It has also highlighted the social impact of a large, rapid influx of foreign immigrants, in particular from China.

The decomposed body of Huang Na, aged 8, was found stuffed in a box by a hillside on Oct 31, three weeks after her mother reported her missing. Hundreds of volunteers started looking for her in isolated spots. In Johor, taxi drivers joined the search.

Her mother, Huang Shuying, 31, and her stepfather, both Chinese nationals, had – it was later learned – criminal or immigration records.

The sympathy was, however, not for the parents. Missing girls are not uncommon. Singaporeans showed a spontaneous feeling for the missing Huang Na, with many opening their wallets.

The amount of money collected has not been revealed, but some letters say the parents are now richer by more than S$100,000.

The perky, intelligent girl was a lovable, respectful figure at the Pasir Panjang wholesale market where her mother and the accused killer worked.

The media ran daily stories of the girl, who was known to be friendly to everyone she met.

Malaysian Took Leng How, 22, who had a very close relationship with Mdm Huang and the victim, has been charged with the murder.

Even before Took’s trial starts, speculation has been spreading and talk of co-conspirators became widespread. Every taxi driver has his own pet theory.

Some discussions, including one written by a university professor, threw suspicion on the mother’s behaviour.

Mdm Huang had often left her daughter alone to fend for herself. On one occasion, the little girl flew back to China alone and made it home to her village.

Her cheerful, streetwise character was greatly admired by Singaporeans, who see their own kids as spoiled and dependent on maids.

As soon as she was reported missing, search parties began fanning out to comb jungle areas and cash rewards were offered.

At Huang Na’s funeral, more than 1000 turned up with contributions; weeping mothers and children placed some 50 Hello Kitty toys at her altar.

The Huang Na story has captivated the hearts of Singaporeans. It has also touched on a new reality.

With a declining birth rate, a greying citizenry and a rise in migration abroad, Singapore is relying on immigration for its growth, mostly from China and India.

Without it, the city will slowly wither away in decline. As the influx gathers speed, so will its social impact.

Singapore is also looking towards a booming China for its own prosperity, sending more Singaporeans there and receiving, in return, more mainlanders to work or study here.

The most entries at the Singapore stock market – next to Singaporean – are Chinese companies.

Since opening its doors, the Chinese also make up the largest single group of arrivals and the number has been rising significantly in recent years.

For example, between 2000 and 2002 alone, more than 4600 Chinese engineers came.

One impact has been a big lift to general standards in Singapore because many who came are above-average achievers back in China.

They range from world-class table-tennis players and PhDs in research to academics, to thousands of professionals and technicians.

But there are also many like Mdm Huang – tough, hardworking but poorly educated. Some run food stalls, selling China specialties.

Their impact to the Singaporean economy has also been growing.

Thousands of its above-average students are in private and public schools and the universities. Their numbers are as high as those from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Take the 2004 primary-leaving school exam results, released three days ago, in which China students occupied three of the top 10 places.

They’re harder-driven, work long hours and very quickly make up for their weakness in English.

“The Chinese never waste time. When the locals finish their work, they will immediately start playing with their friends but the Chinese pupils will take out a storybook to read,” one teacher said.

The mainlanders’ presence benefits a wide range of businesses from rented condos to mobile phones, from tourism to education fees.

Latest figures show that wealthy Chinese have become the third largest foreign buyers of private property (22%) in Singapore, behind Indonesians (26%) and Malaysians (25%), although some developers fear it is for short-term speculation.

Not all foreigners here contribute to the good. The Huang Na murder is a negative example.

Allowing so many Chinese youngsters to study here would also mean letting in thousands of mothers to look after them.

In Huang Na’s case, Mdm Huang, who was once convicted for overstaying, was allowed to come back as her guardian.

Some people even suspect that the girl was “adopted” to allow her mother’s return.

If true, it will almost certainly lead to closing a loophole that permits adoptive parents to come as registered parents of a child who qualifies to study here.

Thousands of Chinese women, including some “study mamas”, are working as prostitutes in the red-light districts. The Chinese-language media labels them as “roaming nightingales”.

Some have moved into housing estate centres soliciting older men and are making headlines, including one, which proclaimed: “China hookers are now in your neighbourhood.”

Some worried housewives are escorting their husbands home from work to prevent temptation.

In general, Singaporeans view the Chinese arrival as economic salvation and a source of competition to be feared in times of weak employment.

The love-hate emotions are strongest among the young people, who have no emotional attachment towards China.

Sometimes, the bitterness boils over in the Internet, with criticism of “rude and loud” behaviour among rural Chinese who are not used to city living.

Not all who land here want to remain forever. Many, in fact, are using Singapore as a transit to the West.

But Singapore hopes to attract a fair number of capable, intelligent youths with its way of life.

It is not without attraction. The island’s annual per capita is about US$21,000, which dwarfs China’s by about 25 times.

Sadly, one who showed such great potential was Huang Na.

o Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the information website littlespeck.com (e-mail: cnseah2000@ littlespeck.com )

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