Words That Move

Discover the image credits for Words That Move.

Last updated 24 July 2026

Index

Click the links below for the respective image credits.

English poem Punggol by Ronald JJ Wong
Chinese poem 组屋族 (The HDB Tribe) by 梁文福 (Liang Wern Fook)
Malay poem Kenangan Tinggal Di Rumah Deret (Memories of Living in a Rowhouse) by Norisah A Bakar
Tamil poem நகர்வளம் (Urban Riches) by அமீருத்தீன் (Amiroudine)

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English poem

Image credits for Punggol by Ronald JJ Wong

Three men row small boats on calm water, one wearing a hat, another a beanie, and the third is paddling vigorously.

Regatta organised by Ponggol Point Community Centre, 1966
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980005250-0045

A group of people stand next to a wooden boat on a sandy shore with calm sea and cloudy sky in the background.

Fishermen pushing a sampan to sea, 1950s
Arthur B Reich Collection, National Library, Singapore

People and boats in a watery village, with palm trees and houses in the background.

Artist's impression of the fishing village at Kangkar, 2020
From My Father's Kampung: A History Of Aukang And Punggol by Shawn Seah

A low-rise pink wooden kampung house with a corrugated metal roof, laundry hanging on the right, and two people standing outside on a dirt path surrounded by tropical trees.

Pig farm in Singapore, 1960s
Primary Production Department Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20060000818-0060

A man stands in a small boat on the water near the shore, with other boats and wooden posts visible in the background.

Fisherman unloading kupang (sea mussels) from a sampan at Punggol Point, 1985
National Archives of Singapore
19980005035-0106

A wooden stilt house stands over water with a cloudy sky and land visible in the background.

Kelong, 1950s
Courtesy of Sons of David “Danny” Daniel, National Library, Singapore

Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by trees, and a statue in front.

Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Upper Serangoon Road, 1976
National Archives of Singapore
19980006212-0045

An aerial view of a church complex surrounded by trees and houses with green and red roofs.

Artist's impression of the aerial view of Montfort School and the Church of the Nativity in the 1960s, 2020
From My Father's Kampung: A History Of Aukang And Punggol by Shawn Seah

A group of people, including nuns, seated in pews inside a church, with floral arrangements visible in the foreground.

Congregation at the Nativity Church, 1970s
Courtesy of Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Old building with corrugated metal roof, colorful clothes hanging, surrounded by plants and grassy yard.

Sarongs drying on a line outside a house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2007
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A man in white clothing stands outside next to a tiger.

William Lawrence Soma Basapa and his favourite pet Bengal Tiger, Apay, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Mr Lawrence Basapa

Seven people measure a long python at the Singapore Zoo, holding it outstretched in a line.

Measuring a 30-foot python at the Punggol Zoo, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Lawrence Basapa

Several flamingoes and waterfowl swim in a fenced pond labeled "Flamingoes & Waterfowls Singapore Zoo."

Flamingos and waterfowls at the Punggol Zoo, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Lawrence Basapa

Imperial guards of the Japanese Army crossing the Johor Causeway, 1942
Lim Kheng Chye Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20060000785-0012

Six figures standing, while several others kneel and dig with tools; palm trees and foliage in the background.

Sketch of victims digging their own graves from Chop Suey by Liu Kang, 1946
Reproduced with permission of the Liu Kang family

A shoreline with scattered boats and trees in the background, photographed in black and white.

Ponggol beach, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

A black-and-white photo of a coastal scene with boats on the water and a shoreline with scattered rocks and mud.

View across the Straits of Johor at Punggol Point, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

People walk along a concrete jetty extending over water with boats and an industrial skyline visible in the distance.

Punggol Point, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

Chinese poem

Image credits for 组屋族 (The HDB Tribe) by 梁文福 (Liang Wern Fook)

A black-and-white photograph of a Singaporean family relaxing in a spacious HDB flat living room, likely from the 1960s or 1970s. A man sits in an armchair, two women are seated on sofas in the background, a young girl sits on the floor, and a boy lies on the terrazzo floor. A piano and decorative items are visible on the left, with venetian-blinded windows in the background.

L-shaped living room in a typical five-room flat, 1975
Courtesy of Housing and Development Board

A colour photograph of two traditional Singaporean biscuits (likely hopia or wife cakes) on a red-rimmed enamel plate, alongside a cup of black coffee in a floral green-and-white porcelain cup and saucer, all resting on a Chinese-language newspaper.

