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.

River Hongbao (春到河畔)

Today is actually the last day for the public to visit River Hongbao (春到河畔). Even on a hot afternoon, there are still quite a number of visitors.

This arch marks the main entrance.

A series of arch leading to the exhibits and the food stalls.

This display is titled Let's Celebrate Together! (孔雀报喜).

The god of wealth (财神) is a must-have in the River Hongbao every year.

There are too many local food items to choose from.

Panorama view of the displays on the floating platform.

Display titled So Shiok! (好美味)

Display titled Wishing Well (许愿井)

One of the 12 Zodiac (十二生肖) displays

Display titled SG50 Giant Mural Wall (欢庆建国50周年巨型壁画)

Display titled Heritage Playground (旧时代儿童游乐设施)

Display titled Lion Dance Cheers! (舞狮贺年)

It's a pity I couldn't stay till the night to see the light up of all these lanterns.

Singapore Philatelic Museum

KB and I had no plans for today and decided to have an impromptu visit to the Singapore Philatelic Museum in the afternoon.

Printing error on a US stamp.

First day of issue stamps of The Simpsons in Los Angeles on 7 May 2009

Pillar box donated by Hong Kong after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Singapore stamp collection since our independence.

Stamps in one of the pullouts.

Room of Rarities

Stamp booklet vending machine that is no longer in use.

During Singapore's colonial days, lamp posting boxes were used in areas with low mail volume.

Miniaturized models of post boxes used in different countries in different eras.

Other than exhibits related to stamps, there are other exhibits that reflected Singapore's history.

Heritage Room

Test yourself and see if you know the ingredients in our local dishes.