A kampung house, made from wooden planks at Pulau Ubin. Some residents on Pulau Ubin were fearful they would be evicted after receiving a letter in April. -- ST FILE PHOTO: LENNE CHAI
The future of Pulau Ubin was raised in Parliament today, after a near-scare in April where 22 households received what they thought was an eviction notice.
There are currently no development plans for the island, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman reassured the House.
“Our intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible, and as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans,” he added.
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Pulau Ubin's rustic nature will be maintained
After more than a decade, Ubin Day makes a comeback this year with a myriad of activities aimed at showcasing the island’s natural flora and fauna.
It was first started by Grant Pereira, currently of The Green Volunteers, in conjunction with the Singapore Environment Council in 2002. Ubin Day was last held in 2003.
In this 2014 revival, nature lovers are banding together to organise activities that are mostly free to attend or participate in, with some also requiring pre-registration.
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Pulau Ubin offers more than a nature trek
Pulau Ubin is known for its rustic charm, rich biodiversity and greenery, but nature and heritage experts at a discussion said the island has more to offer.
The experts were speaking at the first Pulau Ubin Symposium, which was organised by the Ministry of National Development (MND) to raise awareness of the heritage and biodiversity of the island. About 150 members of the public, including those from nature groups, turned up at the session on Saturday (Oct 18).
Participants at the symposium said the island, which is frequented by cyclists and nature lovers, offers more than just a nature trek. Some of the ideas raised to preserve and enhance Pulau Ubin include having a heritage trail for its temples and shrines, a history tour of the island's granite quarries and a home stay at one of the old village houses.
The festive face of Ubin
It is during two Taoist festivals celebrated in a big way by the Pulau Ubin Fo Shan Teng Tua Pek Kong Temple (乌敏岛佛山亭大伯公庙), the Tua Pek Kong festival celebrated around Vesak Day in May, and the Hungry Ghosts Festival during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, that the somewhat sleepy island takes on a festive air.
The island, particularly during the Tua Pek Kong festival, is overrun by thousands of visitors who range from the many devotees who go over to participate in the rituals at the temple and the curious who are there to soak up the atmosphere of what might once have been a common scene on the main island of Singapore; to the hundreds who would head there festival or not, to seek an escape from the madness of the concrete jungle.
It is more than just the colourful religious rituals that would be of interest to the curious. It is during the two festivals that we also see the use of the permanent Chinese opera stage – one of possibly two that are still left in Singapore. It has long been a tradition for Chinese temples to hold a ‘wayang‘, as the various forms of Chinese opera is commonly referred to in Singapore and Malaysia, in conjunction with festivities to entertain the deities and in the case of the seventh month, the spirits who return and many permanent stages were a feature of temples in villages across Singapore.
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Heritage, environmental assessments could help in preserving Pulau Ubin
It is during two Taoist festivals celebrated in a big way by the Pulau Ubin Fo Shan Teng Tua Pek Kong Temple (乌敏岛佛山亭大伯公庙), the Tua Pek Kong festival celebrated around Vesak Day in May, and the Hungry Ghosts Festival during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, that the somewhat sleepy island takes on a festive air.
The island, particularly during the Tua Pek Kong festival, is overrun by thousands of visitors who range from the many devotees who go over to participate in the rituals at the temple and the curious who are there to soak up the atmosphere of what might once have been a common scene on the main island of Singapore; to the hundreds who would head there festival or not, to seek an escape from the madness of the concrete jungle.
It is more than just the colourful religious rituals that would be of interest to the curious. It is during the two festivals that we also see the use of the permanent Chinese opera stage – one of possibly two that are still left in Singapore. It has long been a tradition for Chinese temples to hold a ‘wayang‘, as the various forms of Chinese opera is commonly referred to in Singapore and Malaysia, in conjunction with festivities to entertain the deities and in the case of the seventh month, the spirits who return and many permanent stages were a feature of temples in villages across Singapore.
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Heritage, environmental assessments could help in preserving Pulau Ubin
Conduct studies on Pulau Ubin life and establish best practices for these studies, as part of efforts to protect and preserve the island -- that was one suggestion from the community in response to the government's call for ideas on preserving the rustic charm and heritage of the island.
Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said in the Committee of Supply budget debate in Parliament on Monday that he was looking for ideas on nature conservation and thoughts about how the island could be used for education and nature-based recreation.
Visitors to Pulau Ubin are hoping that various aspects of island-life can be preserved. Many are also intrigued by life on the island, and have signed up for tours to find out more.
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Pulau Ubin 乌敏岛
Pulau Ubin is the second largest off shore island of Singapore, after the well known , Sentosa Island in term of area.
Located off the North Eastern end of Singapore, it has an area of 1020 hectares, in a rough sharp of a boomberang. Its core geological make up is granite over five smaller islands, interspersed by low lying mangroves and the tidal rivers. The tidal rivers were bunded for prawn breediing thereby connected all those smaller islands into a single island known as Pulau Ubin.
Pulau Ubin, literally means Tile Island, according to the Malay and Indonesian dictionaries, where 'ubin ' means tile. It was also known as Pulau Batu Ubin ( Granite Tile Island ) to the local Malays and "Chieo Suar" ( Stone Hill ) to the older Chinese generation in Fukien dialect. In the early 20th Century, the granite were quarried supplying to the building industry, in the form of blocks , slabs and tiles for floors and walls. The original causeway from Singapore to Malaysia was built in 1923, using the granite from Pulau Ubin.
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Pulau Ubin and the unsettled Singapore psyche
The public unhappiness over fears that Pulau Ubin was to be developed has two abiding messages for us. The first is that pockets of rural spaces are close to sacred for many Singaporeans.
Pulau Ubin is more than an underdeveloped island off the mainland. It is also a crucial space that offers psychological distance from the metropolis, allowing visitors to bathe in nostalgia and imagine themselves as more than mere city-dwellers, if only for a few precious hours.
The second is that the fortunes of Pulau Ubin, like many other spaces in Singapore, are in bureaucratic limbo. The fate of the island is held in suspension, contingent on the country’s housing needs, and this uncertainty has a long-term profound impact on Singaporeans’ sense of belonging and psyche.
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Singapore's Pulau Ubin offers a step back in time
Think back, if you can, to 1965. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was the year's architectural marvel, the world mourned Winston Churchill, and Pampers disposable diapers made their debut. Meanwhile, at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the republic of Singapore declared its independence from Malaysia.
Today, the Gateway Arch still inspires, Churchill's iconic status is unfettered, and what's a cloth diaper? But the Singapore of 1965? Barely recognizable.
Except in one place: the island of Pulau Ubin, in the Johore Strait, which separates the city-state from Malaysia to the north. Although it's less than 15 minutes by boat from mainland Singapore, the difference could hardly be more pronounced.
Preserving the memories – Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is one of the last vestiges of the “kampong spirit” which was an indelible and undeniable part of Singapore. Many Singaporeans still have memories of that lifestyle and would hope to be able to share that experience with their children.
What we share together as a people is what makes us Singaporean. Taking pride in some of these places that have bore witness to our common heritage is what builds the Singapore identity much more than catch phrases like “Uniquely Singapore” or “Your Singapore”. Without memories, what do these phrases even mean?
Perhaps we need to rethink our concept of equating new buildings with progress. As CS Lewis once said: “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” To build a country, you first need to build a united people. One way to achieve that end is to protect the places where the ties of friendship have been formed.
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'Where we live': Portraits of Pulau Ubin
Following the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) apology yesterday regarding the confusion over a notice served to 22 households on Pulau Ubin last month that was misconstrued as an eviction notice, TODAY photographer Alex Westcott visited the island kampong to compile a series of environmental portraits of eight residents in their homes.
All of the residents featured have lived on Pulau Ubin since they were children; some are second generation residents of the island, having inherited their houses from their parents. Favouring a peaceful, remote existence, the majority of the residents are elderly with their children living on mainland Singapore.
Photographer’s comment: “Environmental portraits are often as not the most telling means of illustrating a community lifestyle, as photographing someone in their home not only bears subtle indicators of their interests in the way that their personal space is composed, but they also present the subject at their most genuine as they are relaxed in their comfort zone. Despite the language barriers (being a foreigner), I was truly touched by the genuine warmth of the people in Pulau Ubin’s kampong, who opened their doors to their homes for their portrait(s) to be taken.”
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All knotted up over Ubin
The word “sorry’’ has appeared. Such an easy thing to say in the light of the distress a bungled notice to Pulau Ubin residents caused. The 22 residents served a HDB “clearance’’ notice should rest easier, and so too those who think that Pulau Ubin is going to be Disneyland and are taking up cudgels to defend this last bastion of kampong-ism.
The Singapore Land Authority has decided to come out in the open today to sort out the confusion. Going by what it says, it seemed like a small matter of trying to stick to rules – but it was botched by bad bureaucracy.
Small matter you say? Seems like the HDB botched it up first by sending a notice with an unfortunate header: “Clearance scheme: Clearance of structures previously acquired for development of Adventure Park on Pulau Ubin”.
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Saving Ubin
The first sign of Pulau Ubin going the way of concrete jungle has been put up. We have lost Sentosa to all the ugly man made structures, we have reclaimed Marina South only to be turned into another ugly monster that needs hundreds of millions to maintain when the plants in them could grow in their natural habitat without costing a cent. And we claimed progress and money well spent, a big scientific achievement, a great human feat over Nature.
Pulau Ubin will be dug up and rebuilt for more human activities, more unnatural concrete constructs in the name of progress. Why can’t Pulau Ubin be left alone as another remnant of Mother Nature saved from the destructive forces of greedy men? There is no need to destroy Ubin if we are not crazy about filling our islands with more people. Our so called economic progress is our little contribution to the destruction of Gaia. When the world is trying to save the rainforests, trying to limit the growth of human beans, we are doing the reverse. We want to destroy Nature, we want more human beans disproportionate to the size of our islands. We are over consuming and over populating our islands for our own good.
Save Ubin. Say No to 6.9m.
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Perils Of Staying On State Land
When residents living on idyllic Pulau Ubin received a letter informing them that their homes are slated for “clearance”, what else could they think of except that another land grabbing exercise is in the offing? The letter from the Housing Board document even spelt out that officers will be visiting their premises to conduct a “census survey” and determine their “eligibility of resettlement benefits”. At least they are rendered compensation courtesies denied the residents of Bukit Brown.
As soon as the news hit the airwaves, the Ministry of National Development and the Singapore Land Authority quickly issued a joint statement on the same Friday the story broke. This time the government is saying the residents on Pulau Ubin will not be evicted and there are no plans to develop a new adventure park on the island. However, if affected residents do decide to remain in their homes, they will have to pay rent from now on because they are staying on state land.
So if the residents who have not been paying rent all these peaceful years, stand firm and refuse to do so in future, will they be evicted? Or will they be “formally escorted” by the Singapore Police Force to new accommodation in Changi?
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Idyllic weekend getaway to Pulau Ubin
It is Singapore's last kampung, a lone village frozen in time and a whisper away from the mainland concrete jungle.
Residents on Pulau Ubin proudly call themselves islanders. Technically, so are Singaporeans - give or take a clutch of towering skyscrapers - but Ubinites are the real deal.
"There, you see," gestures Ms Koh Bee Choo, 43, at a dusty wooden signboard that crows "We are islanders", as seven wild dogs play and run amok through her bicycle rental shop.
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Pulau Ubin to stay rustic for ‘as long as possible’
The SLA and HDB also reiterated the planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state “for as long as possible, to serve as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans”.
Pulau Ubin’s residents will now have to pay a monthly rent of between S$6 and S$35, with an estimated 90 per cent of households paying less than S$20 a month.
The rental will increase gradually over the next five years to market rates, expected to be between S$31 and S$205 from the sixth year onwards, with nine out of 10 households paying less than S$120 a month
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Leaving Ubin
Mr Chia Yeng Keng (age 85) was born on Pulau Ubin in the 1920s. Since more than 40 years, he and his wife Mdm Chow New Phang (age 80) have been living in that house, in which they ran a small provision shop in times when the granite quarries were still active. Up to 6000 people lived on the island back then.
Today there are around 100 residents left; it’s getting lonesome in the remote areas, so the Chias commute between the island and Singapore City, where they spend some time in their son’s HDB flat in the Serangoon district. There, they get to meet friends and family and use the amenities of a modern apartment.
Every 10 days, the Chias travel through time – retracing Singapore’s changes of the last decades in just a couple of hours, from the old village lifestyle to modern life in an urban built environment.
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Government intends to force Pulau Ubin residents out of the island by making them pay monthly fee?
Related:
Khaw Boon Wan wants to house foreign workers at nearby offshore islands - Hardwarezone
MND: We’re open to housing foreign workers on offshore islands - TR Emeritus
S'pore open to idea of housing foreign workers at offshore islands: Khaw - Channel News Asia
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Unsettled over re-settlement
I am getting all confused reading the Pulau Ubin reports. So the Singapore Land Authority doesn’t want to evict the residents; it just wants to give them some resettlement money – whether they stay or go and then start getting them to pay rent. By year six, the rents would be “market rates’’.
