History of Singapore’s Magic

In the late 2006,  Concept:Magic embarked on an on-going project as part of their contribution back to the magic community. After much effort and time, the team from Concept:Magic researched and published an article that highlights the notable magic achievements and individuals in Singapore from 1950s to Present.

The purpose was to introduce magicians and magic enthusiasts to the rich history of magic in Singapore. It honours the notable achievements, prominence and significance of local magicians from the past and present. It is currently the most comprehensive article on Singapore magic history to date.

We, the team at Red Dot Magic, is very privileged to be the ones that are currently hosting and maintaining the article, and would be doing regular updates to ensure that the history of Singapore’s Magic remains well archived and documented.

Here is an excerpt from the first part of the article:

The beginning of Modern Magic in Singapore

It is the general consensus that modern magic in Singapore (post World War 2) began with the late-Ng Bo Oen AKA The Great Wong. Information on local magic pre-war is very scarce. The only information found has been on The Great Wong performing at the New World Amusement Park (then 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 only professional magician of his time in Singapore and performed across South East Asia. He was known for his sharp stage magic, Linking Rings routine and Sword Basket illusion. He was also an expert 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 scratch.

Read the full article here.