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

This image shows an imprint of the Chinese characters "shun tian xing dao" and "fan qing fu ming". The former, a main component of the secret society's beliefs, translates into 'obey heaven and follow the way' while the latter means 'overthrow the Qing (Dynasty), restore the Ming (Dynasty)'. This alludes to the origins of the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) in China as a secret society that bound its members together in a sworn fraternity with the common cause of overthrowing the Qing. With increased Chinese migration to Singapore, the local society became a form of mutual-aid and support, and various splinter groups (hui or kongsi) subsequently emerged among the main dialect groups.

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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

Folder belonging to the collection of summonses, membership certificates and receipts from William Stirling Collection