You can’t fault any of the residents for feeling unsettled. What would you think if you received a circular that states: “Clearance scheme: Clearance of structures previously acquired for development of Adventure Park on Pulau Ubin”. Seems clear to me.
Yet SLA sees no need to say sorry for throwing people into a state of panic. Never mind that. So how did this “clearance’’ notice come about? Get this…it’s some 20 year old legacy, how the G had then wanted to acquire land for a recreation park, 254ha of private land, according to the ST report, and residents affected were told they would get resettlement benefits whether they moved or not.
THE MUCH ‘MISUNDERSTOOD’ AFFAIR OF GRANITE ISLAND (aka PULAU UBIN)
Ubin island has always been a favourite place to visit for countless city and concrete-jungle weary Singaporeans. So, many are naturally interested in news on what is happening or would be happening to that ‘little’ precious rustic island gem of ours in the north-east.
Instead of criticizing the blogger, Mr Leong, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) could do better if it were to start explaining clearly and methodically the entire ‘story’ for Ubin and its residents, in order to avoid further misapprehension or misunderstanding by the public. This much I think any govt agency owes the Singapore public to account for its actions.
Surely, the SLA and HDB has not forgotten that the recent hoo-ha over Ubin is entirely that of their own making, so much so that they have found it necessary (uncharacteristically) to ‘apologize’ and ‘clarify’. So there is a prima facie reason for people such as the blogger, Mr Leong, to scrutinize and put under a microscope the details of the issues as publicly reported.
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Pulau Ubin residents told to pay rent or resettle
The villagers lead a simple life on Pulau Ubin all their lives but may now have to pay rent or face resettlement. Last month, they received a census survey notice from the authorities, which aimed to re-establish their eligibility for resettlement benefits.
According to a joint statement from the Ministry of National
Development and Singapore Land Authority, they would not be evicted but
they are currently residing on State land without a Temporary Occupation
Licence. To stay, they need to pay a fee for the use of the land,
similar to any other use of State land.
But it won't be easy for Ubin's residents. Madam Hamidah Awang, who is
one of the few remaining villagers in Ubin, said: “In Singapore, the
moment you step out of your lift, you spend money. Life here is
better... more peaceful, more calm."
The SLA and the HDB have apologised for the confusion over the Notice of Census Survey served to 22 households on Pulau Ubin. TODAY file photo
Apologising for the anxiety caused to some Pulau Ubin residents — who received last month what had appeared to be eviction notices — the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) yesterday reiterated that these 22 households can continue to stay in their homes.
The authorities also disclosed the details of the rent — which would be subsidised for the first five years — that these families now have to pay.
In a joint press statement, the SLA and the HDB acknowledged that the notification “could have been more carefully worded and the language updated to reflect the eventual development”. The notice of census survey that the HDB served on the residents — which carried a header referring to a “clearance scheme” for the “development of adventure park” — was in reference to the “past planning intent, which was originally described in 1993 as the development of an adventure park”, they added.
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Most Pulau Ubin residents must pay rent of less than $120 monthly
Pulau Ubin residents can stay where they are provided they pay the monthly fee for use of state land, according to government agencies.
In a joint statement, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and Housing and Development Board (HDB) explained that residents must pay a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) fee, which is based on “the gross area and land area occupied” by the residents.
The fee will be phased in over five years so that for the first year residents will only have to pay “between $6 per month and $35 per month, with 90 per cent paying less than $20 per month”, they said.
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No plans to evict Pulau Ubin residents
But households will have to pay rent and obtain a Temporary Occupation Licence to stay on
Contrary to online speculation and some media reports, the authorities yesterday clarified that “there are no plans to evict the households currently residing on Pulau Ubin or develop an Adventure Park on the island”.
Issuing a joint statement, the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) reiterated: “The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans. Given this, there is no need for the residents to move out.”
The speculation started after some residents on the island received a notice signed off by an official with the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) Land Clearance Section, which carried the header “Clearance scheme: Clearance of structures previously acquired for development of Adventure Park on Pulau Ubin”.
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Pulau Ubin Micro-grid Test-Bed
EMA has embarked on a micro-grid test-bed at the jetty area of Pulau Ubin, an island north-east of Singapore.
