The two folders contain various summonses, membership certificates, forms and receipts from the William Stirling Collection. Stirling was Assistant Protector of Chinese from 1921 to 1931 and his collection includes the membership certificate of the Ghee Hin Kongsi, the largest Chinese secret society in Singapore in the 19th and early 20th century. The membership certificate bound by the book on the left belonged to the Tsung Sin Kongsi, which is imprinted with the three Hong coins. The origins of Chinese secret societies in Singapore can be traced to the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) in China, which bound its members together in a sworn fraternity with the common cause of overthrowing the Qing dynasty. With increased Chinese migration to Singapore, the local society became a form of mutual-aid and support. Various splinter groups (hui or kongsi) subsequently emerged among the main dialect groups.