Coffee and snacks, 2007
Collection of the National Library, Singapore

A colour photograph of a bank of metal letterboxes mounted on a wall in the void deck of a HDB block, labelled "Block 406 Yishun Avenue 6". A no-littering sign is displayed on the wall above.

Letter boxes at Yishun Block 406, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A colour photograph of the entrance to a HDB flat numbered 09-1268, featuring a metal gate with horizontal bars, a small red Chinese deity shrine mounted on the wall to the right, potted plants, and utility meters on the left.

Gated HDB flat in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A colour photograph of two lift lobbies at HDB Block 439B, with stainless steel lift doors, brown and beige tiled walls, a residents' noticeboard for "Fernvale Zone F Residents' Network", and a police camera notice on the left.

Lift lobby in Sengkang, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A colour photograph taken inside a HDB lift at Block 394, showing a digital display indicating the lift is descending from the 10th floor, with a notice in four languages (English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil) stating the lift is under closed-circuit TV surveillance.

Inside a lift in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A black-and-white photograph of a Singaporean family watching television together in a modest HDB flat living room, likely from the 1960s or 1970s. A couple sits on a sofa to the left while two young children sit on the floor facing a boxy television set. Patterned curtains and framed photographs on the walls are visible.

The living room in a typical three-room (Improved) flat.
Courtesy of Housing and Development Board

A lush collection of potted plants lining a HDB corridor, with hanging plants suspended from hooks above and a unit door numbered 11-1254 visible in the background.

Plants lining the corridor of a block at Yishun Ave 6, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A Chinese tear-off calendar mounted on a wall, showing the date Friday the 9th (九日, 星期五), photographed in dim blue light.

A calendar on the wall of an evacuated house in Kampong House in Kampong River Valley, 1985
Ronni Pinsler Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19990007096-026

A black-and-white photograph of a young man sitting at a desk, holding a telephone receiver to his ear, with a rotary dial telephone on the desk beside him.

A staff using the telephone in his office, 1964
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980000357-0035

Shelves in a supermarket stocked with a variety of canned goods, including Spam, Hormel luncheon meat, Heinz Beanz, Smedley's beans, Tulip pork luncheon meat, and various Chinese-branded canned meats, with price tags in what appears to be Hong Kong dollars.

Canned food in a supermarket, 2019
Laim Kpvinai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Two vintage burgundy hard-shell suitcases with cream trim and brass clasps, stacked on a wooden floor, with the top suitcase open to reveal a blue and orange plaid fabric lining.

Inside Vintage Suitcases, 2009
Salihan, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr

The cluttered interior of an old shop or storeroom, with metal shelving units packed with boxes, repair kits, and miscellaneous goods, a wooden stool on the floor, and a desk covered in papers and items.

Office of Messrs Quek Hwa Heng Engineering works at 168 Jalan Lam Sam, 1986
Housing and Development Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20150000008-0017

"Work in progress" in large text abA wall densely covered in overlapping property rental flyers, predominantly yellow and white, advertising houses and rooms for rent in Chinese and English, with tear-off strips bearing phone numbers along the bottom edges of many flyers.ove a message explaining content is under development and to check back soon.

Wanted, 2010
Richard Cawood
CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr

A concrete pillar at a Singapore HDB void deck plastered with colourful property agent flyers advertising buy, sell, and rent services, featuring headshots of agents and their contact numbers, with the Yishun estate prominently mentioned on several flyers.

Notice board at a void deck in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A covered community space with rows of ornate wooden and metal bird cages suspended from horizontal rails on the ceiling, numbered sequentially, while several men stand or sit beneath them in a relaxed gathering, with a sunny HDB estate visible in the background.

Bird Singing Hangout at Clementi, 2013
©Tomohisa Miyauchi

A person in a navy hoodie and black shorts walks a cream-coloured golden retriever across a pedestrian crossing at a Singapore road junction, with a green pedestrian signal lit and a masked cyclist visible in the background.

A girl going on an evening run with her dog, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A multi-story building with numerous windows and air conditioning units attached below many of the windows.

Yishun Block 392, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A worm's-eye view looking up the stark concrete facade of a tall building, its horizontal ledges receding sharply into the distance against a partly cloudy sky, with small patches of vegetation growing along the ledges and a lone figure visible on one of the upper floors.

