More Information / Credits

Our Thanks

Our group would like to thank Ms Catherine Lim for graciously agreeing to an interview. We would also like to thank Mr Patrick Lim for accommodating us and allowing us to video and interview him.

References:

1. Writing Singapore by Philip Holden, Shirley Lim, Angelia Poon
 2. Wikipedia for the biographies of the authors

Catherine Lim

Ms Catherine Lim is the author of Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore. She was born in Malaysia (21 March 1942) and is famous for writing about Singaporean society along with themes related to Singapore and more generally, traditional Chinese culture. The story A Taximan's Story is written by her.

Mr Patrick Lim

Mr Lim is a taxidriver in Singapore. He has been driving his taxi since 2011 and is the main breadwinner for his family. He works for Comfort Delgro and drives up to 8 hours per day.

Mr Arthur Yap

Mr Arthur Yap is a Singaporean poet and writer. He was born in Singapore and studied in National University of Singapore - then known as University of Singapore. He was a very private man and passed away in 2006 due to lung cancer.

Introduction

In this blog, we have brought together a study on The Taximan's Story by Catherine Lim, as well as a small piece on old house at ang siang hill by Arthur Yap.  To present a more realistic touch to our project, we have managed to secure an afternoon with a homegrown "taxi uncle", Mr Patrick Lim, who is featured in our blog as well.

The posts have been carefully crafted and will work best if read in this order:

1. Introduction
2. The Taximan's Story by Catherine Lim
3. An Interview with a Taxi Uncle
4. An Interview with Catherine Lim
5. old house at ang siang hill by Arthur Yap
6. Overall Reflections of D1 Group C
7. More Information / Credits

Overall Reflections - Old versus New & Identity

Doris:
Our exploration of the Singapore Identity through the Singapore literary works of Catherine Lim and Arthur Yap has been an insightful one for me, works both which highlighted the theme of dying traditions in the face of modernity in today's Singapore.

Yap's work, 'old house at ann siang hill' highlighted how old and unique places in Singapore that are rich in heritage became irrelevant and were wiped out during the modernization era of Singapore. Despite the nonchalant and cynical tone that was adopted throughout the poem, Yap conjured nostalgia throughout the poem with images of an old furnished home, ending of with "eyes not tradition tell you this" like how what we see today might tell us one thing, but our heart could tell us another, like how we might feel an emotional loss for the places that once were.

Lim's story, 'The Taximan's Story' on the other hand, was about dying traditional values among the younger generation, such as those of humility and filial piety. The story gave me insight into how members of the older Singapore generation might feel about the younger generation today being less traditional and following more globalized trends.

In any case, our interview with Catherine Lim, as well as our exploration of Ann Siang Hill and analysis of the literary works gave me a deeper understanding of the importance of recognizing Singaporean heritage and traditional values as part of the Singapore identity while embracing the highly modernized Singapore as it is today.


Sophia:
As an exchange student from America in Singapore, this project really taught me a lot about old versus new Singapore. Now, as someone in my early twenties, I am part of the new generation and can relate to other fellow students and Singaporeans part of this new generation as well. We are a generation of increasingly liberal, open minded people with our whole lives ahead of us. With the media and technology available to us in Singapore today, we know about what the world outside of Singapore has to offer and have a natural interest toward western foreigners like the taxi man's daughter in the story.

The taxi man reminds me a lot of my father's generation, a more conservative generation of hard workers who built a life for themselves and their children, us, through sheer hard work and resilience. Ironically, we are able to enjoy the freedom of being this liberal and open because of the hard work of the more conservative, hard working generation before us. The taxi man's daughter is able to have fun with her friends and meet foreigners after school because of her father's hard work.

Right now, we are all living in this grey time where the old and new generations are co-existing and merging. This project helped me reflect on this unique time period in Singapore and understand Singapore much better as an old and new society. Singapore has been born and established by our parent's generation. Now, we hold the power and responsibility to move it forward in positive, innovative directions.

