 33:07 – Food is… Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-kampong-glam-kitchen-malay-world/ Watch Khir make mee maidin: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-mee-maidin/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore: https://form.gov.sg/616799db4d9b61001398f79b This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. 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.

Kueh pie tee is not a pie that goes with tea. So where did the name (and dish) come from? Award-winning cookbook author Christopher Tan combs through old newspapers and cookbooks, in search of the origins of the dish. PS: Dates back to 1570! Christopher Tan is an award-winning writer, cooking 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 (Epigram Books, 2024). He loves making meaning with words, images and food. What Christopher Talked About 02:11 – The origins of the dish kueh pie tee 11:43 – Why make kueh pie tee shells when they can be bought 13:29 – Christopher's tips for deep-frying 13:54 – What's special about Susie Hing's 1956 cookbook In a Malayan Kitchen 16:39 – How Christopher connected with Hing's family 18:03 – Hing's background 18:55 – Different influences in Hing's recipes 21:36 – Why Christopher shares old recipes and cookbooks on his Instagram account 23:48 – The value of local vintage cookbooks 25:20 – Christopher's latest cookbook, Nerdbaker 2: Tales from the Yeast Indies 29:07 – Why toddy (fermented palm sap) is used in baking 35:50 – Christopher's dream filling for kueh pie tee 36:57 – The dish Christopher wishes he can master 38:21 – How Christopher tests his recipes 38:58 – What Christopher would rather buy than make on his own 40:23 – Food is... Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-kueh-pie-tee/ Watch Christopher make kueh pie tee: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/videos-kueh-pie-tee/ 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 One Dash. 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.

Tan Teng Kee was the Mike Tyson of Singapore boxing in the 1920s. Known as Battling Key, the larger-than-life boxer attracted crowds wherever he went. Which makes his drastic downfall all the more tragic. Abhishek Mehrotra is a researcher and writer whose interests include media and society in colonial Singapore, urban toponymy and post-independence India. He is working on his first book (HarperCollins, 2025) – a biography of T.N. Seshan, one of India’s most prominent bureaucrats. Abhishek is a former Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow (2021–22). What Abhishek Talked About 02:04 – How boxing came to Singapore 04:44 – Why boxing has wide appeal among the masses 06:43 – Who attended boxing matches in 1920s Singapore 08:13 – Background and rise of Tan Teng Kee or Battling Key 10:43 – Battling Key's matches with Yeo Choon Song 16:07 – Song's complaint about Battling Key's gloves 17:14 – What happened to Song after beating Key 20:56 – Key's downfall 22:31 – Boxing ecosystem and corruption 28:34 – Why professional boxing was more successful than professional tennis 31:27 – Abhishek's choice between being a boxer and tennis player 31:50 – Abhishek's nickname if he were in combat sport 32:09 – Fatherhood is... 32:06 – Sports is... Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-singapores-first-boxing-superstar-tan-tang-kee/ 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 One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Abhishek for coming on the show. Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.

