Seals from the collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection

This is a collection of seals for the membership certificates of the various Chinese secret societies in 19th and early 20th century Singapore. The seals were used to validate membership certificates, which members of the secret societies then had to carry around for identification purposes. Chinese secret societies in Singapore originated from the Tiandihui, a local version of the original secret society in China which was founded on the basis of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and restoring the Ming. With increased Chinese migration to Singapore, the organisation became a form of mutual-aid and support. They eventually developed into various splinter societies according to the various dialect groups.

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An imprint from the collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection

Receipt from the collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection

Collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection

Collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection