'Why Chniatown Should Be Conserved\r'

'Introduction As assort of the capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of Singapore heritage society, I beli eve that Chinatown should be conserve and should non be re come start of the closetd by unless an some other integrated resort. Our Society is dedicated to the conservation and promotion of Singapore history, heritage and individuation. We get to held galore(postnominal) projects to raise aw beness of Singapore history and heathenish heritage. Chinatown has and w mischievouslying al agencys be a place with much historical order and a quit of Singapore limited heritage. train to the dictionary, heritage indicates the characteristics, properties or quality that hotshot inherits at birth.It is similarly he nations mark of history, much(prenominal) as enjoinly grammatical constructions, countryside, ethnical traditions, that argon seen as the nations wealth to be genic by future generations. Chinatown has been a leave of Singapore and a part of our lieu since the early days when the early immigrants came to Singapore, universe matchless of the few heritages that we argon still able to keep hold of. condescension universe rather sm either in size, this puny p bulk of priming is the exact land that our forefathers stood on as they contributed to make Singapore what it is today.But with Singapore immediate growth rate and overwhelming need to ascend rather, it is not surprising that its historical heritage is being considered to be demolished to make way for the new. conservation We wish to conserve Chinatown, as it accords us to be connected to our past. Our heritage reminds us of where we started from and of how we managed to progress from being a small fishing village to the alert city that we atomic number 18 now, giving us a sense of alarmingction in where we are art gallery to as a nation.Preserving our cultural heritage in alike manner goes a long way in explaining our deep cultural, polit ical, social and educational values to the future generations. It is a lesson and an experience in which our forefathers handed work through to us so that we posterior learn from their mistakes and successes, in expect that our nation will stay fresh to grow into a better society. Our heritage is very valuable and can even be considered as a puzzle out of â€Å" study wealth” that has been passed down to us.After receiving this delight in and responsibility, we as the children of this nation, should piddle our part unsloped as our forefathers did and continue to pass this precious historical gem down for future generations to personally experience and remember our history. depicted object identicalness This socio-economic class, Singapore has Just gained 48 age of independence, and we hit successfully created an identity element for ourselves that makes us as Gingersnaps more(prenominal) proud of our country and its accomplishments.A national identity is import ant to its country as it affects Singapore psychological defense, this would determine if Gingersnaps will stay to fight or abandon Singapore when faced with obstacles. The term ‘ subject area identity is a persons sense of belonging to ones state or nation, a feeling one shares with a group of community, regardless of ones citizenship status. An identity is not an innate(p) trait but is slowly construct up as a direct result of the aim of the similarities in concourses daily lives, such(prenominal) as national symbols, language, the nations history, subtlety and m any(prenominal) others.For Singapore, one of these aspects is the Singapore multi- spiritual mounts, Singapore started off with majority of the population being immigrants from countries such as Europe, China, Arabia, India, Amelia and Penman, who came to Singapore in the early sass. period they came to Singapore in hope of finding a better future, they shared their religion to the rest of he country too. Al though Chinatown started off as a Chinese settlement, but it contributes fundamentally to Singapore multi-religious identity as it houses many an(prenominal) different religious buildings temples, churches and mosques.An example is the oldest Hindi temple in Singapore, the Sir Marianne which was create in 1827. During compound times, it served as a refuge for new immigrants and acted as the Registry of Marriages for Hindus. Today, in addition to its religious go and functions, the temple promotes various social, cultural and educational activities. Festivals such as thematic (Fire walking ceremony) and Navigator are alike celebrated at that place every year. The Thematic is an important ceremony to the Hindu culture, as it celebrates the honor of Draping who walked through a bed of fire and came out as fresh as a flower, proving her purity.Demolishing these religious buildings for the sake of the Integrated recompense will not precisely disrupt religious services, but it wi ll alike cause Singapore to lose part of its identity and history. Thus we believe that Chinatown should be conserved as it helps to build a unique Identity for Singapore. Festive Seasons During the Chinese natural Year period, Chinatown is likewise the place that Gingersnaps first head to look for their Chinese New Year goodies and c quite a littlehes.This has become a habit and tradition that most Gingersnaps abide by. At the selfsame(prenominal) time, they are able to enjoy the Chinese New Year atmosphere as the place Chinatown during Chinese New Year, would be decorated with many immobilize street lights. This bustling with commonwealth time of the year is when Chinatown finally regains its former glory, to the time when Chinatown was bustling with life, with hawkers selling all manners of things long the streets and people crush through the crowd to get their hands on the cheapest goods.It is also during times like these when families get together, no matter old or yo ung to buy items such as new traditional costumes, shoes, decorations, goodies in preparation for Chinese New Year. Chinatown then becomes a place that is unique and original as it allows the people to blow over time together without the need to spend much money or for any technology, allowing them to bond. Memories Chinatown is a place where memories and shared experiences are being made.Even ill today, in that location are still people who have been animated in that location since they were young and have reinforced many memories well-nigh their childhood days there. Upon asked if she had any special memories in Chinatown, one of our interviewees, the owner of a textile shop, replied that â€Å"When I was young I use to spend most of my time in the shop. As my parents watched the shop, me and my brother would study there. At times, we would also collaborate up with the other little kids there to play and run about the playground nearby. When asked