《联合早报》- 新加坡将设华族历史文化馆 预计2031年建成开放 (2026-08-24)
为记录新加坡华社的发展历程，肯定华族先辈对社会的贡献，我国将设立“新加坡华族历史文化馆”，预计2031年建成开放。
华族历史文化馆由新加坡华族文化中心发起并管理，将设在新加坡大会堂，与华族文化中心相辅相成。这个项目获得政府与华社领袖支持。
黄循财总理星期天（8月23日）在国庆群众大会华语演说中宣布这个消息。
黄总理强调：“文化馆所要展现的是华族先辈如何在新加坡落地生根、开枝散叶。它也将介绍宗乡会馆、商会和文教组织对社会的贡献，特别是为建设一个多元种族社会所付出的努力。”
根据华族文化中心发出的新闻稿，文化馆与新加坡华族文化中心及新加坡华乐团比邻，让公众在市中心通过更多元、更具沉浸感的方式，深入了解和体验本地华族历史、艺术与文化。
文化馆的侧重点将有别于华族文化中心的常设展“SINGAPO人”。后者聚焦当代，着重展现本地华族文化与身份认同的演变与多元面貌；前者则更多以历史发展为主轴。
文化馆的展览内容将沿着新加坡从14世纪以前发展至今的历史脉络展开，聚焦六大主题：港口和早期新加坡贸易、英殖民地的华人聚落、团体组织及社群网络、波折起伏的历史浪潮、新加坡独立后的华社，以及全球城市中的新加坡华人。
华族文化中心办巡回展 邀公众分享对文化馆期许
为了向公众介绍文化馆的筹建计划，华族文化中心将推出“共绘新章：塑造新加坡华族历史文化馆”巡回展，邀请公众分享他们对文化馆的期许，并就文化馆未来的展览内容与呈现方式等提出建议。
巡回展首站是牛车水唐城坊，8月25日至9月11日每日上午10时至晚上10时开放。9月12日至10月2日转至榜鹅综合社区中心举行。那之后，巡回展将陆续走进商场、图书馆、学校及社区中心。
文化、社区及青年部长梁振伟星期天在脸书发文说，欢迎公众前去参观“共绘新章：塑造新加坡华族历史文化馆”巡回展，分享各自希望在文化馆看到的故事和内容；希望国人集思广益，共同塑造“属于大家的文化馆”。
华族文化中心自2025年起征求华社领袖、宗乡会馆、导览员、青年和学生的反馈，获各界普遍支持设立文化馆，概述新加坡华人社群的历史、文化与贡献。
文化馆将填补空缺 成新加坡华族发展重要平台
中心主席吴绍均向媒体指出，文化馆对华社意义重大。“长期以来，本地缺少一个能概述并集中呈现华族历史发展的机构。文化馆将填补这个空缺，成为公众认识新加坡华族发展历程、文化传承，以及华族对国家建设所作贡献的重要平台。”
新加坡华乐团未来将与文化馆同在新加坡大会堂屋檐下，行政总监何伟山受访时对这一意义非凡的“新邻居”表示欢迎。
他说：“这不但是空间上的邻近，更是文化内容上的天然伙伴。文化馆让大家了解新加坡华族的发展，而华乐团则通过华乐，让这些历史与文化发出声音。”
历史学者兼文化馆咨询委员柯木林则指出，文化馆将发挥核心枢纽的作用，汇集各博物馆、宗乡会馆和社团的历史脉络与资料，成为本地人和游客认识新加坡华族发展历程的一站式平台，让公众了解新加坡华族如何凭借共同经历逐渐形成身份认同，呈现丰富多元的面貌。
华族文化中心青年团“青年协力星”成员许宏睿是历史系毕业生。他认为文化馆会是年轻一代探索本地华人社区历史的理想起点，也让他们能以贴近自身、与当下生活息息相关的方式，继续认识和传承本地华族文化。
NDR 2026: S’pore to showcase Chinese heritage with new gallery and exhibition
SINGAPORE – Singapore is stepping up efforts to preserve and deepen appreciation of Chinese heritage and culture, with a new gallery tracing the history of the Chinese community and an exhibition showcasing rare editions of China’s four great classic novels.
A Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallery to honour the country’s Chinese pioneers will be set up by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) in 2031, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally on Aug 23.
“The true value of Singapore Chinese culture lies not only in what we can see and taste. It carries well over a century of our pioneers’ wisdom,” he said.
The gallery at the Singapore Conference Hall will trace how the pioneers put down roots and built lives here, and pay tribute to the Chinese community organisations that helped build Singapore’s multiracial society, he added.
Its storyline will span Singapore’s development from the pre-14th century to modern times, according to SCCC. The gallery is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the National Heritage Board.
