Chronicles of Old Singapore

About Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I’m Dr Loh KS, a people’s historian. I’m interested in the history of Singapore and the lives of its people. In Chronicles of Old Singapore, I speak to people about their memories of Singapore before it became a global city today. We discuss three topics: 1. People and places. 2. Change and continuity. 3. The importance of heritage. Caveat: this is a podcast based on personal memory. As has been well-documented in oral history, memory is not always reliable and what is recalled here should not be taken as fact.

Publisher

Loh Kah Seng

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Jul 2024

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

275 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Loh Kah Seng – Shopkeepers of Chinatown Part 2: People’s History | Chronicles of Old Singapore

   Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. My new book, co-authored with Stephen Dobbs, recounts the little-known history of shopkeepers. As a varied group of small capitalists, they made Old Chinatown such a fabulously memorable place. Over the last 60 years, they struggled to cope as Chinatown was drastically redeveloped. I discuss two businesses that are trying to survive today – the effigy carver Say Tian Hng and small Chinese bookstores. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/1gowQfMb44E Part 2 | https://youtu.be/zjajjG3agts Part 3 | https://youtu.be/8OAnQpxBmCc 00:00 Introduction 02:02 Origins of the Book 04:35 People’s History of Shopkeepers 06:46 Ji Ji Noodles 08:30 The Shopkeepers’ Town 12:24 The Research 14:36 Letter-Writer 17:06 UN Reports & Other Sources 21:03 Speaking to Shopkeepers 26:19 Eng Tiang Huat 27:09 Thye Shan Medical Hall 27:51 Pearl’s Optical 28:36 Signcraft, Brothel, Goldsmith 30:42 Say Tian Hng 34:21 Chinese Bookstores 38:50 Conclusion Shopkeepers of Chinatown: A Business World in Motion, 1819-2025 Kinokuniya https://kinokuniya.com.sg/products/9786297575698 Shopee SG https://shopee.sg/Shopkeepers-of-Chinatown-Loh-Kah-Seng-Stephen-Dobbs-(SIRD)-i.279887392.52914597553 City Book Room https://citybookroom.com/products/pre-order-shopkeepers-of-chinatown-loh-kah-seng-stephen-dobbs SIRD (Publisher) https://www.gerakbudaya.com/product/shopkeepers-of-chinatown NLB https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/search/card?id=ccfd463e-d61b-53ef-9843-956e9a0d8652&entityType=FormatGroup Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

2. 

   11 Oct 2026

   Yeo Hock Yew – NAFA, Comics & My Love for Art & Football Part 1 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

   Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I learned a lot from speaking to Yeo Hock Yew about little-known parts of our history. He grew up in a kampong house in Kampong Bahru near Singapore General Hospital (See Pai Poh) before moving into an SIT flat at Strathmore Avenue, Queenstown. Hock Yew loved art as a kid and studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, where he was taught by the Nanyang artist Lim Yew Kuan. This merged with his other interests – football and reading – and led him to the exciting, forgotten world of football comics. 00:00 Introduction 01:08 Kampong Bahru Childhood 08:07 SGH & Other Places 11:18 Peranakans from Riau 16:43 Moving to Strathmore Avenue 21:00 Straits Times 22:52 My Schools 30:31 Early Interest in Art 34:38 Sociology in University 38:03 Painting at NAFA 45:29 Art in Church & University 47:35 Football Comics Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Gary Koh – Pioneer Women Footballers of Singapore Part 2 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

   Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gary Koh recounts both the golden and dimmer years of women’s football in Singapore from the ‘80s but offers some hope – there has been a resurgence in recent years. The semangat (spirit) that drove the earlier Lionesses could be an inspiration for the current generation. Gary and I discuss the strengths of the women’s game (compared to the men, less playacting) and how it can continue to grow in Singapore. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ilmPmbx61yQ Part 2 | https://youtu.be/LhAarwfOO64 00:00 Winning Lionesses 06:14 Guangzhou Tournament 07:50 Difficult Years 11:10 Recent Resurgence 16:33 Semangat (Spirit) 20:37 Turning Pro? 27:52 Raising Interest 32:14 The Women’s Game Coach Choo Seng Quee, a Giant of Singapore Football https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-19-issue-3-oct-dec-2023-choo-seng-quee-football-coach/ ROAR: Football Legends of Singapore https://pagesetters.sg/ROAR/ A princely endeavour: Meet Chelsea's rising star who's Bruneian royalty https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/princely-endeavour-meet-chelseas-rising-star-whos-bruneian-royalty Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to lkshis@gmail.com if you have any of these stories: • Old places or kampongs. • Communities – their way of life & culture. • Childhood & schools. • Work or business. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

Who has been a guest on Chronicles of Old Singapore

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Koh Boon Long
• Venugopal Kurup
• Jack Tan
• Eric Ko
• Edwin Ng

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

4,938,612

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 74 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

98

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

32

Contact Chronicles of Old Singapore

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Chronicles of Old Singapore