Chinese New Year (CNY) is a celebration of food, angpows and beautiful festive decor, among others. If you’re wondering where to take your Instagram-worthy CNY photos, we’ve got you covered.
Nanyang Memorial Hall is named after Sun Yat Sen. In celebration of Chinese New Year, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is putting on a series of events and installations.
On the lawn of the memorial hall is the “Bunny-ful Blessings” installation, which includes inflatable daruma doll-shaped structures. They’re gorgeous, don’t you think? They look so fluffy and cute, just like marshmallows that everyone would want to squeeze them.
Chan Siu Kau, Hong Kong’s illustrator and designer, designed these two structures just like Chan’s own “Bit Bit”, a character in his “Bit Bit Forest”.
The bunnies carry the symbols of fortune, blessing, and happiness on their bodies, as do daruma dolls; the former means blessing, fortune, and luck, while the latter means happiness. A combination of the words “happiness” and “blessed” could also mean happiness or blessings.
“As a result of this installation, the memorial hall wishes Singapore a year filled with good luck and great fortune, as well as the perseverance of Singaporeans as we move forward together in a world that is becoming increasingly complex,” Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall stated on its website.
The National Heritage Board’s Assistant Chief Executive (Policy & Community), Alvin Tan, also noted that daruma dolls are often seen as a sign of good luck in traditional Japanese culture. Additionally, they symbolize perseverance.
In light of Singapore’s perseverance against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Tan said that the use of daruma dolls would be appropriate for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
You can visit the exhibition for free every day from 10 am to 7 pm until 19 February 2023, and all members of the public are welcome to visit. If you are planning a trip to the memorial hall, please remember that it is closed on Mondays.
Other Activities
Aside from that, the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will also be conducting a series of other CNY-related activities, such as a lion and dragon dance performance, storytelling stations, and workshops.
Only five of the 14 activities are ticketed; the rest are free.
Following is a complete list of activities:
- “Bunny-ful Blessings”
- Lunar New Year Hongbao Giveaway
- Auspicious Lion & Dragon Dance Performance
- God of Fortune Visit
- Lunar New Year Free Admission (for the first and third days of CNY)
- Festival of Spring Weekend Open House
- Children Lion Dance Workshop (Admission is $10 per pax)
- Children Festive Chinese Drums Workshop (Admission is $10 per pax)
- Parent-Child Festive Cute Tangyuan Workshop (Admission is $38 per parent-child pair)
- Storytelling Sessions: Tales of Spring
- Drop-in Craft Station: Lunar New Year Inspired Crafts
- Let’s Celebrate with Uncle Ting: Lunar New Year Activity Kit
- Touring Temples: Lunar New Year and Temple Traditions (Admission is $20 per pax)
- Balestier Heritage Food Trail (Admission is $12 per pax)
- Permanent Galleries Guided Tour
If you’d like to learn more about Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall’s various activities, please visit their website here.
On 6 January, tickets for the ticketed events will be available on www.wanqingyuan.peatix.com.
Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall Address:
12 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874
Opening Hours
10 am to 5 pm from Tuesdays to Sundays, closed on Mondays
(Credits: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall)