This test-bed aims to:
- assess the reliability of electricity supply from a micro-grid infrastructure using intermittent renewable energy resources;
- provide cleaner, reliable and cost competitive electricity to residents and businesses on Pulau Ubin; and
- build local capabilities in the area of smart grid design, system integration and management of intermittent renewable energy sources and prepare Singapore for a future when renewable resources become more significant in our energy system.
The micro-grid project will also open up opportunities for Singapore companies to spearhead the adoption of such technologies in the region. A Singapore-based consortium comprising Daily Life Renewable Energy Pte Ltd (DLRE) and OKH Holdings Pte Ltd has been appointed to design, build, own and operate the micro-grid infrastructure.
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Do you think SLA & HDB will bother to clarify if not for netizen’s letter?
Do u think this SLA and HDB will ever bother to clarify if this issue was not being blown out of proportion and straight at their face!! Did the MSM ever bother to report such real day to day issue?
Come on, lets face it this way… today’s context, they are just afraid of the negative publicity and if not for fellow netizen who posted this letter. A real eviction will come to our poor Ubin Singaporean who have lived there for so many years in the island where they built their home. They have been famous for all these acts… increasing rental to market rate.. To make past reference based on past planning considerations in 1993… To promise but failed to deliver…
To get a senior manager to serve clearance notices, to claim that it is quote out of context… This senior manager really deserve to get a pat on its shoulder for working so hard for its master… He deserve a promotion for quote SLA and HDB in the letter to promote the ‘good and responsible organisation’ and to fulfill the paymaster requirement to serve clearance notice… Is he ever accountable to the people or just plain loyal to his paymaster… Let’s hope HDB will give him a tight slap for the negative publicity that he have helped HDB generated.
Letter informs Ubin residents of
possible resettlement
A kampung house, made from wooden planks at Pulau Ubin. Some residents on Pulau Ubin appear to be facing resettlement to make way for a possible adventure park. -- ST FILE PHOTO: LENNE CHAI
Some residents on Pulau Ubin appear to be facing resettlement to make way for a possible adventure park. They have been sent a letter telling them that their homes are slated for "clearance"
The Housing Board document said officers will visit their premises to conduct a "census survey" and determine their "eligibility of resettlement benefits". It also suggested the houses will be making way for an adventure park on the 1,020 ha boomerang-shaped island, which is home to some of Singapore's last kampungs
No details were provided but the last time a project like this was mentioned was in 1993. Back then, it was reported that the Government would acquire 254 ha of the private land on Pulau Ubin within the following year, partly to create an adventure park
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No plans to evict Pulau Ubin residents: SLA
A lake in Pulau Ubin off Singapore where people can kayak. (AFP photo)
There are "no plans" to evict residents on Pulau Ubin or to develop an adventure park on the island, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and Ministry of National Development (MND) said in a joint statement Friday.
The statement came after a photo posted by Twitter user Ivan Kwan on Monday showed a letter sent to a Pulau Ubin resident by Housing and Development Board (HDB) and dated 12 March 2013 asking for the resident's house to be cleared for the development of an "adventure park on Pulau Ubin”.
"The planning intention is to keep Pulau Ubin in its rustic state for as long as possible as an outdoor playground for Singaporeans. Given this, there is no need for the residents to move out," SLA and MND said in the statement in response to inquiries from Yahoo! Singapore.
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Pulau Ubin: No plans to Evict?
The government agencies explained, however, that based on a census survey last month, 22 households from Pulau Ubin were residing on state land without a temporary occupation licence (TOL).
"They can continue to stay on State land if they obtain a TOL from SLA, and pay a fee for the use of the land, similar to any other use of State land," they said.
The fee would be pegged to the market rate, but given some households could find that difficult if their rent were to be revised immediately, SLA will phase the rent such that households will only pay full market rate from the sixth year onwards. Government will also provide other forms of assistance as may be necessary to those households that need it and qualify for it, the agencies said.
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Pulau Ubin will remain in "rustic state" but residents will have to pay rent
Kampung residents on Pulau Ubin who have to pay rent from now will pay an estimated $6 to $35 per month in the first year, with 90 per cent paying less than $20 a month. This rent, which is subsidised, will be increased to the market rent gradually over five years to assist the residents, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Housing Development Board (HDB) in a joint statement on Wednesday.
