Demise of a Dragon Kiln

A TNP story on 18 Sep 2010 – “Will these “dragons” keep breathing fire?” – about the fate of the Jalan Bahar and Thow Kwang kilns near NTU brought back memories of the demise of the Sam Mui Kuang Dragon Kiln at Jalan Hwi Yoh in the early 80’s.

The SMK Dragon Kiln was originally a 25-metre long “snake kiln” that was upgraded to a 50-metre long dragon kiln by a Mr Chua in 1935. The Chua family operated the kiln successfully balancing the production of creative wares with functional wares like flower pots in this 50 metre long kiln that was built into the slope and which was fired about three times in two months, each time over a week.

In the early 1980s, the Chua family was asked to vacate the grounds of the kiln as the land was required for flatted factories. Horrified by the idea that such a heritage institution would be eradicated, petitions were sent on the kiln’s behalf by the Ministry of Culture, Southeast Ceramic Society, the Singapore Heritage Society and other independent and heritage art lovers.

As negotiations between the family and the authorities meandered along, the original rationale for demolition i.e. that the land was needed for flatted factories morphed into concerns about: (a) Pollution – The weeklong firings twice every three months polluted the environment and the kiln can stay if anti-pollution devices were installed; (b) Low rentals – The kiln can stay if the family paid higher rentals;

Our tourism authorities tried to salvage the situation by suggesting that the family build a pavilion for tourists but this would have cost the family a tidy sum. It was then suggested to the family that they should merge with a dragon kiln in the West and be part of the “critical mass” of Jurong tourist attractions. This was of course, not acceptable to the family.

When all negotiations failed and the bulldozers razed the site, Singapore lost an indigenous tourism product while our art schools lost a teaching facility where ceramic students could fire their wares in non-commercial kilns.

Moving on since, with fresh energy and a determination to survive, the Chua brothers continue to produce gorgeous creative wares in a shop house in Seletar Hills.

The Jalan Bahar Clay Studio which was built in 1958 and renamed in 2004 has tried to stay active  by offering studios to artists-in-residence.  I found a ghost town on a couple of weekend visits.  Although it’s not clear what has happened since the news broke in Sep 2010 and what the eventual fate  of both kilns will be,  the situation evokes a strong sense of deja vue – the need for land to build more industrial facilities, the concerns with pollution, the petition, the sense of disbelief and helplessness over the situation.

I do hope we do not raze away yet another two indigenous tourism products while we pour in tons of money trying to artificially create new ones or re-create them.  In the mid-90s, the SE Ceramics Society Council on which I volunteered, received a request for advice, from an authority, on how to set up a “dragon kiln”.  I can’t recall how the Council responded but disheartened by the irony of the situation and realising what an impossible task this was,  I crumpled up my copy of the letter and cast it into a bin.

Beautiful Wares from Chua Brothers of Sam Mui Kwang Dragon Kiln Pottery

With the benefit of hindsight, can we not let history repeat itself?

heritage festivals

The not-so-recent redevelopment of Clarke Quay flushed out dealers of memorabilia who have sinced moved to the 2nd storey of China Square.  Browsing through the boxes of postcards, report books and other such homely items last  weekend brought back memories of the first Singapore Heritage Week that we organised in 1986.  

I was then working in a newly- founded MCD with policy “oversight” of the National Library and three heritage departments – National Museum, National Archives and Oral History Department.  

The idea for Singapore Heritage Week was hatched quite accidentally at one of our monthly meetings where we freely exchanged views on the plans and challenges of the departments.    The acquisition budget for the heritage departments was very limited, much much smaller than it is today.  At one meeting, when we were commiserating over the budgetary constraints to enriching our exhibitions, someone – I think it was either Lim Guan Hock (National Archives) or Tan Beng Luan (Oral History Department) – pointed out with urgency that families relocating from kampongs and shophouses to high-rise flats were nonchalantly and rapidly discarding their antiques and memoribilia.   

Brainstorming how we could ”intercept” such “discards” for the benefit of our national heritage collection, we stumbled upon the idea of a high-profile heritage event to alert these families to the historical significance of their personal items and that the heritage departments would like to have them if they no longer wanted them. 

