The Chinese culture in Singapore has evolved in a way unlike other communities around the world due to our multicultural and multi-religion societal landscape. Encouraged by geographical proximity and social diversity, years of interaction with other cultures have thus birthed a complex and ever-changing Chinese Singaporean identity.
Unfortunately, when speaking of Chinese culture in Singapore, most of the youngsters nowadays only think of hotpots, dumplings, and Chinese New Year. Do you know there is more to the culture than foods and angbaos?
Last Saturday, my friend and I got to test our knowledge of Singapore Chinese culture at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC)’s first-ever permanent cultural exhibition. Titled “SINGAPO人: Discovering Chinese Singaporean Culture”, this free exhibition allows us to discover the different facets of our distinctive Chinese Singaporean identity through its 5 specially curated interactive zones. From food, language, and traditions to popular culture and music, we get to explore what it means to be uniquely Chinese Singaporean.
A Safe and Interactive Exhibition
Located at Level 2 of SCCC, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Gallery, the SINGAPO人 exhibition has stepped up its interactivity with a personalised radio-frequency identification (RFID) wristband.
Coming in 4 different colours, each visitor would get to collect the personalised RFID wristband at the entrance of the exhibition. Ranging from games to polls, this wristband serves as a ticket to various experiences within the exhibition.
Before entering the exhibition zones, we also had to adhere to a series of safety measures imposed by SCCC given the current COVID-19 situation. Some of the guidelines include wearing disposable hand gloves and keeping a distance of at least one metre between groups.
Zone 1: The Enchanting Light Walls
Stepping into Zone 1, my friend and I were first entranced by the visually stunning video tunnel. Titled “What Makes Us, “Us”?”, we were taken on a trip down memory lane through a blend of archive footages and original videos that feature all the Chinese elements in Singapore. We even made the learning fun by competing with each other to recognise all the iconic buildings, foods, and places that appeared in the video.
Walking past the visual tunnel, we arrived at the “It” zone where every visitor will get to stop and snap an Insta-worthy photo against the enchanting 3 colours light wall. In the middle of the room, there was also an interactive infographic table that provides facts about the history of Singapore and how they had a hand in crafting our present-day Chinese Singaporean identity.
One interesting fact that I learned was that the Chinese who immigrated from China in the early days would reside in different parts of Singapore and take up jobs according to their geographical origin.
Zone 2: Discover the Past Hidden Behind the Doors and Windows
Zone 2 was a perfect replica of our local HDB, with different sizes of doors and windows that were actually authentic pieces from demolished HDB estates. How cool is that! Titled “Beyond Generations”, this homely interactive zone allowed us to explore the different Chinese Singaporean values that have been passed down for generations.
My friend and I felt like we were transported to a magical land as behind every coloured drawer and door, there was a story waiting for us to discover. A highlight was the window that showcased all kind of canes that many of us might have got beaten with before.
Besides Chinese Singaporean values, Zone 2 also debunked the myths about Chinese traditional festivals, like the Lunar New Year and the Zhongyuan Festival (a.k.a Hungry Ghost Festival) through a series of showcases and pollings.
Zone 3: Our Unique Singlish and Food Culture
Titled “When Culture Meet”, this was the zone that had blown my friend and I away. Featuring our iconic dishes, Singlish and hawker culture, Zone 3 explained the result of interaction between Chinese and non-Chinese residents in the early days.
Flipping through the displayed panels, we got to explore the origins of Singlish words that we use every day, like “Paiseh”, “Kiasu”, as well as names we had known our whole life, like “Mee Rebus” and “Kongsi”. I also got to discover the origin of my surname, Tan, which you’ll learn, was originated from the dialect used by our ancestors.
We also had a lot of fun playing with the interactive Kopi-making game console located at the corner of the walkthrough. Much like a localised version of Overcooked, this interactive game required us to serve local Kopi instead of sushi or pizza. It was definitely a test to the familiarity of our favourite hawker centre drinks.
To me, the biggest highlight of Zone 3 was the food projection table. Walking into a dark room, my friend and I did not expect much at first. Yet, when the show started, we were treated to a hyper-realistic meal and a detailed history lesson of our iconic cuisines, like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa, and Kaya Toast.
Before moving on to Zone 4, we stopped by the interactive screen outside the food projection room where we explored all origin stories, histories of Singapore pop culture, and other Chinese Singaporean milestones through archived newspapers and documents.
Zone 4: Test Your Knowledge on Singaporean Pop Culture
Walking through Zone 4 was like walking down memory lane. Themed “Made in Singapore”, Zone 4 showcased a series of uniquely Singapore art pieces that were heavily influenced or created by Chinese Singaporean. From a clip of Kuo Pao Kun’s Mama Looking For Her Cat to Chef Willin Low’s new fusion food recipes and Cheon Soo Pieng's Drying Salted Fish, it was truly an eye-opening lesson for both my friend and I.
We had also spotted the precious loans from our famous local personalities like Stefanie Sun and Anthony Chen, alongside other interesting contributions from the Chinese Singaporean community.
Zone 5: Masking Our Mark
Themed as “Masking Our Mark”, the last zone of the exhibition resembled a factory with a conveyor belt showcasing all the familiar Singapore’s brands and products by Chinese Singaporean. From Old Chang Kee to JJ Lin’s songs, it still amazed me to this day that Singapore had produced various world-famous brands and outstanding Chinese individuals.
There were also machines located in this zone for us to generate a customised “report card” on the spot using the RFID wristband. I got “The Observer”, meaning that I’m a curious and insightful person who would appreciate the culture more when experiencing it at the moment.
It was then we knew that the wristband had been collecting data from our polling answers and the games we played throughout the exhibition. What an awesome souvenir to end off this walkthrough experience!
Explore the SINGAPO人 Exhibition Now
To say that this exhibition was amazing was an understatement. It went beyond my expectations as I never expect to have this much fun learning about Chinese Singaporean culture and identity.
I would really recommend you to head down to SCCC and explore this interactive exhibition, even if you are not Chinese. Worried about not understanding the exhibition? Fret not, as the exhibition is in both English and Mandarin. They also offer free guided tours on weekends, with a limitation of 16 participants (excluding the docent).
Address: 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore, 018906
Opening hours: 12 p.m.–8 p.m. (Monday), 10 a.m.–8 p.m. (Tuesday to Sunday)
Contact: +65 6812 7222
