SIN: The Bicentennial Experience [till 31 December 2019]

5 Cox Terrace, Fort Canning Centre, Fort Canning Park, Singapore
Daily: 9.00am - 9.00pm

I'm almost done writing on my June 2019 trip to Canada, but for today, allow me to interject with something patriotic before the end of the year. This year is the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles' landing in our Little Red Dot, one of the key turning points in our history as it marked the founding of modern Singapore.

The free-of-charge multimedia sensory experience is held at Fort Canning Centre, which brings you back in time to witness key moments in the history of Singapore from as far back as 1299. One way to reach the venue is to take a train to Fort Canning MRT Station, then walk for about 8 minutes.

You can also take a free shuttle bus from Plaza Singapura or Raffles City Shopping Centre.

I managed to get a ticket sometime in September for the Time Traveller experience.

I took the guide in the Malay language to practice my reading skill.

Visitors were allowed into the gallery 10 minutes before our 6.50pm booking.

The Time Traveller experience, which is divided into five acts, lasts for an hour.

Know your geography!

It all began with Sang Nila Utama from Palembang, which is now part of Indonesia.

Act 1 - Beginnings: Singapore, then known as Singapura, was thriving maritime emporium under the rule of Sang Nila Utama and his successors.

Act 2 - Arrival: The arrival of the British in 1819 saw the evolution of Singapore into a colonial port.

Act 3 - Connectivity: Singapore thrived from being fishing villages into a bustling metropolis. However, beneath the glitzy developments were grim realities of the labouring masses.

Act 4 - Occupation: The British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese, who then occupied the island and the surrounding regions from 1942 to 1945.

The first part of the act is an audio segment in a dark room simulating a bunker.

The traumatic experience made the people of Singapore not only realise the dangers of dependency, but also prompted them to seek ways to chart their own destiny.

Act 5: Destiny

With a recap of scenes from previous acts, witness how Singapore became independent and appreciate the story of how our nation emerged through the contribution of individuals.

It was raining when the declaration of independence was made on 9 August 1965.
There was a heavy downpour too when we bade a final farewell to Mr Lee Kuan Yew on 29 March 2015.

I'm certainly proud of being a resident of Singapore.

Here's a short video clip that I took during the 'rain'.

At the end of the Time Traveller experience, each visitor was asked to vote of the most important DNA trait for Singapore to continue thriving in this VUCA world. Would you like to make a guess what did I vote for?

Here are the cumulative results as of 10 September 2019 at around 8.00pm. 

Once we were done, we were led downstairs to a gift shop. A staff member also explained a little bit about the Pathfinder, a series of pavilions and objects outside the building that can be accessed by the public anytime without tickets.

Emporium of the East features replicas of trading goods that were found in Singapore and the surrounding regions between the 14th and 16th century.

Such an intricate Buddhist tablet from Kedah, Malaysia!

Seed Conservatory features the historical flora of Singapore over the last 7 centuries.

Find out which are native plants and which are brought to the island.

I love the aroma of cloves.

House of Maps is a showcase of maps segmented into small catographic volumes that respond to the winds, symbolising the power of the element that has influenced much of the maritime history of the region.

Pavilion of Words is an open-air library that houses writings from key historical figures to contemporary writers.

I prefer to read physical books than something off the screen.

Pen your thoughts on the past and/or your hopes for the future.

The Lookout consists of three telescopes showing how the sea has been a key constant in Singapore's history.

Those days gone by~

I'm not too sure about the meaning behind this one though.

The Observatory displays historical events around the world that coincide with our 700-year history.

Have you been to Easter Island before? It's still #1 in my bucket list.

Boston Tea Party reminds me of O-Level History.

A sculptural feature of mirrors, The Lightbeam shines some beams to the sky in one of the three colours representing the mostly voted DNA traits for the day when night falls.

Silver represents self-determination.

Check out the 30-second video clip below.

Last but not least, Reflections of Our Past is described to be "a space for visitors to pause and ponder on their experiences and stories of the Bicentennial", though it's pretty much used by everyone to take photos instead.

There are food and drink stalls under a big tent, but I didn't buy anything from there.

The prices look pretty reasonable.

At the point of writing, tickets are still available at https://www.bicentennial.sg/the-bicentennial-experience/, so do book yours if you haven't visited the exhibition.

Majulah Singapura (lit. Onward Singapore)!