To gather diverse perspectives and anchor the gallery in the local multicultural context, SCCC said it will consult other cultural institutions such as the National Museum of Singapore, Malay Heritage Centre, Indian Heritage Centre, and Eurasian Association.
Since mid-2025, it has also been conducting engagement sessions with participants such as community leaders, clan associations and youth on how the Chinese community’s story should be told.
One of the key insights is the need to provide a balanced, historically grounded overview of the Chinese community’s development, covering key aspects such as migration and settlement, businesses, the arts, and the contributions of different generations of immigrants.
It is also important to show how Singapore Chinese culture has evolved through interactions with other communities in Singapore’s multicultural society, SCCC said.
SCCC will launch a travelling exhibition to introduce the gallery to members of the public, who can share their aspirations for the Singapore Chinese story.
The exhibition will be at Chinatown Point from Aug 25 to Sept 11 and One Punggol from Sept 12 to Oct 2. It will then travel to other venues such as public libraries, community hubs and schools.
SCCC chairman Ng Siew Quan noted that until now, no single institution has brought together and presented the broad overview of the history of the Chinese community.
“The gallery will fill this gap, serving as a one-stop hub where the public can learn about the community’s development, cultural heritage and contributions to nation-building,” he said.
Historian Kua Bak Lim, a member of the gallery’s advisory panel, said: “The gallery will become a convenient one-stop destination for locals and visitors to learn about the Chinese Singaporean experience, and how our identity is multi-faceted and shaped by shared experiences.”
Chinese classics coming to Life
Meanwhile, an exhibition on the four great Chinese classic novels – Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margin and Journey to the West – will open at the National Library Singapore in December 2026.
It brings together rare historical artefacts from the National Library of China (NLC) and National Library Singapore.
“Many Singaporeans know these stories from young and have learnt many values from them,” said PM Wong. “The exhibition will include treasured artefacts being shown outside of China for the first time.”
Presented in both English and Chinese, the exhibition offers an immersive journey through each novel’s story world, with interactive digital installations woven in, said the National Library Board.
Among the highlights are artefacts on loan from the NLC, including Tier 1 cultural relics, China’s highest classification for national heritage objects. These early editions, woodblock prints and opera scripts dating from the 17th to 19th centuries have never been exhibited outside of China.
Creating conducive environment for learning mother tongues
In his speech, PM Wong said there are concerns that Singaporeans may gradually lose touch with their cultural roots and lose their bilingual edge. “We must preserve our Asian identity and character and must not become a monolingual society,” he added.
He updated that over 1,000 students have benefited from the easing of criteria for taking Higher Chinese this year.
Today, one in four Secondary 1 students studying the language is taking it at the Higher Chinese level, and more schools are also offering Higher Chinese, he noted.
While schools matter, the language environment at home is also important, PM Wong said.
Recalling his growing up years, he said: “Every evening, my family watched Channel 8 dramas together. From the Army Series to The Flying Fish and The Awakening, I did not miss any of them... This was how my Mandarin gradually improved.”
He also cited the example of The Straits Times journalist Alyssa Woo, who shared in an article that she wanted her children to learn Mandarin despite her limited fluency. She immersed herself in Mandarin through daily TV programmes and songs, improving her fluency after three months and sparking her children’s interest in the language.
The Straits Times journalist Alyssa Woo (second from right), 36, with her husband Samuel Wong (second from left), 38, and children (from left) Lara, one, Liv, five, and Lucas, three.
PM Wong said there must also be a supportive social environment where mother tongues are used in everyday life.
Local media, cultural groups and artists are creating engaging Mandarin content, he noted. Young Singaporeans also have access to Mandarin films, dramas, music and games from abroad.
“Singaporeans embrace diverse cultures, while continuing to preserve and celebrate our own,” he said. “We remain open to learning from the richness of cultures around the world.”
《新明日报》- 新设华族历史文化馆 预计2031年建成开放 (2026-08-24)
Straits Times - Public invited to shape content of 2,000 sq m Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallery opening in 2031 (2026-08-26)
SINGAPORE – A new gallery telling the story of Singapore’s Chinese community through interactive and “Instagrammable” elements will span over 2,000 sq m when it opens in 2031 at the Singapore Conference Hall.
The Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallery (SCHG) will showcase the history, heritage and contributions of the Chinese community from the pre-14th century to modern times.
Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) chief executive officer Alvin Tan gave more details of the new gallery on Aug 25, two days after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced it in his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally.
Speaking at a travelling exhibition titled Have Your Say: Co-conceptualising The Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallery at Chinatown Point on Aug 25, Tan invited Singaporeans to suggest what they hope to see in the gallery.
Tan said the gallery will also cover how the Singapore Chinese culture has evolved through interactions with other ethnic communities and cultures.
It will be established by the SCCC, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the National Heritage Board.
Tan said he hoped the new gallery would also serve as a starting point for visitors who can then be directed to other places if they want to learn more about specific aspects of the community.
