Looking inside into the Film and Wayang Gallery

Hello all, I am about to provide you a glimpse into my first-hand experience to the National Museum of Singapore. Ironically it was also my very first time visiting the museum despite being a Singaporean. Nevertheless, it is better to do it late than never right?

Continuing from where we ended the last post, in this post I will be going into details on the Film and Wayang Gallery, which is located on the 2nd floor of the National Museum of Singapore.

As we pushed the heavy metal doors into the Film and Wayang Gallery, we were greeted by a series of posters showcasing some of the popular homegrown films made from the 19th century in Century. By the late 19th century, Singapore had become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia. As the city flourished, demand for mass entertainment grew. The popularity of cinema encouraged the growth of filmmaking in Singapore. The films produced were mainly Malay and catered to audiences in Singapore, peninsular Malaya and the region.

I was surprised to know that Singapore has started making her own films way back in the 19th century! The two major production companies, Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions (MFP) and Cathay-Keris Films, made 260 films alone between the 1950s to the 1960s.


Proceeding futher into the gallery, we were amazed to find ourselves facing three giant screens showing homegrown Malay films from the late 19th century. We cannot resist ourselves but to stay put to watch the interesting black and white films!





As the pictures are doing the talking, do take note that not only films were popular in the late 19th century,music was a rising star too. The music of the post-war period films reflected the ever-changing tastes. Generally, the music corresponded to the prevailing romantic mood of Western popular music.



Moving on into the Wayang part of the gallery, we came into contact with props used in Chinese operas in the 19th century. Singapore was a unique locale where a variety of puppetry styles from various regions in southeast China could be found. These ranged from Hokkien (Fujian) glove puppets and Teochew (Chaozhou) wire puppets to Hainanese rod puppets and Henghwa (Xinghua) string puppets.



Just check out the bright and dazzling costumes used in Wayang (Chinese operas), it projected how seriously the people take wayang,the pride and effort they put in to make it successful which can be seen by the costumes displayed. It really made me feel proud to know how rich our Singapore culture is.

I still hear the bells of the past ringing in my ears…

Part I

“History, we can confidently assert, is useful in the sense that art and music, poetry and flowers, religion and philosophy are useful. Without it -- as with these -- life would be poorer and meaner; without it we should be denied some of those intellectual and moral experiences which give meaning and richness to life. Surely it is no accident that the study of history has been the solace of many of the noblest minds of every generation.” Henry Steele Commager.



The Singapore Museum is a place that houses our country’s heritage, culture and arts. Some background information on the Museum. The Museum houses The Singapore History gallery, which shows Singapore’s history from the 14th Century to the modern period.

The Museum also houses The Singapore Living Galleries; it also portrays the fashion, political, social and economic changes of the Singaporean women from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Living Galleries shows the Film & Wayang Gallery, which shows the development of the film industry in Singapore, from the Chinese opera to the western silent films. The Living Galleries also shows the Food gallery. Where it shows the Singapore Street life in the 1950s to the 1970s. The last gallery that is housed within The Living Galleries itself is the Photography Gallery. This shows families from the past in picture form.

We have sent a group of students who have gone to visit the museum on a raining day! As you can see from the picture, they are posing at the front entrance of the Museum.


You will see another pair of them posing at the steps that lead to the 2nd story of the museum, the steps that give a very grand and historic feeling.



They were advised by the curator to start their journey to the past by visiting the 2nd story of the Museum and ending their journey by going to the basement. Upon reaching the 2nd story, they were greeted by a row of Terra Cotta Chinese-like soldiers that were wearing headphones! On their sides were Chinese maidens holding laptops! Art work that is a fusion of the past and the modern?

Glimpse of Singapore A.C.H

Singapore started from a small trading island which gradually grew in its population. People from around the world (E.G. India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Britain) migrated here in the early days so as to find a better life or are posted here to work. Their different beliefs, background and religion are all that has helped Singapore mold our unique and diverse culture and in many ways than one, influenced our local arts scene and heritage.

Singapore in its early days:

1.Old Singapore River



2.Old Chinatown



3. Malay village

In the early days, people's home were separated according to their racial groups. The Indians lived in what is known as Little India today, the Malays lived in the Malay Village and the Chinese lived in Chinatown. Though now it is not so, there is still a remarked difference in the external looks of the architecture and the infrastructure present there.
Take a look at the pictures below:



1. Malay Village's Mosque



2. Little India



3.Chinatown

To end, though Singapore is a small island and the main resource that we lack is land. We do not have enough land to support more facilities for tourist to enjoy. Compared to the other countries, we do not have as much attraction as they do. Also, Singapore is still not yet well known in the global arts scene, it is hard for us to stand out amongst other countries with a strong reputation in its arts like France or Italy. As mentioned above, there’s scarce land in Singapore and we are forced to demolish some historical site so as to make way for modern infrastructure. This will result in an incomplete picture of our local cultural and heritage scene and in turn, be less attractive than what other countries are available to offer.

However, even if we are unable to give you all that is mentioned above, we assure you readers that Singlife-Aloud will bring out the best and the most truthful side to Singapore's local A.C.H scene.


So stay tuned folks!