Explore three new heritage trails in Sembawang
SINGAPORE - Sembawang may be better known for its natural hot spring, but three new heritage trails launched on Sunday (Sept 26) will shed light on the area's naval history and the mosaic of cultures there. The trails span a total of 20km, and were curated by grassroots volunteers at Sembawang GRC and the National Heritage Board. The area's five MPs - Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Ms Mariam Jaafar, Ms Poh Li San and Mr Vikram Nair - officiated at the trails' launch event at Sembawang Park. Each of the self-guided trails, which members of the public can explore using maps found on roots.gov.sg, covers a different aspect of the region's history. The 7km-long Historical Landmarks of Sembawang trail, for instance, will guide participants on a journey through time, featuring sights that mark the major milestones of the area. These include, for example, the Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple. The origins of the temple can be traced back to 1962, when Hindu dockyard workers of the former Sembawang Naval Base first built a small shrine under a tree near Canberra Road. The temple relocated to its current site in 1996. The trail will also take history buffs to the "Sembawan...
Chinatown Heritage Centre closed indefinitely, STB taking over management
SINGAPORE - The Chinatown Heritage Centre, initially set to open in April this year after eight months of renovations, will remain closed indefinitely for a review of its operating model. A Singapore Tourism Board (STB) statement on Monday (April 26) said the authority is taking over management of the centre from current operator Chinatown Heritage Centre Private Limited, a consortium of Singapore River Cruise, Journeys and Splash Entertainment. It said the decision was mutual, prompted by Covid-19 and the prolonged restrictions on international travel. Tickets to the centre, which comprises restored shophouses in Pagoda Street, had gone for $18 in March last year. Chinatown Heritage Centre was part of a network of privately run - and ticketed - museums here that form a veritable network apart from public galleries that are free-of-charge for residents. This private network includes attractions such as the Intan, where visitors can experience Peranakan culture and the Mint Museum of Toys in Seah Street. Ms Lim Shoo Ling, STB director of arts and cultural precincts, said: "Over the past six years, Chinatown Heritage Centre Private Limited has worked closely with STB to tell the rich...
Hawker stalls recognised for serving up heritage meals
SINGAPORE - Seventeen hawker stalls at Ayer Rajah Food Centre were recognised on Saturday (Feb 20) for serving up delicious heritage meals, as part of a campaign to promote hawker culture. The hawker centre was the first of about 110 hawker centres across the island to have stalls receive the Singapore Top Heritage Food award given out by the International Business Federation (IBF). The stalls were chosen after three days of judging at the food centre by a panel of food ambassadors last week, said IBF president Frederick Yap. The next phase of the campaign in April will allow the public to vote for their favourite hawker stalls. Mr Yap said the results will be published in a guidebook listing the Top 10 hawker stalls for each Singaporean heritage dish, such as Indian rojak, wanton mee and nasi lemak. He added: "Our goal is to highlight the best heritage hawker food at each hawker centre in Singapore." Last December, Singapore's hawker culture was added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It followed three years of work by the National Heritage Board, the National Environment Agency and the Federation of Merchants' Associations, Singapo...
First Singaporean appointed to Unesco evaluation body
SINGAPORE - A director from the National Heritage Board (NHB) is the first Singaporean to be appointed to Unesco's evaluation body, said the statutory board on Monday (Dec 21). Mr Yeo Kirk Siang will serve a term of four years, starting Jan 1. His appointment by Unesco's 15th intergovernmental committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage was announced last Friday in Paris. Mr Yeo, who is NHB's director of heritage research and assessment, will be part of the international panel of 12 members - six experts in fields of intangible cultural heritage from state parties and six representatives from non-governmental organisations accredited by Unesco. The Unesco Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been around since 2003. As a member of the evaluation body, Mr Yeo will screen and recommend nominations for Unesco's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, as well as applications by state parties for international assistance of more than US$100,000 (S$133,000). Mr Yeo, 41, has been part of NHB sinc...
New Hougang Heritage Trail places spotlight on historic heartland gems
SINGAPORE - In a 3km-stretch along Upper Serangoon Road stands three religious institutions that have stood the test of time. The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hougang Tou Mu Kung Temple and Haji Yusoff Mosque have a combined age of almost four centuries, with two - the church and the temple - gazetted as national monuments. The road itself is almost 200 years old. These places of worship were among 18 sites on the National Heritage Board's (NHB) latest self-guided trail - the Hougang Heritage Trail - that was unveiled on Thursday (Oct 29). The trail, the NHB's 20th, follows the launch of another heartland trail in Pasir Ris last December, when NHB said it was working to launch more such heartland trails to bring the nation's heritage to the doorsteps of Singaporeans. The new Hougang trail also features the highest number of community contributions of all of NHB's trails, with 28 individuals familiar with Hougang contributing their stories through interviews and photos. Previous trails mostly had between 10 and 20 community contributions. Such contributions help make the trail more interesting for visitors, said NHB deputy chief executive of policy and communit...