How do historical buildings and monuments in Singapore contribute to our national identity?

Question

Answers staff note: This is the real Julian Davison, author of One for the Road and Other Stories: Recollections of Singapore and Malaya! To take part in the Y!ureka contest for a chance to win Dopod phones, register at http://yahoo.com.sg/answers

Hint: Why do you think old buildings should be conserved? How do old buildings help us remember our history? What do our historical sites say about who we are?

Answer 1

Familiar places and buildings give us a sense of continuity with the past, and help to develop an emotional attachment to our land. In re-making Singapore, we need to retain a stock of buildings that create a special sense of identity and hold our individual and collective memories. Like precious family heirlooms that are passed from generation to generation, they can create an enduring bond between generations. Such buildings lend soul to our city and make it different from all the others. Conservation must be integral to urban planning in Singapore.

Architectural works of the post-war era for conservation. Despite their simple forms, these buildings are important for their social and historical significance. They are part of the memories of the post-war generation. They document the evolution of building styles in Singapore, and are fine examples of the work of our pioneering local architects. Most importantly, they capture the mood and aspirations of a young Singapore nation. Through their conservation, we hope to safeguard symbols of Singapore’s modernizing and industrializing era.

Answer 2

Well i think that historical buildings does contributes to our national identity, good times... bad times almost everything. Although i sometimes feel that some buildings are better off gone, rather than being there hindering Singapore's further development, but yes we should still try our best to preserve them as they are the result of our forefathers hard work and should be kept as a memory.

We talk about perseverance of our historical monuments all the time, but why is that some of them are destroyed while some are left the way they are? Most of the time its because the space occupied by kept monuments or buildings are not needed for development. For example the battle box, we wont be doing anything with some space underground, unless we need a wine cellar or something. Might as well just leave it there to remember how the British lost to the Japanese(not that it was any good), and earn some cash along the way.

Historical buildings and monuments provide us with memory of the past, how we got here, what we have gone through and what me must do to continue. They provide us with bits and pieces of important information that we may forget but should also be demolished if they hinder our development. I think we are always stuck in a dilemma to either to keep or destroy. I guess that's what the government is for, not that i like all of their decision but yes, we humans some how need a leader before we can do anything right.

Answer 3

Basically, we all know that Singapore is a small country. We have no natural resources, no world class themeparks like DisneyLand for others to remember by etc etc, history wise not really long compared to the Americans and Europeans, but that is something which we can remember by and it is this very history which have united SIngaporeans and brought us where we are today.

No doubt Singapore is rapidly developing itself so as keep up or even surpass the international standard, but it is the very existence of these historical buildings and monuments and the stories from our grandparents which have bridged the gap to our past, to the hardwork of our forefathers.

Take for example the clarke quay and boat quay stretch, this was the very place where it all happened when Raffles landed in Singapore and that was the day Singapore was borned. Though it has been revamped to restaurants, pubs and shops, but the original structure and buildings remained.

The younger generation can still have the opportunity to have a glimpse at the past and whenever we all see the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles standing proudly overlooking the Singapore River, as well as the bronze statues of coolies along the River, we will all realise that the Singapore today did not just become the way it is today without the hardwork of all our forefather.

Lastly, i would like to applaud the URA for their efforts in conservating the built heritage as an integral part of urban planning and development in Singapore. The restoration of our historical buildings and monuments not only provide variety to our street and landscapes, it also checks the scale of our urban fabric, creating visual contrast and excitement within and around Singapore while protecting the important reminders and representations of our past as i have mentioned earlier. It also adds to the distinctive character and identity of Singapore, giving it a sense of history and memory of the place.

Answer 4

Given our nation's short history, we do nat have much that we can truly call our heritage. Thus it becomes more important urgent and important that we preserve the few historical buildings and monuments we have left, especially since independence the Government has not build anything that can be considered monumental or historical.

In the earky days, we still had various world war 2 memorials along the Esplanade. Sadly, some of them had given way to redevelopment and I think we lost a part of our ties to the past. I remember the fountain and the memorial to those fallen in fighting for the country. Guess these were too strongly colonial.in nature.

Probably the main reason is that Singapore is too land-scarce, hence the need to sacrifice heritage for the sake of development. The importance of development to generate growth for the country I guess takes precedence over all else. Though I feel a compromise should have been achieved. Parks can be created still in the city to break the monotony of the city skyline. and yet preserves those monuments. Though it is too late to cry over spilt milk, hopefully this can be done for whatever is left behind.

The Tourism Board had designated certain places as heritage sites, but, they do not have the stature of a heritage site. They are mostly just a point, a spot. One minute and you are through. really I wonder how tourists feel about these as tourist spots.. They have to spend time at the spot to read the history. But where is the atmosphere? Where are the linkages to the place, people or event?

