{"id":11523,"date":"2025-05-16T21:13:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T13:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?page_id=11523"},"modified":"2025-09-28T14:15:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:15:35","slug":"31-low-nong-nong","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/","title":{"rendered":"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/b>From Trishaw Puller to Workers\u2019 Hero\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Low Nong Nong \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 (DOD 1938)\u00a0 Place of Ancestry: Dionglok \u9577\u6a02<\/span><\/h4>\n

“His funeral the same day was an unnerving, demonstrable display of strength and solidarity. Three thousand men solemnly followed the lorry bearing his coffin to BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY to a pauper\u2019s grave, and, as the police anxiously stood by and watched, one of the longest funeral processions in Singapore\u2019s recent history, stretching from Wajang Satu to Newton Circus, passed.\u201d\u00a0 (Source: Rickshaw Coolie: A People\u2019s History of Singapore, 1880-1940)<\/em><\/p>\n

Rickshaw pullers in the early 20th century faced significant difficulties, often earning as little as a dollar a day, which was insufficient for basic meals after spending up to 30 cents on rickshaw rental. Many had to take on additional jobs, such as working as construction laborers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The community of rickshaw pullers had been periodically unemployed from 1928 onwards and throughout the post-Depression 1930s. To make matters worse, the colonial government\u00a0 had reduced the number\u00a0 of rickshaw licenses to encourage the use of the motorcar.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span> In response,<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201csiong tau\u201d <\/span><\/i>\u00a0profit-seeking rickshaw fleet owners raised rental fees. It was also a requirement for the pullers to contribute part of their earnings to the China Relief Fund to support the Sino-Japanese war.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In 1938, about 4,000 workers went on strike. It meant that there would be no earnings.\u00a0 Low had to borrow money from a friend. The strike, lasting from October 4 to November 14, turned violent on October 17 when police clashed with rickshaw pullers at Arab Street and Victoria Street. Low was part of a group attempting to rescue a rickshaw puller who had been arrested earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Low Nong Nong was found lying face down with a fractured skull\u00a0 on the side of a street emptied of his comrades. He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. <\/span>In under 24 hours,\u00a0 a strike turned violent, a rickshaw puller\u2019s life came to a violent and senseless end and by the afternoon he was buried. Low was believed to be about 40 years old, no one really knew. He\u00a0 may have died penniless, alone and without kin, but 3000 of his comrades were moved and inspired to give him an honorable send off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Low Nong Nong’s tough life underscored the poverty and exploitation of workers during the colonial era, highlighting the stark divide between the rich and poor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Eventually, the riot concluded with the rickshaw pullers and owners agreeing on pay. However, the government later deported around 1,600 rickshaw pullers to China due Tok concerns about future strikes and made plans to phase out the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In July 1946, the Municipal Commission decided not to renew the licenses of the 3,500 rickshaws in Singapore, as it was considered inhumane to treat the pullers as<\/span> \u201cbeasts of burden\u201d<\/span><\/i> in this \u201c<\/span>degrading trade\u201d<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rickshaws were officially phased out on 1 May 1947, only the photos remain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rickshaw rider (photo credit: NAS)<\/p><\/div>\n

by Lee Chyen Yee<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0From Trishaw Puller to Workers\u2019 Hero\u00a0 Low Nong Nong \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 (DOD 1938)\u00a0 Place of Ancestry: Dionglok \u9577\u6a02 “His funeral the same day was an unnerving, demonstrable display of strength and solidarity. Three thousand men solemnly followed the lorry bearing his coffin to BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY to a pauper\u2019s grave, and, as the police anxiously stood by and watched, one of the longest funeral processions in Singapore\u2019s recent history, stretching from Wajang Satu to Newton Circus, passed.\u201d\u00a0 (Source: Rickshaw Coolie: A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":11412,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11523","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0From Trishaw Puller to Workers\u2019 Hero\u00a0 Low Nong Nong \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 (DOD 1938)\u00a0 Place of Ancestry: Dionglok \u9577\u6a02 “His funeral the same day was an unnerving, demonstrable display of strength and solidarity. Three thousand men solemnly followed the lorry bearing his coffin to BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY to a pauper\u2019s grave, and, as the police anxiously stood by and watched, one of the longest funeral processions in Singapore\u2019s recent history, stretching from Wajang Satu to Newton Circus, passed.\u201d\u00a0 (Source: Rickshaw Coolie: A […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-28T06:15:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/32-Low-Nong-Nong.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"457\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/\",\"name\":\"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/32-Low-Nong-Nong.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-16T13:13:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-28T06:15:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/32-Low-Nong-Nong.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/32-Low-Nong-Nong.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bukit Brown Wayfinder (2025) : The Scoop!\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/\",\"name\":\"Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014\",\"description\":\"All Things Bukit Brown\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bukitbrown.com\/main\/wayfinder\/31-low-nong-nong\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"31 LOW NONG NONG \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 - Bukit Brown: A World Monuments Watch Site in 2014","og_description":"\u00a0From Trishaw Puller to Workers\u2019 Hero\u00a0 Low Nong Nong \u5289\u4ea6\u5ae9 (DOD 1938)\u00a0 Place of Ancestry: Dionglok \u9577\u6a02 “His funeral the same day was an unnerving, demonstrable display of strength and solidarity. 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