Matwikarta, who lives with his step daughter in Singapore’s Bedok neighbourhood, is among the 1,300 centenarians in the Lion City today.

This number has risen dramatically over the last decade, said Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a national address last month.

Lee said Singapore’s life expectancy at birth now stands at about 85 years – one of the longest in the world. The number of centenarians have surged more than twofold from the 500 in 2007, he added.

These centenarians, like Matwikarta, have witnessed Singapore’s transformation over the past century from a tropical British outpost into a global trade and financial hub today.

The city state recently threw a grander-than-usual celebration in early August to mark its 54th birthday and the 200th anniversary of British colonist Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival.

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One of the most significant transformations Matwikarta witnessed was what he called the “miracle of the tap”.

When he was younger, he had to draw water out of a well. It was “not so clean”, he said.

“In the old days, when I lived in the kampong, I had to draw water from the well to bathe. It was hard to get water,” said Matwikarta, who worked as a gardener and later a hawker selling traditional Malay street food such as satay and mee rebus. “Now, you turn on the pipe and clean water comes out. It’s easy.”

Drawing from wells was not uncommon in the 1950s, but as they were easily polluted, Singapore eventually implemented a water scheme, towards the end of the 1960s, which would see villagers enjoy a piped water supply.

Tan Chwee Lian, 100, was also fired up when she talked about how households today have instant access to clean water.

Back in the day, she showered with water drawn several times a week from a common water stand shared by a group of neighbours. She would then dress up and take a trishaw to meet her friends.

Tan, who is of Peranakan descent, said she often hung out at Onan Road, which was an enclave for early Peranakan settlers.

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She mainly travelled by trishaws and rickshaws then – modes of transport that are today virtually phased out in Singapore. “Now, I take the train and the bus. Everything is a lot better and faster,” she said.

These days, Tan spends most of her time at home with her family of seven children, 20 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Her day typically begins at eight in the morning, when she would see her great-grandchildren to school, then play congkak, a traditional Southeast Asian game that involves marbles.

Watching her favourite American TV show, Wheel of Fortune, is also a “daily affair that cannot be missed”, said Tan’s daughter, Patricia Low, who is her primary carer.

Tan could not recall when her first time watching the TV was, but remembered crowding with others in front of a black-and-white television.

She praised the advancements in technology which have allowed her to access programmes from different countries. “I get to see the world,” said Tan, who watches South Korean movies regularly.

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For Matwikarta, staying indoors has never interested him. His step daughter, Noorlinah Mohamed, said he enjoys an active lifestyle.

“He would watch TV but it did not interest him that much. He was always outdoors. He was cycling everywhere until he was 90, when he had a prostate enlargement surgery,” said Noorlinah, a 51-year-old theatre artist. “I have not seen him cycle since.”

While Matwikarta continues doing other activities to keep fit – including exercising at a community centre twice a week and running on Fridays – it was saddening for Noorlinah to watch her stepfather age and lose his mobility.

“Previously, he was able to go out on his own, but his shrinkage has been enormous in the last six years,” she said.

“That shrinkage is due to the loneliness … because he is awake as he sees himself diminish,” Noorlinah said, adding that feeling lonely was among the many issues faced by Singapore’s centenarians.

One reason was because most of Matwikarta’s friends have died.

“He no longer has the community that he grew up with. Some 10 years ago, he would cycle to visit his friends and he would come home with food given by his friends,” Noorlinah said.

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Tan’s daughter, Low, said it was important for centenarians to maintain social groups.

“They need to relive old memories ... They like to reminisce,” she said. “Otherwise, there is no motivation to live, however independent they are.”

Tan said the loss of village life has made it harder for communities to interact and communicate.

“Last time, during the kampong days, I would just walk out and talk to people, and we would exchange food,” said Tan, adding that this was how they made friends then. “We would say hello to everyone.”

Matwikarta said while neighbours in Singapore today were more distant, it should not stop people from engaging with one another.

“You had good neighbours in the past, you will also have good neighbours now,” he said. “I like living to this age, because I am still making new friends.”