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next head to the spectacular National
Museum. While the museum is the
nation’s oldest, dating back to 1887, it’s
strikingly modern where a futuristic
extension of glass and metal complements
one of Asia’s most beautiful neo-classical
buildings. We enter the Glass Rotunda
where a set of watercolor botanical
drawings of plants and animals of the
Malay Peninsula from the early 1800s
are reimagined as three-dimensional
animations. Butterflies flit along the walls,
stars light up the night sky and deer romp
through forest settings, all enhanced
by scents created by Swiss fragrance
company Givaudan. “Definitely visit the
Glass Rotunda”, lists Raihan Hamid of
the National Museum of Singapore as
one of her top 3 tips. “Also, don’t be afraid
to engage with the exhibits where there
are often things to touch and do. Thirdly,
visit the History Gallery as it charts the
development of the island through the
years, all in one exhibit.”
We take her up on the tip and
head to the History Gallery, focusing
on Singapore’s modern reinvention.
With a labor-driven economy, no real
natural resources, and not much of
a domestic market, prospects for the
island nation looked dim as it attained
self-government in 1959. However,
led by Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore’s
first Minister for Finance, Singapore
began welcoming foreign investors
and multi-national corporations. The
government also invested in technical
training with the aim of moving towards
building a skills-intensive workforce.
We walk through more exhibits showing
key developments of the 60s and 70s,
including a multi-media display showing
the building of government flats which
made home ownership highly affordable
thereby bringing citizens into the city,
and an exhibit outlining the 10-year
cleanup of the Singapore River, complete
with a funnel to experience what the
river used to smell like.Over sips of ginger “pulled tea”,
a strong black tea sweetened with
condensed milk made frothy by
dramatically pouring it from a height,
Kathy of Singabites tells us more of
this area named after a wealthy ethnic
Chinese businessman of Peranakan
descent. “The rich Peranakans settled in
this area,” she says of the “local born” who
were mainly traders for the Chinese and
colonial populations. “You’ll see there
are no government flats here. Instead,
you have these lovely shophouses with
Five Foot Ways,” quaint covered verandas
mandated by early urban planning.
“While the husbands provided
the family’s religion, the rest of the
influences came from the wives,”
explains Kathy as we later nosh on
rainbow lapis, a delicate Peranakan (or
“nyonya”, meaning “women”) dessert of
cold rice pudding flavored with coconut
and pandan leaves. Starting to gain
popularity outside of Singapore, nyonya
cuisine is a signature blend of
Chinese cooking techniques along
with spices and flavors typically
found in Malay and Indonesian food.
Probably the most famous
example is katong laksa, an
addictively spicy soup whose name
might have derived from a Sanskrit
word meaning “one hundred
thousand”, referring to the extensive
variety of ingredients used. It’s said
that the Peranakan version came
about as local wives incorporated
chili peppers and coconut milk into
Chinese noodle soup. Kathy orders us
each a bowl topped with cockles and
prawns, and we gleefully slurp down
the thick, soul-satisfying broth that’s
a wonderful marriage, literally and
figuratively, of Peranakan culture.Living History
Wanting to learn more of Singapore’s
unique culture and history, wePulled tea
Urban greenery at National Museum