Singapore - The Lion City, 1957

[kassimbabaa]

singapore has no intresting features now except for new buildings, condos.constructions and more constructions for profits.THATS ALL.

[jakester1998]

HOLY SHYT!Haw Par Villa looks so nce back then!^^

[TheDayat98]

Old sultan mosque.Infront got road. Now dun have

[MrCassowary]

You must understand that this documentary is aimed at a British audience who wanted to believe that colonialism is a benigh force that benefited the "inferior races" that they ruled. I suggest you read, "The White Man's burden", by Kipling. So they showed the good side of Singapore. They don't put in the slums, the diseases, the riots, the poverty etc. Life is definitely better now.

[hoplite46]

@MrCassowary Long may the british stay away

[belicwg]

a nice video, but not a true view of what Singapore really was. Only shows the rich upper class society, not the reality of the lives of the most ordinary folks. Streets weren't that clean, life wasn't that beautiful. This vid is a fake... and I'm a true Singapore, born and lived here all 26 years of my life.

[sallyabraham]

wow. breathtaking !

[UgoIgo]

Thanks for sharing this ... reminds me of Pathe News one get to see first & foremost at every cinema. At 01:36, I saw the old bit of Fullerton Building and Collyer Quay with the then Change Alley opposite it. Aaaah... those wonderful days.;)

[cherubim59]

If only Singapore was like this again. Now it is so crowded and I don't feel like it is my country anymore. We need space to breathe. So what if our population is small. Our country is small. I want that peaceful life back.

[awesomedrake1999]

Great video. I would like to purchase the 1st National Day Celebration of Singapore

Please advise how to make the purchase and how much.

Thanks.

VC

[alanrsmoss]

NO Traffic jams and everything was simple.

My Uncle is featured. - Douglas Armstrong.

He's the immigration officer who checks the tourists arriving at Kallang Airport.

My dad also used to be stationed at Kallang Airport.

Great Movie.

[BridgetLachica]

thanks whomever posted this. such nostalgia. My father appears in the 13th minute playing his clarinet twice in the minute. so proud:)

[wteo340]

It really had an identity of its own during that time. You see strong cultural influences and it looks exciting. I wish I lived during that era of finesse.

Now, it has been transformed into a totalitarian conglomeration of trite by its arrogant, self-righteous and eventually loathed misanthrope of a forefather. It is quite sad that he did so much for the nation, only to go out not with a bang but a whimper.

[rizal289]

thank you for sharing this video....

[uncleyankee2]

singapore's name was taken frm sanskrit word singhapura meaning city of lions,but later it became more anglicies to singapore!

[Dobson73]

Gosh, what a beautiful city it was. And now it's so sanitised and characterless. Such a shame.

[battwann88]

Looks a little bit like Middle Earth before Sauron polluted it.

[blooduhz]

no ERP, no COE, no GST, easy going-slow pace lifestyle, no NS for young men, cyclist can ride on the road safely as the car move very relax and slow, clean beach, no massive foreign pinoys and anehs swarming into this land. I would do anything and dont mind giving up internet, mp3(i can listen to much better quality, Vinyl) and iPhone just so i can go back to real Singapore.

[thulasy]

@blooduhz :) Yes, wasn't it better to be flooded/ruled with/by British whites instead - infinitely preferable I'm sure to "foreign pinoys and anehs". Singaporeans have forgotten that in the 50s a fair number of its people primarily consisted of immigrant peoples. My great-grandparents were also asked to return to whence they came from I'm sure back in the 1800s and even in the 1900s. Agreed, Singapore had a fantastic old, world charm missing today, the foreigner comment however was uncalledfor.

[belledameselfy]

gr8 upload! Thx.

[jetsupers]

Thanks for the upload!

[kelvinluvboa]

last time singapore police wear short pants.. lols..

[gravitycollapse]

hmm...at 1:00 is that a transvestite?

[titan1205]

it's very sad to know that all these are gone now.. people seem to be much carefree and happier in the past...

[actstasi]

Singapore hasn't changed. It's still the foreigner who enjoys the high life, with some locals, but the best things in life here are still for the foreigners. We haven't become a nation. It still feels very colonial. Sorry SG, I love you but I must speak the truth

[keto1979]

funny that i find all these scene somewhat nostalgic though I'm not from that era....

[alanraj]

Haha...i dont agree with alot of you guys...Life is definitely better now...

[meiangie]

I miss the good ole Singapore.

[typewriterish]

Once a beautiful city in the past ,now a horrible city of the present

[andrewarmacost]

Some interesting perspectives posted here--old vs. new, etc.--which far exceed the usual ignorant You Tube blog-babble.

[arthover]

Love it!

[sungl0]

Life is FAR BETTER NOW for the Locals than before. This is a show for colonial masters ANG MO's consumption, asians not target audience.

They didn't show the slum areas- housing was BAD.

