Child policy poster

Chingay Parade 2016 - Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore

At first, before I watched Chingay for the first time, I had originally thought that Chingay was merely an entertainment show for the crowds and didn't think much about the meaning behind Chingay. However, after attending this year's Chingay, I understood the meaning behind Chingay and learnt to appreciate it. After some research, I found out Chingay was originally mooted by the then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who was also the chairman of the People's Association. Chingay, with all its noise and gaiety, would compensate for the ban on firecrackers, a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits. It was a way of respecting the Chinese's beliefs instead of straight out banning firecrackers and ignoring how the people felt about the ban.

This year's Chingay, themed "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore", is to celebrate Singapore's first year on the journey to 100 years of Singapore's independence. The phrase "Lights of Legacy" is to honour our founding fathers and uphold moral values that they believe in, and to encourage citizens to look forward to a better and brighter Singapore.

Chingay now has changed much from the first Chingay. The first Chingay, held in 1973, mostly featured Chinese acts such as lion and dragon dances and stilt walkers. However, from 1977 onwards, Malay and Indian acts joined in the parade, making the largely Chinese parade a multi-cultural one. Chingay now even features international acts, and is now one of the largest street performance and float parade in Asia. I think that this change happened to further show Singapore's multi-heritage and multi-religion community, and to further bond Singaporeans together by giving them a sense of belonging as well as a better understanding of other cultures through performances. 

I feel that the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose through eye-catching colourful costumes and floats, as well as the great songs about Singapore's racial harmony and its many different cultures.

Chingay Parade 2016 - Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore

Bright lights, dancing dragons and lions, dancers, singers, many volunteers and students from other schools were there at the Chingay Parade to watch and soak in the festive spirit. 

Have you ever watched the Chingay Parade life? If you have not, you are missing out a lot. This was my first time watching it live, instead of lounging on a couch watching it from the television. It was a really different atmosphere and you can feel the energy and excitement radiating in the air. 

In my opinion, the purpose of Chingay 2016 was what the theme had suggested, “Lights of legacy, Brighter Singapore”. It aims to let everyone get an insight of what is to come in the next fifty years, what should they expect or look out for. Also, what Singapore is striving for and what everyone can do to play his or her part in improving Singapore for a better future. 

Yet, this was not the original purpose of the creation of Chingay Parade. I did some research and found out that the first formal Chingay Parade in Singapore was mooted by the then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who was also the chairman of the People's Association (PA). Chingay, with all its noise and gaiety, would compensate for the ban on firecrackers, a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits. 

This shows that the purpose of this parade has changed drastically. I think that the change was considered necessary. After giving much thought, I found out that since our priorities has changed and achieving to be a better country is one of our priorities. Hence, what better way is there than to set a good theme with performances showing what we aim to achieve. 

With only 50 years of history since our independence, we have come far to be recognized globally and have successfully overcome many challenges such as the Maria Hertogh riot which sparked a religious riot between the Malays and Catholics. We have learnt to become a vibrant and multi-racial society and country which practices acceptance of others regardless of race, language or religion. 

I felt that the organizers have achieved this purpose of letting all Singaporeans and audience get an idea of what Singapore is striving towards. 

Chingay is a National Event and is also the largest street performance and float parade in Asia. From the main parade site to the heartlands, this street extravaganza epitomises the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society.

                                                                                           Gwyneth Tan Yeh Xuan 2A (8)

1/2 child policy

I found out that
1)There are advantages and disadvantages for having a lot of children.
2) If the population of your country is too high, there will be problems, such as overcrowding, which may lead to spreading of diseases, thus having an unsafe country.
3) Having a 1 child policy will cause a huge drop in the population in long term.
Perceptions I have gained
1) Currently in Singapore, since we do not have an extremely small or large population, so I like the fact that we have the freedom to choose how many children we want.
2) However, in a country like China, restrictions are for the country's good and thus, I agree with China's decision and policy.
One question I have
1) Will there ever be a policy where married couples must have a minimum amount of children?

Chingay Parade 2016-Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore

Chingay Parade 2016 was a glimpse into the different cultures of Singapore and the world. Proving race, language and creed are no barriers, it emphasized that we are one people, one nation, one Singapore, regardless of race, language or religion.

Lights Of Legacy, Brighter Singapore. What does it really mean?

 What the theme, Lights of Legacy, brighter Singapore means is subjective. The way the organizers put up this Chingay made me think about how Singapore had just celebrated it's 50th anniversary, which is undoubtedly a very big event. This does not mean that Singapore is any less united or proud of our country. The event reminded us that we would continue to work towards improving Singapore, readying ourselves for SG100. 

"Brighter Singapore" was emblazoned on one of the floats which also depicted greenery amongst modern architecture. (Shown at the right) This was one of the aspirations for Singapore: A cleaner, greener Singapore that could uphold the title "Garden City". 

I would also like to note that the first ever Chingay Parade only depicted the Chinese aspect of Singapore - dragon and lion dances, martial arts and street opera. This contrasts the current Chingay which showcases performances put up by a vast variety of cultures. For instance, Japanese, Hindu, Malay. Racial harmony is very important in Singapore as we are a cosmopolitan city. We should recognize and celebrate how racially diverse Singapore become. This is something we should be proud of -- how Singaporeans and people of various cultures and races are able to coexist with little to no conflict. I was also impressed by how many volunteers and how much effort they put into this performance.

Volunteers from the People's Association Youth Movement

The way the event was organized showed
how Singapore would never stop striving and developing herself. Though Singapore has and will grow exponentially, our journey is not over. There are 50 more years to go before SG100. We should make the most of them.

Chua Hui Xuan 2A (6)

Chingay parade 2016 - Lights of legacy, brighter Singapore

The purpose of Chingay 2016 is to bring together the multi-racial communities as part of the unique Singaporean Lunar New Year tradition, held during the first weekend of Lunar New Year. The purpose of the first Chingay was to compensate the ban of firecrackers the year before and also to celebrate the birthdays of Chinese deities and the Goddess of Mercy(guan yin). I feel that this change has happened as the years went by because the younger generation is starting to lose traditional interest in religious rituals and practices. This is also due to the shift in mindset towards a more multi-cultural and religious society where Singaporeans are becoming more inclusive towards other races and religions celebrating this festival together. I feel that the organizers have successfully fulfilled this purpose as they have gotten people of all races to perform and watch the event.

Does being rich mean one is happy?

In my opinion, being rich does not necessarily mean one is happy.

For example, according to the Human Development Reports from the United Nations 

Development Programme, Singapore is ranked 11th on the Human Development Index, while China is ranked 90th. However, according to the Happy Planet Index, which measures and compares each country's happiness, China has a Happy Planet Index (HPI) of 44.7 while Singapore has a lower HPI of 39.8. This shows that even though one may be richer, it does not always make them happier than those who are less rich. The Human Development Index also indicates that Singapore has a GDP of 358 while China only has a GDP of 50.3.

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

This photo was taken at the Chinese calligraphy competition that was held recently.

With Chinese New Year coming up, the whole year two cohort was told to head to the canteen to do some calligraphy. It may seem like an ordinary festive activity, but, in a way, it is extraordinary. 

What makes it extraordinary to me is how this activity bonded me more with my friends. Even though it is a competition, we were enjoying ourselves by complementing each other's calligraphy skills (and, in the process, insulting our own) and chatting about which words to write. Overall, it was a fun activity and allowed us to bond together a bit more.