A glimpse behind the scenes during a rehearsal 

I was invited to visit one of their rehearsals, I caught a glimpse of this cross-cultural musical journey performance. The fusion of Nanyin and Korean traditional music, combined with Chinese and Western instruments, the first of its kind. Therefore, there is no precedent for them to base on or even learn from.

Personally for me, it was a captivating, invoking and immersive musical journey, and I believe for those attending/planning to attend this concert at Esplanade on Friday 3rd November 2023 at 8pm, they can and they will experience all these emotions, thoughts and feelings for themselves. I do believe both groups of performers from Singapore and Korea would have already experience them too, and we can watch it from their grand finale performance. 

Although I was only there for one rehearsal session, I can see and feel the amount of passion, hard work, time and commitment put in by all the performing artists. Beyond the rehearsal, lies a cross-cultural exchange of music, arts, history, heritage, culture and long lasting friendship and bonds.  

Come onboard this traditional Nanyin and Korean cross-cultural musical journey!

You would be brought into an amazing world of traditional music from Nanyin and Korea, a journey to understand and experience traditional history, heritage, cultures and beauty, hidden somewhere along your exploration, waiting for you to unlock and discover in this captivating cross-cultural musical journey. 

On Friday 3rd November 2023 at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, I eagerly look forward to go on my cross-cultural musical journey at The Origins Cipher – The Unbreakable Lock of Harmonious Fundamentals.

The Origins Cipher – The Unbreakable Lock of Harmonious Fundamentals

Presented by Siong Leng Musical Association

In Collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

(Singapore, Korea)

Supported by The National Arts Council and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea.

Date: Friday 3rd November 2023 

Time: 8pm

Performance duration: 1hr 15mins (Intermission: None)

Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets: Purchase it here: https://securetix.esplanade.com/esp/booking/cipher1123 

For more information, you can find out more here on: https://www.esplanade.com/whats-on/2023/the-origins-cipher-the-unbreakable-lock-of-harmonious-fundamentals#synopsis 

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Lawn Installation: Celestial Bodies (星球宝宝）

You can’t miss the bright, colourful, cute and adorable outdoor artwork installations located on the lawn of SYSNMH! They are also known as Celestial Bodies (星球宝宝), produced by Taiwan’s Kai 3D Art Studio and in collaboration with SYSNMH. 

The spherical lanterns feature five of the artist’s characters: Moon, Earth, Sun, Saturn, and Mercury. Celestial Bodies artwork installation pays tribute to the moon which is at its brightest and roundest on 15th day of the 8th lunar month (农历八月十五) during the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

The Moon is surrounded by other planets, symbolising joyous union of family and friends. The Celestial Bodies represents the collective wish of Singaporeans to be able to get together and reunite with their family and loved ones, whether locally or overseas during this period when COVID-19 safety management measures are eased, and we can travel again.

Bring your children down and check out the lawn installation: Celestial Bodies (星球宝宝), they are going to have a fun time with the artwork installations! 

3rd & 4th September 2022 – Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2022 

Mark these dates down on your calendar! 3rd & 4th September 2022 – Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2022. There are many exciting programmes taking place, we are all looking forward to this fun, cultural and heritage Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival weekend at SYSNMH.

An extensive list of fun, interactive and enriching workshops and activities (both free and ticketed events) awaits your family and friends to come down, to enjoy and have fun celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese arts, culture and heritage!

Workshops

Chinese Opera Workshop for Children

(Supported by Nam Hwa Opera 南华潮剧社)

Date: 4 Sep 2022

Time: 1.30pm – 3pm, 3.30pm – 5pm

Admission: $20 per pax

Recommended for children aged 6 and above. Children aged 5 years old and below will not be permitted. This is a children-only workshop.

Traditional Woodblock Printing Workshop

Date: 3 Sep 2022

Time: 10.30am – 12pm

Admission: $15 per pax

Recommended for participants 12 years old and above. Children aged 11 years old and below will not be permitted.

