Day Out with the Folks | Visit to Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall + Balestier Food Trail (YT Vlog)
It has been a while since we went out for a touristy day in our own country. My old man texted to ask if I wanna go with them to an exhibition. I thought for a while and like why not? One shot tired and rest for the next weekend. And also an opportunity to get them out of the house to prevent old aged illnesses. So arranged immediately to go the next day which is a Saturday. I doubt any crowd because who knows Chinese history more than my old man? Even Chinese nationals were impressed with his vast knowledge bank during our previous exhibition visit (click here). Fit to be a historian if he did better in his studies during his time. His cup of tea.
Direction:
To get here, take a train to Bugis MRT, walk to Exit A, and right outside there is a bus stop. Take bus 130 and alight Opposite Zhongshan Mall. Cross the road, and turn to your right towards Zhongshan Park. Wan Qing Yuan is right behind Zhongshan Mall and Park.
Entrance Fee: Free for Singaporeans and PR. Just show your NRIC and you will get a sticker.
In short, Dr Sun Yat Sen (also known as Sun Wen) stayed here 4 times when he was in Singapore and it was a base for his revolutionary activities in Southeast Asia. In 1994, the villa a.k.a memorial hall was gazetted as a National Monument. And after going through renovation, and redevelopment over the years, the revamped Wan Qing Yuan finally opened its door again in 2011 in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution.
This villa as a memorial hall in Singapore is much smaller than the one in Taipei (of course) called National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall 国立国父纪念馆. Visited during my 1st trip to Taiwan about a decade ago. Definitely see his statues here and also in Taipei.
⬆️ My old man came specially to see this piece of plaque that has a seal and was also presented by the Guang Xu Emperor in 1907. These 4 Chinese characters 波靖南溟 (Bo Jing Nan Ming) means Gentle Waves over the South Seas (for more details, click here).
⬆️ Some facts about 庆德会 Keng Teck Whay: It is a private family benefit society established in 1831 by a group of Hokkien Peranakan merchants from Malacca. They worship Three Emperor Officials and venerate the founders' ancestral tablets, issue allowance to those who require financial assistance, and offer bereavement support and necessary aid to members in need. Click here for more details.
⬆️ I'm surprised back then secret societies were supportive of Dr Sun's revolution to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming 反清复明. Then my mum said because of secret societies 讲义气 (loyalty, righteousness). Ohh... that sounds true too. If they are on the same page as Dr Sun, definitely will support what he does like raising funds for his revolutionary activities. Heard of Hong Men Hui 洪门会 and Tong Men Hui 同盟会？I got to know you here at this exhibition. He has many revolutionary comrades all over the world.
⬆️ This is how Bonds look like back in 1906 to raise funds from the Europeans. That explains the 2 versions in French and English. Looks like a note to me. Interesting.
⬆️ Oh hi Taiwan! The lovely place looks like a 女王头 on the map. Hopefully, I can plan a short trip over after 3 years but heard the custom queue was madness. Not sure about that. This section was taken from a map that was placed in the room where Dr. Sun stayed during his visits to Singapore in Wan Qing Yuan.
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| Newspapers in the 1880s to 1890s. Lat Pau goes with the old name of Singapore, 石叻坡. |
This is another plaque presented by the then-President of the Chinese Republic, Xu Shi Chang in 1920. The 4 Chinese characters 宗风远鬯 Zong Feng Yuan Chang means keeping the spirit of our forefathers strong even as we travel far and wide.
五湖四海同心义：早期华社互助组织 展览Connections across Oceans: Early Chinese Mutual Aid Organisations Exhibition from now till 10 Dec 2023.
After we visited Wan Qing Yuan, we took a bus to the next stop (1 bus stop distance) for lunch at random coffeeshop. Then my old man led the way to the famous Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah shop that was within walking distance away.
LOONG FATT TAU SAR PIAH
Not kidding when I said the number of customers seated, waiting for their orders to be fulfilled and some still queuing up to order. When asked how long is the waiting time? 1 hour. Gosh... too popular already. And besides their stall was a drink stall. That helps while LF customers wait for their orders and sip coffee away to kill boredom. $1.20 per piece (reasonably priced) and my old man said it used to be $1 per piece. We ended up buying their custard puffs because we didn't want to wait. But their custard puffs at $1 each were kind of expensive although it was good. Sigh.
TANJONG RHU PAU
Walking down the same stretch was Tanjong Rhu Pau. No long queue but still got customers buying by boxes. It has to be good, right?
Bought their mini Char Siew Pau for $1 each. Next time tries their Pork Pau too. According to my Mister, he said the standard kind of dropped as compared to before. But I find it okay although not that fluffy. They have other outlets at Jalan Batu and Guillemard Road.
603 TAU SAR PIAH
Further down would be 603 Tau Sar Piah. Their price is $1.30 per tau sar piah. Still reasonable to be honest. Bless all these shop owners.
Their varieties range from Tau Sar Piah, Wife's Biscuits 老婆饼 to different tarts, pies, biscotti, mochi, and even nacho cheese dips. Aww... I wish I can have everything. Maybe next time.
I'm especially taken a liking to bus rides if I'm on another side of Singapore which I seldom go to unless with my folks. There is more in Singapore than you thought you already knew.
You can watch the daily Vlog on my Channel now. Made an effort to document them both in writing (more detailed) and video (more realistic). Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All the above were paid by the writer. Not sponsored post. All reviews are based on the writer's preference and taste buds and do not represent anyone else other than herself.