Wok This Way
by Danyson Wong De Sheng, Yong Wen Xuan
Six buses, two locations: Chinatown and Little India.
This evening at SIMC2.0, we follow the participants on a cultural learning journey to one of Singapore’s most significant cultural landmarks- Chinatown.
Weaving through the corridors of Chinatown
As dusk settled over the bustling streets of Singapore, half of the SIMC2.0 participants found themselves immersed in a side of Singapore that goes beyond competitions and academic rigour.
Their cultural learning journey for SIMC2.0 began by taking a trip from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple to Maxwell Food Centre and Chinatown Food Complex for a sumptuous dinner. At the dinner locations, vibrant energy of Singapore’s hawker culture came alive through the clatter of utensils, appetising aromas, and rows of stalls lit up by eye-catching signs and colourful lighting. Students eagerly sampled delicious local dishes such as “Wanton Mee” and “Char Siew Rice”, exchanging reactions and recommendations with one another across the table. Many students and teachers praised the food enthusiastically, commenting that quite a number of dishes were entirely new to them. “I got some [Hainanese] chicken rice, [it was] very good!” remarked a foreign teacher and student.
After dinner, groups ventured into the lively corridors of Chinatown as evening lights slowly illuminated the district. Strings of glowing lanterns and ornaments stretched across the corridors, casting warm, inviting colours onto the streets below. When we asked a foreign teacher about his first impressions of Chinatown, he answered: “very colourful, very bright”. Another student felt that Chinatown was “really pretty” and she enjoyed admiring the “temple, [the] architecture [and all] the souvenirs”.
Around us, traditional shophouses lined the walkways, their storefronts displaying everything from Buddhist ornaments and handwritten calligraphy to souvenirs and handcrafted trinkets. We were pleasantly surprised by the relatively calm and peaceful atmosphere during the walk, unlike the rush of daytime crowds.
Students and teachers from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics remarked on how different the environment of Chinatown felt compared to places back home in the United States, while drawing “similar[ities] to the Chinatown in San Francisco”. The tightly packed rows of colourful shophouses and preserved cultural architecture were unlike anything they were used to seeing back in the US.
Interestingly, despite the traditional cultural roots of Chinatown, it was adorned with a modern twist. A student excitedly exclaimed when he saw a modern “Chagee” shop – a popular Chinese milk tea chain – integrated with traditional shophouse architecture in Chinatown!
Along the way, several students stopped to browse the shops, with one purchasing an intricately designed dragon-themed set of chopsticks as a keepsake.
The journey continued with another first for many of the students: taking a ride on Singapore’s MRT system. A few students and teachers commented on the convenience and efficiency of Singapore’s public transport, noting the single-tap entry using EZ-link cards. They also mentioned how only a few cities in their home countries possessed systems as extensive and accessible as those in Singapore.
Students ended the evening near the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Aside from enjoying the spectacular light and water show at MBS, students admired Singapore’s modern skyline glowing against the night sky. Towering office buildings, luxury hotels, and futuristic architecture starkly contrasted the heritage streets they had explored earlier.
As the learning journey ended at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, students recalled their most memorable moments of the day and the overall SIMC2.0 event: from walking out of the presentation venue feeling accomplished, to tasting the hawker centre food, to visiting the Merlion.
“It’s been such a whirlwind, but a really fun, really exciting one”, commented a teacher.
From the challenge to Singapore’s food, transport, architecture and culture, Singapore offered them a melting pot of fresh perspectives and experiences, one that stirs tradition and modernity into a memory that will stay with them for a long time.