“Meet My Unusual Family” Interactive Storytelling & Workshop (不怪的“怪”兽)

(Presented by The Theatre Practice 实践剧场)

Date: 3 Sep 2022

Time: 1.30pm – 3pm & 4.30pm – 6pm

Admission: $20 per pax

Recommended for children aged 4 to 8 years old. This storytelling and workshop session is conducted in Mandarin.

You can purchase your tickets via https://wanqingyuan.peatix.com

Trails & Guided Tours

Touring Temples: Legends and Artforms of Door Gods

Date: 3 & 4 Sep 2022

Time: 10am – 1pm

Admission: $20.00 per pax

Tour will be conducted in English.

Balestier Heritage Food Trail

Date: 3 Sep 2022

Time: 10.30am – 11.30am (English); 11.30am – 12.30pm (Chinese)

Admission: $12.00 per pax

Permanent Galleries Guided Tour

Date: 3 & 4 Sep 2022

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm (Chinese), 3pm – 4pm (English)

Admission: Free; limited spaces available

You can purchase your tickets via https://wanqingyuan.peatix.com

Free Events

Public Talk – The Qixi Festival: A Forgotten Love Story (只羡鸳鸯不羡仙——本地从前的七姐诞)

Date: 4 Sep 2022

Time: 10am – 11.30am

Admission: Free; limited spaces available, on a first-come, first-served basis

The talk will be conducted in Mandarin.

Live on the Lawn: Lantern Riddles Guessing

(Supported by Riddle Association (Singapore))

Date: 3 Sep 2022

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Admission: Free

Live on the Lawn: Performances by The Joyful Voices and Mr Bottle Magic Show

Date: 4 Sep 2022

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Admission: Free

Drop-in Craft Station: Mid-Autumn Inspired Crafts

Date: 3 & 4 Sep 2022

Time: 11am–6pm

Admission: Free

Storytelling Session: Tales of Mid-Autumn Festival

(Supported by Speak Good English Movement and Speak Mandarin Campaign)

Date: 3 Sep 2022 (Chinese), 4 Sep 2022 (English)

Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm, 2pm – 3pm

Admission: Free; limited spaces available, on a first-come, first-served basis

Special Exhibition – Nian Hua: Of Deities, Guardians and Auspicious Art

When you are visiting SYSNMH, do visit and check out this special exhibition – Nian Hua: Of Deities Guardians and Auspicious Art. This is a collaboration between SYSNMH and the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing, China, showcasing Lunar New Year prints, known as nian hua from different parts of China.

Nian hua are woodblock prints that have been used to decorate Chinese homes for the Lunar New Year for centuries. They also provide insights into the altitudes and values of the Chinese community. This special exhibition examines a lesser-known aspect of Chinese intangible cultural heritage, also an international collaboration between SYSNMH and the Three Gorges Museum.

An annual special exhibition by SYSNMH, also a highlight event too. 

Information on Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2022

Location: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Dates: 16th August to 25th September 2022

Lawn Installation Opening Hours

Dates: 16th August to 25th September 2022 

Time: 10am to 9pm daily

Dates with Extended Gallery Hours (Saturday & Sunday)

• 20th & 21st August 2022
• 27th & 28th August 2022
• 3rd & 4th September 2022 (Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2022)
• 10th & 11th September 2022

Time: 10am to 9pm

For more information, please visit Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall website www.sysnmh.org.sg and Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/sysnmh)

* A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R7 Explorer Series Production * 

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At NHB inaugural Craft X Design showcase held at the National Museum of Singapore, visitors can get up close and personal with four prototypes of contemporary and creative amalgamation of tradition, heritage and culture, combined with modern contemporary living and design through the world, eyes, craft and skillsets of the cultural and heritage practitioners and contemporary modern designers coming together in a unique and eye opening experience.

Craft X Design was introduced by NHB, part of their efforts under Our SG Heritage Plan to cultivate stronger public awareness and appreciation of Singapore’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. This helps to create platforms to showcase Singapore’s rich and diverse trades and crafts. 

