How was life different among people of different occupations in Singapore before World War II?
1. Why did they choose that particular occupation?
1.1. Coolies
1.1.1. they are driven by poverty in China to seek a better life in Singapore so as to support their family and themselves
1.2. Rickshaw Pullers
1.2.1. they are not well-educated
1.2.2. all they can do is work using muscles
1.3. Samsui Women
1.3.1. Chinese population was mostly male back then so immigration policies restricted the number of males coming to Singapore but opened the door for female immigrants
1.3.2. Dongguan and Shunde were much poorer than other regions of China families living there needed money desperately
1.4. Shipbuilder
1.4.1. building and repairing ships could earn a lot money as Singapore was a main trading port back then
1.5. British government officials
1.5.1. the high number of traders and oil supply in Singapore caused them to become very rich
1.5.2. they are mostly not able to volunteer themselves in before world war two and they are chosen by the British Government
2. How do you think they contributed to Singapore's progress?
2.1. Coolies
2.1.1. they helped to build Singapore into a better place such as constructing houses and buildings for use
2.2. Rickshaw puller
2.2.1. people used them as transport and they could also carry heavy stuff on the rickshaw which quickened everyone's pace of life
2.3. Samsui Women
2.3.1. they contributed a lot to housing construction
2.3.2. labour at hawker centres helped Singapore's early development
2.4. Shipbuilders
2.4.1. they made Singapore a major international ship-repair centre
2.4.2. they contributed to development of the port
2.5. British Government
2.5.1. they made Singapore a main trading port
2.5.2. they developed settlements in Singapore so that more people would come to Singapore from different countries
3. the key words in the questions
3.1. life
3.2. different
3.3. diffrent occupations
3.4. Singapore
3.5. before World War Two
4. historical concept
4.1. Establish historical significance(importance of selected people,event and developments in the past)
5. What exactly did they do as part of their occupations?
5.1. Coolies
5.1.1. do labouring and unskilled work
5.1.2. employed in mines, ports, plantations, construction sites, etc...
5.1.3. do back-breaking tasks under the sun for a very long time
5.2. Rickshaw Pullers
5.2.1. would use a rickshaw to carry a person from one place to another
5.2.2. like human taxi
5.3. Samsui Women
5.3.1. worked in construction sites
5.3.2. dug soil and carried earth, debris and building materials in buckets hung from their shoulders using poles
5.3.3. also worked as domestic helpers or servants
5.4. Shipbuilders
5.4.1. built ships out of wood, and lived by the sea
5.4.2. mostly Bugis people or Malays
5.4.3. also provide repair works for passing by trade ships
5.4.4. important to Singapore at that time as it was a port and trade centre
5.5. British government officials
5.5.1. developed Singapore as an important port and a settlement for all
5.5.2. responsible for making and carrying out laws in Singapore
6. What kind of lives did they lead? - Was it good, bad, difficult, rewarding?
6.1. Coolies
6.1.1. had a difficult life as they had to endure grim living conditions, earning very little
6.1.2. most of the jobs taken by them involved hard labour
6.2. RIckshaw Pullers
6.2.1. lives are difficult and often could not make ends meet
6.2.2. sometimes no money to buy food
6.3. Samsui Women
6.3.1. life was difficult, lived in rooms above shophouses that lined the streets
6.3.2. a room was subdivided into cubicles and four or more women shared one single room
6.3.3. meals were sparse and usually concsisted of food such as rice, pickled or fresh vegtables
6.4. Shipbulders
6.4.1. they did not earn much as they are usually the sole breadwinner of the family, and the family is usually large
6.4.2. life was bad
6.4.3. the ships were purely built by hand
6.5. British government officials
6.5.1. life was good and rewarding waitpeople's support
6.5.2. building a ship took a long time, especially large ones, so they only had income for after a period of time working