Ann Siang Hill

old house at ang siang hill

an unusual house this is dreams are here before you sleep tread softly into the three-storeyed gloom sit gently on the straits born furniture imported from china speak quietly to the contemporary occupants

they are not afraid of you waiting for you to go before they dislocate your intentions so what if this is your grandfather’s house his ghost doesn’t live here anymore your family past is superannuated grim which increases with time otherwise nothing adds or subtract the bricks and tiles untill re-development which will greatly change this house-that-was dozens of it along the street the next and the next as well

nothing much will be missed eyes not tradition tell you this

-Arthur Yap from five takes, 1974

Picture from http://sglit1207.blogspot.sg/2014/11/ang-siang-hill.html

This 1974 poem by Arthur Yap depicts Singapore's ongoing struggle to find a balance between development and modernization and preserving our heritage. The poem revolves around this central theme of the new eradicating the old. In the poem, someone is visiting an old house that used to belong to his grandparents. 'Contemporary occupants' now live in the house, who are derisive of the history of the house. Tradition is descried as 'superannuated grime / which increases with time', as if it were something tangible that could be scrubbed away. The idea that history does not add nor reduce the value of the 'bricks and tiles / until re-development' is yet another way in which tradition is removed from the equation in modern society. This is especially evident in that a house that holds the 'dreams' of the grandchild is nothing more than 'bricks and tiles' to the contemporary owners. Indeed, 'nothing much will be missed'.

Perhaps this flippant dismissal of heritage reflects an undying need to develop. Singapore is known for having very little land space, and this often leads to difficult decisions that may result in the destruction of heritage.

Why You Should Visit:

Ann Siang Hill is still very much alive today, and many of the buildings are still left as they were. However, it has become a trendy spot where upscale boutiques, bars and restaurants thrive. Much of the modernization that Arthur Yap prohesied has come through, but the building styles of old have survived.

Seeing how the area has been transformed into a hip leisure spot, one cannot help but shiver at the fulfillment of the prophetic stanza from the poem, from all the way back in 1974: 'nothing much will be missed/eyes not tradition tell you this'.

To Do:

Stroll around the historical area, see the amalgamation of old and new, have a drink at one of the many bars and restaurants

​Read more: http://www.chinatown.sg/index.php?fx=precinct

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