This cloth is stamped with vermillion seals that were used to validate the membership certificates of the Chinese secret societies, which members carried around at all times for identification purposes. The seals were engraved on wooden blocks, then dipped into vermillion or black ink and printed on cloth or paper. William George Stirling was the Assistant Protector of Chinese in Singapore from 1921 to 1931, and his real seal of office can be seen at the bottom right hand corner. The other prints seen here include the Hong membership seal and those from the Ying Fuk Tong and Ghee Hin Kongsi. Seals such as the Qing Fu Ming (Ming Restoration) and Zhong Yi Tang (Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness) also allude to the origins of the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) as a secret society in China founded on the aims of overthrowing the Qing dynasty, and based on a fraternity of sworn brotherhood among members.