[StarfireAlpha]

@sungl0 yea better with 900k foreigners coming if someone win this year election, with prices increase and our spending power drop below Malaysian. Right....

[rsdanny]

MAJULAH SINGAPURA!

[crappypants100]

@rsdanny haha....are you imitating the national anthem?Its so cute....

[leon89luvs]

It's for a free trip back to the past! I am from singapore bte :D

[sonnymak]

As for those who want to hark back to those times, remember life expectancy was 45 for males and 48 for females. Most people if they lived to old age died in their late forties and early fifites. Only fortunate few could live to see 65. My own grand mother died at 48 in 61 and grand father at 53 in 63. Dont ever think those were better days.

[sonnymak]

to those people who belieived LKY turned a swamp into modern metropolis, this clip should debunk that. To those M'sians who always compare how lagging behind Malaysia to Singapore, this should show u ingrates that Singapore was already well advance in 1957 far ahead of Malaya. S'pore percapita USD 600 pa, Malaya USD 250pa 1957. And S'pore was and still is the magnate that attracts the bright and brigtest of Malaya's talents. Rememebr P Ramlee, Goh Keng Swee, Yong Pung How, JB Jeyaratnam?

[blackapple89er]

@sonnymak too bad P Ramlee left for Malaysia in 1963

[cwmak70]

@sonnymak couldn't agree more.

[MrCassowary]

@sonnymak Singapore is definitely better today than it was in 1957. There were far more poor people in those days. Health care was terrible. Schools were bad. There were communists everywhere, Lots of people were unemployed. There were riots. According to Newsweek, we now have the world's most dynamic economy, the 4th best education system and 7 best health care in the world. We were nowhere like that in 1957.

This is a documentary showing the better side of Singapore for a British audience.

[tanynzh]

Who's the singer at 13:20?

[tjdn4763]

Nice

:)

[zheff01]

Love this. Thanks for posting this up. So rare!

[DACH781]

I wish Singapore now is as peaceful as this is

[lotiprata]

B.O.A.C. Beware Of Air Crash :)

Those were the days. No TVs, No Stereophonic Sound and Equipments. No CDs, No DVDs, only 78 RPM Acrylic Records by "His Master's Voice", No computers, No calculators, No microsoft, No McDonald, No KFCs, No jet planes, only propeller planes and so on. Good and gracious living. Good livelihood. Slower pace. Man hadn't visited the moon. But a lot of sex lives during those days.

[am1966ath]

@lotiprata Humanity has survived for ages without all those technological inventions...Singapore today lack a lot of the flavour it once had..the same for Bangkok..KFC and MCDONALDS is toxic food. The service was better then, today you have to take taxi to hotel..where is the airline-bus today??

[juiced2death]

did anyone notice that singapore was never very undeveloped even under british rule?

[abhitron]

@juiced2death Probably because it was Britian's most important colonial possession in Southeast Asia. Its geographical location played a big part in its importance.

[seuquin]

Love this film. Thanks so much for uploading it. It brings back memories of the good-O-days.

[KakiM3p3k]

how i wish singapore was like this.

[beachboyzsg]

This film is totally "FAKED". LKY said before the PAP, SG was a fishing village and slum!!

[Skampo1119]

@beachboyzsg FYI 1957 not 1930-1940's. Don't think that Singapore are still that bad in the 1950's la

[fadzlianie]

ahhh...pre-independent SIngapore from Western POV. I love how rich the cultures were back then.

[pinangjawa]

14:25 Wahh.. so much kuah ah? Nowadays they serve u in a small plate only, no more in a bowl that big.

[jakeweiq]

@pinangjawa last time no health board... plus they r ang mohs

[godofwar123786]

good old days :D

[pdgb101548]

So peaceful. Nowadays, the moron group still exist here. What a pain to society.

[ricedjean03]

..wow..changi airport is very much than the airport on that film..LOL..

wer is the sentosa island??wahahaha

ilove mrt..

[dannerfest]

@ricedjean03 I think that airport was Paya Lebar airport which operated as SG's only international airport from 1955 to 1981.

[cRusadeK]

@ricedjean03 its not changi airport. is Old Airport Road..

[ricedjean03]

..wow..changi airport is very much than the airport on that film..LOL..

wer is the sentosa island??wahahaha

[michiyo1986]

Wah , Whn was this ? when my dad was 10? and hate by the elderly?

[KaiserPCS]

I Love The Way My Country Used to Look Like, so interesting!

[sampah63]

very funny leh, from kallang airport to raffles hotel, the tiger airways buy passed by city hall and vicotira memorial hall. I thought the direct route then was either beach road or north bridge road. (nicoll highway not yet built)

[johntanyishin]

wow, quite delightful to see this. it did a wonderful job in promoting Singapore back then, i guess.