Nicknamed “Twinkle Toes” for his agility, Chia Boon Leong (1925–2022) is widely regarded as one of Singapore‘s most talented football players. Academic and sports historian Nick Aplin talks about the footballer’s sporting achievements, his character and their friendship. Dr Nick Aplin is Deputy Director (Sport Heritage) at Sport Singapore. He is the author of the Sport in Singapore series: The Colonial Legacy (2019), The Rocky Road to Kallang Park (2023) and Visions for Change (2023). What Nick Talked About 02:04 – How Boon Leong got his nickname, Twinkle Toes 06:32 – How Boon Leong ended up in the Olympics playing for China 08:23 – Nick's meeting with Boon Leong, and their friendship 12:28 – Nick's research process and his start in writing about local athletes 15:58 – How Nick's first meeting with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam went 19:01 – Nick's book launch with the president as the guest of honour 22:31 – How chess and sport are similar 25:53 – What sport and history are to Nick Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-chia-boon-leong-homegrown-football-olympian/ Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-19-issue-4-jan-mar-2024-chia-boon-leong-football-soccer/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Nick for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, lured by adventure and money, Singaporean musicians went to South Vietnam to perform for American troops during the war. They were met with cheers, bullets and assault. Boon Lai is an author, an illustrator and a filmmaker based in Singapore. Inspired by the true accounts of the rockers who toured the Vietnam War, he created the three-book graphic novel series, The Once & Marvellous DKD. What Boon Lai Talked About 02:01 – How Boon Lai came to know of local musicians who went to Vietnam during the 1960s and ’70s 05:33 – When these musicians went to Vietnam 08:47 – Why these musicians decided to perform in the war zone 11:30 – How these musicians were recruited 15:56 – How much they were paid 16:44 – Nightly curfews 18:35 – Daily schedules of musicians 20:50 – Close call with bullets 21:53 – Musician Veronica Young’s experience in Vietnam as a woman 24:53 – How long Impian Bateks and other musicians played in Saigon 27:12 – Boon Lai’s three-year research process 28:58 –Boon Lai’s DKD sequel 29:44 – Hardest thing about creating a historical graphic novel Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-singapore-bands-wartime-vietnam/ Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-20-issue-1-apr-jun-2024-singapore-bands-vietnam-war/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Boon Lai for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Thanks to restoration, classic films like The Teenage Textbook Movie (1998) can still be shown on a big screen 20 years after its cinema run. On a mission to preserve Singapore’s film heritage, film archivist Chew Tee Pao saves important movies and gives them a second life. Chew Tee Pao is an archivist with the Asian Film Archive. Since 2014, he has overseen the restoration of more than 30 films from the archive’s collection. He has written about film restoration in BiblioAsia. What Tee Pao Talked About 2:23 – Challenges of restoring The Teenage Textbook Movie (1998) 8:06 – How AFA restored They Call Her… Cleopatra Wong (1978) without the original negatives 13:26 – The sad fate of P. Ramlee’s Seniman Bujang Lapok (1961) 16:20 – The restoration process for Sri Lankan film Bambaru Avith, which was selected for Cannes Film Festival in 2020 20:47 – Tee Pao’s experience at Venice Film Festival 22: 48 – The film that got away in terms of restoration 23:40 – A common misconception about film restoration 24:23 – Film restoration does not equate to preservation 26:41 – The importance of saving film heritage Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-saving-singapores-film-heritage/ Read the BiblioAsia article on restoring Singapore films and Asian films: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-saving-singapores-film-heritage/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Tee Pao for coming on the show. BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.

In the mid-19th century, two ancient gold coins were uncovered near present-day Keppel Harbour. Unfortunately, the Acehnese coins vanished before they could be studied carefully. The Jawi inscriptions on the coins were recorded, though they didn’t make sense. More than 180 years later, Foo Shu Tieng tries to solve the case. Foo Shu Tieng is Associate Librarian with the National Library, Singapore, and works with the Singapore and Southeast Asia collections. She has written about stone age in Singapore and Ancient Gold in Southeast Asia in BiblioAsia. What Shu Talked About 02:11 – When and where the coins were found 04:35 – Whether the coins were stolen 05:48 – How common artefact theft is 06:30 – What coins can tell us about Singapore’s history 08:53 – Why and how Shu reexamined the Jawi transcription on the coins 10:43 – Response to Shu’s research on the coins 11:57 – Other ancient coins found in Singapore 12:49 – A common misconception of archaeology 13:21 — An archaeological mystery that Shu would like to solve 15:26 – Shu’s favourite archaeological pop-culture moment 16:00 – Archaeology is… Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-lost-gold-coins/ Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-19-issue-3-oct-dec-2023-acehnese-chinese-gold-coins/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Shu for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

A young German girl met an untimely end on Pulau Ubin in 1914. A shrine set up in her honour becomes Internet-famous. Following a deep search into the historical records, writer and researcher William Gibson discovers some inconvenient truths behind one of Singapore’s best-known shrines. Dr William L. Gibson is a former Lee Kong Chian research fellow. Based in Southeast Asia since 2005, he is the author of Keramat, Sacred Relics and Forbidden Idols in Singapore (Routledge, September 2024) and Alfred Raquez and the French Experience of the Far East, 1898–1906 (Routledge, 2021). His articles have appeared in Signal to Noise, PopMatters.com, The Mekong Review, Archipel, History and Anthropology, Bulletin de l’École française d’Extrême-Orient and BiblioAsia, among others. What William Talked About 02:23 – Whom the shrine is dedicated to 04:07 – How William knew of the shrine and began research on it 06:44 – Different versions of the story behind the shrine 11:07 – Termite mounds as sites of worship 16:13 – How the German girl shrine became well-known 17:36 – Films inspired by the shrine 21:45 – How the shrine changed after the 2015 renovation 24:51 – What William prays for at the shrine 25:35 – What William is working on now 28:27 – Most unexpected offering William has seen at shrines 29:56 – The shrine William would make a film on, if he can 30:49 – Historical memory and the importance of vernacular traditions Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-german-girl-shrine/ Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-german-girl-shrine/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. 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. BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.

