Lim Bo Seng

Lim Bo Seng (27 April 1909 – 29 June 1944) was a Chinese resistance fighter based in Singapore and Malaya during World War II.

Before World War II started, Lim Bo Seng was a well-known business man in the Chinese community in Singapore and Malaya. When the war between China and Japan began in 1937, he helped raise money for China and stopped buying Japanese goods. After Japan took over Singapore in 1942, Lim went to India and joined Force 136, a group that worked with the British to spy and fight against the Japanese in Malaya. In 1944, the Japanese caught him in Malaya. He died in prison because of torture and bad treatment. After the war ended, his body was brought back to Singapore and buried near MacRitchie Reservoir. Today, people remember him as a war hero. In 1954, a memorial was built at Esplanade Park to honor him.

In stories and shows

In 1998, Asiapac Books made a comic book (ISBN 981-229-067-2) about Lim’s life. Clara Show wrote it, and Chu Yi Min made the pictures.

In 1997, a TV channel in Singapore called TCS Channel 8 showed a show named The Price of Peace. It was about the time when Japan was in charge of Singapore. An actor from Singapore, Rayson Tan, played Lim as a main character in the story. In 1999, another TV channel, TCS Channel Five, showed the same story but in English.

In June 2025, a play called Marshal Lim Bo Seng was shown in Singapore. It was part of the first Traditional Chinese Opera Festival. The play was made by Lin Jia and a group called Datang Arts and Cultural Troupe. It told the story of Lim, who fought against the enemy during the war. The play used old-style singing and acting. Some of Lim’s letters were changed into songs. The show helped people remember what he did. The festival was run by the Singapore Chinese Culture Centre and the National Arts Council.