The Mystery and Mastery of Tan Yeok Nee (Part 3)
A Strange New World The previous post followed Tan Yeok Nee from his hometown to his first weeks and months in Malaya and then to Singapore where his fortuitous first meeting with Abu Bakar took place. It showed that anything could happen in this rapidly evolving global port city. That was, of course, precisely its appeal. Many others arrived from southern China, including those who, like Tan, identified as Teochew, but most of their stories are lost to history. In fact, considering the number of arrivals, there is a veritable void in documented information about their experiences. But it was not just the people and places who were new to Tan. Mastering how to navigate his way through the new commercial and administrative structures which he encountered was imperative. From the Collection of the National Museum of Singapore, "View of Singapore From The Sea" was painted around 1847. A view similar to this was therefore probably what Tan Yeok Nee's first saw on arriving i...