I have to admit that after the World War 2 site, my camera was almost out of film :)
I managed to catch a glimpse of the advertisements that reflected on the negative feelings towards the Japanese and also specifying the Allied spirits within the Allied troops. For example, the Japanese was pictured as monsters in the posters. There were also remains of magazines that showed the Japanese trying to create an impression of the order and progress achieved the Occupation.
I also noticed a reference paper that listed a set of guidelines for the Singaporeans to observe durng Air raid period. Even though it wasn't something special, I am pretty sure that present Singaporean young students would never have a chance to see one except in Museum.
There were also a cluster of bicycles that were in display as well. After taking a closer look, I realised that those bicycles were actually used by the Japanese soldiers to travel faster to their destination. It was described in one of the posters saying,"those long legged white-skinned men are unable to beat the yellow-skinned men in their bicycles."
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ethel Reflections: Changi Chapel and Museum
Met Ada a week after our visit to the National Museum. Changi Chapel and Museum wasn't as accessible as the National Museum, wasn't as big as the National Museum but the experience there wasn't any less memorable compared to the trip to the National Museum.
We met at the bus stop outside some Junior College at Tampines (that should make it Tampines Junior College). Then we took another bus down to the Museum and we missed our stop and ended up walking back to the museum under the hot sun.
I did some read up on the Museum and was educated that this Museum was built for those who lived and died in Singapore during the World War II. As for the prisoners-of-war (POWs) who fought in Singapore during the WWII, this museum was built to heal all emotional scars caused on them and their families.
At the start of the Museum, we were first greeted by the open-aired chapel. A few steps into the chapel, we saw countless notes and well wishes written by locals and people coming from abroad. Without a doubt, this museum had evoked a lot of feelings in them and caused them to think beyond superficial knowledge provided by the textbook. The entire wall and covered with colouful post-it notes.
What left the greatest impression on my mind was a couple from UK. The lady was tearing as she walked the chapel reading the many well wishes on the wall. She went on to lit a candle by the side of the chapel and wrote a note, adding to the collection of post-its on the wall. But her note took a peculiar interest in me. It was different from the other notes written to thank those who fought the war. Instead, her note wrote "In memory of our brave men - so courageous and valiant. Let's not forget the women who also lay down their lives for the love of others.When will we ever learn?" I pondered over her note and thought 'have we neglected the presence of the women during the WWII? and have we really learned from our past mistakes?'
The museum itself mainly showed the contributions of the foreigners. I questioned if that was really the case as the museum actually 'wow-ed' the contributions of the foreigners but in actual fact, was the really the case where the foreigners really helped us in times of need.
The whole museum was filled with oral interviews from people who lived through the Japanese Occupation. But the question is, how reliable were these given the fact that many sounded really biased against the Japanese despite acknowledging that some Japanese soldiers were actually kind towards the people. One example is the Japanese soldier actually provided the POWs with Vitamin B tablets etc.
It awed me to see how the POWs can live so cheerfully despite the the harsh environment and how they could make something out of nothing to entertain themselves like, painting on the wall and playing on the piano in order to take their minds off the torture.
It was a present trip, and the museum taught us many things. It was really effective in showing how the POWs contributed.
We met at the bus stop outside some Junior College at Tampines (that should make it Tampines Junior College). Then we took another bus down to the Museum and we missed our stop and ended up walking back to the museum under the hot sun.
I did some read up on the Museum and was educated that this Museum was built for those who lived and died in Singapore during the World War II. As for the prisoners-of-war (POWs) who fought in Singapore during the WWII, this museum was built to heal all emotional scars caused on them and their families.
At the start of the Museum, we were first greeted by the open-aired chapel. A few steps into the chapel, we saw countless notes and well wishes written by locals and people coming from abroad. Without a doubt, this museum had evoked a lot of feelings in them and caused them to think beyond superficial knowledge provided by the textbook. The entire wall and covered with colouful post-it notes.
