Celebrate Chinese Arts, Culture and Heritage at Wan Qing Dragon Boat Festival 2022

Gather up for a host of exciting activities to celebrate Chinese arts, culture, and heritage at Wan Qing Dragon Boat Festival 2022!

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Rd, Singapore 327874
Date: 21 May - 3 Jun 2022
Time: 10 am - 5 pm | Extending opening hours (28 & 29 May): 10 am - 7 pm
Admission: Free, unless otherwise stated

Discover the story and traditions behind Dragon Boat Festival, one of the oldest cultural festivals in the world, and revel in the rich historical and cultural significance of the festival with a line-up of live performances, cultural workshops, heritage walking tours, storytelling sessions, and more during Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall's (SYSNMH) weekend open house.

Additionally, you can also look forward to festival related digital content on the SYSNMH's website and Facebook page throughout the festival period. 

Special Exhibition

Nian Hua: Of Deities, Guardians and Auspicious Art

Date: 21 Jan - 25 Sep 2022

Nian Hua: Of Deities, Guardians and Auspicious Art showcases Lunar New Year prints, known as nian hua from different parts of China. Nian hua are woodblock prints that have been used to decorate Chinese homes for the Lunar New Year for centuries, and provide insights into the attitudes and values of the Chinese community.

The exhibition examines a lesser-known aspect of Chinese intangible cultural heritage, and represents an international collaboration (with the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing, China).

Onsite Programmes

Touring Temples: Legends and Artforms of Door Gods

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Admission: $20/pax - Tickets

An integral part of traditional Chinese culture, the figures known traditionally as “door gods” can be seen on the double doors of homes, temples, and other buildings. Join this exclusive tour around Singapore and explore three local Chinese temples (Hong San See, Wak Hai Cheng Bio, and Thian Hock Keng Temple) to see the door gods found within them and learn more about the legends and artforms behind these door gods.

Festive Chinese Drums Workshop for Children

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 12.30 pm - 1.30 pm
Admission: $10/pax - Tickets

Recommended for children aged 5 and above. Children aged 4 years old and below will not be permitted.

Drum up a storm in this energetic workshop – learn basic drumming techniques used during the dragon boat races and experience an adrenaline rush with a variety of rhythms and beats.

Drop-in Craft Station: Origami Dragon Boat

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 11 am - 6 pm

Bring home an origami dragon boat with our fun and easy drop-in craft station! Learn how to create and decorate your very own origami dragon boat and bring home a colourful souvenir in celebration of Dragon Boat Festival.

Drop-in Craft Station: Design Your Own Perfume Sachet

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 11 am - 6 pm

Design your own rice dumpling perfume sachet at our drop-in craft station! Perfume sachets (香包) is a traditional craft made during the Dragon Boat Festival, and are believed to be bring good luck to the wearer.

Storytelling Session: Tales of the Dragon Boat Festival

Date: 28 May (English), 29 May 2022 (Chinese)
Time: 11.30 am - 12.30 pm, 2 pm - 3 pm

Be swept away this weekend with enthralling tales through the popular storytelling sessions! Discover the legends and myths behind well-loved Chinese stories as local authors and veteran storytellers bring you on a literary adventure. Each session will feature a different story.

Limited spaces available, on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Meet My Unusual Family” Interactive Storytelling & Workshop

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 4.30 pm - 6 pm
Admission: $20/pax - Tickets

Recommended for children aged 4 to 8 years old.

Guai Guai, a magical monster who is always teased by her family of magical monsters, needs your help to find her special monster powers!

Join this 90 mins fun-filled and tactile in-person experience – where children will learn more about self-discovery and acceptance through interactive storytelling, as well as a hands-on arts and craft session. The session is conducted in Mandarin, making this a great way to engage your child in Chinese language and culture.

Balestier Heritage Food Trail

Date: 28 May 2022
Time: 10.30 am - 11.30 am (English), 11.30 am - 12.30 pm (Chinese)
Admission: $12/pax - Tickets

Go on a gastronomic journey around Balestier with our ever-popular Balestier Heritage Food Trail! Delve into the architectural and cultural development of Balestier as you visit and sample bites from heritage shops such as Lam Yeo Coffee Powder Factory and Sweetlands Confectionery and Bakery, and discover the rich food history behind these places.

Woodblock Printing Workshop

Date: 28 May 2022
Time: 10 am - 12 pm
Admission: $15/pax - Tickets

Recommended for 12 years old and above. Children aged 11 years old and below will not be permitted.

