Where did the Good Morning Towel come from?
We see the Good Morning Towel literally everywhere in Singapore, yet when you search online, you can’t really find much about its mysterious origins. Where exactly did it come from?
What's the Story Behind the Good Morning Towel, Anyway?
The characters "Zhu jun zao an," in Pinyin, read from right to left in the traditional Chinese manner. This roughly translates to "Wish you early morning," or essentially a very formal "Good morning" greeting. The number below the logo refers to the size; 96 is the most popular one
As early as the 1920s, the Good Morning Towel, a.k.a. GMT was already a staple for folks in Singapore, which was then a British colony. The towel is deeply rooted in their consciousness, with a report in the Straits Times saying this everyday object was "often seen draped over the shoulders of rickshaw pullers and labourers who helped build modern Singapore." It may just be an ordinary towel, strictly speaking, but folks in Singapore see the GMT as a symbol of the hard work their forefathers put in to establish their country.
The GMT is locally credited as an icon of Singapore. Upgraded versions of it—plushier, fancier ones with golden embroidery—are even sold as souvenirs. For some, it's quite the retro-chic accessory and has been reborn as pouches, mugs, scarfs, and whatnot. Nowadays, the GMT still holds its place as the multi-purpose towel to have, and is usually used in salons and coffee shops, according to the Straits Times report. Even before the towel made its way to British Singapore, the GMT was already in use in another English colony: Hong Kong. The hub of traders and travelers—essentially a historic seat of commerce—would have no doubt benefited greatly from a towel as practical as the GMT. The exact year hasn't been identified, but some have argued that the design has been around since the late 19th century.
These towels were originally made for the Hong Kong market and were used widely in tea shops and noodle houses. The English greeting was put in place to appeal to the British expatriates who were then living in the colony and were most likely manufactured by an enterprising Chinese factory who saw quite the opportunity. According to one Hong Kong Tea Shop owner, these towels are now made in state factories in Guangdong. More than a century later, the popularity of the GMT is as strong as ever. You can still spot them at every roadside store and is still being used by people from all walks of life—for any reason imaginable.
Good Morning Towel
These iconic white cotton towels with Good Morning printed in red at the edge were often seen draped over the shoulders of rickshaw pullers and labourers who helped build modern Singapore.
These days, the towels are used in hair salons and are often seen on the arms of coffee-shop waiters.
The towel is so popular that it has also popped up in museum gift shops. Instead of the usual hand towel, the plusher souvenir version is a bath towel with the words "Good Morning" embroidered in gold.
Good Morning towel
The Good Morning Towel – a classic cotton towel emblazoned with the red words “Good Morning” and its equivalent translation in Chinese, “zhu jun zao an” – is traditionally a staple of hawkers, jeepney drivers, and labourers across Southeast Asia. They have thin blue lines on its edges, and the number accompanying the logo, with 96 being the most popular size (35cm x 75cm). It’s an iconic multipurpose Southeast Asian utility cloth.
Good Morning towels were originally widely used in tea shops and noodle houses in Hong Kong in the late 19th century. The English greeting was likely added to appeal to the British who were living there at the time. Fast forward to today, and the towels are still ubiquitous in Hong Kong – in fact, they’re the only towels allowed for use by inmates in prisons!
By the 1920s, the towel became a staple in Singapore, used by all manner of workers and labourers who helped build modern Singapore. They’re also pretty much everywhere in the Philippines: used by jeepney drivers or cut-up into kitchen rags. These days, you can buy them at any sundry shop for a few bucks for 5-10 pieces. If you want to get fancy, there are plenty of hipster shops selling the thicker versions (of course, they cost more).
