The Past

Literary Singapore: The Journey of Chinese Reading Clubs

Introduction

Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs have played a pivotal role in promoting Chinese reading culture within the local community. Today, numerous active Chinese reading clubs operate across Singapore, organising reading activities in diverse and innovative formats. The evolution of Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs can be broadly categorised into three distinct phases:

•   Early germination stage (pre-1990s)
•   Flourishing development stage (1990s–2000s)
•   Steady progress stage (2010s–present) This exhibition uses a chronological framework to illustrate the emergence, development, and growth of Chinese reading clubs, as well as the key milestone events in this process.

Early Germination Stage

Although formal records of early Chinese reading clubs are lacking, reading activities had already been nurtured and grown in three major domains: Clan associations: From the 1840s onwards, Hokkien Huay Kuan, Hainan Hwee Kuan, Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan and others were established successively. Besides setting up reading rooms, they also undertook the important mission of cultural heritage preservation. These venues became important places for early reading activities. Schools: Beginning with Chongwen Ge in 1849 and Chui Eng Si E (also known as Chui Eng Free School) in 1854, to Chinese schools founded by local Chinese leaders like Tan Kah Kee including Tao Nan School, Chung Cheng High School, Chinese High School and Nanyang Girls’ High School, all were important drivers of reading culture. School libraries became fertile ground for nurturing reading culture. Bookstores: From the Commercial Press establishing a branch in Singapore in 1912, Chung Hwa Book Company setting up a branch in 1917, to the addition of Union Book Company in the 1950s, bookstores not only sold books but also became cultural spaces for literati to exchange ideas. The flourishing reading culture of the 1950s and 1960s further promoted the development of the bookstore industry.

Before the 1980s, Singapore’s three public libraries (Central, Toa Payoh, Queenstown) also organised reading clubs, mainly targeting secondary school students, but these were gradually discontinued due to insufficient manpower.

Flourishing development stage

The year 1995 marked a watershed moment for Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs. That year witnessed the official establishment of the National Library Board (NLB), which centralised the planning and management of library resources across the island. Concurrently, in November, UNESCO designated 23 April as “World Book and Copyright Day”—commonly known as “World Book Day”—thereby injecting fresh momentum into reading promotion efforts worldwide. Against this favourable backdrop, Singapore’s first officially registered Chinese reading club was to be born. In 1996, Chen Shi Ying, father of renowned Hong Kong dancer Tina Chen, visited Singapore and shared the inspiring success story of Taiwan’s 77 Read Club with Dr Soh Kay Cheng of Catalysts of Knowledge Club (later renamed to Sing Zhi Culture & Education Development Association). This chance encounter planted the seeds for local reading club development. Catalysts of Knowledge Club subsequently dispatched representatives to Taiwan for observational study tours to absorb best practices. On 13 March 1997, Xin Zhi Reading Club was officially established. Its members embarked on multiple study missions to Malaysia and Taiwan for observation and learning, simultaneously promoting reading concepts whilst enhancing their own expertise. Subsequently, Xin Zhi Reading Club actively promoted Chinese reading and assisted in establishing other reading clubs, such as Fengshan Reading Club in July 1998 and Tea Chapter’s Chinese Reading Club in November 1998, ushering in a new era of flourishing growth for Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs. On 23 April 1999, at the initiative of Xin Zhi Reading Club, National Library Board, Lianhe Zaobao’s “Supplement” section, and Xin Zhi Reading Club jointly organised the first “World Book Day in Singapore” event. The opening ceremony was held at News Centre Auditorium, officiated by former Senior Minister of State for Education Peter Chen Min Liang, with local writer Dr. Liang Wern Fook sharing his insights.

During 1999 World Book Day, 77 Read Club and Xin Geng Reading Club from Taiwan were invited to share their experiences in organizing learning camps and managing reading clubs. This learning camp trained several reading club leaders and led to the establishment of more reading clubs: Tampines Regional Library Reading Club, Ai Xin Hui Huang Reading Club, CEO Reading Club, and Kim Mui Reading Club.

