September 17, 2026

Chinese medicine first arrived in Singapore alongside early waves of Chinese migration into Southeast Asia. Although many local practitioners received training in China, they gradually adapted their practices to suit the local context, giving rise to what is now known as Singapore Chinese Medicine (SCM). Rather than being a replica of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), SCM is shaped by Singapore’s distinct climate, demographics, and cultural influences, incorporating locally available herbs, evolving treatment styles, and unique diagnostic methods.

‘In Their Own Ways: Identification and Documentation of Singapore’s Chinese Medicine’, a Heritage Research Grant funded from 2025 to 2027 by the National Heritage Board, is led by Dr Yang Yan, Professor Ong Chang Woei, Dr Charles Wong Kian Hoe (all NUS Chinese Studies), Professor Teo Eng Kiat, and He Xiafen (both Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine). The project seeks to document this localised tradition. It responds to an urgent need to preserve and better understand SCM before valuable knowledge is lost amid the ongoing modernisation of Singapore’s healthcare system. Beyond preservation, the project aims to contribute to Singapore’s multicultural heritage and offer valuable resources for future research, education, and healthcare development.

The project advances three key objectives. Firstly, it will explore the foundations of SCM – its theoretical frameworks, clinical practices, preferred ingredients, and diagnostic approaches – through oral history interviews with experienced practitioners, ethnographic fieldwork, and archival research in Singapore and China. These efforts aim to highlight the individual agency and lived experiences of practitioners who have shaped SCM over the decades. Secondly, the project will focus on preserving and sharing this knowledge. Plans include developing a bilingual permanent exhibition, building a digital database accessible to researchers and practitioners, and launching public engagement activities that foster greater cultural awareness and appreciation of SCM. The third objective looks forward – seeking ways to integrate SCM with modern healthcare through innovative technologies and inclusive policymaking. The project advocates for culturally relevant, sustainable ethnomedical practices that support a more pluralistic and equitable healthcare system in Singapore.

Overall, the researchers aim to safeguard the tradition of Chinese medicine within Singapore’s unique sociocultural landscape. By binding historical knowledge with present-day challenges and future opportunities, they seek to enrich academic scholarship, promote public understanding of medical pluralism, and inform inclusive healthcare strategies that honour Singapore’s diverse heritage. In doing so, ‘In Their Own Ways: Identification and Documentation of Singapore’s Chinese Medicine’ ensures that the legacy and continued growth of SCM will benefit generations to come.