Song Yunpu (宋蕴璞)
Nan Yang Ying Shu Hai Xia Zhi Min Di Zhi Lue (南洋英属海峡殖民地志略), or A Survey of British Straits Settlements in Nanyang, was published in Beijing in 1930.
The author, Song Yunpu (宋蕴璞), visited Singapore and Malaya for three and a half years in the 1920s. This book is a comprehensive survey and observation of the Straits Settlements during his visit. His account is invaluable as it is the first extensive review of the life and events in the Straits Settlements in Chinese language.
There are three sections in this book — Singapore, Penang and Melaka. Each section comprises eight chapters namely:
- Introduction
- Agriculture & Mining
- State & Society
- Personalities
- Sites of Visit
- Entertainment
- Sightseeing
- Miscellaneous
It also covers some aspects of other communities, such as lifestyle, custom and occupation of the Malay.
Rich in historical narratives, this book is an important source of reference for the study of Chinese community in the pre-war Straits Settlements.
All images in this article are taken from the book.
Hi,
I am very interested in researching more information regarding Song Yunpu, can you tell me more about him? I am actually trying to locate a film made by him in 1937 called “Grand View of Weihai” 《威海大观》 taken at the Aishan temple fair in Weihai, Shandong.
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for your interest in the topic.
Our team will be getting in touch with you soon to share what we can find.
Please can you tell me where did you get the picture of Song Yunpu shown above?
Do you know anything about his date of birth or death? Is he a relative of the Song family famous political family in China?
Hi Christopher,
The picture of Song is taken from here: https://digitalgems.nus.edu.sg/persistent/e57a53f7-f123-42d1-ac22-9708c33642d0.
We don’t have Song Yunpu’s year of birth or death. The prominent Soong family is made reputable by the Soong sisters who were married to well-known Chinese figures. Song Yunpu is unrelated to them.