Learn about the history and heartbeat of places around the world. Discover the local culture through art, museums, traditions, local festivities, legends, history, architecture and people.
Forget Paris. The cosmopolitan capital bears little resemblance to France’s smaller cities, where people walk more slowly and smile more. There are so many things to do in France that I thought it would be a pity to confine myself …
Singaporeans need little introduction to nasi padang. Yes, piping hot steamed rice served with various dishes — from the spicy gulai ayam (chicken curry) and beef rendang (nope, not the crispy one!) to sambal goreng and sayur lodeh. Padang, the …
Besides the National Day Parade (and the PM’s NDP speech), we often take National Day for granted, a mere day off to take a break from our work. The boring social studies story of “fishing-village-turn-powerhouse” we’ve heard a million times …
Most Singaporeans are familiar with its colonial history and the role that the British Empire played in founding the island-state and developing its port. In the modern cityscape of Singapore, there still exists historical monuments built in the colonial era. …
One of the defining chapters of Singapore’s short history is its status as a British colony from the 19th-century until it joined Malaysia in 1963. The rapid modernisation and economic development of the city-state in the past few decades have …
Penang and Singapore share strong cultural ties and heritage. Many of the Chinese that came to Singapore during the colonial period came through Penang. Penang is also the home to the Peranakan community and way of life. The straits-born Chinese …
Few Singaporeans know the impact that the small Armenian community in Singapore had on the development of the city-state. In fact, they make up of Singapore’s smallest minority, with less than 700 Armenians over the span of 200 years. Yet, …
The Tamil Indians make up the largest proportion amongst the Indian community in Singapore. In fact, Tamil is one of our official languages, making Singapore one of only two countries to do so. The first pre-colonial wave of Tamils who …
A lesser-known minority group of Indians in Singapore known as the Malayali came from Kerala, India. During the colonial period, the Malayalis and the Sri Lankan Tamils formed the majority of the upper-middle class of Singaporean society — most of …
When the British established Singapore as a trading port in the early 1800s, many Bugis traders came to Singapore and settled down. Their numbers are dwindling in Singapore, and the Bugis are now part of the Malay community. The Bugis …
