Hi-Story, My Story Filmmaking Competition 2 Memories, 1 History – Unravelling the Secrets of

Bras Basah is an area steep in history, in all aspects – politically, it was the civil district for the British and later on, Malayan/ government. Economically, it is the centre of many local and foreign businesses and socially, it was a melting pot for people of different backgrounds. However, its rich history is not documented and showcased, unlike other “heritage centres” of Singapore such as Chinatown, and Little India.

Through this project, we hope that you can help us to unravel some interesting stories about this neighbourhood.

About Bras Basah

Postcard of Brass Bassa Road, showing the old spelling of the road’s name, circa late 19th century, National Museum of Singapore collection.

Bras Basah Road starts at the junction of and Handy Road, and ends at the junction of Nicoll Find out where Highway and Raffles Boulevard. had two these were! names in Lt. Jacksons’ 1822 Town Plan of Singapore – Church Street and College Street.

Bras Basah Road was constructed by convict labour, and means “wet rice” in Malay. Its name came about because wet rice was laid out to dry on the banks of Bras Basah river (now known as Stamford Canal).

Some of the famous landmarks on Bras Basah Road include The Cathay, Rendezvous Hotel, Singapore Management University, , Chijmes, Raffles Hotel and Raffles City Shopping Centre, just to name a few.

For the purpose of this project and competition, students can explore stories about Bras Basah Road or the Bras Basah precinct (the surrounding areas) within a 2km radius. This means that you are free to find out about not just Bras Basah Road, but the nearby roads, areas and communities and their stories. Some of the distinctive landmarks and places include Waterloo Street, Bencoolen Street, area, Can you think of religious sites and buildings such as Armenian Church, others? , Y.M.C.A Building and of course the National Museum of Singapore, and many more.

Let your imagination run a little and look around to find something that intrigues you!

Aerial View of Bras Basah area, circa 1948, National Museum of Singapore collection.

About this competition and project

There are many angles and approaches to this theme. You can explore the stories of different communities of people (such as the Armenians, Peranakans, Chinese, Indian- Muslims, Japanese, Sindhis and Europeans), or take a closer look at the different buildings, architecture and changing landscape in the precinct. There were also historically many schools in the area set up by different groups of people, and people living here took on various occupations from being dhobies, to trishaw riders. There are also many religious buildings and sites which witnessed the many events in Singapore’s history such as the Armenian Church and the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Do you know of other landmarks in the temple which were built in 1835 and 1884 respectively. area? List them down Many other landmarks came and went, and today, this for reference! civic district is also designated as Singapore’s Arts and Heritage district How to get started

A good starting point is of course the internet. You can start doing some reading or basic research there. But remember, this competition is meant to capture voices of people, and interesting and extraordinary stories! While the internet is a rich source of information, what you find there is already public information. Think - how would it help you in the making of your film? Would your film stand out if it contained only information found easily on the internet by everyone else?

One of the easiest methods to get started is to starting asking people around you about what they know about Bras Basah and whether they remember anything about it!

Start with your parents, grandparents and family members – they themselves are rich historical resources waiting to be discovered!

Everyone has personal stories and memories to share. Ask, probe and get them to share. They may also be able to point you to other people (their friends, friends of friends) who have wonderfully interesting stories to share with you.

Cast the net wide – ask around and see if anything strikes you and is potentially a good story to tell on film. These same people could very well be the ones you can interview for the oral history recordings that you need to incorporate into your film!

Collect all these possible stories and decide which is the most interesting for you and start digging! Don’t give up!

Some resources to get you started 1. Infopedia – National Library Board http://infopedia.nl.sg/

2. Access to Archives Online database - National Archives of Singapore http://www.a2o.com.sg/a2o/public/html/

3. The National Museum of Singapore Galleries Free admission for students everyday! What better way to start?

Remember that copyright rules apply and remember to credit all information that you receive!

But don’t worry, we will have a special briefing session on 2 June 2012, after History Seminar 1 to let you know how to deal with this. For now, have fun scouting for stories to tell!