Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Encyclopedia
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SCCCI; Chinese: 新加坡中华总商会) is a business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
chamber
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
History
Established in 1906 as the General Chinese Trade Affairs Association, the SCCCI's original purpose was to look after the interests of the ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
business community, but it has expanded its scope over the years. It served as a guardian of Chinese custom
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
s and values, provided assistance in times of crisis and promoted business, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al, cultural and community activities, and continues to do so today.
Timeline
- 1906: The SCCCI is established to champion the Chinese communityChinese in SingaporeChinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
and to resolve and mitigate differences among the different clanClanA clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
s. - 1951: The SCCCI lobbies the British colonial government to grant citizenshipCitizenshipCitizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
to Chinese immigrants who had stayed in Singapore for eight years, and finally succeeds in 1957. - 1953: The SCCCI supports – and donates generously towards – the setting up of the Nanyang UniversityNanyang UniversityNanyang University was a university in Singapore from 1956 to 1980. During its existence, it was Singapore's only Chinese language post-secondary institution...
. - 1962: The SCCCI spearheads the task of collecting the remains of victims of the Japanese OccupationJapanese Occupation of SingaporeThe Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
and the eventual building of the Beach Road Civilian War MemorialCivilian War MemorialThe Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation, usually called the Civilian War Memorial is one of Singapore's most famous iconic landmarks of heritage....
in 1967. - 1964: The SCCCI building opens.
- 1966: The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce Foundation is set up to provide financialFINANCIALFINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
assistance to the needy and scholarshipScholarshipA scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to deserving studentStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s, and to support cultural activities and public educationPublic educationState schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
al campaignPolitical campaignA political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
s. - 1991: The SCCCI hosts the inaugural World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in Singapore which is attended by more than 800 delegateDelegateA delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
s from 75 cities and states in 30 countries and regions. - 1993: The chamber's clan-based electionElectionAn election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
system of self-imposed divisions among clan lines is abolished, hence working together as a more united community. - 1995: The SCCCI becomes the first chamber of commerceChamber of commerceA chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in the region to obtain the ISO9002International Organization for StandardizationThe International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
certification. - 1995: The World Chinese Business Network, an online networking websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, is set up to facilitate business informationInformationInformation in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
exchange and networking among Chinese businessmen and entrepreneurEntrepreneurAn entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s worldwide. - 1997: The SCCCI's first Annual Internet Commerce Conference is organised. The event is now known as the Infocomm Commerce Conference.
- 2001: The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial HallSun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial HallNot to be confused with Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall . The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is a double-storey colonial villa at Balestier in Singapore...
is reopened to members of the public and foreign visitors as a new tourist attractionTourist attractionA tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
and national education centre after four years of renovationRenovationRenovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
and restorationBuilding restorationBuilding restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
work. - 2006: The SCCCI officially launches the Enterprise Development Centre@SCCCI (EDC@SCCCI) and Qiye Tong, the Chinese version of the EnterpriseOne portal, a one-stop online information service for small- and medium-sized enterprisesCompanyA company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
. - 2006: The SCCCI unveiled the DendrobiumDendrobiumDendrobium is a huge genus of orchids. It was established by Olof Swartz in 1799 and today contains about 1,200 species. The genus occurs in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand...
Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry as its floral symbol. - 2006: The SCCCI 100th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp Issue is launched. It is the first ever set of stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s issued by Singapore PostSingapore PostSingapore Post Limited or commonly known as is Singapore's designated Public Postal Licensee which provides domestic and international postal services. It also provides logistics services in the domestic market and global delivery services...
on behalf of a local business organisation. - 2006: The Chamber's centennial celebrations take place, with the Asian Chinese Entrepreneurs Summit and a gala dinner as highlights.
SCCCI Building
The SCCCI Building is located on Hill StreetHill Street
Hill Street is a street in the downtown of Singapore starting from Eu Tong Sen Street and ending at Stamford Road, where the road becomes Victoria Street...
, facing the Armenian Church
Armenian Church, Singapore
The Armenian Church is the oldest Christian church in Singapore, located at Hill Street in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.-History:George Drumgoole Coleman, overseer of Convicts and Superintendent of Public Works, was the architect of many of...
. The building has a blend of Chinese
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details...
and Western architectural styles. Although this site has housed the SCCCI's headquarters since the early twentieth century, the current building was built only in 1963 to replace an old two-storey structure.On the 7th of august 2010 suraya supiaan and suaidi skid held wedding reception there.