Hua Song Museum
How did you celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival this year? Rachel and I were invited by the National Heritage Board’s youth and social media outreach initiative to the Hua Song Museum (华颂馆) for some cultural fun, together with a group of omy.sg bloggers.
This was the first time both of us visited this museum hidden in the mystical Haw Par Villa. The museum promotes Chinese heritage and culture. Definitely relevant to both Rachel and I – I am third-generation Heng Hwa, with my paternal grandfather hailing from Fujian, Putien; Rachel is third-generation Hainanese.
The exhibits in the museum made my secondary school history text books come to life in the form of mannequins and models. The main message conveyed seem to be that Chinese people are really EVERYWHERE in the world. We are also “刻苦耐劳” – hardworking and diligent, willing to go through tremendous hardships for a better life.
Chinese people are everywhere in the world
As I walked through the museum, I can’t help but wonder (macham like Carrie Bradshaw) – how does the theme of this museum sit with the recent heavy influx of new Chinese immigrants? Maybe it’s time for Hua Song Museum to do some updating of their exhibits? Then again, if they were to do so, won’t it destroy the carefully crafted stories in our history textbooks, which define the “Chinese-ness” of being a Singaporean Chinese?
Ok I’m getting a little too academic. Let’s focus on the museum. Here are some of the photos I took:
Volunteer guide who took us through the exhibits
Rachel and I sending off one of our forefathers (notice his resemblance to Lim Yu Beng?)
Our forefathers boarding their ship to Singapore
Conditions were harsh in the poorly ventilated ships
Chinese cherry pickers in America
Bing cherries, named after the Chinese man who canned them
Chinese laundry shops in America
The steely Samsui woman
Railroad construction worker
Fortune-teller
Chinese maid - I don't why, but this mannequin looks really creepy!
Chinese child bride
Chinese prostitutes flooded the streets of America in the past
Before Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, there was Anna May Wong
Slide depicting the ups-and-downs of the Chinese movie industry
Hong Kong TV and movies
Sun Yat Sen, founder of Modern China
Cantonese opera
The museum has many Chinese record books like this
Model of a Hakka house
Chinese wedding essentials
Tiger Balm advertisement
Three super-rich forefathers
Old Chinese textbooks
More vintage textbooks
Chinese are proud of our exquisite cuisines - enter the food gallery
Variety of Chinese wines
Rice - A staple in all Chinese meals
Fancy Peranakan ware
Chinese kitchen in the past
"灯谜" - Chinese lantern riddles
Browsing through the riddle strips
Everyone flocking out to show off their lanterns
Rachel with our friends
The ladies with their lanterns
Close-up of Rachel's lantern which I bought in Beijing a few years back
Rachel and I
Heading back into the museum for more activities
Paper lantern workshop for children
Calligraphy master at work
I like this phrase - shall end this blog entry with this 
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