What left the greatest impression on my mind was a couple from UK. The lady was tearing as she walked the chapel reading the many well wishes on the wall. She went on to lit a candle by the side of the chapel and wrote a note, adding to the collection of post-its on the wall. But her note took a peculiar interest in me. It was different from the other notes written to thank those who fought the war. Instead, her note wrote "In memory of our brave men - so courageous and valiant. Let's not forget the women who also lay down their lives for the love of others.When will we ever learn?" I pondered over her note and thought 'have we neglected the presence of the women during the WWII? and have we really learned from our past mistakes?'
The museum itself mainly showed the contributions of the foreigners. I questioned if that was really the case as the museum actually 'wow-ed' the contributions of the foreigners but in actual fact, was the really the case where the foreigners really helped us in times of need.
The whole museum was filled with oral interviews from people who lived through the Japanese Occupation. But the question is, how reliable were these given the fact that many sounded really biased against the Japanese despite acknowledging that some Japanese soldiers were actually kind towards the people. One example is the Japanese soldier actually provided the POWs with Vitamin B tablets etc.
It awed me to see how the POWs can live so cheerfully despite the the harsh environment and how they could make something out of nothing to entertain themselves like, painting on the wall and playing on the piano in order to take their minds off the torture.
It was a present trip, and the museum taught us many things. It was really effective in showing how the POWs contributed.
Effectiveness of museums
Overall, the museums are not perfect in putting across the story of Singapore as a nation. However, I have to say Singapore is trying to preserve the heritage as much as possible. Through the use of museums, we are able to see artefacts and gain access to resources that are not easily found. Although there is an entrance fee to be paid, the amount is minimal. For that amount of information and experience we can get, I can say it is definitely worth visiting the museums and heritage sites.
Perhaps,less emphasis should be given to Sir Stamford Raffles. Instead, maybe give credit to others such as William Farquar who played a significant role in Singapore's history. Even though many road names, places and buildings are named after important figures, it might be important to educate Singaporeans on their roles and contributions.
Compared to many other nations, Singapore's history seems like colourful and interesting. However, we must still understand our national heritage and history. This will ensure the our future generations a story to tell. :)
Perhaps,less emphasis should be given to Sir Stamford Raffles. Instead, maybe give credit to others such as William Farquar who played a significant role in Singapore's history. Even though many road names, places and buildings are named after important figures, it might be important to educate Singaporeans on their roles and contributions.
Compared to many other nations, Singapore's history seems like colourful and interesting. However, we must still understand our national heritage and history. This will ensure the our future generations a story to tell. :)
Terrence Reflections: Ford Factory
The old Ford Factory was a massive storage of information. Located near to the National Archives of Singapore, it contained various sources of primary information, including diaries from Japanese, Singaporeans and British commanders. It was disheartening to know that had the British continued to hold out, Singapore might not have fallen. Stated in the diary of the Japanese commander that the army was actually facing a shortage of resources, and when the British offered to surrender, he was so eager and demanded it to be quick.
Down the journey, there were also several facts on the cruelty of the Japanese like the pulling out of nails and babies being thrown into the air to be stuck to death the Japanese soldiers.
There were also several oral recordings of Singaporeans living in different parts of Singapore. Each district was labelled with a number, for example, woodlands was labelled as 1. By selecting the number 1, we can have access to an oral speech by a resident staying in the area.
Down the journey, there were also several facts on the cruelty of the Japanese like the pulling out of nails and babies being thrown into the air to be stuck to death the Japanese soldiers.
There were also several oral recordings of Singaporeans living in different parts of Singapore. Each district was labelled with a number, for example, woodlands was labelled as 1. By selecting the number 1, we can have access to an oral speech by a resident staying in the area.
Terrence Reflections : Bukit Chandu
The trip could be said to be a 'thought provoking' session. The museum trips had led us to witness the struggle within Singapore during the Japanese occupation. A short-lived hatred towards tye occupants could be said to have developed too. A 'riot' could have broken out! Perhaps being too patriot might not be a wise decision in Singapore. Anyway, we managed to content ourselved with the news that Japan was defeated.
