This article is published in the
book “Cultivating values, nurturing generations”,
Tuan Mong High School Alumni Association, September 2021, ISBN 978 981 18 0861
6
Introduction
At the end of 1994, Tuan Mong High
School sent off its last batch of students, ending its 88-year-long educational
mission. The current Tuan Mong Alumni Association was officially established on
May 28, 1996 arising from the school closure. It remains active for 20 over
years now, hosting seminars, calligraphy classes, school anniversary
celebrations and visiting senior activity centres, among others. The scenes of
a thousand teachers and alumni gathering are not uncommon.
“Cultivating values, nurturing generations”
– To our dedicated teachers with love
Despite the severe Covid-19
pandemic situation, a group of our alumni, span from
40 to 70 over year old, came together for about 2 years to plan, interview
teachers, and research into the school’s legacy. The relentless effort are edited
into a published book “Cultivating values, nurturing generations” (勤慎诚正
时雨春风) and e-media to
express our gratitude to our dedicated teachers. These are the harvests with
love solely produced by ex-students of Tuan Mong except for the typesetting and
printing portions.
The surrounding is our classroom
Tuan Mong was founded on October 1,
1906 as a Chinese school. There were only a school principal, two teachers and
60 students back then. During its heyday in the 1970s, the primary and
secondary sections had a total of more than 2,000 students. In the 1980s when
Singapore's education was undergoing a major revamp, it was transformed into a national
stream school with English as the first language. As the resident population in
the city declined, The Ngee Ann Kongsi decided to establish a new school (Ngee
Ann Secondary School) in Tampines New Town.
For Tuan Mong students, learning
did not only come from the school itself. Fort Canning Hill and its surrounding
are our classroom, allowing us to bring those knowledge from books to real
life.
Tuan Mong and its surrounding
Harmony and tolerance: At the bottom of the hill along
Tank Road, the Hindu Temple (Sri Thendayuthapani Temple)
built by the Indian Chattier and the Catholic Church (Church of the Sacred
Heart) funded by Chinese donors are still standing on the solid ground.
Sandwiched between the two century’s old religious sites is a unique Chinese
building which is a fusion of both the Teochew and Western architectural
styles. It is where the Tuan Mong High School was situated. For more than a
hundred years, this place has witnessed social harmony and mutual tolerance
among all races and religions. We witnessed the Thaipusam procession year in
year out.
Tuan Mong is situated
in between the two historical religious sites: Church of the Sacred Heart and Sri
Thendayuthapani Temple
Sri Thendayuthapani Temple established by the Indian Chattier
Indian security: The security who worked for this
traditional Chinese school for many years was a fellow Indian, Mohamed Hussain. Since the end of World War II, his family
had been living in the school compound until the day of its closure. His
granddaughter, Julaiha, shared her gratitude through an article “Tuan Mong High
School My Home” captured in the Singapore Memory Project.
Julaiha, the granddaughter of Tuan Mong security guard Mohamed Hussain, shared her gratitude in the Singapore Memory Project.
The major mass transportation route: Tank Road is named after the
train of which the railway terminal in front of the school was completed in
1903. The railway joining Singapore and Malaysia was the main means of
transportation for many decades. Indeed, the trains had facilitated the close
relationship among people between Singapore and the Federation. Today, the CTE
and the MRT Northeast Line are built underneath and continue to play the
significant role as they did a century ago.
Tank Road is named after the train of which the railway terminal in front of the school was completed in 1903. Source:NAS
The origin of Singapore history: The Fort Canning Hill is the
birthplace of Singapore history. 700 years ago, Prince Sang Nila Utama
established the ruling centre on this "Forbidden Hill". Excavation in
the 20th century found ancient porcelain, glass beads and Kara gold ornaments
substantiated the glory of ancient Singapura.
The economic lifeblood: In the early 19th century, the
British revived the ancient port of Singapore, promoting free trade and laying
the foundation of modern Singapore. The Raffles House, the flagpole, the
lighthouse and the time ball on the Fort Canning Hill facing the sea had taught
us that the mouth of the Singapore River was the starting point of our maritime
trade. The Singapore River is always a lifeline for Singaporean from supporting
the economy and daily living in the past, to providing fresh water for urban
living today.
Hall of arts and culture: The National Theatre was jointly
funded by the government and the public. It signified a strong cohesiveness
during the nation building years. It was an important venue for promoting arts
and culture since its opening before the Singapore’s merger with Malaysia. The
National Theatre organised calligraphy, painting and photography exhibitions
during the day, and cultural shows at night. Tuan Mong students used to sit on
the hillside to watch free live performances by Teochew opera star Ms Yao
Xuanqiu, the North Korean Art Troupe, the Hong Kong and China performances,
among others.
The National Theatre was where most Tuan Mong students would capture their fond memories. Credit: 梁秀香
Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan
Yew cast his sacred vote in Tuan Mong
May 30, 1959 was a memorable day
when the general election for the full internal self-government of Singapore was held. All 51 seats in the
Legislative Assembly were elected by the people for the first time. It marked
the new journey towards independence for Singapore.
Tuan Mong High school was one of
the polling stations in the district of River Valley. Early in the morning,
voters lined up outside the school, ready to cast their sacred votes for the
first elected government. Opposition MP and Tanjong Pagar district candidate Mr
Lee Kuan Yew also queued up to cast his vote. After this election, he became
the Prime Minister of Singapore.
Mr Lee's home, 38 Oxley Road, is
just behind Tuan Mong, which is less than a 10-minute walk to the polling
station.
