No culture in kitschy Chinatown By Stephanie Yap
Publisher:The Straits Times - Publication Date: 19-06-2008

When it was announced last month that the Malay Village in Geylang Serai would be demolished in 2011 due to a lack of visitors, this newspaper did a compare-and-contrast between two vastly more successful ethnic enclaves, as defined by tourist volume.

Little India, with its numerous stores catering to the ethnic Indian population, was praised for its authenticity while Chinatown, crammed with souvenir stores which appeal only to tourists, was derided for its kitsch.

The paper quoted a South African visitor as saying: "The shops are too similar and I don't think they are really helpful in improving my knowledge of the Chinese culture here."

Well, all I can say is that the poor guy was in the wrong place. The ethnic Chinese population here does not congregate in Chinatown because, even though Chinese people are not indigenous to this region, the Chinese are the majority race in Singapore.

In fact, given that a Chinatown is by definition a place outside of China where many Chinese immigrants live, it could be argued that Singapore is, for better or worse, one big Chinatown.

Want to observe Chinese culture? Go to any given HDB estate and observe people lighting incense, burning paper money and leaving food out by the pavement - they are practising traditional Chinese ancestor-worship.

Chinese people can go to their neighbourhood hawker centre for a wide range of Chinese food, unlike our Malay and Indian friends who have to be content with one or two stalls.

Those interested in Chinese popular culture can go to most heartland malls to get the DVDs of their favourite movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Even centrally located malls such as Suntec City have stores which cater specifically to Chinese customers, offering the latest Cantopop and Mandopop albums and even Hollywood movies dubbed in Mandarin.

Indeed, although more recent immigrants from China do face discrimination from Chinese Singaporeans, in general it is not difficult for a Chinese national to assimilate into mainstream Singaporean society, even with a limited command of English, as most Singaporeans can speak Mandarin.

In all, given that the trappings of Chinese culture are available all over the island, why would the Chinese people here need a Chinatown? Naturally, then, what is left in the official 'Chinese area' is exaggerated, romanticised, a caricature of a community.

However, for new Indian immigrants, especially those who are not English-educated, living in a country where most people are Chinese can be an alienating experience. There is strength in numbers, and these numbers are to be found in Little India.

That enclave retains its authenticity because Indian immigrants continue to flock there in search of the comforts of home that they cannot find elsewhere in this country. These range from the spices used in Indian cooking to the DVDs of the latest Bollywood movies.

And therein lies one answer as to why the Malay Village failed.

Why would Singaporeans or tourists looking to enjoy traditional Malay culture go to the artificial, sanitised Malay Village, when they can simply make a quick day or weekend trip up north to Malaysia to experience a whole country full of the real thing?

And to be honest, I have always felt uncomfortable with the idea that we should actively develop our ethnic enclaves, beyond the need for heritage conservation.

Let us not forget that such segregation of residential areas along ethnic lines was decreed in colonial times by Sir Stamford Raffles, who took a 'divide-and-conquer' approach to the native Malays and Asian immigrants.

It was perhaps a practical way of preventing race-related incidents from disrupting British businesses. Yet, it also served to deepen the rifts already existing between communities.

But I always take heart when strolling through Chinatown - yes, so-called kitschy Chinatown.

At the intersection of Pagoda Street and South Bridge Road in the heart of Chinatown stands Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, founded in 1827 by an ethnic Tamil businessman.

Right next to it in South Bridge Road stands Jamae Mosque, built by Indian Muslims. Telok Ayer Street is home to both Al-Abrar Mosque and Thian Hock Keng Chinese Temple. A new kid on the block is the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, also in South Bridge Road.

Each place of worship caters to its own community; outside of their walls, the communities cross paths, mingle, share. And that, I would like to tell the visitor from South Africa, is how Singaporeans live.

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