SHW86 Bookmark

After a few months of preparation,  the 1st Singapore Heritage Week was held from 4 – 11 Oct 1986.   It was launched by Political Secretary /MCD Zulklifi Mohammed as  he ceremoniously released colourful balloons into the ceiling of the National Museum rotunda with a swift sweep of his antique kris.  All week long, the Museum grounds were dotted by 1950-style itinerant hawkers’ pushcarts selling the foods (eg dragon candy), games (gasing, rice dough puppets) of yesteryears.  In the museum, we staged an exhibition of everyday objects, our way of reminding viewers that they were important purveyors of our social history. 

The Week’s slogan which I must take responsibility and, credit for, was “Your Junk could be our National Treasure.  Thank you for sharing it with us.”  Nearly  everyone – our sponsor, American Express Foundation, our advertising agency and many of my committee members,  felt it was too insulting an

Slogan for SHW 1986

d would not be well-received by the general public.  Barry Arnold who then headed the AMEX team stuck his neck out and agreed that we could take a chance with it. 

We were more than amply rewarded when on our “Walk-In Donation Day” that Sunday, a never-ending queue of ordinary folks streamed into the Rotunda to offer us  their “junk”.  I remember uncles and aunties asking shyly if this or that “would do”  or “was acceptable”.   Beng Luan, Guan Hock, Susie Koay and their colleagues had a field day as they sifted happily through the many objects that fell into our laps.  By the end of Heritage Week, the public had donated over 900 items including complete sets of Chinese classics, porcelain steamboat, World War Two ration cards and many other interesting personal items.

The following week, a member of the public sent a letter to Minister Wong Kan Seng complaining that we had undermined the standard of public hygene by bringing back squalid old carts.  Slightly amused and happy to receive this back-handed compliment, we explained that we had  deliberately stained the newly-constructed carts,  to make them look old and authentic.

I organised two other Singapore Heritage Weeks subsequently and since then, it has morphed into a Heritage Weekend, Heritage Day and now, a fortnight-long Heritage Fest organised by my friend Jeremiah Choy and his company OrangeDot.

Zubir Said: His Songs

"Zubir Said: His Songs"

Everyone loves the romance of discovering a long-lost person or item but I’ve always felt that we should be proactive in our documentation and archiving initiatives. Do it! before too much is forgotten or lost.

Our intent to trace and publish the music of notable Singaporean composers dates back to 1982 but work did not really start till around 1987.  I managed to publish a book about our national anthem composer, Zubir Said but did not succeed in publishing the music of the late Charles Lazaroo and Tsao Chieh.

With support from the Singapore Cultural Foundation, we approached Berita Harian to sponsor the Zubir Said book project in 1987. Former Editor, Berita Harian Zainul Abidin Rasheed (who is now Minister of State for Foreign Affairs) who was then a member of the Foundation’s Management Committee, agreed to support the project, setting us on our way. Not only did Berita Harian support the project with cash, they also extended the services of their Deputy Editor Hawazi Daipi and journalist Mardiana Abu Bakar.

Hawazi and I co-chaired the Zubir Said Project Committee and we roped in musicians the late Ahmad Jafaar and Joseph Peters, Mrs Toh-Chua Foo Yong (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation) and representatives from the Oral History Department and National Archives.  We each had our respective roles to play– The musicians would research, select and score the songs of the composer while Oral History’s Dr Daniel Chew would write the story of the National Anthem.  Hawazi chaired the Editorial Committee while Puan Sri Datin Dr Rohana Zubir-Hamid, the daughter of Park Zubir would pen a chapter on her father. I had the pleasure of pulling the project together.

Before we started the project, we visited Pak Zubir in his home in Joo Chiat Place to pay him our respects.  Hawazi wisely advised that we should seek Pak Zubir and Puan Tarminah’s blessings for the project first.  When we shared our plans with Pak Zubir, he expressed his thanks quietly, adding that he did not believe that a day would dawn when Government would recognise him by publishing his songs.  He gave us his blessings for the project.  Regrettably, he did not live to see the completion of the project as he died at the age of 80 years in Nov 1987, about six months after our visit and three years before the book launch.  I felt sad about his demise and hoped that learning about our plan brought him some contentment and happiness in his final months.  I was also grateful that we managed to see him and receive his blessings.

Our two-and-a-half year search including appeals to the public for tapes and records, yielded over 118 songs and we selected 45 for publication. Daniel interviewed Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr Lee Khoon Choy, Mr Paul Abisheganaden and Yap Yan Hong, the former Superintendent of the Victoria Theatre to piece together the story of the National Anthem.

