Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry Ms Low Yen Ling
Mr Ng Siew Quan, Chairman of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening.
It is a delight to see all of us gathered here for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award (SCCCA) ceremony.
SCCCA is an annual award conferred by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre to recognise outstanding individuals and organisations who have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion, enrichment and development of Chinese Singaporean culture.
This year, we received 33 nominations with 21 nominations for individuals and 12 for organisations. 60% of nominations were submitted for the first time, which is the highest of all time.
It is with great pleasure for us to witness the conferment of this year’s SCCCA to Mdm Yan Choong Lian (Individual) and Nine Years Theatre (Organisation).
Mdm Yan Choong Lian began her dance career in 1972 and ventured into dance choreography in 1980, adopting a revolutionary approach by experimenting with different dance styles and forms. As a choreographer, she was involved in various local and overseas projects and represented Singapore over the years on numerous cultural exchanges to the USA, Europe, Hong Kong, Indonesia and more.
Mdm Yan’s passion and talent in dance led to the establishment of Dance Ensemble Singapore in 1993 and contemporary Chinese dance company, DES Arts, in 2004. Under her leadership, the Ensemble has participated in numerous major local events like National Day and Chingay parades other than their own performances. In recent years, DES Arts actively promotes the ‘Nanyang’ style of Chinese dance through innovative interpretations. Mdm Yan’s journey from a dancer to an educator has touched the hearts of many just like a captivating dance.
The recipient of the organisation award is Nine Years Theatre. Founded in 2012, the past 12 years bear the efforts, growth and dreams of this relatively young organisation. Nine Years Theatre believes in the uniqueness of local Chinese culture and aspires to recognise and celebrate the multi-cultural identity of the Singaporean Chinese through theatre. From original plays to international works, it strives to entertain audiences in ways that are honest, thoughtful, relevant and culturally layered.
Over the years, Nine Years Theatre has presented a variety of performances both locally and internationally, as well as multidisciplinary collaborations such as Windward Side of the Mountain commissioned by SCCC. Besides investing in the training of actors, Nine Years Theatre offers courses such as Mandarin diction to the community and exposes the young to local Mandarin theatre to nurture the appreciation of the beauty of Chinese language among future audiences.
It is evident that both recipients have made significant contributions to promoting local Chinese culture. I would like to extend my appreciation to all judges on the panel for their hard work in making the final selection. With the conferment of this year’s SCCCA, I am glad to announce that nominations for next year’s SCCCA have begun. I look forward to the support of our friends from the arts and cultural sector to nominate our key proponents of local Chinese culture.
Thank you.
