This membership certificate of the Toa Peh Kong Kongsi (also known as the Kien Tek Kongsi), a Chinese secret society that emerged from the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society), has blanks for the date and the name of the member to be filled in. Such membership certificates had to be carried around by members of the various secret societies for identification purposes. The Toa Peh Kong Kongsi members included both Hokkiens and Straits-born Chinese. The Tiandihui was a sworn fraternity among Chinese men who shared the common aim of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and restoring the Ming. With increased Chinese migration to Singapore and Malaya under British colonial rule, these local societies evolved to establish mutual aid and support for the Chinese migrants.
