About ‘8½ Hours in Singapore’  

Kubota Beisen, a renowned Japanese artist from the Meiji period, only had a fleeting eight-and-a-half hours in Singapore. With such a short time in Singapore, Kubota had to travel and sketch quickly. Despite the brevity of his visit—and as a testament to the artist’s abilities and keen observation—Kubota would produce 12 woodblock prints that deftly capture the unique scenes of the wildlife and people of Singapore. Beyond their artistic allure, these 12 prints contain some of the earliest depictions of a tiger and a sawfish in Singapore. They also provide a refreshing glimpse at the island’s cultural, historical and environmental landscapes at the turn of the century, a time marked by significant changes and transitions in the port city. The book is written by the Museum’s Biodiversity Histories team—Kathy Poh, Jeslynn Teo and Maimon Hussin.

Photograph of ‘8½ Hours in Singapore: Late 19th-Century Perspectives of the Island through Kubota Beisen’s Woodblock Prints’ against a backdrop of seashells.

Launch of ‘8½ Hours in Singapore’ 

The book launch took place at NUS Central Library, where attendees gathered to witness the unveiling of the book. We were honoured to have our Guest-of-Honour, NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost, Professor Aaron Thean, and distinguished guest, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, His Excellency Mr Hiroshi Ishikawa, grace the event.

(Left to right) NUS Libraries’ Principal Librarian Ms Gandhimathy Durairaj, Prof Aaron Thean, HE Mr Ishikawa, Assoc Prof Natalie Pang and Assoc Prof Darren Yeo admiring the exhibits at the lobby of NUS Central Library. Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

An interdisciplinary approach towards Singapore’s historical biodiversity 

In his opening speech, Guest-of-Honour Prof Thean drew on two of Kubota’s Singapore prints—one of which features a caught sawfish and another is of a tiger hunt, highlighting their significance as potentially being some of the earliest visual records of these two animals in Singapore.  

“This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to discussing Singapore’s environmental changes over time and invites us to reflect upon what our co-existence with nature can look like,” shared Prof Thean. “Today’s celebration reminds us that this project, inherently an interdisciplinary collaboration within the university, also opens the door to a much wider audience than before.”

Prof Thean giving his address to kick the book launch off. Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

Following his speech, Associate Professor Natalie Pang, University Librarian of NUS Libraries, and Associate Professor Darren Yeo, Head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, further elaborated on the importance of historical records and specimens in better understanding our natural heritage. 

Assoc Prof Natalie Pang, University Librarian of NUS Libraries, giving her speech. Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

“It is the recognition that the data from specimens and books—many more than a century old—that have been cared for by LKCNHM and NUS Libraries remain relevant and benefit from being studied together,” expressed Assoc Prof Yeo. “This interdisciplinary understanding of our past biodiversity… will surely help us in our journey to becoming better stewards of our present, and future, biodiversity.”

Assoc Prof Darren Yeo, Head of LKCNHM, giving his speech. Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

To give a better understanding of the historical context of ‘8½ Hours in Singapore’, Associate Professor Timothy Barnard, from the History Department, College of Humanities and Science, NUS, gave the audience a presentation which touched particularly on Singapore in the 19th century and how other naturalists had documented the island’s biodiversity in the past. 

An exhibition of rare materials and specimens 

After the launch, guests were treated to an exhibition of rare materials from NUS Libraries which included photographic albums and books from the late-1800s and early-1900s, including the physical copy of ‘The Album of Beisen’s Travels’. Specimens from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum were also on display. Participants were excited to see the curated documents, and their relevance and significance in regard to the book. 

Author Ms Maimon Hussin introducing attendees to ‘The Album of Beisen’s Travels’ from NUS Libraries’ collection. Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

The book’s authors sharing more about the book along with the rostrum of a sawfish specimen being displayed in the showcase.

Among the guests present were Ms Alicia Yeo, Director of the National Library of Singapore (left), Ms Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore (middle), and Mr Daniel Tham, Principal Curator of the National Museum of Singapore (right). Photo courtesy of NUS Libraries.

The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and NUS Libraries would like to thank our Guest-of-Honour, Prof Thean, and distinguished guest, HE Mr Ishikawa, for gracing the event. In addition, we would like to thank the National Museum of Singapore, the National Library Board and National Archives of Singapore, the Meiji Shinbun Zasshi Bunko of Tokyo University, Dr Noriko Iwaki and Dr Timothy David Amos for their support and assistance with this book project.

A showcase of the book ‘8½ Hours in Singapore’ along with the set of postcards and the rostrum of another sawfish specimen on display at the lobby of LKCNHM.