Shopkeepers of Chinatown: Singapore’s Business World in Motion, 1819-2025 tells the story of the shopkeepers, stallholders and small businesses owners who formed the backbone of the country’s economy and community.

Loh Kah Seng and Stephen Dobbs narrate how the textile merchants, brothels, and tea sellers of Chinatown were swept up in the wave of modernisation and gentrification that followed Singapore’s independence.

The book celebrates both the tenacity of these shopkeepers, while critiquing the often exploitative nature of the petite bourgeoisie who helped make Singapore the city state that it is today.

Shopkeepers of Chinatown is available at Gerakbudaya and major bookstores.

Shopkeepers of Chinatown: Singapore’s Business World in Motion, 1819-2025

Loh Kah Seng and Stephen Dobbs
2026
SIRD

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