Chinese Heritage Centre, Singapore Overview

The Chinese Heritage Centre is an autonomous institute of the prestigious Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, located in the historic Administration Building of the same. The centre includes a library, research centre and a museum with the building being a landmark reputed to be the only university created by the Chinese people living outside China. The tourists find it pleasant to stroll in the Yunnan Garden and stop by the beautiful Nantah Lake apart from looking at the unique architecture of this university building.

The Chinese Heritage Centre, or the CHC, is home to two permanent exhibitions, namely the 'Chinese More or Less' and the 'Nantah Pictorial'. While the former explores the theme of what being Chinese is, the latter displays several archival photographs and other memorabilia of the Nanyang University. The pictorial exhibition upholds and preserves the glorious history of the University, and is quite enthralling. The main objective of the Chinese Heritage Centre is to advance knowledge and get a grip on the Chinese culture and traditions in the various parts of the world. It is the first Chinese medium University outside China that has been recognized as a National Monument.

Exhibitions at Chinese Heritage Centre

Chinese More Or Less: An Exhibition on Overseas Chinese Identity
This is a permanent exhibition that has the visitors most excited about learning about Chinese identity overseas. Occupying 6000 square feet of space, it takes up most of the space amongst the galleries of the heritage centre. Based on a concept by Ms Lynn Pan, the former director of CHC, the interesting visual exhibits compel the visitors to question themselves about their Chinese identity. The exhibition consists of three different sections namely:-

Self- This section is devoted to portraits featuring a variety of Chinese people who are attired differently and belong to different timelines as well as geographical locations. It is based on self-perception and representation in the eyes of others.
Other Chinese- This section showcases a number of visuals and distinct artefacts that had been carried by the Chinese populace as they left their motherland in quest of fortune. The tradition and Chinese culture, as well as the symbols that make the Chinese Diaspora truly Chinese, are described in a unique manner in this part of the exhibition.
Other Than Chinese- The third and final section of the exhibition compels the visitor to discover that the Chinese people had become more pluralistic with the passage of time. The Straits Chinese (from Malay and Singapore), the Peranakan Chinese (originating from the Netherlands Indies) or the Chinese Mestizo (migrated to Spanish Philippines) are all Chinese but bearing heavy influences of other identities.

Nantah Pictorial Exhibition
This exhibition is also a permanent one that showcases the creation of the “Nanyang University (Nantah)” and tries to capture its essence. The history of the Chinese Heritage Centre is depicted perfectly by a collection of memorable artefacts and more than 130 old photographs sourced from, “A Pictorial History of Nantah” that had been published by heritage centre. The pictures retell the history and describe the valiant people who had idealism and hope that caused them to sacrifice much in order to establish such an institution in the heart of Singapore.

Tips

Try to choose the guided tour instead of choosing the audio guide. The guide will provide better and more extensive information. Guided tours need to be booked atleast 2 weeks in advance and are subject to the availability of guides.
Food, photography, videography and games are not allowed in the exhibitions.
Touching the exhibits and making excessive noise is prohibited.

How to Reach Chinese Heritage Centre

The Chinese Heritage Centre is situated in the southwest part of Singapore in close proximity to Jurong West Extension Area. You can hire a cab and take the Pan Island Expressway or the Kranji Expressway to the Centre. Several buses are available from Windsor Park which will take you to Jurong West. The nearest train station from this place is the Boon Lay Mass Rapid Transit, and the Boon Lay bus interchange also lies nearby.