Green long-sleeved cheongsam with floral motifs in satin silk worn by Kwa Geok Choo

Title
Green long-sleeved cheongsam with floral motifs in satin silk worn by Kwa Geok Choo
Year/Period
1980s-1990s
Region
Singapore
Material
Dimension
Gross measurement: 116.3 x 107.7 cm
Accession No.
2010-03460
Credit Line
Gift of Mdm. Kwa Geok Choo

This long-sleeved cheongsam in silk was worn by Mdm. Kwa Geok Choo, the late wife of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.Kwa was born in 1920. She met Lee when they studied at Raffles Institution, where she was the only girl in high school. The couple won the Queen’s scholarship to study law at Cambridge University where Kwa became the first Malayan woman to graduate with first class honours. Besides being one of Singapore’s earliest women lawyers, Kwa was also credited with drafting part of a key amendment to the Separation Agreement when Singapore broke away from Malaya.