why she chose to consecr ate a shop in Chinatown, she been with us for 3 generations. This shop meaner a lot to our family, as though it is our very own child. It also stores a lot of our memories as a kid. ” Chinatown is also known as the ‘elderly district and most of the people who stay there are actually elderly who have been surviving there since young. To them, Chinatown is the place where they feel at home, where they all their memories were made. These friends that they make slowly become more like their families than mere neighbors; taking care of each other and entertaining one another.Among the 25 people we interviewed, 85% of them agree that Chinatown should be conserved as it possesses lot of historical value and that from the many years life there, they have created many enjoyable memories there and do not want to ever lose them. However, if a third integrated resort were to be built here, all these experiences and precious memories would be lost and forget as generations pass as though they too have faded outside(a) from existence. Skills and Passion Chinatown is a place where people can showcase their skills and passion.In Chinatown, there are many little stores that sell traditionally hand-made local delicacies and clothing that are now labored to find in Singapore society. There are many tailors sewing Chicagoans, a traditional Chinese costume that are worn by Chinese females since the early days. These clothes are very significant to Singapore past as it is also one of the few artifacts the has been passed down from the past to the current present. These Chinese costumes also remind us of how Singapore was in the past, and through the colors and decorations, we are able to tote up out the colorful culture and heritage of our countrys past.Also, there are many hawkers making their own do-nothing through the traditional methods. Not just now goes this allow the people to showcase their skills, this also allows them to survive in the Singapore contex t despite the tough competitions with storied chain-shops. This is at the same time beneficial to Singapore as it helps Singapore to increase their Job exercising rates and allows the people to have the chance to furrow aft(prenominal) their passions in life despite their fiscal statuses.However, if the integrated Resort were to be built on Chinatown, this would cause many people to become light and thus unable to support their families. Similarly, their passions can lonesome(prenominal) be buried along with the rest of Chinatown. Tourists According to a research, destinations excelling in their cultural heritage are more likely to be on travelers servant list. Among the many respondents from 20 different countries, 57% of them agree that history and culture are strong influences on their choice of holiday destination, with only 15% of the people disagreeing to this statement.Conforming to this, Chinatown has been rated as one of the top ten attractions in Singapore due to it s strong historical value and its colorful vibe. Due to our struggle towards progress after gaining independence on August 9 1965, we eve already demolished many of our memorable infrastructures in order to make way for the new, furthermore, only having 48 years of independence, Singapore does not have many places with much historical value.Hence, if we demolish Chinatown, we might be at a risk of having a distinct decrease in tourist rates, which may also not be as appealing to the tourists as compared to the uniqueness of Chinatown. From the opinions of most of the people we interviewed, most of them also agree that another integrated resort would only be redundant as we already have two other integrated resorts, them being Marina quest Sands and Resort World Santos. Meanwhile, Chinatown is unique as there can only be one of it throughout the whole of this lifetime.If we demolish it, we would be losing it incessantly and we would never be able to build it and its valuable hist ory again. A trip to Chinatown will also be more fruitful for the tourists. According to the surmise of friendship, the two main ways to gain knowledge is through experience and reasoning. Chinatown many historical infrastructure, spirited atmosphere and heritage centre, allows them to reasonably experience the background and heritage of Singapore. Through this experience, it allows us to gain something more valuable than money, the power of knowledge and understanding upon tour it.However, the Integrated Resort would only promote entertainment, such as gambling and shopping. Thus, by conserving Chinatown , not only are we able to increase Singapore tourism rates and boost our economy, it also allows the tourists to benefit greatly from the experience and learn more about our culture and heritage. Land Scarcity Building an Integrated Resort over Chinatown would not only cause a overleap of housing or the people who are presently living in Chinatown, but also with Singapore pla n to increase the population from about 5. 8 million to 6. Million by 2030, this upset between the land use for entertainment purposes and the land used for housing purposes would create a unsafe problem for the people, such as overcrowding due to the lack of space. With over 5 million people currently living within the 710 km area of land, Singapore has been ranked the second most densely populate country in 2012. Singapore is already set about a problem with the lack of land and building more housing areas would not be an tripping take. In addition, if an Integrated Resort were to be built in Chinatown, the residential areas in Chinatown would be lost, which would be a disadvantage to Singapore.Land scarcity is a dire situation and it may address to unhygienic living spaces, which would make it easier for pests such as mosquitoes to breed. As Singapore is a tropical country, we are very given up to dengue fevers. From the 16-22 June 2013, there was a total of 82 dengue outb reaks within that single week, and from the start of January to 13/08/2013, there has already been 6 unfortunate victims who have passed away due to dengue fever. From this, we can tell the insensibility of dandy fever Fever in Singapore, and with the unhygienic environment, this would lead to a higher risk of the people having Dengue Fever.Hence, not only will Chinatown help in the heritage of Singapore, but it will also help in the land constraint problem Singapore is facing currently. Conclusion In conclusion, I strongly feel that we should conserve Chinatown as it is part of our home town and heritage. It reminds Gingersnaps of how far Singapore has progressed from being Just a free port all the way to being the central trading port of people who lived, worked and visited Chinatown in the chophouses, temples and mosques. Chinatown is a place that holds the memory and identity of Singapore.\r\n'