A block of Housing Development Board flat at Ghim Moh estate, 1989
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007516-0028

Malay poem

Image credits for Kenangan Tinggal Di Rumah Deret (Memories of Living in a Rowhouse) by Norisah A Bakar

A crowd gathers at the official opening ceremony of Jalan Nanas in Geylang Serai, dated 30 May 1965. A large bilingual banner in Malay and Chinese spans the entrance to the newly built road, with utility poles, shophouses, and palm trees visible in the background.

Jalan Nanas, off Jalan Eunos, opened by Assemblyman for Geylang Serai Rahamat bin Kenap, 1965
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980000740-0064

A narrow concrete lane runs between rows of modest kampung houses with corrugated zinc roofing, circa 1970s–80s. A lone figure walks away from the camera, and a resident sits outside one of the homes.

Malay village in Potong Pasir, 1970s
John W, (Jack) Humphrey Collection, National Library, Singapore

A group of young children pose with an adult outside a long row of wooden kampung houses with louvred shutters and a low picket fence, 1968 Singapore.

Children gathered outside a row house at Jalan Nanas, 1968
Courtesy of Norisah A. Bakar

The front yard of a kampung house, enclosed by a chain-link fence with laundry hanging from it. A bicycle leans against the wall and potted plants line the yard.

Row of fenced houses with front yards in Potong Pasir, 1970s
John W, (Jack) Humphrey Collection, National Library, Singapore

A large text reads "Work inTwo young girls in traditional Malay dress sit on a woven mat playing congkak, a traditional Malay mancala-style board game, indoors. progress" above a smaller paragraph stating the content will be available soon.

Malay children playing congkak game, 1980s
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980002915-0019

The sunlit backyard of a kampung home, with colourful laundry strung between a wooden fence and a large tree, and a cabinet visible on the sheltered porch.

Malay House at Lorong Engku Aman, Geylang Serai, 1980
Maznah Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980006536-0078

A group of children take turns playing hopscotch drawn in chalk on a school corridor floor, with one boy mid-step as others look on.

Children playing Chinese hopscotch, 1960-1980
Singapore Sports Council, National Archives of Singapore
19980005606-0090

The interior of a kampung living room, viewed from the entrance. A middle-aged man in a white short-sleeved shirt stands in the background near a doorway, holding what appears to be a pair of scissors or tongs. The room is furnished with a brown sofa set, globe pendant lights, and floral curtains. A birdcage is visible on the right, and various household items are stacked near the entrance, including a bag of what appears to be rice.

Interior view of a Malay house in Kampong Wak Selat, 1993
National Archives of Singapore
19980005752-0084

A modest kampung bedroom with a single bed draped in a sheer mosquito net, through which a pink gingham pillow and rumpled white sheets are visible. A dark wooden wardrobe with a mirror stands to the right. The walls are bare and heavily weathered, with peeling plaster, and the floor is littered with miscellaneous items.

Bedroom in a house at Kampong Bugis, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006064-0003

A woman in a kebaya and batik sarong leans over a raised concrete wood-fired stove, tending to several blackened pots and clay vessels in a kampung kitchen. The walls are corrugated zinc sheeting, and woven baskets hang in the background, 1960s.

A housewife in a kampong kitchen, 1960s
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007374-0066

Five young children laugh and splash around a communal standpipe set in a concrete basin in a kampung compound. The children are shirtless and visibly delighted, with water spraying in all directions. A timber kampung house and a half-built brick wall are visible in the background.

Children playing with water from a standpipe in Geylang Serai, 1960s
K. F. Wong Collection,, National Archives of Singapore
2005-007817-KFW

A row of shared outdoor toilet cubicles with corrugated zinc doors and walls, set on a dirt path surrounded by banana trees and coconut palms. A lone chair sits outside one of the cubicles, and a blue car is partially visible on the left.

Toilets in Kampong Marang, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006560-0110

A black-and-white photograph of a flooded kampung lane, with water reaching knee height. Three children navigate the floodwaters near a wooden sampan, while other figures wade further down the lane. Tall timber fences, attap-roofed houses, and dense tropical vegetation line both sides of the flooded path.

A flood at Geylang Serai by photographer Lim Lam San, c. 1930
National Museum of Singapore, Courtesy of National Heritage Board

Two adults and a child stand in the doorway of a flooded kampung house with an attap roof, floodwater reaching their ankles. Chinese couplets are pasted on the doorframe. Debris and timber are piled against the wall, and a rattan hat leans against the house to the right.

Dwellers waiting for the flood to subside at Bedok, 1954
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980001092-0009

Three people prepare food outdoors in a kampung compound. An elderly woman in a white headscarf and floral baju kurung stirs a large pot of what appears to be yellow noodles, while a younger woman holds a bowl and a man in baju melayu and songkok looks on. Laundry hangs on a rack behind them, and a red motorcycle is parked to the left.

