Si Jing (the pen name of Ng Soo Lui) was a prolific female writer in the Chinese community. Born in Singapore in 1934, she has written extensively on her childhood and life in Chinatown. Her husband, Huang Da Li, was an amateur photographer and Si Jing often became the subject of his photographs. Da Li bought Si Jing a camera while they were dating, so they could be “photography buddies”. Photography became popular in Singapore after World War II and the increasing number of photography enthusiasts was apparent with the setting up of the Singapore Camera Club (later known as the Photographic Society of Singapore) in 1950 and various photography competitions. In the photograph, Si Jing is wearing a Western outfit (which consists of a white blouse and pants), a common sight in Singapore from the 1950s onwards. As Singapore women became more cosmopolitan and were exposed to Western ideas, they started to look to the West and other parts of Asia (Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo) for fashion inspiration. This eventually resulted in the adoption of Western styles. Si Jing, who was also a seamstress, made this particular outfit herself. The combination of the blouse and trousers made it more convenient for the wearer to carry out leisure or everyday activities. This photograph is part of the donor’s personal photograph collection.
