Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall’s Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2023 features daruma doll installation, guided tours

Heritage institution Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is holding the Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2023 from Dec 29 to Feb 19, 2023.

Visitors can look forward to festive installations, an auspicious lion and dragon dance performance, God of Fortune visit, guided tours and trails, and free admission to the Memorial Hall on Lunar New Year.

There will be a Bunny-ful Blessings art installation at the lawn made in collaboration with artist Chan Siu Kau, a Hong Kong illustrator and designer. 

The installation consists of two of the artist’s Bit Bit Forest character, Bit Bit, rendered in the form of daruma dolls decorated with the words 幸 (xìng) meaning blessing, fortune and luck, and 福 (fú) meaning happiness, wishing a “year of good luck and great fortune for Singapore”.

On Jan 22, visitors can usher in the Chinese New Year watching the auspicious lion and dragon dance performance from 10am to 11am, and rub shoulders with the God of Fortune as he visits the Memorial Hall between 10am and 12pm.

There will also be a Lunar New Year Hongbao giveaway in the coming month supported by the National Heritage Board, featuring complimentary specially designed hongbaos from the Memorial Hall and other participating galleries. More details of this will be released on Jan 3, 2023.

On Jan 22 and Jan 24, visitors enjoy free admission to the Memorial Hall between 10am and 5pm.

There will also be the Festival of Spring Weekend Open House on Feb 4 and 5, 2023, between 10am and 7pm.

The open house features three guided tours – the Touring Temples: Lunar New Year and Temple Traditions, Balestier Heritage Food Trail and Permanent Galleries Guided Tour.

Touring Temples: Lunar New Year and Temple Traditions, held on Jan 28 and 29 from 10am to 1pm, explores local temples during the Chinese New year period.

Visitors can have a peek at how devotees celebrate the New Year, with the opportunity to hear from temple representatives on customs associated with specific temples and dialect groups.

Admission is $20 per person, with tickets available for purchase on Jan 6, 2023.

The Balestier Heritage Food Trail, held on Feb 4, 2023, is held from 10.30am to 11.30am for the English tour and 11.30am to 12.30pm for the Mandarin tour.

Visitors will delve into the architectural and cultural development of Balestier as they visit and sample bites from heritage shops such as Lam Yeo Coffee Powder Factory and Sweetlands Confectionary and Bakery and discover the rich food history behind these places.

Admission is $12 per person, with tickets available for purchase from Jan 6, 2023.

Within the Memorial Hall, visitors can also participate in the Permanent Galleries Guided Tour, held on Feb 4 and 5 from 3pm to 4pm for the English tour and 2.30pm to 3.30pm for the Mandarin tour. 

Visitors can hear the stories behind this century-old villa that trace Dr Sun Yat Sen’s activities in Southeast Asia, and gain insights on the impact of the 1911 Revolution and Singapore’s contributions to the Revolution. Admission is free with limited spaces available.