Koh Feng:
Singapore's progress as a nation is remarkable; we have achieved so much in a mere span of fifty years. The Singapore we live in today is very much modernized, and this goes beyond the state-of-the-art technology we have access to or the metropolis the country we have become. Culturally, we are more diverse, but with that comes also some form of dilution. Traditional practices are still observed, but it is not the same as in the past - less strictly adhered to, depreciation of some values or morals, or even shifts in paradigms between generations.

The works of Arthur Yap and Catherine Lim have raised similar concerns; both 'old house at ann siang hill' and 'The Taximan's Story' highlight the conflict between tradition and modernity. Having chosen to focus on this theme amidst the many others that were brought up in our analysis of the two works, I realised that a huge part of why 'tradition versus modernity'/'old versus new' appealed so greatly to us was the timelessness of the issue. It is still present in the Singapore we live in today, and perhaps arguably more so - we are even further removed from these roots of ours than the previous generations has been. Though the immediate issues that we are dealing with are different from that of our elders, we essentially are struggling with trying to find where we stand amidst this conflict, and that brings us to the problem of identity.

The identity of Singapore as a nation has been and still is a contentious topic. We are, in between observing traditions and embracing progress, in the process of solidifying our identity as a country. It is heartwarming to note that this year being the fiftieth year of the nation's independence (SG50), and most of the country have come together - in one way or another - to commemorate this occasion. Extravagant celebrations and displays, the inking of the SG50 logo everywhere (even on driving licenses and debit cards), and initiatives that are in line with the SG50 theme (SG50 time capsule), the nation's fiftieth birthday is a strong cause for the people to identify with the nation. Linking back to the works that we have read, while it is rather saddening that some of these traditions are being cast aside and some parts of our history may not have been preserved, we have to note too that all these things collectively make the nation who we are today. Identity is an issue that will probably stick with us indefinitely; it is always going to change because we cannot remain at status quo. And as we recognize this conflict between tradition and modernity, it should be noted that it is a part of what helps define our identity, and that it is a sign that the country is progressing.

The journey I have had with this project has been immensely fulfilling - an interview with a local writer, looking at these places that I otherwise would not have visited, and exploring some thematic concerns in depth. Embedded in the literature are the rich cultures and traditions that the Singapore of the past had, and reading Singapore literature has provided me with an avenue to understand better life as it was then. As the country continues to progress and evolve, it is in these works where we can find these precious relics that allow us to appreciate Singapore better.

Michele:
I feel very fortunate to have been able to interact with the people featured in our project. Catherine Lim was very pleasant and willing to help us, and Mr Lim was also very accommodating.

On a more personal level, I feel that I understand my country better now that I have taken this module. Before, I could see all the themes that we discusses - post-colonialism, identity, growth, modernity... but I could not really see what they meant or how they had developed. It was like looking in a smudged mirror - the shapes were there, but the clarity was not. Now, I can understand my history more; my struggles with myself and my country as a young millennial is not a new struggle at all. At every step of Singapore's history, the "new" generation of the times felt the same as I do now. They would have gone through the chidings of their elders and found their own niche in history, and would have in turn chided the generation after. Years upon years this cycle has continued, and will likely continue with mine. I will expect myself to be like the Taximan in Catherine Lim's story when I grow older - bemoaning our good times and thinking that the next generation is ruining their lives.

Beyond that, it was very interesting to see how Singapore has developed. Literature is, after all, a mirror to humanity's soul. The thoughts and the energy the authors (all of them!) have put into their stories are infinitely precious, where they did their best to show a side of Singapore and humanity that isn't seen anywhere else. From the concerns of a colonial master in the early days to the fear of change in the early independence days and finally to the young Singapore, struggling to find a place in the world.

All in all, I truly enjoyed taking this module. I feel like I'm more in tune with my parents' generation, and how they lived and saw their world.

'old house at ang siang hill' - Arthur Yap

'old house at ang siang hill' is poem by Arthur Yap, published in his first collection of poems "only lines" in 1971. The poem deals with the difficulty of maintaining tradition and heritage in Singapore as the country begins to develop and grow. In the process of embracing progress, tradition and heritage are seen as secondary; they are pushed aside to make way for the change.

