Sim Kwong Ho shophouses


Sim Kwong Ho Shophouse

Sim Kwong Ho Shophouse

In the early days , these shop-houses were no different from the others with little architectural design and ornaments. However with the rubber boom in the 20th century , it saw an astronomical rise in the riches of the merchants who invested money by hiring western architects to help redesign the shop-houses.  Through the fusion of their western design features accompanied by traditional Chinese elements it produced an absolute art work of beauty that kept our entire group in awe just by its simplicity and how two cultures so varying in nature can come into such a beautiful marriage and form an artwork of beauty. This blend of cultures is in essence called "Singapore Eclectic".


As we were admiring the architecture , a mural on the wall caught our attention and it was that of a Sikh soldier defending the land. We were caught off guard at first and didn't know what to think of it but upon further thought we realize the strong correlation between the design of the building and the experiences that the designers must have felt when they were constructing it.During this period of time, the British were still the colonial masters of Singapore and had employed the use Indian troops in the defense of this island nation as policeman due to a lack of any local defense force within the island itself.This must have to us inspired the architects to carve the pillars in such a way to show the soldiers importance in "protecting"the area by engraving them on the pillars of the building which is the core of the entire building.



 As we moved on from this magnificent structure, we cant help but be put in a reflective mood as to the multi ethnicity of the country not just in the present but in the past too. With the constant exchange of cultures, the country grew with an unique  identity  and unlike any other with an blend that is different to any other countries. Was this blend,  the reason why the government needed to built in place a national education to help retain the individual cultures traditions so as to not let this blend dilute their own personal traditions?

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