Group Visits - Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

What is this Chinese New Year custom of “lohei”? What makes it so special in our local food culture?

Join us in this programme where participants get to learn more about local food and culture, particularly “lohei” and its evolution. After that, participants will listen to “The Lo Hei Song” by local pop group LimTayPeng, which was commissioned by SCCC for Chinese New Year in 2019 and create their own original lyrics to “The Lo Hei Song” in Mandarin. Finally, participants get to present their creations to the group.

Listen to “The Lo Hei Song” here.

What is filial piety? What are some traditional Chinese cultural values and morals? Learn more about these during the guided tour of the exhibition, as well as the local culture of celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

After that, listen to the song “Don’t Worry Ok” by local pop group, LimTayPeng, which celebrates the love for our parents. Participants will learn lyrics writings in Mandarin, create their own lyrics to this song and present it to their peers.

Listen to the song “Don’t Worry Ok” here.

What is Zhongyuan Festival, also known as Hungry Ghost Festival? How is it observed locally?

Learn more about this during the guided tour, and after that, listen to the song “Ghastly Encounters” by local pop group, LimTayPeng, which presents a different take on the local observances of this festival. Participants will create their own lyrics in Mandarin and present it to the group.

Listen to the song “Ghastly Encounters” here.

Why do people eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival? What is the significance of this festival and how is it celebrated locally?

Learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival during the guided tour and listen to the song “Wish Upon the Moon – B Side” by local pop group, LimTayPeng, learn how to write lyrics in Mandarin, create your own lyrics and present this to the group.

Listen to the song “Wish Upon the Moon – B Side” here.

What is so commonly used in Singapore during our daily life? How did some of these local phrases come about, especially in the coffeeshops?

After the guided tour, participants will listen to a Mandarin song by the local group, LimTayPeng, which has a strong local flavour related to our “kopitiam” culture. Next, they will be encouraged to come up with their own lyrics to the song in Mandarin and include terms which they have learnt.

What are some examples of Singapore Mandarin music? How has musical styles evolved over the years?

This guided tour will focus on heritage and evolution, while the workshop will focus on how classic Mandarin songs such as music from the Xinyao era and by SK Poon have been rearranged and transformed to appeal to the current listeners.

Next, participants will use the iPad Garageband app to remix their own version of a classic local Mandarin song. Come and discover the evolution of local music in this fun and educational programme!

What is Xinyao? Who are some well-known Xinyao singers?

Participants will learn more about heritage, evolution, the history of Xinyao and appreciate the beauty of the Mandarin lyrics used in such songs. Next, they will play a Xinyao song on the ukulele, learn basic chords and strumming pattern, and perform it as a team for the group.

Are there songs which are made in Singapore? What is Xinyao and what are some classic songs from that era?

Learn more about the evolution of Mandarin music during the guided tour and the history of Xinyao in the workshop. Participants will get to play a Xinyao song with the Kalimba, a musical instrument, learn simple chords, have fun learning and work together as a team when they perform for their peers.

What does it mean to be a Chinese Singaporean? What is the past, present and future of the Chinese Singaporean community? How does multiculturalism influence food, language, and art in Singapore?

Through online quizzes and electronic handouts, participants will learn more about the rich and diverse Chinese culture in Singapore, explore its history, values, traditions, evolution, and contributions to the nation.

What does it mean to be a Chinese Singaporean? What is the past, present and future of the Chinese Singaporean community? How does multiculturalism influence food, language, and art in Singapore?

Through online quizzes and electronic handouts, participants will learn more about the rich and diverse Chinese culture in Singapore, explore its history, values, traditions, evolution, and contributions to the nation.

After that, participants will create an upcycled artwork inspired by Chinese culture.

What does it mean to be a Chinese Singaporean? What is the past, present and future of the Chinese Singaporean community? How does multiculturalism influence food, language, and art in Singapore?

Through quizzes and object-based discussions, participants will learn more about the rich and diverse Chinese culture in Singapore, explore its history, values, traditions, evolution, and contributions to the nation during this guided tour.

After that, participants will create their own artworks inspired by traditional Chinese festivals such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.

What does it mean to be a Chinese Singaporean? What is the past, present and future of the Chinese Singaporean community? How does multiculturalism influence food, language, and art in Singapore?

Through quizzes and object-based discussions, participants will learn more about the rich and diverse Chinese culture in Singapore, explore its history, values, traditions, evolution, and contributions to the nation during this guided tour.

Next, participants will learn storytelling techniques, analyse, and interpret values of a story and apply what they learn with a storytelling performance.

What does it mean to be a Chinese Singaporean? What is the past, present and future of the Chinese Singaporean community? How does multiculturalism influence food, language, and art in Singapore?

Through quizzes and object-based discussions, participants will learn more about the rich and diverse Chinese culture in Singapore, explore its history, values, traditions, evolution, and contributions to the nation during this guided tour.

Next, participants will learn more about Xinyao songs, play the keyboard and perform in front of their peers.

In this full-day workshop, learn about the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the life values of 忠 (loyalty) and 慧 (wisdom) it embodies.

Activities include:

Morning session

– Mask-painting activity to introduce children to opera facial makeup (脸谱), which involves the painting of mask templates on Chinese opera actors depicting archetypes such as 生(male lead), 旦(female lead), 丑 (joker) and others.

– Understanding Guan Yu’s mask, and how its characteristic features (red face, phoenix-like eyes and long beard) convey his story and associated values, such as a kind and pure heart (赤子之心).

– Appreciation of the elements of Guan Yu’s visual representations in art, such as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade (青龙偃月刀), the legendary Red Hare Stallion (赤兔马) and others.

– Dramatic story-telling of selected excerpts from the Romance of The Three Kingdoms, such as the Oath of the Peach Garden (桃园三结义) and Guan Yu’s surrender to Cao Cao (身在曹营心在汉), that show how Guan Yu never broke his promise even after many years.

– Play an original game allowing students to experience the tensions between temptation, loyalty and betrayal.

– Facilitated discussion of why it’s important to do the right thing, even when others are selfish. Understand why this idea of righteousness and brotherhood is important to the Chinese, many of whom ventured abroad to forge a new life during times of instability in China.

– Understand what true friendship means, as our children grow up into a world of FB, IG and instant gratifications.

– Warning: Parents, be warned that your children may start holding you to your promises after the workshop! 😛

Afternoon session

– Time travel through co-composing a battlefield soundscape.

– Collective problem-solving via role-playing with original props of the chapter “Borrowing Arrows with Thatched Boats” (草船借箭), in which military strategist Zhuge Liang managed to obtain 100,000 arrows from the enemy without a fight. This exercise will be child-led, with the exploration of different possibilities before revealing what Zhuge Liang did historically.

– Dramatic re-telling of the chapter The Bitter Trick, the risky act of deception by the selfless veteran general Huang Gai, that paved the way for an unlikely yet overwhelming victory eventually at the Battle of Red Cliff.

– Re-living of the famous Battle of Red Cliff, via a giant game of Chinese Chess, with chess pieces as large as pizzas!

– Children will discuss offensive and defensive strategies. Complexity will be layered, with the use of a minimal number of chess pieces before the addition of more. Children will learn the importance of foresight, patience, adaptation (顺应时势), understanding your opponent (见招拆招), and commitment (起手不回).

– Facilitated discussion of how in life, we succeed when we plan, strategise and make the best use of the tools available to us. More importantly, we succeed when we build strong bonds with people, winning not just their minds but also their hearts.

Calling all parents and children!

Ever wonder why we celebrate Chinese New Year? 

Join us this school holiday in an interactive guided tour of the SINGAPO人 exhibition to learn more about how Chinese festivals have evolved and are being celebrated in Singapore today. In the workshop, parents and their children would create and bring home a ‘lion dance shaker’ inspired by Chinese New Year legend.

The Chinese Singaporean identity today is a result of generations of intercultural influences. Through a walking trail of buildings, arts and food, we will bring you on a journey of discovery, to find out the level of ‘chinese-ness’ Chinese Singaporean are.

Starting off with the SINGAPO人 exhibition which sets the context of the tour, we continue exploring the themes of the exhibition zones by embarking on a walking trail to Telok Ayer – the backbone of development of the Chinese migrant community in early Singapore.

• What Makes Us, “Us” – Behind the skyscrapers, conserved buildings, sculptures and green spaces is the story of how urban planners shape our Singapore image on the global stage;
• Beyond Generations – What roles did clans play in shaping the Chinese Singaporean identity and how much of these remains for us?
• –When Cultures Meet – How did a Methodist church and mosque come to be in the heart of Telok Ayer? What role does a Chinese temple play in the past and present
• Made in Singapore – Do you know that local favourite Hainanese Chicken Rice is a made in Singapore dish? Indulge in some local delicacies and learn about their origins.

Why join this tour?

• Explore the identities and culture of the Chinese Singaporean
• Learn how Singapore preserve its heritage and roots while advancing towards the future.
• Deepen appreciation and understanding of our local buildings, sculptures, and food
• Satisfied bellies and an understanding on the origins of local food (samplers provided) at Lau Pa Sat

Route of Trail

SCCC SINGAPO人 Exhibition -> Public Art Installation at Capital Tower -> Maxwell Chamber -> Nanyang Hakka Federation -> Telok Ayer Park -> Chinese Methodist Church -> Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Temple

This is part 1 of a 3-part tour series, of eating your way through Singapore’s Hawker Culture, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What makes up Chinese hawker food in Singapore? Hokkien, Cantonese, Hainanese, Teochew, Hakka, each of these communities can claim to have brought the best of Chinese cuisine to Singapore. Yet what we consider to be local Chinese food has been influenced, reinterpreted and adapted to local flavours. Many of these dishes today are in fact unrecognisable from their motherland.

Get into the bellies of the Chinese in Singapore and explore our world of hawker cuisine. Explore what the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage represents, and discover new insights to local dishes that we have come to love. This immersive experience is a great bonding activity for foodies, families and friends, and makes a unique date idea too.

• English-speaking tour guide
• Tasting portions of award-winning hawker dishes (including Michelin-Bib gourmand)​, traditional snacks and artisanal ice cream + drink
• Exclusive souvenir​

My Tanjong Pagar Heritage Tour takes participants down memory lane by exploring different sites that have brought Singapore from its humble beginnings as a fishing village, to becoming one of the most developed countries in the world. As participants retrace the steps of immigrants who arrived here during colonial times, expect to discover how these key landmarks were essential pieces that contributed to Singapore’s success as a port and its growth to a first world nation.

• Please note that all participants must be vaccinated.
• Participants are to meet at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station Exit A fifteen minutes before the start of the tour.