For example, those who are keen to dive deeper into what Chinatown was like in the early days may then continue to the Chinatown Heritage Centre. Others who are keen to find out more about early Chinese businessmen, or clan associations, will be referred to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, respectively.
“What we want to achieve is also to instil a sense of pride in visitors by showcasing the community’s resilience, achievements and contributions, and inspire the next generation of Singaporeans,” he added.
The location of the gallery – next to SCCC in the Central Business District near Shenton Way MRT station – was chosen to make it accessible to the public, he said.
“We wanted to provide a seamless experience,” Tan added. “When you go to the (new gallery), you learn about the historical development of the Chinese community in Singapore. When you want to look at the modern expressions of local Chinese culture or identity, you just walk over to SCCC.”
Together with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra which is located at the Singapore Conference Hall, the three centres hope to form a vibrant arts, culture and heritage hub in the heart of the city, he added.
The travelling exhibition at Chinatown Point comprises four feedback zones that offer visitors early insights into the gallery’s content and visitor experience. It also invites visitors to vote for their preferred content themes, presentation modes and takeaways, and to share their reflections on Singapore Chinese culture.
The exhibition will be at Chinatown Point from Aug 25 to Sept 11 before moving to One Punggol from Sept 12 to Oct 2. It will then travel to other venues including shopping malls, public libraries, community hubs, schools and community centres till February 2027.
Senior curator Shaun Choh said the challenge is to ensure that the content is grounded in academic rigour and, at the same time, exciting for the visitors.
For the younger cohort in particular, this would mean the presentation has to be immersive, interactive and even “Instagrammable” or visually attractive, he said. The team will reach out to parents and schools to visit the free-admission gallery.
History graduate Koh Horn Ray, 26, hopes the experience will be sensory. “What did people smell and touch in the past? I think a lot of people go to museums and galleries for some sort of emotional connection. We don’t just go to learn things,” he said.
Historian Kua Bak Lim, a member of the new gallery’s advisory panel, said most Singaporeans may not be familiar with the period of maritime trading in early Singapore.
This was when Chinese traders arrived and brought with them their customs and culture, which evolved subsequently through interactions with local Malays and Indians – a precursor to the Chinese Singaporean identity today.
For retiree Lee Tai Guan, who contributed his feedback to the exhibition, the content should include local Chinese culture like dance and music, as well as languages and dialects. “We are very exposed to Western culture, so this is a timely project to expose us to our own culture and identity, especially dialects which are fast disappearing from our lives.”
