Hidden Gem in Telok Ayer: Singapore Musical Box Museum

As a child, I have always loved musical box. The soft melody and the sight of a delicate little ballerina that would swirl and swirl around in a small jewel box that my mother used to own. I remembered winding the box up again and again just to listen to the music and watch the ballerina twirl. I believe no one can resist the magic of a musical box. My little girl was exposed to musical box in a form of a train 3 years ago. She , too, loves musical box.

Organised in conjunction of the Singapore Heritage Festival (SHF), we registered with Singapore Musical Box Museum to enjoy a free admission as well as tour. The trip was a truly eye opener! I did not know that they come in all sorts of sizes. The 2 wonderful guides explained to us the history and evolution of musical boxes. I am totally impressed! I believed those who are with us were too!

Singapore Musical Box Museum

The Singapore Musical Box Museum is the first of its kind in Singapore.  Although the museum was opened in Nov 2015 to the public, I was not aware of its existence until this SHF. Its founder is a Japanese collector Mr. Naoto Orui. He moved his collection from his Minamichita Music Box Museum in Mihama, Japan, to Singapore. Many of these exhibits are his collection. Currently, there are over 40 of them in the museum.

Music boxes are similar to the chime mechanism of old clocks.

The museum is not huge but nevertheless, it is fascinating! The first part of the tour is about cylinder music boxes. These are made of a revolving cylinder with pins on it. The cylinder would be spinned and at the same time, it plucks the pins of a comb to make music. Some of these have interchangeable cylinder to play different music in the same musical box. In the early days, only the super wealthy could afford to have musical boxes as they were expensive. The cylinders with the pins had to be man made.

Mandolin Tremolo Zither (Switzerland)  1880s.

Left: Roller Gem Organ (USA)1885 reminds me of a typewriter
Right:Musical box with storage drawers

Next session, we were introduced to  the disc musical boxes,  German music box artisan Paul Lochmann created discs instead of cylinders. Discs can be mass produced, unlike cylinders of the time, which had to be hand made. Thus, disc music boxes can be made for a much lower cost and be brought to more people to enjoy.

Below  is a Polyphon Table Model Style 45. (Germany)1890s

Doesn't this reminds you of a vinyl player?

Left: How a  punched disc looked like
Right: Other Disc musical box include a Britannia

Then, we explored the coin slotted musical boxes, these are giants! They are as big as a grandfather's clocks. They need antique coins to operate. Modern coins does not work on them. They are that specific.

"Atlantic" - an orchestral musical box
It was to go into the Titanic, but they wanted a larger box on it, and this went to the Atlantic instead. It has parts of a piano ,  bass drum, snare drum and even a triangle.

Giant cylinder of the "Atlantic"

Polyphon Giant Music Box

This is a precursor of the jukebox! Look at the number of disc it has! Yes, you can choose which song you want it to play.

"China" made in Singapore
Are you surprised to know that Singapore manufactured musical box as early as late 1800s? I am! The guide explained that as Singapore was under colonial rule, the British had taught Singapore craftsmen how to repair watches and clocks. Subsequently, when musical boxes were brought into the country, the same craftsmen would repair and maintain, eventually going on to make the musical boxes themselves.

I wonder what tune would "China" play. Unfortunately, it is still waiting for restoration.

If you wonder, why it was named "China", we were told, during the colonial time, any place in the East was considered China. Hence, this piece of work is consider that from China.

"China"

Limited edition scarf by Hermès made in 1996 and a musical cigar holder in front.

The musical cigar holder. It's mind blowing that people use musical for almost anything, not just for pure entertainment.

The guides even ask us to take a look at the architecture of this place. 

View of Chong Wen Ge Pavillion, Thian Hock Keng and Singapore Yu Huang Gong temples

 Chong Wen Ge was the first education institution set up by the Chinese community in Singapore. Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore’s oldest Chinese temple. Both gazetted as national monuments in 1973.

"Chong Wen Ge In the past, two institutions flanked Thian Hock Keng: Chongwen Ge (崇文阁, ‘Institute for the Veneration of Literature’), Singapore’s first Chinese school; and Keng Teck Whay (庆德会), a private Straits Chinese self-help association. In 1849, an outstanding Hokkien Peranakan merchant, Tan Kim Seng (陈金声), spearheaded the construction of Chongwen Ge. Besides the Hokkiens, members of the Hakka and Teochew communities also contributed generously to the project. Originally, Chongwen Ge comprised the Chongwen Pagoda and Chong Boon Gate. Chong Hock Pavilion was added in 1913.