Hari Raya Haji celebration at Kampong Sarhad, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006542-0009

A crowded street scene in 1960s Singapore, with hawkers operating tricycle carts shaded by large traditional oiled-paper umbrellas. Stacks of cones are visible on a hawker cart in the foreground, suggesting an ice cream vendor. Dense crowds of men, women, and children fill the street, with shophouses and makeshift stalls visible in the background.

Crowd watching a Chinese opera performance at Clive Street, 1960s
Courtesy of Sons of David “Danny” Daniel, National Library, Singapore

A Chinese street opera (wayang) performance in 1960s Singapore. Elaborately costumed performers in traditional opera attire and headdresses stand on a decorated stage adorned with Chinese lanterns and banners. A large audience, mostly elderly, watches from below.

Chinese street opera (wayang), c. 1966-1980
John Ernest Gardiner Collection, National Library, Singapore

A family moves belongings out of a dilapidated attap and timber kampung dwelling in 1960s Singapore. A woman carries a wooden cabinet while a young girl and another woman assist nearby. Large clay pots and household items are scattered on the ground outside the rundown structure.

Kampong folks moving to high rise living, 1963
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0049

A group of people loading household furniture and belongings onto a flatbed lorry with the licence plate SGA 9604, likely during a resettlement exercise in 1960s Singapore. The scene is set along a quiet road flanked by corrugated zinc fencing and tropical trees.

Neighbours helping during the move from a kampong to high rise flats, 1968
Courtesy of Norisah A. Bakar

Tamil poem

Image credits for நகர்வளம் (Urban Riches) by அமீருத்தீன் (Amiroudine)

A weathered street sign reading "Lorong Buang Kok 19" mounted on a wooden post, with additional faded signs below, surrounded by dense green trees.

Street sign 'Lorong Buang Kok 19', 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

An elderly man tilling soil with a hoe among young banana trees, with a yellow truck and kampung structures visible in the background.

Man tilling soil in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

Exterior of a house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

Dilapidated wooden kampung structures in the foreground being cleared, with tall HDB residential blocks rising prominently in the background.

Demolition and land clearing of a Kampong at River Valley Close, 1989
Ronni Pinsler Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19990007096-089

A person standing at a chain-link gate with a brown dog, in front of a wooden kampung house surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.

House number 29D at Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2000
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

Several free-ranging chickens and a rooster foraging on a grassy patch beneath tropical trees.

Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2000
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

Frozen chicken stall in Tanjong Pagar wet market, 1989
National Archives of Singapore
19980007362-0060

Two tall, slender areca palms rising above dense tropical foliage with colourful bougainvillea flowers in the foreground against a partly cloudy sky.

Towering coconut trees in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A black-and-white photograph of newly completed HDB high-rise residential blocks surrounded by open land and a road with passing vehicles.

View of Kallang Basin after reclamation with few blocks of Housing and Development Board flats, 1970
Housing and Development Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980005147-0030

A row of potted plants with colourful flowers lines the corridor of an HDB block. A traditional broom hangs on the wall to the left, and red lanterns are visible in the background.

Margaret Drive flat at block 6C, 2010
Little Red Dot Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A lush, green kampung garden path lined with tropical plants and flowering hibiscus, leading through an arched trellis covered in bougainvillea towards a house in the background.

Pathway in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

An aerial view of a wide expressway flanked by lush greenery, leading towards a cluster of high-rise residential blocks. The sea is visible in the distance under an overcast sky.

View of an expressway, 1985-1999
G. P. Reichelt Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20130000074-0017

A tall HDB block painted in bold white and red stands prominently against a blue sky with clouds. Cars fill a car park in the foreground, and city buildings are visible in the background.

Upgraded Housing and Development Board flat on Selegie Road, c. 2000s
Peter Lamb Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20100000052-0017

A black-and-white photograph of men loading furniture and belongings onto a flatbed lorry outside a thatched-roof kampung house, surrounded by trees and tropical vegetation.

Kampong folks moving to high rise living in Housing And Development Board flats, 1963
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0053

A black-and-white photograph of a young family in a simply furnished home. A smiling woman in a floral dress holds a baby, while a young child stands nearby. A man in a singlet and shorts stands at the doorway holding papers, with cardboard boxes and household items around them.

New homes for old interior view of a flat, c. 1960
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0051