The poem can be found below. It is taken from "Writing Singapore: Anthology of Singapore Literature" published by the NUS Press, 2009, and edited by Angelia Poon, Philip Holden, and Shirley Lim.

old house at ang siang hill

an unusual house this is

dreams are here before you sleep

tread softly

into the three-storeyed gloom

sit gently

on the straits-born furniture

imported from china

speak quietly

to the contemporary occupants

they are not afraid of you

waiting for you to go

before they dislocate your intentions

so what if this is

your grandfather's house

his ghost doesn't live here anymore

your family past is

superannuated grime

which increases with time

otherwise nothing adds or subtracts

the bricks and tiles

until re-development

which will greatly change

this house-that-was

dozens like it along the street

the next and the next as well

nothing much will be missed
eyes not tradition tell you this

The poem suggests that tradition is compromised as a result of the country's pursuit of growth. This is highlighted in "so what if this is / your grandfather's house", as the words "so what" connotes a lack of regard for the place being once owned by the "grandfather". This translates to a disregard for tradition as the house is traditionally seen as a paramount part of the family. Accentuated by the "family past [being] / superannuated grime", the diction of "superannuated" points to the traditions as being no longer relevant. The image created by the "grime" compounds this, as by linking the "family past" to "grime", it is suggested that tradition is unwanted. The expression that one's grandfather's "ghost doesn't live here anymore" implies the diminishing relevance of history and heritage in the context of places in Singapore. Tradition being forced aside highlights a conflict between tradition and modernity; progress in the form of modernity has placed tradition in a less relevant position than it used to. 

'old house at ang siang hill' seemingly adopts a nonchalant tone in its discussion of tradition and modernity; the poem does not come across as emotionally charged (or even to have much emotions) and delivers the lines candidly. However, it is suggested that underneath this facade is a condemnation of the disregard for tradition with the use of imagery in the poem to evoke nostalgia in the readers. By highlighting the furniture as being "straits-born" and "imported from china", the image of the furniture here is one that can be identified with tradition. The deliberate mentioning of the roots of the furniture creates a parallel that suggests the importance of where one comes from. In addition, the image created by this "house-that-was" underscores this, as it suggests that the house will no longer be around then, thus prompting the reader to think of the space where the house once stood. This translates to a sense of nostalgia in the reader and this triggers the readers to think of the importance of the house, and thus by extension tradition. Ending the poem with "nothing much will be missed / eyes not tradition tell you this", the conflict is being explicitly highlighted here, as the "eyes" can be seen as a symbol for the present and modernity. The line "nothing much will be missed" can be taken as a warning; by disregarding and pushing tradition aside and focusing on modernity, tradition will not be missed in the future and readers are prompted to imagine how it would be like then. The stance of disregarding tradition in favor of modernity is thus subtly condemned, and it urges one to reconsider the importance of tradition. This poem was published in 1971, an era where HDB flats were increasingly built and Singapore urbanized, and Yap probably wanted to highlight the loss of unique places and heritage of Singapore.

To have a better understanding of the inspiration behind the poem and the importance of Ann Siang Hill to our history, we went to Ann Siang Road and took a look at the place. A few of the photos are shown below.

Picture 1: The entrance to Ann Siang Hill Park.

Picture 2: A board showing the history of Ann Siang Hill. It was named after Chia Ann Siang after he acquired both Ann Siang Hill and Mount Erskine.

Pictures 3 and 4: The houses that are found near Ann Siang Hill, along Ann Siang Road. The buildings are low-rise, and reflects the one described in the poem.

"tread softly / into the three-storeyed gloom"

"dozens like it along the street / the next and the next as well"

The trip to Ann Siang Hill has helped us to visualise better what the "old house" referred to in the poem is. It was also interesting to learn that the hill was named after a person who had bought the hill. Taking a walk along the roads of Ann Siang Hill has given us a glimpse into the neighbourhood that the poem is set in, and it was definitely enriching.