Mr Yeo Kirk Siang, Director, Heritage Research & Assessment, NHB, said, “By actively nurturing partnerships between crafts persons and local designers to produce contemporary products using traditional craft techniques or materials, we aim to revitalise local traditional crafts, by opening up new markets and new customer bases, and thus ensuring their long-term sustainability and commercial viability. The result of the pilot edition of Craft X Design conveys the important message that traditional crafts continue to have a place and relevance in our society today through innovation.” 

Traditional Chinese Lanterns | Harmony Spheres 

Practitioner: Jimm Wong

Designers: Melvin Ong, Xu Xiao (NextOfKin Creatives)

Traditional Chinese lanterns have a long tradition and history dating back to the Han Dynasty (206BC to 220AD). In Singapore, they are traditionally hung in places of worship and clan associations, and during festivities or special occasions such as deities’ birthdays, weddings and Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Traditional Chinese lanterns are made of bamboo frames, the bamboo splints are cut to the required length and thickness, followed by soaking in water before being heated over a fire and the bamboo strips can be Ben for the lantern frame. This would followed by gluing the oil-coated silk paper onto the lantern frame, before they can be painted with traditional characters, motifs and/or family surnames. 

In a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese lantern by NextOfKin Creatives, they designed it to be an elegant dining lamp, titled “Harmony Spheres”. This symbolises a nice and good mix of tradition and contemporary, by preserving the lighting function and the bamboo strips of a traditional Chinese lantern, while adding a contemporary spin through its unique multi-spherical structure.

This Harmony Spheres lamp is further inspired by the Chinese ivory puzzle ball, they have intricately carved layers that can rotate individually. With its open-ended spheres further producing a layered and textured lighting effect. The translucent exterior design produces a graceful arc of the bamboo ribs, held together by 3D-printed rims.

In order to see, feel and experience this Harmony Spheres lamp, get up close and personal (without touching it) at this exhibition. You will be able to feel the tradition and contemporary combining together as one.  

Ketupat Weaving | Raya Furniture

Practitioner: MDM Anita Tompang 

Designer: Mr Andrew Loh

Whenever I see a Ketupat, the first thing that comes to my mind is delicious Malay cuisine. Ketupat is a rice cake wrapped in a pouch, traditionally woven with coconut leaves, used in religious ceremonies throughout the Malay world as form of food offering. In Singapore, it’s usually prepared as a festive food by the Malay-Muslim community during Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji. 

Ketupat weaving is often a family activity that brings together generations together in a celebratory spirit of Hari Ray festivities. More than just weaving ketupat for rice cakes, ketupat pouches are also woven from colourful ribbons to decorate Malay homes during festive periods, they can be woven into a variety of shapes and sizes, including the ketupat raya, the most common ketupat from seen during the Hari Raya festive celebrations. 

How do you transform the ketupat into something contemporary? Through Raya, a celebration of the ketupat raya. It’s being transposed from ketupat raya to contemporary furniture, paying tribute to the sophistication and versatility of the weaving techniques. 

How is Raya Furniture produced? They are woven around foams of different densities instead of coconut leaves and rice cakes, inspired by the function of ketupats as containers. Each module is woven or riveted together with other modules, stacked in different combinations to create the bench and stool on display. 

The modular nature of Raya furniture is a respond to the growing nature of creative designed spaces and encourages users to experiment with modifying/re-transforming their Raya modules into a variety of functional everyday uses.

Peranakan Beadwork and Embroidery | Rejuvenation Gown

Practitioner: Raymond Wong

Designers: Joanna Lim, Joanne Quak (Aller Row)

Peranakan beadwork and embroidery are exquisitely beautiful and intricate crafts, marked with a rich repertoire of motifs and techniques that weave together diverse Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European influences, reflecting Peranakan culture. Two iconic examples of Peranakan beadwork and embroidery are the beaded slippers (kasut manek) and the Peranakan kebaya dress. 

Peranakan beadwork uses glass and metal seed beads, individually stitched in place onto the cloth. The Peranakan kebaya featured two triangular front panels (lapik) that fall gently over the hips. Combining lacework as well as satin, zigzag and buttonhole stitches are employed to outline floral or geometric motifs on the kebaya. 

