Photograph of a vegetable seller

The tin and rubber boom at the turn of the 20th century saw women from China coming to Malaya to work in plantations and factories. In the 1930s especially, thousands of women came from the Pearl River Delta, which was plagued by natural disasters and the collapse of the silk industry. Many also took advantage of lower passenger fees for women in response to the 1933 Aliens Ordinance Act, which imposed quotas on male immigration. In Singapore and Malaya, these women found ready employment in a range of occupations, notably as domestic servants and construction labourers, as well as hawkers in the markets.

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Vegetable seller at the market (巴刹菜贩)

Chinese vegetable seller

Photograph of vegetable hawkers

Postcard featuring images of a Malay hut, Chinese hut, vegetable seller and a pepper plantation