“Zubir Said: His Songs” was launched on 3 March 1990 by Minister of State for Community Development Dr Seet Ai Mee. With the help of Pak Zubir’s prize student Iskander Ismail, we arranged for veteran singer Kartina Dahari to sing his song “Sayang di Sayang” at the launch.  Her rendering of the song together with Rohana’s heartfelt tribute to her father, brought many tears to the eyes of family and friends present.  A Zubir Said Scholarship Fund was also launched during the Ceremony for the benefit of young musicians.

Invite to the launch of "Zubir Said"His Songs"

Rohana lived in Kuala Lumpur and I updated her on the project whenever she visited her family.  Upon her father’s demise, Rohana offered to donate her father’s personal effects to our National Museum (his attire, pipe, anklong sets, medals) if there was intent to create a Zubir Said Gallery.   Unfortunately, the National Museum was not ready to give such a commitment but in the hope that this would come to fruition in the near future, I secured funds from the Foundation to purchase a new piano for the family in exchange for Pak Zubir’s piano.  The piano was hoisted out of the window of the second level flat as the stairs were too narrow, and brought to the Museum store. Years later when I was working on the Esplanade, I enquired about the piano hoping to place it in a “Zubir Said Studio”.  I was told that piano was in disrepair. 

I sometimes wonder what became of Pak Zubir’s personal belongings.  I hope somehow, they find their way back to our Malay Heritage Museum or National Museum.

people’s association cultural troupe – professional or not??

It was not uncommon in the early 1980s, for performing artists to decry the lack of Government support for the arts and hence, the absence of “professional” art companies.  These were the days before the flourishing of art companies like TheatreWorks and the Singapore Dance Theatre

At the time, in fact, two public service organizations were already operating  professional art companies, with artists who were salaried to practice and perform their arts on a full-time  basis.  Radio & Television Singapore had a radio orchestra while PA operated a Cultural Troupe. This was in addition to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra which was established in 1978.

 

Started in the 1960s, nearly two decades before I joined, the PA Cultural Troupe had been established in a newly-independent nation, to entertain the masses, perform at National Day Parades and at the Istana during state visits by overseas dignitaries.

 

The Troupe comprised eight companies – Bagpipers, Modern Dance Company (choreographed by Seow Yoke Beng, Christina Tan and Emily Hogan); Chinese Drama Company, Malay and Indian Dance troupes, Military Band conducted by Lim Tiap Seng and the Chinese Orchestra conducted by Lim Tiap Guan who was later succeeded by Ku Lap Man. The PA Chinese Orchestra was second only to Hong Kong’s Chinese Orchestra and has since evolved into the highly-acclaimed Singapore Chinese Orchestra.  In 1980, Douglas initiated a Children’s Choir under conductor Monica Toh.

 

 

Christmas Rhapsody leaflet

Christmas Rhapsody Calendar

The Troupe was fully engaged around the year, performing quarterly road shows on fields in the HDB estates including the annual Christmas Rhapsody.  To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of PA, the Troupe mounted a dance-drama “Temasek in Dance” on the history of Singapore.

Temasek in Dance Programme

 

The PA Culture Section also spearheaded the mid-autumn Lantern Competition.  Hundreds of beautiful and well-crafted lanterns of surprising designs and materials hung on the PA field ready to be judged. Judges included the late Chinese ink artist Huang Pao Fang and art expressionist Jaffar Latiff who favoured the more innovative designs. Some entrants injected multicultural influences in their lanterns while other entrants used mechanical parts, pointing the way to a more tech-savvy society. 

 PA gave me my first taste of arts management.  As Assistant Director (Programmes), I had the chance to dabble in stage management, choreography, stage design, costume design and other aspects of stage production. I may not have made good creative decisions but the job forced me into a leadership position on artistic matters. It was also my first encounter with theatre director Roger Jenkins whom helped the dancers express themselves more dramatically in “Temasek in Dance”. He was then teaching at the United World College and proved to be an inspiring and effective teacher, despite the language and cultural barrier.  I also met Goh Soo Khim, Ruby Chuah and Sylvia McCully at a discussion I chaired on matters relating to dance. Soo Khim told me recently that she remembers that session well as it was the first time she met me.

  

I wonder if artists had disregarded PACT as a professional art company because it was engaged in “community arts” rather than the “high arts”.  However, it is all the same to me as I wander more and more, out of the world of “arts for arts’ sake” back into the sphere of “arts for humanity”.   

 

 

Temasek in Dance