Having outgrown its facility within the temple grounds, Hokkien Huay Kuan moved into Chong Hock Pavilion in 1915. That same year, it established Chong Hock Girls’ School (崇福女校), one of Singapore’s earliest Chinese schools for girls. The name ‘Chong Hock’ (崇福) was an honorary title given to Mazu in the imperial court during the Song Dynasty (960–1279).

Thian Hock Keng Today

The temple remains an important place of worship among local Chinese Buddhists and Taoists. Between 1998 and 2000, Thian Hock Keng underwent a major restoration which earned it an honourable mention in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage 2001 Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Thian Hock Keng and Chongwen Ge were gazetted collectively as a National Monument."

 - Roots ( NHB)

Thanks to SHF, both Little One had an educational tour on musical boxes. It is amazing that musical bozes that were 2 centuries old are still functioning today! A tip from the guides to maintain the music boxes is to play it often. 

Also in Chong Wen Ge is Peranakan Tile Gallery. If you are a tile lover, do check this place out! It opens daily from 12-5pm.

Look at those lovely tiles and the mirror , of course! My favorite is the peacock and plenty,  plenty more!

If you are in Telok Ayer, do consider paying this place a visit. They have a gift shop too!

Singapore Musical Box Museum

Operating Hours : 

Mondays, Wednesdays-Fridays:10am-6pm
Saturdays: 10am-5pm

*Closed on Tuesdays, Sundays & Public Holiday

Address : 168 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068619 - Next to Thian Hock Keng Temple

T: +65 6221 0102

Ticketing information:
Adults : S$12.00
Students (with valid student pass) S$6.00*
Seniors (60 years and above with valid ID) S$6.00*

*For Singapore citizens and permanent residents only

For more information, visit their website.

Linking with~

Singapore Heritage Festival - Sights at Street Parties

Like a party animal, I roam down from Telok Ayer, to Bukit Pasoh to Keong Siak Street and even to A Taste of Heritage at National Museum. All thanks to the great Singapore Heritage Festival events organised by the NHB.

A Taste of Heritage
Did you know food stalls used to line the grounds of the National Museum in the 1960s? Several stall holders relived the good old street food culture were seen selling their dishes here, including my favorite Tong Heng.

Street vendors.

Paper Monkey Theatre Teochew Metal Rod Puppet show

Little One and I enjoyed ourselves tremendously at the performance, Web of Deceit, by the Paper Monkey Theatre. Web of Deceit is one of the episodes in Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

Bukit Pasoh Street Party

It was a  wonderful party. I had some chicken wings from the New Majestic Hotel while waiting for performance to start. It was yummilicious! Although we did not watch all the performance but we did managed to watch those that we like, eg the dance performance by Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Dance Theatre Limited. Not to mention lion dances! It is not easy to catch performance on such a street as it was rather flat road. It is not very child friendly. Hence, I saw many parents carrying their children while watching performances. I am not sure why but towards the end of the programme, many were seen sitting around the performers. Probably, many were tired from all the standing and walking around the road at the end of the day We knew we were.

Various performances

There are plenty to see! From olden days hawkers to mata (policemen) to majie (olden days domestic helpers who had taken a vow of celibacy before a deity on an altar, in front of a witness, to never marry)

Dragon dance by Kong Chow Wui Koon

We feasted our eyes on the first Northern Lion Dance by Singapore Chin Woo Athletic Association. They were playful and energetic! The emcee mentioned that the family members of the members of the Association had sewn these lions!

Northern Lion Dance by  Singapore Chin Woo Athletic Association.  Northern lions often dance as a pair. The pair of adult Northern Lions are made up of a female and a male.Their gender were differentiated by the color of the ribbon that is tied on the lions’ head.. The female Northern Lion has a green colored ribbon tied on, while the male has a red colored ribbon. 

Finally, we also get to see Singapore Hok San Association's performance! Theirs is a southern lion. Great cat-like movement! 

"Plucking the green" performance by the Singapore Hok San Association.

Chin Woo was spotted doing some warming up. A number of kids joined in to do stretching cartwheel and somersault

Urban Ventures at Keong Siak Road

Keong Siak Road, which is located nearby , had various activities organised for the public too! There were people practicing their yoga on the closed roads. A few crafts stalls and quite a number were drawing what they saw on Keong Siak Road, mostly the iconic building below, which used to house the Tong Ah Eating House.

The iconic Tong Ah Eating House. Potato Head had taken over now.

Potato Head

Temples like this can be seen in the midst of rows of shophouses. Pretty contrasting against the shophouses. 

