2021’s Chinese New Year couldn’t get any worse. It marked almost one year of staying at home and refraining from meeting up with family and friends. Many Singaporeans lost their jobs and are making do with part time jobs (if any). Many Malaysians couldn’t return home to their loved ones. Non-celebrants couldn’t spend their time outside ot enjoy their long weekend with their loved ones. And the Chinese had to go about our annual visiting with great restraint.
Of course, considering that 2020’s Hari Raya took place right in the thick of the pandemic, we Chinese have it much better.
Yet we can’t deny that CNY in 2021 really sucked compared to previous years.
Or is it?
Nope. There was one Chinese New Year in Singapore that was worse than 2021. In fact, Chinese New Year in 1942 could have been the worst on record.
A Chinese New Year Unlike Others
Much like the CNY of 2021, the lead up to 1942’s CNY was muted, if not bleak. Barely 2 months prior, the imperial Japanese had launched their attack into Southeast Asia, and by early Feb, they had landed in Singapore.
The CNY preparations, if there were any at all, were done amidst air raids, death and fear.
On 8 Feb, the Japanse soldiers crossed the Straits of Johor into Kranji in the North, when the British soldiers were expecting them to invade from the South. Within a week, the invading forces swept through the forest of this rocky outcrop at the top of Straits of Malacca.
On 15 Feb 1942, the British forces surrendered, which commenced the Japanese occupation of Singapore for 3 years and 8 months.
Why The Japanese Invaders Hated The Chinese in Singapore
For those who claimed that the Chinese Singaporeans had never been subjected to racism, much less a genocide, they obviously had not been paying attention in history / National Education lessons.
People in Singapore prior to its independence were just that – immigrants who were here to make a living, expecting to return to their motherland in China, India and other parts of Southeast Asia. Nationalism towards “Singapore” was non-existent.
Therefore, when the Japanese forces started their invasion into China in 1937, many Chinese in Singapore and Malaya, much like the Chinese all over the world, supported the fight against the Japanese.
Had it not been for the support by the overseas Chinese, the Japanese could have advanced through China and Southeast Asia at a faster pace and realised their dream of imperial soverignty over the Pacific region earlier. Whether the hatred was out of emotions or practical reasons, the animosity by the Japanese military towards the Chinese community in Singapore was real.
It was under this pretext that the Japanese invaders decided to launch a genocide against the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya after they took over Singapore.
Sook Ching（肃清）
On the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, Chinese Singaporeans would do lohei. This auspicious day was also the “birthday” of all humans in Chinese mythology, so Chinese Singaporeans would also wish each other Happy Birthday on this day.
However, it was hardly a day of birth and life on the 7th day of Chinese New Year in 1942.
On 21 Feb 1942, the Japanese military police (Kempeitai) commenced a systematic operation “aimed at purging or eliminating anti-Japanese elements from the Chinese community in Singapore.” (Source: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_40_2005-01-24.html) About 5,000 (official number from the Japanese military) to 25,000 (estimates from unofficial sources) Chinese males aged 18 – 50 were executed at places like Changi, Punggol and Bedok.
What was originally planned as a 3-day operation stretched out to nearly 2 weeks, and the Japanese invaders succeeded to instil a sense of fear within the Chinese community, to deter them from resisting the Japanese occupation.
Parting Words
If you’ve ever wondered why the sirens that sounded all over the island on the 1st day of every month also sounded at 6.20pm on 15 Feb every year, it was because 15 Feb is Singapore’s National Defence Day. 6.20pm on 15 Feb marked the time and day when the British forces surrendered Singapore to the invading forces, and is a reminder to all Singaporeans the importance of guarding Singapore’s sovereignty through Total Defence.
Other than that, 15 Feb 1942 was also the first day of the Chinese New Year. After capturing Singapore, the Japanese military rolled out a genocidal plan on the Chinese in 7 days. While the parties guilty of the crime had been charged for their war crimes, this is one dark memory in the history of Singapore.
Therefore, the next time you feel like complaining that 2021’s Chinese New Year sucked, just remember that it had been worse. And it happened right at home.
Till then, Happy Chinese New Year!
Public Service Announcement: Just because 2021 CNY isn’t the worst on record, it doesn’t mean that it is not important. Please remember to practise social distancing and good personal hygiene. Let’s not make silent lohei a norm in the future, OK? Also, just because Chinese Singaporeans were subjected to racism in the past, it doesn’t mean we can yayapapaya and be insensitive to other races. As the majority race in Singapore, we do wield privilege that we are unaware of due to our positions of leverage. If you’re unsure, practise empathy and treat everyone else equally!