Wednesday 18 May 2011

National Museum of Singapore (1849)



After the trip to Old Kallang Airport, I hopped on the bus that take me to National Museum Of Singapore (established in 1849) which is about 15mins travel from OKA. The building then Raffles Library and Museum,was first opened by Governor Sir F.A.Weld, in the Jubilee Year of Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1887. The Museum was named National Museum of Singapore in 1965. And thereafter, restored during the silver Jubilee year of Singapore's Independence, was reopened by Mr Goh Chok Tong (First Deputy Prime Minister) on 16 Nov 1990. The Museum went under three-year redevelopment on its 119th year and was reopened by his Excellency President S R Nathan on 7 Dec 2006.





And the bus will arrive the corner side of the entrance which you can see the picture above..led to the 2nd story of the building side entrance.


There is a small garden just outside the NMS's entrance, stands a Domescape is a kind of viewing scopes, children are guided to see playful images superimposed on the museum's dome and other objects like stones, sculptures (see pistures above).

As I went to the level One, to find the cylindrical shape at the top of the ceiling with dizzle lights above called DOME. The other sculpture (tubular shape) is made of bamboo, rattan, plywood and metal wire that suggests bombs or ammunition and the threat of destruction.

Indian Convicts
Once entering the museum, I saw many people who are remembered by Singapore's history. The prisoner Chetoo is one of the India convicts (old convicts jail at Singapore) who built Singapore town. I remembered back then was told by elderly folks, many years ago in 1787, convicts from India were the first sent into Singapore prison and about the same time that transported to Australia for English convicts was sanctioned by our laws. They were employed principally upon road-making, and on clearing estates.

Seah Eu Chin

At the corner of a small room, I saw few people sitting down to look at the table of one of the Singapore pioneers who contributed much to the development of Singapore - Seah Eu Chin(1805-1883) born in Swatow, Canton in 1805. He came to Singapore in 1823 as an immigrant, worked as a clerk, dealing with Chinese junks. After 25 years, he became a Commission Agent operating from Kling Street (now known as Chulia Street). In Singapore, he was the first Chinese to start gambier and pepper plantations and earned profits, he purchased land properties stretched from River Valley to Bukit Timah Road. Seah Eu Chin also served as a grand juror in Singapore, gave valuable service to the government during Hokkien and Teochew riots in 1854. British government made him - Justice of the Peace and a trustee of Teochew civil Chinese Burial ground in Orchand Road. He retired from active business in 1864 at the age of 60 and devoted his study in Chinese Literature. He passed away on 1883 at the age of 78 and his widow died in 1905. His descendants are still resident in Singapore today. Sveral streets in Singapore are for him and his sons namely: Eu Chin Street, Liang Seah Street and Pek Seah Street. Seah Street in Bras Basah is named for the Seah family.

CinemaScope

Tuck along the corner of the dark room, I was bewildered to see the huge film making equipment that stands at the corner - CinemaScope (picture above). Legends has it..After the time of Japanese invasion in 1945, the cinema business to be developed when people generally begin to spend their leisure time with entertainment to relieve themselves to escape from the shackles of exhibitors war-fighting film exhibitors to attract viewers to import these goods, such as recent movies 3-D and serving areas. The film screening is fixed with lenses for CinemaScope to show films in panoramic format. This was used in the 1960s at the Hollywood Theater at Tanjong Katong Road. This movie boes include 16mm prints of films published in the Singapore Malay and published in locations outside the entrance to the price of 20-15 cents is quite low.
Chinese Opera Puppe
Chinese Opera Puppet doll game series is a popular type of entertainment early to immigrants in Singapore. Most of the immigrants who arrived between the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, China from the south east to bring puppets and a puppet opera style of art doll in their own game. Although this is different in terms of dialect and music, they still have a way of staging and the same stories are found by the epic literary fiction and fairy tales. The combination of calm, sounds and movement have made movies Chinese opera or the arts play a puppet show in religious or social functions.

Stage Roles

This tools are used in the movie has a style of Chinese opera and its performance. Stage set is minimal and the movement style can only be conveyed through movement actors. The roles of Chinese Opera puppet can be classified in four main roles: Female character, man character, the character of a man with his face painted and a comedian. Each character type has its own category, offering style, makeup and costumes. These symbols are displayed by a woman in handcuffs Bunya Peony shows.
Glove Puppet Theatre (1st pic) & Three Twins Film Art (2nd pic)

Glove puppet theatre stage is a glove puppet belonging to Sin Sai Lok, a group that came from the Fujian province of China in 1930. This stage is equipped with electric light bulbs 1,000 handcuffs. This stage is amazing when it is exposed in the dark. Mobile platform can be installed and opened long hours.
Golden Age Malay Film - glorious era in the 1950s to the 1960s, the rise of the short film filmmaker - Royston Tan (Singapore).



Remembering the times, when I was at my grandma's Kampong since childhood. I am delighted to see the old tools which is the same as my grandma's old kitchen and its kerosene lamp hanging on top of small cupboard that keep dishes away from rats and housefly.


Kuen TuTu and Eggs baskets


I walked to the Singapore Living Gallery which is FOOD that many Singaporean loves most in early life during the times of old kampong days in urban legands that lived till today. As you can see above pictures which the life of old kampong folks used to live the life in the streets for living expenses during and after WWII in Singapore. I remembered when I was young, I went along the road stretched from Jurong to Bukit Timah where my relatives used to live in kampong huts and houses with no streets light. During the times, old malay and chinese hawkers sold Satay, Char Kway Teow and Laksa along the road side in early 19th century. Malay women food vendors would sling carrier baskets made from woven bamboo or rattan on a carring pole. These baskets contained a variety of food items, such as nasi lemak, fermented soya bean cake, salted fish, tapioca leaves and sweet potato leaves. Egg baskets made from iron wire mesh were commonly used by hawkers of all ethnic groups.


Well, I have pen off here and hope to see much more in this urban legands in Singapore.

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