In Bukit Chandu, we came across a Mao in the first level which reflected on the methods which the Japanese troops used to defeat the Allied forces. I will like emphasis on two actics. First was the usage of weapons left behind by the British, a typical action of using the enemy to fight against itself. It was recorded that ammunition was left behind by retreated British troops was used by the Japanese to 'bomb' the defenders, forcng them to retreat even further. Secondly was the wrong the wrong positioning of the big guns. The guns were fixed before the invasion by Japan. However, teh Japanese, hence not very effective. I would also like to share a oral recording, which touched on the bravery of the soldiers at Pasir Panjang
In Bukit Chandu, we came across a Mao in the first level which reflected on the methods which the Japanese troops used to defeat the Allied forces. I will like emphasis on two actics. First was the usage of weapons left behind by the British, a typical action of using the enemy to fight against itself. It was recorded that ammunition was left behind by retreated British troops was used by the Japanese to 'bomb' the defenders, forcng them to retreat even further. Secondly was the wrong the wrong positioning of the big guns. The guns were fixed before the invasion by Japan. However, teh Japanese, hence not very effective. I would also like to share a oral recording, which touched on the bravery of the soldiers at Pasir Panjang
Ethel Reflections : National Museum
The visit to the National Museum was a whole new experience for me, and for us, given the fact that we people hardly go to the museum for an outing. Despite the rarity, we enjoyed ourselves very much from the very start to the end.
We met at the some fast food restaurant at Plaza Singapore for lunch on a Sunday afternoon (I know our theme should go about World War II since that's what we were given. Other groups were luckier 'cause they could indulge in food related to their theme (like the prata and what have you). But, you can't expect us to feed on sweet potatoes and plain porridge just so to fit into our theme right) Soo.. there you go - we had KFC and then we fell in love with the egg tart!
The hot scorching sun did not deter us from walking what seemed like 1000000km from PS to the National Museum. Being us, we walked about the lobby of the National museum trying really hard to spot the ticketing counter for our free ticket. We were THIS kiasu, alright, maybe just me. I was frantically asking everybody if they brought the CS card so as to be granted free entry. But the ticket was merely 5 bucks! Whatever.
When we entered the exhibition hall, we were greeted by a lady who distributed this 'companion', how tech-savvy huh. Accompanied by our 'companions', we made our way through the door and that marked the start of our visit to the museum.
We walked through the 'dark alleys' and our very first stop was the history of Singapore: pre-1819. The entire exhibition displayed artifacts found during the pre-1819 to prove that there was indeed a civilization back then. Whatever it is, we scanned through these exhibition quickly and made our way to the World War II exhibition which left the greatest impression this trip.
The most attention seeking feature of this exhibition would be what-seems-like-a-hundred bicycles mounted on the wall. Without any knowledge of what happened during the World War, my very first thought of those bicycles was that they were there for the sake of having an arty-farty effect on the museum. But of course, I was educated with the knowledge that that was what the Japanese used to cross the causeway to Singapore.
The other thing which I learned about was the painful experience people were put through during the world war II. Very heart-wrenching indeed. The one the left the greatest impression in my head was the Sook Ching massacre; how people were put through such unfair scrutinization and test to see if they were anti-japanese. In my mind when I saw how these people were treated so unfairly, I was questioning the intelligence of the Japanese soldiers. But they wasn't really a standard procedure that the Japanese soldiers followed, they judged by their gut feeling. If they liked you, you were lucky and set free but if they don't you would be put to death by the shooting squad. That was how ridiculous the Sook Chin massacre was. Whatever it was back then, the people who went through this torture would just have to rely on their fate to bring them through these 2 years.
We ended our memorable trip to the museum was yet another meal. Again, it wasn't anything close to the World War II theme we were given :) But we were very well satisfied after a thought-provoking trip to the museum.
