NTU Chinese Heritage Centre

The Chinese Heritage Centre in Nanyang Technological University does not charge admission fees for Singapore citizen and permanent residents.


Standing at the bottom of the stairs, I can only manage to capture half of the building in my photo.


The ground floor houses the library.



This one-and-only hand-embroidery named Hundred Flowers Blossom (百花齐放) is placed on the second floor. This embroidery on silk took about 4.5 years to complete and it involved about 400 workers in China.


The Nantah Pictorial Exhibition is also found on the second floor.



It's not a big exhibition, but it records the founding of the university.

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle has the oldest dragon kiln in Singapore. The family business is located near CleanTech Park and its entrance is at the Ficus Lookout of Jurong Eco-Garden. In 2010, Martha Steward visited this kiln and wrote about it on her website.



The dragon kiln (龙窑) is used in pottery making to glaze the clay. It has to be built on a gentle slope, with the "dragon head" positioned at the lower ground. During firing, firewood is fed into the "dragon head" and the heat from the fire travels up the kiln. Along the kiln body, more firewood can be fed into the stoke holes to achieve an even distribution of heat in the kiln. The smoke escapes through the opening at the "tail".



There are several of such entrance for the potters to place their artwork inside the kiln. Then the entrance will be sealed with brick and clay for the firing process.

Inside the empty kiln.

During our pre-arranged guided tour organised by NTU, we didn't get to watch the firing of the kiln. However, there was a short demonstration of pottery making using the potter's wheel.



The pottery has a large collection of different themed porcelain products.

Vintage rooster bowls

They provided assistance and support for The Little Nyonya (小娘惹) Chinese drama serial by MediaCorp in 2008.

Goodwood Park Hotel

Goodwood Park Hotel has existed and stood in the same location in Singapore for a long time. I've been there many times for their good food at the Coffee Lounge for Asian buffet and L’Espresso for English high tea, but this is my first stay here. Although the hotel has a long history, the facilities remained mostly well-maintained.





The room is so cold that there's condensation on the glass sliding doors.


The balcony doesn't look alluring enough to make me want to hang around there. In fact, KB was hurrying me to close the door before insects come flying into the room.


The bathroom comes with a very sophisticated-looking weighing scale.



No toothbrush and toothpaste found inside the toiletries box... which is rather unusual for a local hotel.


The pantry is well-equipped and there's even TWG tea (not in the photo).



When we're done exploring the room, it's time for an evening swim. This pool is located in a more private space surrounded by the guest rooms. And there's another pool that is just outside the L’Espresso cafe and it can be seen from the reception area.