City Parlor

from SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE – Building a Livable Future for Chinatown + People’s Park Complex Singapore

Pathways and Gatherings

Modern conservation of tradition opera in heritage

The People’s Park Complex is next to Kreta Ayer conservation area, where Singaporean Chinese used to live. However, the spark light of traditional culture was gradually missing, covered by homogeneous tourism products, which can be seen along the street including food, beverage, souvenir and cultural stuff. It became a Chinatown theme park. Through the background research and general site visit, As a link between citizens and culture, immigrants and ancestral homes, “Opera” plays a decisive role in regional development. Nowadays, these things need to be embraced by a new generation of citizens and tourists. Therefore, People Park Complex can be an important cultural centre where rules, traditions and customs are passed down through the ages.

This proposal called back the opera memory in this area and merged with contemporary lifestyle making traditional opera form more acceptable by younger generations. The building is mainly commercial, and two outdoor opera performance stages will be arranged, which can enjoy wonderful performances while leisure and entertainment. The varied temporary exhibition space displays artworks and historical relics related to opera culture, allowing visitors to better understand the history and culture of opera, stimulating public interest and conservation. In order to better attract tourists to experience the local culture, a teaching area also is set up that provides training courses on the art of Chinese opera, so that visitors can experience the charm of Chinese opera firsthand. At the same time, local residents and the next generation who are interested in passing on Singapore’s local culture will also become a hub for the exchange of Chinese opera culture. To highlight the importance of the local culture, I hope to use this modest force to call the public to return to the traditional art form that belongs to the Singaporean Chinese.