The Ghee Hin Kongsi (literally, “the company of rising righteousness”) was founded in Singapore in 1820, making it the oldest secret society here. Munshi Abdullah recorded an account of a Ghee Hin initiation ceremony in 1824. This painted illustration shows the interior of the Ghee Hin Kongsi, detailing the rites of an initiation ceremony.The various Ghee Hin documents from the Stirling Collection were usually destroyed once their purpose had been served, in order to conceal the owner’s identity.