From the sixth year onwards, the residents are expected to pay between $31 and $205 per month, with 90 per cent paying less than $120 monthly. The statement was the latest by the authorities to clarify notices posted on 22 Pulau Ubin homes in March, which many took to be eviction notices. The notice had referenced "resettlement" benefits and a "clearance" scheme, but these were in connection to an old 1993 plan, the SLA and HDB said.
Then, the state had acquired land on the island to build recreational facilities, including expansion of the Outward Bound School grounds. As a result, the land which the affected residents occupied became state land. They were therefore entitled to money but also had to start paying rent to remain in their homes.The planned developments were completed, but the 22 households which received the notice in March had not claimed their benefits or paid rent, the authorities discovered in a recent review.
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Pulau Ubin: No plans to Evict?
The government agencies explained, however, that based on a census survey last month, 22 households from Pulau Ubin were residing on state land without a temporary occupation licence (TOL).
“They can continue to stay on State land if they obtain a TOL from SLA, and pay a fee for the use of the land, similar to any other use of State land,” they said.
The fee would be pegged to the market rate, but given some households could find that difficult if their rent were to be revised immediately, SLA will phase the rent such that households will only pay full market rate from the sixth year onwards. Government will also provide other forms of assistance as may be necessary to those households that need it and qualify for it, the agencies said.
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Pulau Ubin eviction: So many unanswered questions
I refer to the article “Authorities say no plans to evict households residing on Pulau Ubin” (Channel NewsAsia, Apr 12). No plans to evict? It states that “The authorities say there are no plans to evict the households currently residing on Pulau Ubin or develop an Adventure Park on the island.”
I find this statement to be rather odd, as the letter sent to the affected residents said “CLEARANCE SCHEME: CLEARANCE OF STRUCTURES PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ADVENTURE PARK ON PULAU UBIN
SLA has sought HDB Land Clearance Section (LCS)’s assistance to clear the above squatter house.” If “there are no plans to evict the households”, why say in the letter - “to clear the above squatter house”?
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Gov’t slams blogger over ‘misleading’ Pulau Ubin article
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has criticised a blogger's post regarding the recent developments happening among Pulau Ubin residents as "inaccurate" and some of its facts “misleading”.
In his article entitled, “Pulau Ubin: Rent will increase at 35% p.a.?” published Thursday on news site The Online Citizen, economist and statistician Leong Sze Hian said the government had forgotten to compensate residents for 20 years since the state’s development plans on the island began in 1993.
But in a statement to Yahoo! Singapore on Friday, SLA slammed this as “false” and explained that those who did not receive compensation were tenants and their owners have been renting out the properties since 1993. Therefore, these tenants are “not entitled to compensation from the government”.
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Chinese Opera @ Pulau Ubin
Do you know that there is a permanent
Chinese Opera stage in Singapore? This is probably the last standing
stage and it is in Pulau Ubin. And once a year during the Vesak period,
this stage will be lit up with a few nights of Teochew Chinese Opera to
celebrate the occasion.
This year, someone sponsored the ferry trips and every night from 6.30-10.30pm, the ferry ride is free. How cool!
This is the first time I see Ubin during the evening period and with so many flags.
Even the streets are all “dressed up” for the occasion.
The last standing permanent stage. Made of wooden planks and tin roof.
Thankfully
I met a veteran photographer who had been coming in for several years
to shoot the event, he brought me to the backstage and told me the
people are generally very nice and doesn’t mind us taking their photo as
long as we do not obstruct them in their preparation.
So here are some of the backstage photos.
The artistes are crucial, but the musical instruments are equally necessary.
This Uncle is preparing for the night’s performance, making sure the songs are in order.
As the night creeps by, the troupe’s makeup are mostly done, it’s time to put on their headgear and some final touch up.
This lady is the leader of the opera troupe. She is such a friendly Auntie.
Finishing touch on the eyebrows and lipsticks.
Lastly is putting on the costumes. A tiring 1.5 hours preparation is about to finish. Smoking break.
For those who are waiting to put on their costumes, it’s a good time to just rest or chit-chat with one another.
A pair of well worn shoes.
The show is ready to begin.
There are going to be 2 shows that night.
Every successful performance needs a very dedicated backstage crew, pulling and changing the backdrop manually.
It
was truly a great experience to witness the troupe getting ready for
the night’s performance. It doesn’t matter how many people are in the
audience, they do what they do because of traditions.
My personal favourite photo of this series.
