The heritage trail
was an eye-opener for me. Having been living and growing up in Singapore, as
well as going for countless learning journeys in my academic years, there were
still so many things I've not learnt and encountered prior to the heritage trail.
An example would be the origins of the names of the bridges (Coleman, Elgin,
Ord, Cavenagh and Read). Prior to the heritage trail, I have never really
bothered about why the names of our bridges were named as such.
If one were to
compare Singapore's history as that to China's or India's, it would definitely
pale in comparison. Singapore, in my opinion does not have a rich cultural
heritage. It seems that much of Singapore's history were made up, or lacked
authenticity. An example would be that of the Merlion. I've always thought that
the Merlion was a representation of what Sang Nila Utama saw. However, it was
created by Lim Nan Seng in 1972, several years after Singapore's independence.
It seems as though a mythical icon had to be created to substantiate Singapore's
history.
However, I
appreciated some of the recordings of Singapore's history. For example, I was
amazed by 'The Fullerton Singapore'. It was interesting to know that Fullerton
Hotel used to be Singapore's first and largest post office. Another example
would be that of the history of Singapore River. The history of Singapore River
has come a long way to what it is today, especially in terms of its economic
activities. Without the recording of these events, it would be difficult for
one to appreciate one's past.
Conservation and
commercial reuse of historical sites in Singapore is necessary to preserve our
historical heritage. I feel that having a physical representation of a
historical site is more successful than not having any. When people pass by
these historical sites, they will get to know of Singapore’s historical
heritage and being in that place will give a physical representation of how it
looked like in the past. However, to determine its success in preserving
our historical heritage is dependent on how an individual is intentional in
finding out more about Singapore’s past. As I’ve mentioned in the beginning,
after going for the heritage, I realized that there are still so many things of
Singapore’s past that I am oblivious about. It seems that while conservation
and commercial reuse of historical sites is necessary in preserving our
historical heritage, its success is questionable. Perhaps, more could be done
to help Singapore’s historical heritage be made known.
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