In 2000, Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs entered a new phase of development. Eight active reading clubs began collaborating to jointly organise the annual World Book Day activities: Xin Zhi Reading Club, Fengshan Reading Club, Tea Chapter’s Chinese Reading Club, Tampines Regional Library Reading Club, Ai Xin Hui Huang Reading Club, CEO Reading Club, Kim Mui Reading Club, and Geylang East Home for the Aged Reading Club. These reading clubs not only collaborated on joint activities but also actively assisted schools, clan associations, community clubs, and prisons in establishing their own reading clubs. By 2002, the number of reading clubs island-wide had grown to 16. Despite operating with limited resources, these grassroots organisations played pivotal roles in the nascent development of reading clubs and emerged as the driving force behind the annual “World Book Day in Singapore” activities. Particularly noteworthy is the establishment of reading clubs in prison. Lawyer Ellen Lee Geck Hoon from Fengshan Reading Club and Xin Zhi Reading Club Chairman Tan Koon Poh began liaising with Singapore prison authorities in 2000, engaging in multiple rounds of dialogue and consultation. Through their persistent advocacy and dedication, they successfully established the Prison Chinese Reading Club and Women’s Prison Chinese Reading Club in March 2001.

In 2005, Singapore’s reading promotion efforts achieved two major breakthroughs. The National Library Board launched the groundbreaking multilingual “READ! Singapore” campaign, leveraging all four official languages as platforms to cultivate reading habits across society by assisting diverse groups in establishing reading clubs. Driven by this campaign, reading club development expanded beyond traditional boundaries to include taxi drivers, hairdressers, healthcare workers, schools, and government agencies. Concurrently, the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) was established in 2005, with a mandate to strengthen collaboration between schools, community organisations, and media outlets. In 2006, “World Book Day in Singapore” activities entered a transformative new phase. For the first time, CPCLL co-organised this flagship event alongside NLB, Xin Zhi Reading Club, and the Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union.

Steady Progress Stage

Entering the 2010s, Chinese reading clubs transitioned from a developmental phase to a period of stabilisation. As social organisations that depend on regular programming and structured governance, reading clubs face inherent sustainability challenges. Many previously established Chinese reading clubs proved transient, gradually losing momentum before eventually discontinuing their activities. Those that endured were typically steered by individuals with exceptional organisational capabilities and skilled reading facilitators. The handbook “Fragrance of Books in Lion City: 15 Years of Chinese Reading Clubs in Singapore (1997-2012)” produced by Xin Zhi Reading Club recorded information about 12 active reading clubs at the time, including Xin Zhi Reading Club, CEO Reading Club, Taxi Shifu Reading Club, Bishan CC Women’s Executive Committee Reading Club, Xin Sheng Poets’ Society Reading Club, and others.

Since 2006, NLB and CPCLL have jointly served as the principal organisers of World Book Day, with various reading clubs sending representatives to the organising committee meetings. This flagship event gradually evolved into an annual gathering that unites Singapore’s Chinese reading club community.

To implement the spirit of sharing the joy of reading on World Book Day, CPCLL launched “World Book Day@Campus” in 2012, a month-long initiative encouraging teachers to organise classroom reading activities during the World Book Day period. In 2015, “World Book Day in Singapore” was renamed “World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky.” The “ Literature Under the April Sky” derives from “You are the April of this World”, which is the title of a Chinese modern poem by Lin Huiyin (Phyllis Whei Yin Lin), a renowned Chinese architect, writer and poet, where “April” represents “spring,” symbolizing awakening, vitality, hope, and literary creation. This made World Book Day not only a festival of reading but also an opportunity for overseas and local writers to share writing insights with students and cultivate their interest in literary creation.

From 2015 onwards, World Book Day activities have become increasingly sophisticated, including grand opening ceremonies, inviting overseas and local speakers to address teachers, students, and the public, and organizing reading activities in schools and libraries. Local Chinese reading clubs use this opportunity to conduct reading sharing sessions, promote local and overseas Chinese works, introduce reading clubs, and recruit new members.

In 2016, “Chinese Reading Clubs in Singapore” was published by CPCLL. Reading club representatives took on the tasks of soliciting contributions, gathering information, and editing to create a richly illustrated overview of Singapore’s Chinese reading club scene. This important publication documented 17 reading clubs, featuring not only traditional adult reading clubs but also new parent-child reading clubs and library-run reading clubs for different children’s age groups. This publication also included analytical articles on the development of reading clubs and educational reading programmes in schools and communities, marking the transition of Chinese reading clubs into a phase of comprehensive, multi-generational growth.