Dive into the history and culture of traditional printing and printmaking with our woodblock printing workshop! Learn the basics of block printing through this workshop, which will cover the entire printing process from creating your own design, engraving the designs on the printing plate, and finally printing it in colour.

Live on the Lawn: An Evening Performance

Date: 28 May 2022
Time: 5.30 pm - 7 pm

Have a chill evening out on our lawn as you enjoy a showcase of performing arts! Catch a traditional Chinese puppet performance by Sin Hoe Ping, the only surviving Henghua puppet troupe in Singapore, and end the evening with a swoon-worthy concert by B.A.T.Men - bringing you popular tunes, familiar xinyao tunes, and today’s hit songs.

Boats of Double Fifth: Make Your Own Dragon Boat Workshop

Date: 29 May 2022
Time: 10 am - 11.30 am
Admission: $20/parent-child pair - Tickets

Recommended for parents with children aged 7 to 9. Children aged 6 years old and below will not be permitted.

Do you know that the Dragon Boat Festival has another name? Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Lunar Calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Double Fifth Festival. On this occasion, dumplings are in abundance and boat races are held.

In this workshop, instructor Tan Beng Tian (theatre practitioner and co-founder of The Finger Players) will take you back to the origin of the festival and together, you will transform recycled materials into dragon boats to commemorate and keep this legend alive for more generations to come.

Sharing Session: Forgotten Traditions and Practices of Duan Wu

Date: 29 May 2022
Time: 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm

Experts from various dialect groups share their stories and memories about the forgotten traditions and cultural practices associated with Dragon Boat Festival. This is an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of disappearing traditions in Singapore – come start a conversation and dive into the past.

Limited spaces are available, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Live on the Lawn: Guzheng Performance

Date: 29 May 2022
Time: 6 pm - 6.30 pm

End the weekend with a soothing evening at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall as students from Chung Cheng High School (Main)’s Guzheng Ensemble perform a melodious serenade on the lawn to end this year’s Wan Qing Dragon Boat Festival.

Public Talk – “New” Year Prints: Nian Hua in Singapore by artist, Ah Guo

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 2 pm - 3.30 pm

Colourful and festive woodblock prints known as nian hua (年画) or new year prints were traditionally made using woodblocks. These prints are an important part of the Lunar New Year, found in the walls and doors of Chinese households. The intricate designs were hand-carved into these blocks and the design transferred layer by layer onto paper.

In this talk, Ah Guo (阿果) will share how he recreated these iconic new year prints on a digital platform, the advantages of using new technologies and challenges he faced in recreating traditional art forms.

This talk is conducted in Mandarin. Limited spaces are available, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Special Exhibition Guided Tour

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 10.30 am - 11.30 am (Chinese), 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm (English)

Delve into the world of nian hua, woodblock prints used in the past to decorate Chinese homes for the Lunar New Year with a guided tour of our Nian Hua: Of Deities, Guardians and Auspicious Art special exhibition. Limited spaces are available.

Permanent Galleries Guided Tour

Date: 28, 29 May 2022
Time: 2.30 pm - 3.30 pm (Chinese), 3 pm - 4 pm (English)

Join a guided tour of Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and hear the stories behind this century-old villa that trace Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s revolutionary activities in Southeast Asia. Gain valuable insights on the impact of the 1911 Revolution on Singapore, as well as Singapore’s contributions to the Revolution. Spaces are limited.

Lawn Installation: Blessings Come A-Knocking

Date: 11 Jan - 24 Jul 2022

Titled “Blessings Come A-Knocking”, this lawn installation is a collaboration between the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and artist Ng Tik Ka (Tik Ka From East), a Hong Kong artist, illustrator and designer. It features two of the artist’s artworks “Eat Good West” and “Big War” and showcases his signature style of depicting familiar pop culture figures in the traditional style of new year prints.

This installation represents the memorial hall’s wish for protection against the trials and tribulations brought about by the pandemic for Singapore, and personal protection for Singaporeans against the COVID-19 virus. It also embodies the memorial hall's hope to enjoy more healthy and prosperous years, and gives thanks as Singapore continues to persevere on its path to live with COVID-19.

Digital Programmes

Not Forgotten: A Dialect Dumpling Dialogue

Location: Website and Facebook
Date: 21 May - 3 Jun 2022

Dumplings are a well-loved festive food that’s closely associated with Dragon Boat Festival. But what goes into the making of a dumpling? Each dialect group has their unique variation of the zong zi – this content series will dive into some of the dumplings that you might not have tasted, much less heard of. Rediscover an gain a newfound appreciation for this humble food!

Image credits: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall