A Continuing Journey In The Magic History Of Singapore

 This article is to introduce magicians and magic enthusiasts to the flourishing chronicles of magic in Singapore. It honours the notable achievements, inflection and significance of local magicians from the p.s. and carrying out.

The coming on of Modern Magic in Singapore

It is the general consensus that advanced magic in Singapore (proclaim World War 2) began following the late-Ng Bo

Oen AKA The Great Wong. Information very more or less local magic pre-court lawsuit is deeply rare. The unaccompanied recommend found has been roughly The Great Wong drama at the New World Amusement Park (moreover located at Kitchener Road) in the 1930s.

The Great Wong was born in 1908 in Shanton, a city of the Guangdong Province, China and immigrated to Singapore in 1933. He was the single-handedly professional magician of his grow old in Singapore and performed across South East Asia. He was known for his headache stage magic, Linking Rings routine and Sword Basket magic. He was with an competent craftsman who built all of his props by hand. He had the gift of figuring out the mechanics and methodology of magic props and fabricating them from scrape.

In 1962, The Great Wong made a significant contribution to the international illusion community by publishing his dexterously-known linking rings routine by now English script written by Tudor Brock. Davenports Magic in London distributes his manuscript to date. In 1982, he was invited by the Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques (FISM) to press forward at the 15th World Congree of Magic in Lausanne, Switzerland.

(For more info bearing in mind hint to The Great Wong; concentrate on to 'The Great Wong Story' in The International Brotherhood of Magicians Singapore Ring 115 The Quantum Ring Golden Jubilee Issue)

Another local magician who was instrumental in growing very developed illusion in Singapore during the beginning was the tardy-Tan Hock Chuan. He was a speculative by profession but performed for annual special activities, outfit shows and private parties. He was (and still is) internationally known for his magical inventions. His effects and ideas are yet marketed dealer items today and have been published in countless publications (of that period) such as Gen, Spinx, Pentagram, New Pentagram, Swami Mantra, Abracadabra and even Tarbell's Course in Magic. He is the first Asian magician to reach the Spinx Award (1936-37)

Both The Great Wong and Tan Hock Chuan were important influences to many of the first generation of Singapore militant-magicians who have paved the habit for well ahead generations.

1950s

It was by yourself after the accomplishment and during the British Military Administration that illusion in Singapore began its rise to where it is today. 1950 was the year that the Singapore Magician's Club was formed by a group of amateur magicians, comprising of English-educated professionals.

In 1951 the Singapore Magician's Club highly thought of their charter from The International Brotherhood of Magicians HQ in America and was from moreover vis--vis was officially known as The International Brotherhood of Magicians Singapore Ring 115. Founding members of the club at that time included Tan Ewe Chee (President), Yeo Soon Kian, Lim Kim Tian, Lim Hap Hin, J.H Stafford, L.A Joseph, J.W Jackson (Vice-President) and Tan Hock Chuan (Secretary).

For more info TRS.

The 50's gave birth to Singapore's first generation of protester magicians. Besides the founding members of the IBM Ring and The Great Wong (who related the Ring in 1952 by invitation), some prominent first generation magicians included Lim Hap Hin, Tan Choon Tee, Tan Bah Chee, Yeo Soon Kian and his student Michael Lim.

The Great Wong operated the first magic shop from his habitat cum showroom/ workshop in Singapore at 255-A Jalan Besar where he sold his own handcrafted props as competently as imported dealer items from Japan. (This dwelling/ shop was destroyed in a blaze in Dec 1988 causing him to lose most of his books and props)