Thian Hock Keng Ma Zu Dan Celebration

Hokkien Huay Kuan had organised various events to celebrate the birthday of the Goddess of the Sea. Some include lion dance, puppet show and Getai. Below are just some of the photos, you may want to read more on this post.

Devotees at Thian Hock Keng

Hokkien Strng puppet show. Probably it happened during the day, there wasn't any crowd.

A whole load of celebration

Linking with~

Little One @ Cantonese Clan Associations Open House Part 1

We went to the open house of clans during Singapore Heritage Festival. It was an eye opener. Although I have learnt much from these visits, I knew I have not explore enough. 

Clans and associations played an important role in the past as they provided support and assistance for new immigrants. As Singapore develops, the role of clans and associations changes. They are now seen as places that promotes the preservation of Chinese heritage, By visiting, I hope Little One would be interested in our Chinese culture.

Hok San Association

History is always dry for Little One. Hence, I chose to visit Hok San because it is the oldest lion dance troupe in Singapore. The association is founded in 1939. It specialises in the southern school of lion dance.

According to the Singapore Heritage Festival website, there was supposed to be a guided tour but when we were there, we did not know where to register. We were walking around and asking questions about the props until a young man from the clan started to introduce and tell us about more about the history of the clan. He showed us around. We would like to say thank you to him. We would not have learnt so much if not for him.

King of Lion Dance

Since 1920, the troupe has been known for its emphasis on the traditional “cat-like” dance moves. The lion dancers has been observing, imitating and perfecting cat movements.

Built around the late-19th century, this three-storey shophouse in Second Transitional Shophouse Style. It forms part of the elegant terraces that step down the hill along Kreta Ayer Road. The building was restored in 1997. The entrance features the traditional pintu pagar and a rare set of horizontal timber security bars that can slide sideways.

This lion head is about 80 years old and weighs about 5 kg ! (one of the heaviest)

We were shown how the lion moves its eyelids and mouth using this unfinished lion. Even this incomplete lion head is not light, it is at least 2 kg. Many time, the lion dancer had to handle it single-handedly.
We were told  that the craft of making lion head from scratch is a dying art. 

Props for Lion Dance (including Big head doll,大头娃娃 Da Tou Wa Wa)

Gong and mallet

Cai Qing or plucking the green (采青)
Southern lion dance has an activity that is unique to it alone and that is – 'plucking the green' (采青 Cai Qing) which is common during the Chinese New Year. The green here refers to vegetable leaves which are tied to a piece of string which also has a red packet attached containing money. The string is hung above the door of the business, shop (or home), and the lion 'eats' both, the leaves and the red packet. Lying on the floor the leaves are 'chewed' by the lion while the musicians play a dramatic rolling crescendo. The lull is broken as the lion explodes back into activity, spitting out the leaves. This is a symbolic act of blessing by the lion, with the spitting out of the leaves signifying that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year.

We were told in the early days, "plucking the green" were very challenging as the troupe were being challenged to do difficult stunts.  Sometimes, the host would also play tricks on the lion troupers such as throwing fire crackers at them or setting traps such as snake in a huge container. Hence, people with no real skills would not dare to participate in Cai Qing performance.

Notice on the lion head's forehead, it looked like the chinese word  '王 (King)' . Coincidentally, they were conferred the “Lion King” title at a carnival to celebrate the last day of the Chinese New Year at New World Amusement Park.

Plucking the green

Olden days, difficult stunts

Singapore was renamed Syonan-to after the Japanese occupation in 1942. The people were forced to celebrate the Japanese victory with lion dance performances. Thereafter, all the local lion dance troupes stayed dormant ceasing all activities. This photo is taken after the Japanese surrendered .

Medal and plaque

Queen Elizabeth's token of appreciation when Hok San participated in the Queen's coronation celebration in Singapore  

Local politicians such as late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, late Mr Wee Kim Wee and late Mr Ong Teng Cheong appeared on the wall  of the Main Hall of Hok San Association . It was said that when Singapore first become independent 50 years ago, Mr Lee approached clans and associations (they were considered to be the fittest men in Singapore at that time)  to encourage them to volunteer defending Singapore then as the nation had no ready army.

 Southeast Asian Drum King the late Master Leong Siew Foo

Preserving the culture :Tomb Sweeping at Bishan

From this trip, we learnt much about lion dance and its history in Singapore. They do not go around asking to perform during Chinese New Year. They are invited to perform. Unfortunately, there was no lion dance performance that day.

Are you interested in learning more about this clan?

Hok San Association
Address: 21 Kreta Ayer Road Singapore 088991
Web: http://sghoksan.blogspot.sg

 Linking with :-