[yalayundi]

Singapore,Malaysia,British memory

[98555501]

HaHa......I saw Fatty @ Albert Street. He was in his early 30s. The boss of Fatty Weng Restn

[KaceChang]

After so many years, S'pore still remains a place of crossroads in the region. Some footage are quite spectacular.Always wondered how the Padang scene and City Hall looked like during its heyday and here it is. There's a book depicting photos of old buildings then and it was certainly more beautiful. As independent Singapore matures as a nation, it should restore more of the recreational factor which the Brits advocated then.Nice vid of the old Singapore charms. School kids should be shown this.

[PaRkJuN]

Yousg you're gonna at least be glad that they didn't force you to plant pineapples. Do you know the first few batches started with those? And why do you complain while the other guys can take it?

[drthomasho]

Having lived in Singapore in the mid 90s & visiting regularly since then, I sorta 'miss' the 'old' Singapore although I must admit I appreciated its modern comforts!

[reddotgolfers]

I love Singapore

[OperafanSingapore]

This is fantabulous stuff. It is really wonderful that this film has been so carefully preserved. THANK you for uploading.

[skaboomers]

and yousg,for every one of you,there are thousands of others who are proud of our country and do not feel like foreigners..only a minority of people like you do not appreciate life as you are..whether you like it or not,YOU ARE A SINGAPOREAN,so grow up..

[skaboomers]

what i think about NS is not the same as what yousg commented.i believe in protecting your own country..if there is no NS,and if everybody in singapore has the mentality like yousg,nobody will be protecting the country,and we'll be at the mercy of potential attacks,so grow up yousg..you may not even be alive if not for NS..

[OLDMANBADGER]

@yousg no one will invade SIngapore, its too expensive and they will get lost , just like the taxi drivers. It will be impossible to find translators from Singlish to English and it will take them to long to get to Sentosa.

[ElevationLowJJ]

Holy! I can't believe that things changed so much within since.

[derekcsy90]

As a young Singaporean, I am really thankful for the contributions that our founding fathers and leaders have done for our country. I believe the younger generation should have a stronger sense of national pride as well as nationhood in order for them to strive to progress forward as one people and one nation. (:

[OurMindBodyNSoul]

12:45 Lmao! The ang mos trying to take advantage of malay makcik!

[nemersiz]

2:43 racism

[USArmySupremeGeneral]

@nemersiz Where?

[usposhd]

Actually, it's pretty easy to sit in your comfortable room and say PAP this and that and how nice everything once was. Well, in 1957 we didn't have air-cons yet and we didn't have that many people as we do now. Unless you actually belonged to that era, you really don't know how far we've come. The video's pretty sanitised, no sounds, no smells. The Singapore river smelt like an open sewer. I still remember it to this day, so no I don't wish things remained as they were back then, thank you.

[andybowe]

I went to Singapore and It was very nice and friendly and so clean,and such behaved people with the laws that have have, to keep people in line and the Merlion sure is a beautiful work of art half Lion half fish or mermaid

[YoLITuBe5]

nice memories but they didn't show the real side of our struggling grandfathers...

[susiz09]

:-)

[StandAl0neC0mplex]

they must be rich to able to take a plane during those days

[evo5dave]

Wow Singapore was once so pretty. What a shame.

[liewms]

@evo5dave You can still have such prettiness, just move to Malaysia, it still looks like that. No loss now, is there?

[mindz100ne]

@evo5dave desire for nostolgia should not be mistaken for disappointment over progress :) of cos, preservation is important, but non progression in society is not desireable either. besides, the movie only showed the nice nice bits of SG back then :)

[yishkabob]

Some things have changed in Haw Par Villa, but it's still as kooky as ever. Go there before they knock it down!!!

See how nice things were before PAP took over? :) Sleepy fishing village my aunt petunia.

[vanstud]

Yeah things were definitely nice, a laid back atmosphere rather than the madness now. We might have more money..but at what costs?..are things really better?

The PAP servant has now become our master by preying on our greed of economic growth!

[charlottejena]

I had no idea Haw Par Villa was so old. :/ Haha I have never been there before although everyday school/hall is basically right next door. Has anything changed?

[gigglessin]

Last I heard LKY's sister in law tried to change it into a "Chinese Mythological Theme Park" and it bombed big time and went bankrupt. They tried to employ Chinese people to service tourists but no tourist showed up to a sanitized place with a no-thrill splash ride. Became a has been by now... tsk tsk...

[bluerizla1]

Another great white man's fantasy film

[sprouledubai]

Really hits a spot in the heart, being away and remembering some of the customs and culture in later years. A truly special story of success.

[peterlim33]

Nostalgic!! Nostalgic stuff!! Great upload!! Thanks...

[palmisano]

Wow Singapore hasn't changed at all! Still a bus at the airport and still tons of ships out at sea. Even the temples are all the same.

[foundonly]

@palmisano

Think you need an optician sir. In Singapore, every six months there is something new to see.

[palmisano]

evidence of how boring it can be there sometimes =P