I had been to Adelaide and I marvel at the way there are old and new modern buildings standing side by side. The city wants to progress, but still preserves the old buildings that lend character to the city. Same as in Melbourne. You get nice big parks with proper monuments located within. Same as when I go to Thailand. There are various parks located in the city of Bangkok and there are monuments dedicated to the past and present rulers.

We do need to preserve whatever we have left. One landmark is the former General Post Office, the Fullerton Building. Once a Government building, now it is a hotel. The landmark instead of being turned into a heritage site for visitors now welcome paying guests. Renovations and additions to make it livable mean that its former majestic character is now diminished. I guess there are more examples to citred that had been turned into commercial prospects.

Keeping and preserving national identity has to be the Government effort. They can gazzette and earmark and dictate how the surroundings can be developed to blend with the preservation site. It cannot be contracted to private businesses or organisations to do this. This needs national attention if we are to preserve whatever is left. Too many old buildings are being turned into commercial buildings in private hands now.

We do not have a long history to develop a national identity. So the few we have become of great importance in this aspect.

Answer 5

A picture represents a thousand words. When tourists come to Singapore, they need not rely on pages & pages of notes to understand what the historic building represent. They take a look then briefly read what it represents and done deal, they know everything. Singapore is so small therefore the small amount of historic buildings & monuments. This is the important part to the answer to this question. When tourists go back home, they will start spreading around what they saw in Singapore. They will start saying & saying and by the time they are done, they may have in fact said out everything they saw in Singapore. So, that is how these facts form our national identity. Small country = few historic places = Our national identity. That's the answer to this question.

Answer 6

I think old buildings should be conserved simply because the heritage of Singapore must be preserved, lest the future generations forget totally about what about these old buildings and monuments.

Old buildings help us to remember our History. An example is that some buildings have intricate carvings and they probably showed us how meticulous the people were last time. Items and artifects also give us valuable insights to the nations identity because they give us clues as to who occupied the space before etc.

Historical sites say that even though we're a young nation, we have come thus far. These artifects / buildings date back to more than 42 years ago. This can show us how much Singapore has progressed throughout the years.

Answer 7

Singapore Historical Sites

Answer 8

Historical buildings are inheritances from one generation to another. They tell us of the culture and what was it like in history of our multi-racial country.

I believe it would be a good thing to conserve various historical buildings to learn more about how the aesthetics were like back then and the design aspects they had to create the structures in those days.

Every building has its own story.

I wonder, how many people do keep things from their childhood? Like toys, old magazines, gifts, stamp collections, etc... Well, I do keep some as they still bring some fresh memories about my past and the stories that had been made up from that unique item that were collected back then, and also how I was like when I was younger.

Same for every historical building. All of them that were conserved holds a huge story in Singapore's growth from a small state to a prosporous nation.

Not all old buildings should be kept though. Some may have deteriorated to an unsightly state and that it is best left to be converted to a new place of commerce or residence.

Like personal collections, I do not keep every old item that has been damaged badly through weather conditions. These items remained now as a memory.

However, no doubt these old buildings do add a charm to Singapore's unique history. It will be good to re-visit some familiar sites and reminisce the good times people had there.

Answer 9

Historical buildings and monuments are an important part of the landscape of Singapore. They tell us the stories behind our country, and they tell us how we have progressed. As the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words", so I believe that the buildings and landscape of Singapore can teach us about the history of Singapore better than words can.

Just the other day, I passed by a man selling pictures of Singapore in the past. I found the Singapore in those pictures charming and rich culturally. I was particularly taken with the picture of Jubilee Theater, and those of the Samsui women, and of course those of Chinatown. I think it is sad a lot of these buildings are no more around. Nonetheless, from these pictures, I had some idea of how people lived in Singapore in the past, and of how much our country has evolved. Similarly, historical buildings and monuments in Singapore can teach us or give us some idea of our history, and our national identity.

Answer 10

With the preservation of historic buildings and Monuments, it shows us how it was like during the period of time of construction esp. for Buildings.

Buildings which reflects the colonial government which ruled the country. Districts where different ethnic groups lived. These show us the living lifestyle of the people who use to live or work in them.

Monuments are for us to remember a person or an event which had huge impact in our national history. A statue of Sir Standford Raffles, the founder of the modern Singapore, the Coastal Defence sites that are littered around the Island. Fort Siloso of Sentosa. These are all reminders of People and Events.

National Identity is something that is irrelevent if you do not know your own National History. Therefore historic buildings and mornuments need to be Presvered, Be it the Actual Building or even in other forms of Media.

Answer 11

Historical buildings / monuments are built for certain purposes. The historical buildings help to identity Singapore's history. With the buildings still standing in this modern city, it helps to recall memories of the older generation and helps the younger generations to be able to see and feel the history of Singapore.

For the monuments, they are built to remember some historical events/people. When people see the monuments, for those who already know the history, it will remind them of Singapore's history and the events that contribute to the Singapore today. For those who do not know the history, when they see the monuments, they will get to know the reason for building and thus understand the events that had taken place.