Shahrani

I had previously thought of Singapore history being a rather dull and unvaried subject, no doubt helped by the tone set by the monotonous history lessons in my secondary and primary schools. However, going on the heritage trail certainly has changed my perception, as I got to see historical sites ‘live’ and I learned more through the positive interactions (in one case negative) with the occupants of the sites. Going on this trail has in a few ways made understanding Singapore’s history and heritage a more captivating experience.

Starting off our trail on a Friday morning with breakfast at Chin Mee Chin confectionary, we were brought back to the 1950s with its laid back ambience. I was particularly surprised with how the shop has kept its charms throughout the years, aided by their delicious toast breads.

A site that really stood out for me was the shophouses along koon seng road. Peranakan architecture on the façade of the shophouses was beautiful and the shops were well preserved. With that, I feel that the preservation of historical sites by the National Heritage board is a brilliant move as it enables future generations to comprehend or even to probe further into the history of their own country. Deservedly, Joo Chiat has become Singapore’s first heritage tow, following their efforts to restore or preserve historical landmarks such as those that we visited during our trail.

Although a lot of the historical information nowadays can be found online, nothing beats going down to the site itself and to actually interact with the people around the area, who would sometimes be able to give a more in-depth sight to the place or event. This was evident from our trail where we did gather first-hand information or possibly different outlooks from a few of the occupants of the places, such as the owner of one of the terrace houses at East Coast Road.

In all, I personally believe that conservation and commercial reuse of historical sites is a very important tool to preserve Singapore’s heritage for future generations to explore.