Recapping the Academic Seminar “Who is Telling the Story: Reading Chinese Communal Festivals in Singapore” conducted by Prof. CHOI Chi Cheung on 20 September 2019

Prof. CHOI Chi Cheung used fieldwork research to trace the history of “Salvation Ritual” that was practised by the Chinese communities living in Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng, Singapore. He focused on three main areas: the first introduction year, its time interval and participants.

First, according to local records, Singaporeans believed that the Salvation Ritual was firstly introduced to Peck San Theng in 1921. But Prof. CHOI found from his research that the starting year should be 1922 instead. Second, the five-year interval was the result of long-term historical changes. Last, monks, nuns and Taoist priests were the three groups of participants invited by the ritual’s organisers, showing the interactions between the religion and the local community. The world is changing. This communal festival swings between ritual charity and superstition, and between filial piety and the government’s land occupation. It carries the spirit and feelings of different generations. Prof. CHOI ended his talk by reminding students to be inquisitive, to pay attention to the tensions between different social groups and how “narratives” are constructed.

Academic Writing Workshops

Orgainser: M.A. Programme in Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK

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