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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Discover Singapore Stories @ Gardens by the Bay

[Media Invite]

The Golden Jubilee holiday is around the corner! Have you made plans on how you wish to spend the long weekend with your family?  Why not step into the Flower Dome and meet the storied figures from 10 Singapore's folklore in the latest orchid-themed floral display!

Designed by award-winning Singaporean landscape architect, Damian Tang, we were mesmerized by the beauty of the orchids against the intricately-carved wooden sculptures. I liked the stamp frames which are picture perfect for family shots. Within each frame tells us a story of Singapore and we are proud to be part of it.


Sang Nila Utama stood at the entrance of the Flower Dome. The children knew that it was this prince who spotted a lion on a beautiful island and hence the name "Singapura".


Other familiar curved figures came into sight as we venture deeper into the dome. 


Night Soil Carriers is one job where many will not fancy to take on. Before the flushing system is implemented, credit goes to them who goes from homes to homes to collect the toilet waste and empty the buckets.

Samsui Women (红头巾) is another significant group who made tremendous contributions to Singapore development. They came to Singapore from China and many worked mainly in the construction sites doing hard labour.


This is one cinema that raised our eyebrows. Apparently, this miniature movie show was very popular with children in the 1960s as five cents allowed them to watch a minute-long show and 20 cents for a longer show. Created in a form of a small house, the roof covering the box served as a storeroom for the reels. "Cinema on Wheels" disappeared from the streets in the 1970s.


The children love to have popcorns whenever they go for movies. Back then, Kacang Puteh, which is filled with nuts, snacks or beans, was a common sight for movie-goers in the earlier days.

We learned more about the other 9 folklore tales which include Sisters' Island, Redhill, Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island, Radin Mas, Tanjong Pagar, the Merlion and the Singapore Stone.


For example, in the Legend of Bukit Merah, a clever boy saved the village when it was under attack by dangerous swordfish.  Whereas in the tales of Pulau Ubin, it tells a pig, an elephant and a frog failed in their race from Singapore to Johor and turned into rocks.



The mythical Merlion battling a 10-metre high "wave" is one of the favourite spot for picture goers. I was enchanted by the beauty of more than 8,000 orchids and plants within the conservatory. Would be back again to admire the orchids in the day. :)

From Tales to Legends: Discover Singapore Stories
Date: 31 July - 13 September 2015
Time: 9am - 9pm* (*Extended to 10pm on National Day)
Location: Flower Dome


Admission charge to the conservatories applies. 


SG50 edition of Garden Rhapsody is happening now so do not miss the series of National Day tunes together with the laser imagery!


Feeling hungry? Stop by Satay by the Bay and indulge yourselves in an array of local food! Special thanks to Gardens by the Bay, we enjoyed our evening feasting on hokkien mee, crab, satay and many more! Local designed floral display, local food plus the compilation of National day tunes at Supertree Grove! What a great way to celebrate Singapore's 50th Birthday!

Gardens by the Bay Facebook
Gardens by the Bay Website

12 comments:

Henry Lee said...

mUST visit garden by the bay one day... that stamp concept pretty cool huh! :D

Cynthia said...

Interesting… A good place to show the children how the olden times in Singapore look like…… Particularly like the kacang putih portion cos i can relate to that :P

Ai Sakura said...

Interesting way to learn about Singapore's history and heritage. What's that seafood dish you posted??

Ai @ Sakura Haruka

Sarah Tan said...

It seems like a good follow up to visit the exhibition at the Gardens after reading a book about Singapore in the 60s with my sons. The book included many occupations in the past. They would be able to identify the exhibits.

http://www.elgarmummy.com

--andy-- said...

I want to go back again, this time during day time.
I am sure the Orchids will look prettier :)

cheers,andy
(SengkangBabies)

Waiwai Leung said...

It had been a while since we last visited Gardens by the Bay. The current theme looks so interesting!

Unknown said...

OMG the kacang putih! !! So memorable eating them whenever we get cinema treats which wqs not often like what our kids get. It was like, 20c or 30c for a cone-ful of it.

Is that display or real kacang for sale? Cos the "seller" looks like statue.

Unknown said...

Wah... It seems the whole Singapore is flocking to Gardens by the Bay for this! My husband asked me today whether want to go Gardens by the Bay or not, I was like, "No? Are you crazy?" I'm allergic to crowds! Shall wait for the crowd to disperse before I even think about going...

Jiahui said...

ohhh I didn't know the new theme for Gardens is so Singaporean! IT looks really interesting!!

Unknown said...

My last time there was during the Tulip show with the Fairytale Theme... this exhibit looks really interesting and educational! I think my boy will enjoy visiting it. Thanks for sharing!

Audrey @ SAys! Happy Mums

Phoebe said...

Hi Ai,

The seafood includes a mixture of crab, prawn, corn etc on the paper. :) Looks like the concept of Crab in the Bag.. :)

Phoebe said...

Hi Bumble Bee Mum, Oh yes! The crowd was really long! It will be nice to visit after the peak ^_^

Hi Andy, Yeah. I am thinking of revisiting too in the day :D

I like the current theme too.. Particularly when it involves more orchids. Enjoying the folklore tales as it was a nice recap and learning for us.

Phoebe @ -BPDGTravels-

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