Lee Wee Nam (b. 1881, Theng Hai, Guangdong, China–d. 24 January 1964, Singapore) was an eminent entrepreneur and community leader. Better known as Wee Nam Yia, a title given by the Teochews to a distinguished man of high position, Lee was the chairman and managing ...

Lim Peng Siang (b. 1872, Fujian, China–d. 1944, Singapore) was a Chinese merchant who made significant contributions to Singapore’s economic and social developments in the early 1900s. He was a prominent leader of the Chinese community and held key positions in ...

Tan Beng Swee (b. 1828, Singapore–d. 4 November 1884, Singapore) was a wealthy Straits Chinese merchant and philanthropist. As the second-generation patriarch of the prominent Tan family, he served as a leader of the Chinese communities in both Malacca and Sin ...

Abraham Solomon (b. 1798?, Baghdad - d. 19 May 1884, Singapore) was a successful merchant and one of the earliest Jewish settlers in Singapore. He was a prominent leader in the Jewish community. Solomon Street, located in Boat Quay, was named after him.

Jacob Ballas (b. 21 January 1921, Iraq–d. 18 January 2000, Singapore) was a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore, a successful stockbroker and well-known philanthropist. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens was named after ...

The People’s Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) that was established on 1 July 1960 through the People’s Association Ordinance. Officially, the PA was formed to achieve two objectives: first, to develop ...

The Arabs are a small but significant community in Singapore. During colonial times, the Arabs played prominent economic roles in the regional, retail, wholesale and production trades, the Muslim pilgrimage industry and real estate development. They were also involved ...

The Sikh community is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Singapore and is usually considered part of the larger North Indian community. According to the 2010 census, there are about 12,952 Sikhs in Singapore. The Sikhs first came to Singapore in 1819 as sepoys, ...

Opened on 12 November 1960, the Central Community Library was located in the former National Library Building on Stamford Road. It used to be called the Central Lending Library until 1 September 1995 when the National Library became a statutory board and it was ...

The Parsis (or Parsees) are descendants of Zoroastrian Persians who settled in India in the 10th century. They first arrived in Singapore in the 19th century. As of 2017, an estimated 350 Parsis live in Singapore. Parsi Road and Parsi Cemetery are named after ...

The Tamils make up the largest segment of the South Indian community in Singapore. Originating from the present-day state of Tamil Nadu in South India as well as northern Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), many Tamils came to Singapore during the 19th century as labourers ...

The Bugis were among the first groups of people to arrive in Singapore after the British established a trading settlement on the island in 1819. Many of the early Bugis settlers came as maritime traders and made significant contributions to the development of Singapore ...

The Javanese are one of the larger Indonesian ethnic groups that migrated to Singapore in various waves starting from the early 19th century. People of Javanese ancestry in Singapore are now regarded as part of the larger Malay/Muslim community.

The Eurasian community is a small but influential ethnic group that has been present in Singapore since the early 19th century. Eurasians are persons with mixed European and Asian lineage. Most Eurasians in Singapore can trace the European part of their ancestry ...

Tan Jiak Kim (陈若锦) (b. 29 April 1859, Singapore–d. 22 October 1917, Singapore) was a prominent Straits-born Chinese (Peranakan) merchant and political activist in the early 19th century. He was an outstanding community leader who contributed significantly to the ...

Govindasamy Kandasamy (b. 23 May 1921, Province Wellesley, Penang–d. 20 March 1999, Singapore), better known as G. Kandasamy, was a veteran union leader, politician and community leader. He founded the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) in 1959 and served ...

The term Peranakan generally refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. Many Peranakans trace their origins to 15th-century Malacca where their ancestors were thought to be Chinese traders who married local women. Peranakan males are known ...

Syed Ibrahim bin Omar Alsagoff (Dato) (b. 28 April 1899, Mecca–d. 20 July 1975, Singapore), popularly known as S. I. O. Alsagoff, was the head of local Arab companies – Alsagoff & Co. and S. O. Alsagoff. He was also the consul for several Arabic countries, as well ...

Gan Eng Seng alias Yen Hsi K’un (b. 1844, Malacca, Malaysia–d. 9 September 1899, Singapore) was a Chinese ethnic leader, labour contractor, and a landed proprietor of early Singapore who contributed considerably to charities as well as hospitals and schools. He ...

Alexander Laurie Johnston (b. Dumfriesshire, South Scotland–d. February 1850, Bluehill, Kircudbright, Scotland), a former ship’s owner/captain, merchant, businessman, magistrate and Justice of the Peace, arrived in Singapore between 1819 and 1820. One of the earliest ...