Though the facility has been open since December of last year, the official opening ceremonies for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre happened this month, with performances celebrating Chinese cultural contributions to Singapore and officials lauding the importance the center has on the arts scene in Singapore.
Though Singapore as a nation recently celebrated its 50th birthday, cultural diversity in the region has been rich with differences and mingling melting pots of collaboration and inspiration. Singapore has distinctive pockets of Chinese, Indian, and Malay cultures, but they all have a special and unique Singaporean component to them that helps define them. For example, Singaporean Chinese is different from other Chinese cultures throughout Southeast Asia. Officials look for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre to help celebrate and embrace these wonderful distinctions that enrich Singapore as a whole.
The main goal for the new facility is to make Chinese cultural and arts more accessible to everyone in Singapore. In that vein, the center will host everything from traditional Chinese opera performances in Mandarin to plays, dances, and musical acts in other dialects, appealing to younger people. The aim is to make everyone aware of the valuable contributions Chinese culture has made in Singapore. To be successful in this endeavor, visitors to performances and shows at the center would be made aware of the traditional values present in the acts, embrace and celebrate the multicultural nature of Singaporean society as a whole, and study the fact that so many different languages are present in the nation.
During the official opening ceremonies, a Singaporean government official who identifies as Singaporean Chinese made a speech touting the importances of embracing multicultural roots and features of the nation. The official was given a tour of the facility, where he also previewed an early showing of a collection of Singaporean Chinese visual art that will be on display later. There were also traditional performances of a lion dance and a new performance called xinyao. Xinyao is representative of “Singapore songs,” and usually feature a number of voices harmonizing, sometimes accompanied by a guitar, in a musical acoustic performance. This style of folk singing is popular with young people, as it first developed in college campuses.
Celebrate your own place in culture by enrolling in an art class. Art is a great way to explore the history and unique features of a culture in a society. Visit SGArtClass.com to see the wealth of art classes available for you to sign up for, including Chinese ink painting, fashion drawing, mural painting, and many more. Expert art teachers will help develop curriculum you’re interested in as you learn the skills you need to complete the projects. They will also work around your busy schedule. You also have the option to pursue art classes remotely, working online at the most convenient times.
To learn more about the new art center, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-arts-centre-will-promote-chinese-culture-that-is-singaporean-8864144.