Yip Yew Chong’s 60-metre-long work, “I Paint my Singapore”, drew huge crowds when it went on display at the Raffles City Convention Centre. Comprising 27 scenes of 1970s–1980s Singapore, the painting merges history, memory and nostalgia. In this episode of BiblioAsia+, Yew Chong explains how he created this work and reveals what he would love to paint but has not. Yip Yew Chong was an accountant till he became a full-time artist in 2018. His practice includes different visual mediums: murals, canvas, sketches, installations, videography and photography. His public murals may be seen in the streets of Singapore and other regional cities, including Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Phnom Penh, while his canvases have been shown in art galleries. What Yew Chong Talked About 01:53 – What “I Paint my Singapore” is about 04:14 – What inspired Yew Chong to paint this 60-metre canvas 08:31 – Yew Chong’s favourite scene in the painting, and his childhood in Kreta Ayer 14:32 – His research process for the painting 21:18 – Balancing historical research with creative licence 23:56 – What he finds hard to paint 24:49 – Painting alone in studio versus in public, and indoors versus outdoors 26:54 – Recent books about Yew Chong and his art: The Art of Joy and I Paint my Singapore 31:12 – What he is working on now 34:11 – What he wants to paint but hasn’t 34:58 – How he overcomes artist’s block 35:24 – What he thinks about Banksy Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-yip-yew-chong/ Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-20-issue-1-apr-jun-2024-yip-yew-chong-i-paint-my-singapore/ Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Yew Chong for coming on the show. BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.

The Great Reclamation is a work of historical fiction set in Singapore that has received rave reviews from the New Yorker and the New York Times. A love story, it also took five years of serious research into a variety of topics, including land reclamation, the Japanese Occupation and postwar politics in Singapore. Listen to author Rachel Heng talk about her book and her fascinating research process. Rachel Heng is the author of the novels The Great Reclamation and Suicide Club, which was a national bestseller in Singapore and has been translated into 10 languages. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-great-reclamation Read the BiblioAsia article on land reclamation that Rachel referred to in her research at https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-13-issue-1-apr-jun-2017-land-from-sand/. This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Soh Gek Han and produced by Jimmy Yap. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Rachel for coming on the show. BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.

Writer and educator Ilya Katrinnada interviewed the Orang Seletar who resettled in Johor to learn about their lives, and their links to Singapore. Ilya Katrinnada is an educator and writer with a keen interest in the intersections of creativity, community and education. Having graduated with a major in anthropology, she currently works as a special education teacher. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-orang-seletar/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-1-apr-to-jun-2022-orang-seletar-changing-tides/ This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Ilya for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

The Kranji War Cemetery and the Singapore Memorial commemorate those who died while fighting the Japanese during World War II. Librarian Janice Loo looks at the lives of the people who paid the ultimate price in the defence of Singapore. Janice Loo is a librarian with the National Library, Singapore. Her responsibilities include collection management and content development as well as research and reference assistance on topics relating to Singapore and Southeast Asia. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-kranji-war-cemetery/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-2-jul-sep-2022-kranji-war-cemetery/ This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Janice for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Singapore used to be a major recording centre in Southeast Asia, with over 10,000 local recordings made before 1960. Hear the story from sound archivist Ross Laird, author of From Keroncong to Xinyao. Ross was formerly a sound archivist with the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia. He was awarded NLB’s Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship in 2010. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-recording-industry/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-19-issue-2-jul-sep-2023-singapore-record-industry-1960s/ This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Ross for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Writer and researcher William L. Gibson undertakes a pilgrimage into the archives to uncover the history of the keramat on Kusu Island, south of the main island of Singapore. Dr William L. Gibson is an author and a researcher based in Southeast Asia since 2005. His research topic for the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship, awarded by the National Library Board in 2021, was an in-depth study of keramat in Singapore. Transcript and Resources Read the episode transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-keramat-kusu/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-4-jan-mar-2023-shrines-keramat-kusu/ This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. 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.

Librarian Lim Tin Seng rediscovers Singapore’s first island resort getaway and solves various mysteries surrounding it, including where Sarong Island is now. Lim Tin Seng is a senior librarian with the National Library, Singapore. He is the co-editor of Roots: Tracing Family Histories (2013), Harmony and Development: ASEAN-China Relations (2009) and China’s New Soci al Policy (2010). He writes regularly for BiblioAsia. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-sarong-island/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-3-oct-dec-2022-history-sarong-island-sentosa-singapore/ This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. 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. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

There's more to firewalking than the public display of religious devotion. Independent curator Nalina Gopal tells us the stories behind the three-month rituals that precede the firewalking at Singapore's Sri Mariamman Temple. Nalina Gopal is an independent curator and researcher focused on South Asia and its diaspora. She is the co-editor of Sojourners to Settlers: Tamils in Southeast Asia and Singapore and the founder of Antāti, a historical research and museum consultancy. Transcript and Resources Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-firewalking/ Read the original BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-3-oct-dec-2022-theemithi-firewalking-festival/ This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Gibson Analytics. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Nalina for coming on the show. The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.