From 2018 onwards, Hwa Chong Institution joined as the third organiser, providing a bigger venue capacity to enable greater student participation in opening ceremonies, helping to cultivate a love of reading among young people during World Book Day celebrations. In recent years, many reading clubs have explored innovative directions, with the pursuit of “depth, specialisation, and breadth” representing a key trend. 3G Reading Club, established in 2006, whose members are mainly Chinese language teachers, dedicated an entire year to an intensive study of Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece “One Hundred Years of Solitude”. Qing History Reading Club, founded in 2015, specialises in Qing Dynasty history and related scholarship, incorporating film and television adaptations to enhance participant engagement. Chen Zao Reading Club, established in 2014 with a primarily youthful membership, adopts a diverse monthly thematic approach encompassing literary classics, mystery novels, translated works, psychology and self-improvement titles, travel literature, and even reference books. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak marked a major turning point in the development of Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs. With the suspension of in-person gatherings, reading clubs were forced to move their sessions online. While mastering online meeting platforms presented initial challenges, it simultaneously unlocked unprecedented opportunities. Several reading clubs ventured into collaborative partnerships with overseas reading communities across mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and beyond, co-hosting cross-border reading activities. Through these digital exchanges, participating clubs developed deeper mutual appreciation of each other’s reading philosophies and distinctive approaches. Concurrently, reading club facilitators enhanced their leadership capabilities through peer observation and cross-cultural learning.

In 2025, the “World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky” was renamed “World Book Day” to better emphasise its core mission of promoting reading. The event adopted dual themes of “Science Fiction/Artificial Intelligence” and “Singapore’s 60th Anniversary of Independence”, organizing various reading activities around these themes, making World Book Day the premier annual celebration of reading and literary culture.

Conclusion

From 1995 to 2025, Singapore’s Chinese reading clubs have traversed three transformative decades. Throughout this journey, reading clubs evolved through distinct phases—from initial germination to flourishing expansion, and ultimately to steady progress. As society transformed, reading clubs demonstrated remarkable adaptability: transitioning from traditional face-to-face gatherings to virtual reading sessions, evolving from singular formats to diversified programming, and expanding from local exchanges to transnational collaboration. These evolutionary changes have not only enriched Singapore’s literary and cultural landscape but have also unlocked new horizons for future growth. Looking forward, provided that reading clubs continue to embrace contemporary developments, maintain their spirit of openness and innovation, and harness technological advances to pioneer new frontiers, the “fragrance of books” will undoubtedly continue to permeate the Lion City, adding ever more vibrant chapters to Singapore’s ongoing cultural legacy.

Prepared by: Wu Hao Edited by: Jane Wee

Special Thanks to

Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, Xin Zhi Reading Club, Mrs Kiang-Koh Lai Lin and Mr Tan Koon Poh for providing materials and personal collections.

Reference

1. An overview of Chinese community organisations in Singapore, Culturepaedia, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

2. Chinese-medium schools and their founders in pre-independence Singapore, Culturepaedia, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

3. A Brief History of the Chinese Book Industry in Singapore, BiblioAsia, Issue May 2012.

4. Looking Back at Queenstown Library’s 50 Years, BiblioAsia, Issue Oct-Dec 2020.

5. Opening a Book: Singapore Chinese Reading Clubs Development Special Edition 2002, Reading Development Association (Singapore) and Xin Zhi Reading Club, 2002. (Call no.: RSING 367.95957 KJ)

6. Fragrance of Books in Lion City: 15 Years of Singapore Reading Clubs (1997-2012), Xin Zhi Reading Club, 2012.

7. Chinese Reading Clubs in Singapore, Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, 2016. (Call no.: SING 367.95957 CHI)

8. “Bu dushu shidai de dushuhui fengjing” 不读书时代的读书会风景 [Reading Clubs in the Age of Non-Reading], Lianhe Zaoba 联合早报, 29 March 2016.

9. “Qiu shen qiu zhuan qiu guang - bendi dushuhui xin qixiang” 求深 求专 求广 —— 本地读书会新气象 [Pursuit of Depth, Specialisation, and Breadth: New Developments in Local Reading Clubs] Lianhe Zaoba 联合早报, 8 January 2018.

10. “Yiqing xia bu gudu bendi xianshang daoduhui huoyue” 疫情下不孤读 本地线上导读会活跃 [Not Reading Alone: How Local Reading Clubs Thrived Online During the Pandemic], Lianhe Zaoba 联合早报, 1 June 2020.

11. “Daxuesheng ban dushuhui bu zhishi dushu hai wei gaibian renmen de jiaotan fangshi” 大学生办读书会 不只是读书还为改变人们的交谈方式 [University Students Organise Reading Clubs: not just Reading, but also Changing How We Talk] Lianhe Zaoba 联合早报, 11 April 2024.