This set of textbooks represents the foundation of Chinese traditional education. It consists of the Trimetric Classic, the Thousand Character Classic and Poems for Young Children. These books served as primers to teach Chinese characters to children for more than a thousand years. These books were printed in Singapore by Yong Cheng Shu Ju (Yong Cheng Bookshop) during the early Republican period. The right column on the front covers state that the books’ content were in accordance to the original copy approved by the Guozijian, or the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy was the highest institute of learning in imperial China’s traditional education system.When the Chinese settled in Singapore in large numbers from the early 19th century, they also brought over this traditional system to educate their children. Chinese education was provided mainly by traditional private schools known as sishu, and the education curriculum centered on the teaching of Confucian texts and classics. The classes were conducted by scholars from China and held in venues such as clan associations, ancestral halls and temples.
