Cultural picture books developed by youths, for children? A set of 10 new cultural picture books are ready to hit the streets, as part of a special collaboration between the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Chinese Studies (NPCHS).
The books seek to educate children from ages 4 to 12 years, based on the four main themes from the popular SINGAPO 人 exhibition at SCCC –Chinese festival rituals, local food, stories about early migrants and cultural values.
Image source: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
The book series was a culmination of the efforts of the Year 2 (in 2019) NP Chinese Studies students and guidance of their lecturers Ms Grace Huang Chih-Yun and Mr Lee Kow Fong, adjunct lecturer at NPCHS. The latter is also the well-known local illustrator Ah Guo.
Each book features a lesson plan and suggested activities to guide the learner on various aspects of our local culture. Some examples are:
- Where Did They Come From tells a story of a little girl learning about her grandfather’s hardships when he left his hometown to settle down in an unfamiliar country, Singapore.
- Let’s Lohei, The Heaven God Loves Eating Sugar Cane, New Year, New Customs, and Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival on the Moon touched on cultural practices and stories of our local Chinese festivals.
- Go Makan, The Magical Bak Kut Teh, and I Want A Cup Of Dinosaur touch on our local food and drink culture.
- Grandma’s Hand Is Injured spotlights on filial piety, a value cherished by the Chinese, while Samsui Women Under The Sun shares a key part of our history and the contributions of samsui women.
Image source: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Most of the students are aspiring primary school teachers or early childhood educators, who aim to specialise in Chinese. Notably, Vanassa Ang, author of I Want A Cup Of Dinosaur, has an interest in founding a start-up to alleviate the struggles of learning Chinese and connect to Chinese culture and the community through her creative ideas.
Dr Kang Ger-Wen, Course Chair of NPCHS said, “The two Education Specialisations from Chinese Studies of Ngee Ann Polytechnic aim to develop future Chinese Language teachers for both local primary schools and preschools. With the support from SCCC, students from Diploma in Chinese Studies are honoured to publish their illustration books together with the teaching plans so that their works could become supplementary teaching materials for Chinese teachers, and also enable more people to understand the precious local Chinese history and unique Chinese Singaporean culture.”
Image source: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Primary school and preschool educators may download e-copies of these picture books and use them as part of their learning and teaching resource, prior to or after their visit to the SINGAPO 人 exhibition. One set of the physical books is also available for loaning, interested educators may send their request to education@singaporeccc.org.sg.
This series of picture books arose from collaborations between SCCC and educational institutions to use innovative ways to engage students and increase their interest in local Chinese culture.
Prior to this, there were other collaborations with various secondary schools and institutions. One of them included partnering with Maris Stella High School for the Junior Guide Training Programme in 2019. The programme trained 26 students to guide their peers from both Maris Stella and China’s Xi’an Gaoxin No.1 High School on a trail from SCCC to Singapore Conference Hall. Many of the students gained a better understanding of Chinese Singaporean culture after the tour.
Image source: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Together with Year 2 Art Teaching students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), SCCC also conceptualised and designed activity booklets for the artworks on display in the 2019 Sculpture Walk @ SCCC. These booklets were written especially for visitors ages 13 to 14 years old, and they serve as a self-guiding tool for younger visitors to better appreciate the artworks in the Centre.
Mr Low Sze Wee, CEO of SCCC said, “SCCC places great importance on our partnerships with local educational institutions such as Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We believe that students have a keen curiosity to find out more about their identities and cultures. Using the Centre’s resources such as our SINGAPO 人 exhibition and other programmes, there are many opportunities for creative partnerships. We are excited to see yet another fun and innovative project with Ngee Ann Polytechnic in the form of these cultural picture books. I hope that it will be a useful resource for all learners in Singapore.”