Did you know? - Social Studies

Penning letters for a living

Back when there were many illiterate immi­grants in need of assistance, letter writing was a flourishing trade in Singapore.

In the colonial era, letter writers charged around 50 cents to compose missives or, in the case of mail received from relatives back in Chi­na, read them.

Some letter writers could also provide callig­raphy or couplets for special occasions, like Chi­nese New Year and weddings.

In the early days, the letter writers' main cli­entele were uneducated immigrants from China, like labourers, samsui women and amahs, who wanted to communicate with their families.

The business thrived right up to the 1960s when, with communist China's economy sput­tering, ethnic Chinese here sought the help of letter writers in sending food and money back home.

But as telecommunications and literacy im­proved in the 1970s, the writing was on the wall.
Today, only a handful of practitioners keep the dying profession alive in Chinatown.

Taken from Yesterday's Tales, The Straits Times 13 Nov 2004 Sat