May 30, 1959, opposition MP and Tanjong Pagar district candidate Lee Kuan Yew queued up in Tuan Mong to cast his vote. Mrs Lee was in front of him. Source: LIFE Magazine
Tuan Mong teachers’ calligraphy
Calligraphy is in the DNA of Tuan
Mong thanks to the Vice Principal Mr Yang Wee Chyun and teacher Mr Chang Kwang
Wee.
The late Mr Yang Wee Chyun was
comfortable with all styles of Chinese calligraphy. When Singapore decided to
adopt simplified Chinese, he specially wrote the simplified characters for the
students to practice. If you are passing by Kreta Ayer, you may want to take a
look at Mr Yang's calligraphy inscribed board "Chinatown Complex",
which is located at the entrance of the complex facing the Buddha's Tooth
Temple. It has already been captured by the lens of many visitors.
Yang Wee Chyun's calligraphy inscribed board "Chinatown Complex"
In 2011, the 25th anniversary of
the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) was celebrated
with a plaque inscribed with the words "Harmony and Co-operation" in
Chinese presented by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, former Senior Minister. The
plaque is now hanging over the entrance lobby of SFCCA. The words on the plaque
were written by Mr Chang Kwang Wee. Mr Chang is still conducting calligraphy
classes for the general public.
"Harmony and Co-operation" presented by the late Lee Kuan Yew and written by Chang Kwang Wee
Tuan Mong teachers' paintings on
display at the National Gallery of Singapore
The National Gallery's DBS
Singapore Gallery features the works of four Tuan Mong teachers.
Mr Tchang Ju Chi was a
first-generation Chinese artist. He was a painter, cartoonist, writer, activist
and intellectual leader in Singapore before the Second World War. He is
probably one of the first artist who painted “Nanyang colour” as early as the
1920s. He was killed during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in 1942.
Tchang Ju Chi, fruits
Mr Chen Chong Swee was another
pioneer of the Nanyang art. Although he had a good grounding in oil painting,
he was most at ease with painting in Chinese ink and colour as well as Western
watercolour. His oil paintings often captured Malay kampungs and Malay women as
his subjects. Mr Chen advocated that Chinese ink painting must incorporate
Western painting techniques to express modern life, and use of English or Malay
poetry to reach out to more audience for Chinese ink painting.
Chen Chong Swee, Malay women
Mr Gog Sing Hooi was one of the
pioneer watercolour artists whose artistic talents and dedication to the medium
placed them in mentoring roles amongst younger local artists participating in
the Sunday Group during the 1940s – 60s. They eventually helped founded the
Singapore Watercolour Society in 1969. Mr Gog served as the inaugural Chairman
of the society.
Goh Sing Hooi, Thiam Hock Keng
For over 50 years, Mr Ho Yee Ping
performed watercolour painting during weekends when he was holding a day
teaching job in Tuan Mong. When he was studying at the Nanyang Academy of Fine
Arts, he became close friend with Georgette Chen although he had never attended
her classes. After graduation, he used to ride around in Chen's beetle car to
make sketches of local scenes.
Ho Yee Ping, Chinatown
Members of parliament
There are four Tuan Mong alumni who
have served as Members of Parliament: Mr Yeo Toon Chia, Mr Goh Choon Kang, Mr Seng
Han Thong and Mr Sam Tan, who together have been MPs for about 80 years,
serving in four single-member constituencies and three GRC.
In late September 1996, Deputy
Prime Minister Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong introduced the new candidate, Mr
Seng Han Thong, saying that the younger generation of candidates with a Chinese
language background could be selected from graduates from Catholic High, Hwa
Chong and Tuan Mong.
In late September 1996, Deputy Prime Minister Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong introduced the new candidate, Seng Han Thong
Olympic personalities
Our alumni Mr Tan Howe Liang is a
weightlifter and won the first Singapore Olympic Games medal in 1960.
Half a century later, Singapore
hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) established by the International
Olympic Committee. The event was held in 2010 which wrote a new chapter in the
history of local sports. Mr Ng Ser Miang, a Tuan Mong alumni, served as
chairman of the YOG Organising Committee.
NASA spacecraft engineer
Tuan Mong alumni Mr Allan Lee, a
NASA spacecraft engineer, spent 25 years working on the Cassini/Huygens mission
to Saturn and Titan. He has also supported other interplanetary missions
including the Galileo Jupiter mission scheduled to travel to Jupiter in 2022. Mr
Lee has never forgotten his mentors and classmates. He caught up with
them whenever returned to Singapore.
Tham
Luang Cave,
Thailand: The high-risk search and rescue mission
On June 23, 2018, 12 "Wild
Boars" football team teenage players and their coach were stranded in the
Tham Luang Cave due to heavy rains. Hundreds of volunteers from all over the
world joined in for the rescue effort.
Mr Poh Kok Wee , a Tuan Mong
alumni, took the initiative to contact the military and join the international
rescue team. He put aside all his business, paid for everything, and risked his
life with a five-member professional climbing team hired by his company to
participate in the rescue operation. His team was mainly responsible for
checking other holes that could lead to the stranded site. He also served as an
interpreter for the international rescue team. After 18 days of struggle, all
the missing boys and their coach were finally rescued. As Mr Poh said, he is
only a small candle, but the light brings hope to others.
Poh Kok Wee said, he is only a small candle, but the light brings hope to others. Credit: Poh Kok Wee
Summary
Tuan Mong is not a prestigious
elite school. Most of the students came from ordinary families. The former
students learnt from the pool of devoted and caring teachers as well as the
unparalleled geographical environment. They are contributing to the society in
their respective fields.