FORD FACTORY
Along Bukit Timah Road, this building seemed like any other: dull, grey and lifeless. A coincidence since it rained. It reminded me of a folk tale (sorry to digress) that was told to me when I as a child: whenever it rained, it was taken that the heavens were grieving and and the tears were falling from heaven. How apt it was as we were about to embark on a museum journey that portrayed the harsh life during the Japanese Occupation.
The museum manned by older gentlemen seemed to hint to patrons that they were veterans of the war and before actually starting on our tour, I caught glimpse of one of the elderly workers who was leading a group of primary school students. He spoke with much vigor and gusto. This seemed to be the trend as we continued on the museum tour: passionate elderly men speaking to groups with verve.
A long tunnel which marked the beginning of the tour as war artifacts were put on show.
Much of the tour depicted the life lead by the different groups: the Chinese, the Eurasians, Malays, Indians and the Allied POWs. Their treatment varied as the War dragged on. However I did have some observations which I found to be peculiar.
Firstly, I felt much was made of the Sook Ching massacre and much of it was portrayed from a captive's point of view. Let me illustrate.
'Scotch of the rising sun' as we see from above can easily be twisted (if the Japanese were our rulers) to: 'Destroying the Enemy from within'. As the Japanese (again if our rulers) would portray the Sook Ching (probably not called this as well) was necessary to the peace of Syonan. The victors of war tend to be able to write their version of history: in Singapore's case, we write history in order that younger generations, who missed the harsh realities the Japanese Occupation, are imbued with the same if not some sense of protectiveness of their nation's freedom and independence.
Secondly, I was impressed with the extend of the nitty gritty details they provided with the quotes gathered from different ethnic groups which painted a grim but very real portrait of the life during the Japanese Occupation. In addition to the quotes, the images brought to life the bitterness of life back then. Gruesome, painful, emotional draining photos would leave one questioning how could life ever be so heartbreaking.
Thirdly, the entire Ford Factory provides interactive games and overall provides the young child or preteen with entertainment such as Talking map, Syonan race and Syonan Garden. The information packed exhibition would have bored the children and primary schoolers. Ford Factory properly adapts to its audience and people from across the age groups can relate in a fun, nostalgic or mind boggling way. In essence, FOrd Factory is effective in reaching out to the public.
The museum manned by older gentlemen seemed to hint to patrons that they were veterans of the war and before actually starting on our tour, I caught glimpse of one of the elderly workers who was leading a group of primary school students. He spoke with much vigor and gusto. This seemed to be the trend as we continued on the museum tour: passionate elderly men speaking to groups with verve.
A long tunnel which marked the beginning of the tour as war artifacts were put on show.
Much of the tour depicted the life lead by the different groups: the Chinese, the Eurasians, Malays, Indians and the Allied POWs. Their treatment varied as the War dragged on. However I did have some observations which I found to be peculiar.
Firstly, I felt much was made of the Sook Ching massacre and much of it was portrayed from a captive's point of view. Let me illustrate.
'Scotch of the rising sun' as we see from above can easily be twisted (if the Japanese were our rulers) to: 'Destroying the Enemy from within'. As the Japanese (again if our rulers) would portray the Sook Ching (probably not called this as well) was necessary to the peace of Syonan. The victors of war tend to be able to write their version of history: in Singapore's case, we write history in order that younger generations, who missed the harsh realities the Japanese Occupation, are imbued with the same if not some sense of protectiveness of their nation's freedom and independence.
Secondly, I was impressed with the extend of the nitty gritty details they provided with the quotes gathered from different ethnic groups which painted a grim but very real portrait of the life during the Japanese Occupation. In addition to the quotes, the images brought to life the bitterness of life back then. Gruesome, painful, emotional draining photos would leave one questioning how could life ever be so heartbreaking.
Thirdly, the entire Ford Factory provides interactive games and overall provides the young child or preteen with entertainment such as Talking map, Syonan race and Syonan Garden. The information packed exhibition would have bored the children and primary schoolers. Ford Factory properly adapts to its audience and people from across the age groups can relate in a fun, nostalgic or mind boggling way. In essence, FOrd Factory is effective in reaching out to the public.
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