The 79-year-old Hainanese, who has a two-year-old granddaughter, added: “When my granddaughter visits the gallery in a few years’ time, I also want her to learn about the hardship of our early pioneers and immigrants, and how they overcame hardship for their country and family.”
《联合早报》- “感受” 华族史共创文化馆 (2026-08-26)
《联合早报》- 新加坡华族历史文化馆以本地视角 诠释在多元土壤中发展的身份认同 (2026-08-26)
预定2031年开放的新加坡华族历史文化馆，除了追溯本地华人社群700多年的发展，也将重点展现新加坡华族文化和身份认同如何从本地多元文化土壤中孕育而成。这也是新加坡华族文化中心历经一年多的初步咨询总结出、华社群体对新文化馆的一大核心期许。
新加坡华族历史文化馆由华族文化中心发起并管理，将设在新加坡大会堂第一第二楼层，面积约2000平方公尺。这个项目获得政府与华社领袖支持。
黄循财总理星期天（8月23日）在国庆群众大会上首次宣布设立华族历史文化馆的消息。华族文化中心星期二（25日）于牛车水唐城坊正式启动“共绘新章：塑造新加坡华族历史文化馆”巡回展，邀请公众就共同塑造文化馆提供建议。
华族文化中心与国家文物局合作，沿着新加坡从14世纪以前发展至今的历史脉络，为文化馆内容勾勒六大主题：港口和早期新加坡贸易、英殖民地的华人聚落、团体组织及社群网络、波折起伏的历史浪潮、新加坡独立后的华社，以及全球城市中的新加坡华人。
巡回展邀请公众从六大内容支柱中投选自己最关心的主题。公众也可对文化馆计划使用的五种呈现方式，包括文物、照片、个人故事，数码或触觉互动等，选出自己最喜爱的展出形式。
华族文化中心从2025年中就开始向华社群体征集反馈，访问了近230名华社领袖、会馆与社团代表、导览员、青年和学生，获各界普遍支持设立文化馆。
文化馆拟展示本地华族与其他族群交流互动演变
华族文化中心总裁陈子宇接受媒体访问时说，受访华社代表希望文化馆以平衡的视角、扎实的史料，讲述新加坡华社的故事。受访者大多也认为，文化馆应展示本地华族文化如何在我国多元社会中，通过与其他族群交流互动不断演变。
“有鉴于此，我们接下来也会咨询马来文化馆、印族文化馆，以及欧亚裔协会和其他有关团体，就华族历史文化馆所要呈现的叙事征集意见。”
中心高级策展人曹世明解释，在策划文化馆内容时，策展团队会思考可否纳入其他族群的文化元素，如谈及土生华人文化发展时，也可参考印族文化馆的内容，介绍本地印族文化的影响。
曹世明指出，中心在咨询过程中观察到，新生代普遍上不倾向教科书式的历史陈述，更喜欢能激发他们重新审视和思考历史的展览。不少华社青年代表也希望文化馆能采用包容多元视角，以结合个人故事和真实生活体验的方式，介绍本地华族饮食、节庆、习俗，以及语言和方言。
呈现方式将结合实体与数码互动 更立体更重视觉
此外，中心希望通过巡回展征集更多反馈，为文化馆打造引人入胜的参观体验，探讨如何有效结合实体展品和通过互动数码装置，营造沉浸式体验。
华族文化中心青年团“青年协力星”成员许宏睿（26岁），也是历史系毕业生。他希望文化馆能为访客提供多元感官体验，如重现往昔前人闻到的味道、触碰的事物，帮助今时后人感受与历史的联结。
“这种能让人体验、拍照打卡的元素，若与历史叙事结合，相信能让展馆达到实质内容与美感兼具的效果。”
历史学者柯木林也是文化馆咨询委员。他说，华族文化中心现有的《新加坡华族文化百科》网站平台以书写文字讲述历史，面向的是学者和研究员；未来的文化馆则会着重以立体、视觉方式呈现历史，面向普罗大众。两者将相辅相成，让所有新加坡人认识自己的历史。
“新加坡华人史可以从多个角度来解释……文化馆所着重以本地视角来诠释我们的历史。”
巡回展首站是牛车水唐城坊，8月25日至9月11日，每日上午10时至晚上10时开放。9月12日至10月2日转至榜鹅综合社区中心举行。之后，巡回展将陆续走进商场、图书馆、学校及社区中心直到明年2月。
Straits Times - Share what you hope to see in future Singapore Chinese Heritage Gallary (2026-08-26)
Vibes - 新加坡华族历史文化馆2031年开幕，展现本地华人社群发展历程
在文化、社区及青年部和国家文物局的支持下，新加坡华族文化中心将在新加坡大会堂设立新加坡华族历史文化馆。文化馆预计于2031年开幕，将讲述华人社群在我国多元文化社会中的发展历程。文化馆与新加坡华族文化中心及新加坡华乐团相毗邻，三者将相互呼应，让公众在市中心通过更多元、更具沉浸感的方式，深入了解和体验本地华族历史、艺术与文化。
随着新加坡不断发展，梳理并记录各族群的历史是重要的一环，以让后世了解不同族群如何共同参与国家建设，携手塑造今日的新加坡。从2025 年年中起，新加坡华族文化中心便陆续寻求华社领袖、宗乡会馆、导览员、青年和学生的反馈，参与者包括近百名青年及中心青年协力星成员。结果显示，各界普遍支持设立一座文化馆，概述新加坡华人社群的历史、文化与贡献。
文化馆预计于2031年开幕，展览将沿着新加坡从14世纪以前发展至今的历史脉络，围绕6大主题展开，包括早期新加坡的港口与贸易、英殖民时期的华人聚落、团体组织及社群网络所促成的文化交融、华人社群经历的历史变迁、新加坡独立后的华社发展，以及全球城市中的新加坡华人。
文化馆也将与本地其他文化机构和展馆相辅相成，从不同角度讲述我国的历史与文化。其中，文化馆将以历史发展为主轴，新加坡华族文化中心的“SINGAPO人”常设展则聚焦当代，着重呈现本地华族文化与身份认同的演变和多元面貌。
为了广纳不同族群的观点，并确保文化馆的叙事立足于新加坡的多元文化背景，新加坡华族文化中心也将咨询新加坡国家博物馆、马来文化馆、印族文化馆和欧亚人协会等文化机构，以及其他重要相关群体。
在此前征集公众反馈工作的基础上，新加坡华族文化中心将推出“共绘新章：塑造新加坡华族历史文化馆”巡回展，向公众介绍文化馆的筹建计划。展览也将邀请公众分享他们对文化馆的期许，并就文化馆未来的展览内容、呈现方式，以及观展收获提出意见，共同参与塑造这座文化馆。
巡回展将在唐城坊推出，展期为8月25日至9月11日，每天10am至10pm开放。随后，展览将巡回至榜鹅综合社区中心，在9月12日至10月2日期间，10am至10pm开放。之后，展览将陆续走进商场、图书馆、学校及社区中心，与更多公众见面。
为期逾6个月 华族文化中心展开巡回展