Rejuvenation Gown is a contemporary take on the traditional Peranakan kebaya, adapting and incorporating elements of Peranakan kebaya onto a cape-sleeved couture gown, fusing Lim and Quak’s joint vision of creating fashion wear tailored for the modern women, as well as showcasing Wong’s interest in Peranakan culture and expertise in traditional Peranakan beadwork and embroidery techniques. 

Rangoli | Refined Rangoli

Practitioner: Ms Vijaya Mohan

Designer: Jarrod Lim (Jarrod Lim Design)

Rangoli, is a traditional Indian art form dating a long wat back in time to pre-Aryan India. It is a multi-coloured floor decoration, using rice flour or other natural substances such as grains, seeds, vermillion and/or turmeric powder, to create motifs that symbolise joy, prosperity, and/or thanksgiving to the deities. 

They are traditionally drawn on the ground at the entrance of households and are commonly seen during Indian festivals such as Deepavali. Their shapes may range from geometric shapes, to auspicious animals and floral designs, to symbols of Hindu deities. Some of the popular motifs include circular designs that signify the continuity of time, the lotus flower with Goddess Lakshmi in the middle, that represents prosperity and fertility in Hinduism. 

From a 2D art form to a 3D art form, giving rise to Refined Rangoli, widening the possibilities and diversities of Rangoli art form into a modern contemporary design of 3D metalware, including a lampshade and a bowl, a combination of decorative art form with new practical applications. 

Refined Rangoli metalware preserves Rangoli’s artistic flavours and cultural expressions, bringing them to life via laser cutting technology, producing intricate Rangoli motifs carved out onto slices of stainless steel. The thin and flexible metal slices were then folded by hand into the form of the lampshade and bowl.

In order to see, feel and experience the Refined Rangoli, get up close and personal (without touching it) at this exhibition. You will be able to feel the tradition and contemporary combining together as one.  

NHB Craft X Design showcase – A Must Visit 

The inaugural NHB Craft X Design showcase is amazing, a real eye opener into how we can merge the world of heritage, culture and traditions together with modern contemporary inputs from design and applications to everyday living. 

This showcase is an inspiration to all, it’s also a modern contemporary method of continuing heritage, culture and traditions from the older generations to the younger generations. Highly recommended for extended families to bring their children/grandchildren to visit, learn and appreciate about Singapore’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, preserving, conserving and passing on our heritage, culture and traditions to the future generations.

Craft X Design Showcase Information

Venue: National Museum of Singapore, Longer Concourse, Level 1, 93 Stamford Road, S178897

Date: 2nd July 2022 to 31st July 2022

Time: Opens daily 10am to 7pm

Admission: Free

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Your presence can still be felt when the extended family came back for your 1^st year anniversary, preparing your favourite food and offerings for the memorial service.

I will always remember you, stories, thoughts and feelings from my remembrance article that I wrote in dedication to your memory in January 2017. It’s not just me, the entire extended family too, will always remember you, in their hearts, mind and soul.

From the young and bubbly great-grandchildren, to us, the grandchildren and your children, the strength and unity is one of the best testimonials to you as the matriarch who led, controlled and took great care of this family.

Sending money, clothes, gifts and durian to my matriarch, my paternal grandmother in heaven, the entire extended family of 5 generations under her, hope that she likes the gifts when she receives it!

农历十月二十一，阿嬷的祭日，全家五代永远记得在心。

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On 30th June 2007, we all held a grand yet simple home cooked feast birthday celebration at her home in Bukit Pasir, Muar, Malaysia. Her extended 4 generations of family came under 1 roof to be with her and be part of her grand celebrations.

We drove in and started to help out in the preparations for feast. We prepared the tables and chairs, brought out the food, drinks and desserts prepared by my aunties. It was a really great feast of delicious food and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Soon grandma’s guests arrived and the party began, people came to wish her Happy Birthday, showered with gifts and red packets.

We, the whole extended family network, ordered a giant cake, that has 9 “storeys”, signifying her 90th birthday. It was a great sight that stands tall and proud, just like my grandmother.

Soon after, we all had our fun of photo taking, different generations and groups of our extended family network.

Happy 90th Birthday Granny ! Many best wishes and happy returns !

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