Rabbiah Binti Haja Madin, Rabbiah’s Cury and Spice, 1999 “My customers are not my customers. They are my friends and I have learned many things about life from them through our long chats at the store.” Photo by Nicky Loh.
Rabbiah Binti Haja Madin, Rabbiah’s Cury and Spice, 1999 “My customers are not my customers. They are my friends and I have learned many things about life from them through our long chats at the store.” Photo by Nicky Loh.
Rabbiah Binti Haja Madin, Rabbiah’s Cury and Spice, 1999
“My customers are not my customers. They are my friends and I have learned many things about life from them through our long chats at the store.” Photo by Nicky Loh.

The cluster of ten-storey flats in Commonwealth Drive were one of the first satellite towns built by the Housing Development Board in the early 1960s. Known as Zhup Lao, these flats have seen generations of Singaporeans growing up in them, the cornerstone of one of Singapore’s many local communities.

But there few sites in this ever-changing city-state can be taken for granted, and Zhup Lao has been earmarked for redevelopment under the Selective En Block Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).

For the past eight years photographer Nicky Loh and his family have been residents of Commonwealth Drive. He’s since got to know many of the aunties and uncles who have spent most of their lives in the neighbourhood.

“It’s sad to think that with the demolition of these blocks, all these old and long-lasting ties will be uprooted and lost forever,” he wrote in the introduction of his book Common Wealth.

Loh’s book was an attempt to document the people and stories of Zhup Lao before it’s gone. Through a series of portraits, his photos capture colourful scenes of cluttered shops and old-school stalls.

Goh Song Guan, 65 and Zheng Yi Zi, 59, Xin Guang dry provisions shop, since 1972 “The rent for this store used to be one dollar a day.” Photo by Nicky Loh.
Goh Song Guan, 65 and Zheng Yi Zi, 59, Xin Guang dry provisions shop, since 1972
“The rent for this store used to be one dollar a day.” Photo by Nicky Loh.

“I purposely shot every portrait with a wide angle lens because i wanted to also capture the rich detail of their shop environments,” he told TOC. “Scan every inch of the photo and you will see something interesting.”

Loh didn’t just show up at shops, snapping away, but tried to form relationships with his subjects. His efforts have allowed him particular access to the area and people’s stories. “My wife says I’m like the unofficial MP here because I always start waving at the different shop owners when I walk by. Last week, I asked for permission from one of the old shop owners if I could do a fashion shoot for a magazine, and he said, ‘别人不可以, 只有你可以.’ (‘Others can’t, but you can.’) That really touched me,” he said.

Nostalgia has become very much on-trend in Singapore recently; cafes with old-school décor and themes sprout up with great regularity, just one example of how the past has been commodified for hipster consumption.

But Loh says he’s simply trying to hold on to one thing before it joins the legions of other physical and emotional landmarks that have been erased from Singapore. “Everything is changing so fast in Singapore and people in their 30s like me find it very hard to recall what our childhood was like. That’s why we try to preserve every memory that we can hold on to, he said. “The sand pit playgrounds and the mamak shops where I would spend a day contemplating how to spend my 50 cents – they are all gone.”

“Zhup Lao has a special place in my heart so I definitely think it should be conserved than demolished. The ten-storey blocks are actually vacant now so it could easily be transformed into a creative space for artists to work on. I have a dream of displaying close-up portraits of people from the neighbourhood on the metal shutters of the shops that are closed,” he added.

Still, Loh is aware that development in Singapore stands still for no one: “As far as Singapore’s constant development and demolition, there will always be nostalgic people like me but we can’t stand in the way of progress.”

Common Wealth can be purchased online here.

Goh Shu Jeng, vegetable store owner since 1964. “Why do they [customers] always come back? One word, trust [that I always give them the freshest vegetables].” Photo by Nicky Loh.
Goh Shu Jeng, vegetable store owner since 1964.
“Why do they [customers] always come back? One word, trust [that I always give them the freshest vegetables].” Photo by Nicky Loh.
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

Stars raise $9,000 for Chiam See Tong Sports Fund

SINGAPORE, 31 January 2020: More than 400 fans turned up at the Our…

如政府传假消息怎么办? 唐振辉称一样被新法对付

如果政府或领导传播假消息,该怎么办? 对此律政部兼卫生部高级政务部长唐振辉打包票指出,政府并不会凌驾于法律体系之外,完全不受到监督。他们也受到同样的监管,适用同样的标准。 他认为,政府若作出错误判断或决定,法院便得裁决,若这类事件一再发生,人民对政府的信任也会被削弱。 唐振辉在昨日出席由新加坡管理大学主办的对话会,针对与会者提问,法案是否有制衡机制,确保政府本身不制造假消息。 约150名师生,出席这场讨论假消息草案的对话会。会上唐振辉也解释,法案没有设定人数标准,消息传到多少人手中才构成违法。这意味着,不会因为接到假消息的受众少,就不会被法律对付。 他声称,新法必须具备这种伸缩性,因为一些假消息即便没有广泛散播,但它可能涉及危害国家利益。例如,若意图在短信或私人群组散播假消息以制造恐慌,也得面对法律责任。 民间忧遭诉讼缠身,产生寒蝉效应 另一方面,反假消息法也被指透过法律刑责,来制造寒蝉效应,造成民众因担忧招惹官司而被高昂诉讼费缠身,而不敢再批评政府政策。 对此,唐振辉指出,法庭是比较合适和独立于政府的监督机构,来裁定部长的判断。 对于官司费的担忧,唐振辉认为,目前国内已有充足的经济和法律援助供有需要者申请,对部长的更正指示作出上诉。 “作为消息发布者,在法院也只需要直截了当,提出证明自己所说所写皆属实,这应该不难,如果我写了什么,理应有所根据。” 尚穆根:政府不是假消息真伪最后仲裁者…

$500 enough to survive and pay for medical fees in Singapore?

By Terry Xu Living in a rental flat with her brother, Ms Tan…

吴作栋接受《早报》专访 吁不要让部长生活太难过

配合个人传记《高难任务:吴作栋传》中文译本将在下周问市,荣誉国务资政吴作栋接受新加坡报业控股华文媒体集团社长李慧玲季高级记者周雁冰专访。 在访谈中,他指政府要从私人企业吸收人才越来越难,认为人民未感激和多些理解部长的工作,纯粹地谴责和攻击,令人感到沮丧。 “已经参政的人只好接受,还没加入的会说,我为何要被这样攻击?”吴作栋认为,这导致私人界人士不愿参与行动党政治,结果就只剩下公务员和将领。 他说,愿从政的公务员也会减少,他们认为自己已经在帮政府工作,不需要被他人认识和接受政治攻击。作为部长,还得去游说他们,他也透露已经有好几位公务员对从政“说不”。 访谈中,记者询问吴作栋,许多人认为既然部长领受高薪,那么也要能承担口头谴责和攻击。 对此,吴作栋表示,如果部长没把事情做好,就应该接受谴责;“就算没做错也被嘲笑,你接受吧,政治领袖就是要有厚脸皮。” 但他认为,部长可以被嘲笑,但为何部长的伴侣、孩子也接受这样的攻击?他指部长的子女往往在学校会被“特殊看待”(single out),例如他的儿子也必须默默承受这种压力。 “孩子会说:你脸皮厚,我可没那么厚。而且你还得听配偶的,如果配偶不支持,你无法从政。所以,不要让部长生活难过。(don’t make life difficult…