February 8, 2021

Chinese New Year celebrations will be held on 12 and 13 February in Singapore in 2021. The ethnic Chinese, who comprise around 75% of the population, will look forward to watching lion dances, having reunion dinners, and visiting their extended family and friends. The influence of Chinese culture in Singapore was established since the first Chinese migrants arrived from the mainland in the early 1800s. Subsequent generations of immigrants and their descendants have helped to sustain the Chinese influence and culture due to their prominent roles in building schools and businesses. Cultural ties have been maintained till the present day, where Singaporean Chinese continue to observe customs such as celebrating the Chinese New Year.

‘Chinese Epigraphy of Singapore: 1912-2019’ is a project by Professor Kenneth Dean and Dr Hue Guan Thye (both from NUS Department of Chinese Studies) to document historical Chinese epigraphy in Singapore. The team will gather data from inscriptions carved in stone, wood, and metal artefacts found in key Chinese institutions (temples, huiguan (clan associations set up to address the social needs of the immigrant community), and some schools) which have played an important role in establishing and maintaining Chinese culture in Singapore. The inscriptions will be transcribed into English, and accompanied with photographs and written summaries which will detail the different kinds of temples, associations, and monuments found in Singapore.

The project extends from their earlier series and publication of Chinese epigraphy of Singapore between 1819 and 1911. This second sequence will culminate in a published and translated record of the Chinese epigraphy of Singapore and will establish a foundation for future research on Singaporean Chinese culture, arts, religion, and society.