As part of the Singapore heritage society, I believe that Chinatown should be conserved and should not be replaced by yet another integrated resort. Our Society is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Singapore’s history, heritage and identity. We have held many projects to raise awareness of Singapore’s history and cultural heritage.
Chinatown has and will always be a place with much historical value and a part of Singapore’s limited heritage. According to the dictionary, heritage indicates the characteristics, properties or quality that one inherits at birth. It is also the nation’s mark of history, such as stately buildings, countryside, cultural traditions, that are seen as the nation’s wealth to be inherited by future generations. Chinatown has been a part of Singapore and a part of our home since the early days when the early immigrants came to Singapore, being one of the few heritages that we are still able to keep hold of. Despite being rather small in size, this little plot of land is the exact land that our forefathers stood on as they contributed to make Singapore what it is today. But with Singapore’s fast growth rate and overwhelming need to develop further, it is not surprising that its historical heritage is being considered to be demolished to make way for the new.
Conservation
We wish to conserve Chinatown, as it allows us to be connected to our past. Our heritage reminds us of where we started from and of how we managed to progress from being a small fishing village to the bustling city that we are now, giving us a sense of direction in where we are heading to as a nation. Preserving our cultural heritage also goes a long way in explaining our rich cultural, political, social and educational values to the future generations. It is a lesson and an experience in which our forefathers handed down to us so that we can learn from their mistakes and successes, in hope that our nation will continue to grow into a better