YTSS Korea Field Trip 2014: Day 4: UNESCO Site Tour - Gyeong Jun & Cultural Immersion in Daegu (09/11/2014; Sunday)

Day 4 (09/11)

Key Inquiry Questions:
1) How have we preserved Singapore's past?
2) How can we further enhance preservation of Singapore's past? (e.g. through education)

Reflection from Group 1:
We have preserved it through the different museums such as the National Museum and Peranakan Museum. This allows people to understand for example, how the Peranakans lived their lives in Singapore in the past. The Singapore River has been cleaned, with the buildings around it preserved so that the history and culture of Singapore can be maintained. When tourists come to Singapore, they will better understand the history of Singapore. The Labrador Park is also preserved so that we can understand more about World War II, how the British underestimated the Japanese and lost the war. Since Primary School, we have the subject social studies which teaches us about Singapore’s history, from how Temasek started and how Sir Stamford Raffles discovered Singapore.

We can apply for more buildings and areas under UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) so that the history of Singapore will always be preserved. This way, these buildings and areas can never be destroyed or demolished. Textbooks can also emphasise more on the history of Singapore so that the future generations will never forget about the history of Singapore. Pictures of current areas in Singapore that are not and will never be under UNESCO can be taken and pasted in museums. This will allow future generations to be able to ‘view’ these areas. More videos of the past can also be uploaded in museums so that tourists and Singaporeans can view Singapore’s progress from the past until now in a video which summarises everything.

Contributed by Rufus

Reflection from Group 2:
We have preserved our culture through many ways. Precious items are placed and displayed in museums. For example, gold ornaments and the Singapore Stone. Another way we have preserved our culture is through restoring our historical sites. The Singapore River was cleaned up and turned into a tourist attraction. Thus, we will not waste our land and it can generate income.

Our history is not just sites. There is heritage. By respecting our heritage and incorporating it into our lives, it will become a culture. By turning it into a culture, we will not shun our past. An example is eating at hawker centres. By doing so, we develop a mentality whereby eating good food is not a right. Hence giving us resilience.

Contributed by Dylan

Reflection from Group 3:
We have preserved Singapore’s past by building many different kinds of museum which are open to the public for Singaporeans to remember our forefathers’ contributions. We also keep national historical sites dean. (e.g. Singapore River) Our government has also set up the National Heritage Board which is responsible for preserving buildings and other sites of cultural significance. Regions such as Chinatown and Little India are set aside to save what is left of the old buildings and TV programmes such as ‘My Grandfather’s Road’ and campaigns like ‘Speak Mandarin Campaign’ were also implemented to inculcate tradition. Schools also bring students on educational trips around Singapore to teach students how to appreciate our country’s past and know about the development Singapore has been through.

We can further enhance preservation of Singapore’s past by certifying the cultural significant sites as ‘No-Trespassers’ and permanent preserved sites which avoids demolition. We can also get contributions from different groups of people in Singapore like getting their personal stories to be exhibited in museums so that visitors of the museums can be inspired by their stories. Singaporeans can feel a sense of belonging to the country and feel the importance to preserve our history to benefit the future generation.

Contributed by Yu Jie

Reflection from Group 4:
There are many ways Singapore has preserved its history and culture. For example, we have museums that are dedicated to Singapore’s history. The museum may include, for example, some historical relics of Singapore. We have also preserved certain places in Singapore that hold historical value, such as the Singapore River and Chinatown. These preserved places have been specially preserved for our education and tourism. Many learning journeys have been held at these places for our youth and tourists coming to Singapore. Another way we have preserved our history, is to make it compulsory in our education. Singapore’s history is taught in schools and talks are held to further enhance our knowledge of our history.

To further enhance our preserved history, we can make use of technology to promote and to teach Singaporean history, such as social media and television shows. We can also enforce laws to ensure our historical sites are not tampered with. An interesting idea is to have paintings about Singaporean history on our buildings such as our HDB and public facilities. Thus we can look into our past, at the same time, spark an interest of our history into people, locally and internationally.

Contributed by Matthew

1. UNESCO Site - Hwang Nam Guan Hanok