How did you spend your Mid-Autumn Festival?

Whee! Many thanks to omy, we spend our Mid-Autumn celebratory private party at Hua Song Museum, Singapore. “Hua Song” is the world’s first visitor centre dedicated to the story of all the Chinese around the world!

After setting up the tripod and getting a good shot of the moon, we are thankful that it was a clear sky that night! After staring long and hard at the flaky crusty moon, you can’t help but to think of mooncakes! Zhong Qiu Jie, which is also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Because of its association with mooncakes and lighted candles, this festival is also called Mooncake or Lantern Festival.

For the fun-loving lot, the Mid-Autumn Festival is synonymous with lanterns. During my early school days, we used to make similar lanterns like the rabbit lantern below! Using the sticks found in big brooms, we plan and make the wireframe first and using these thin yet colourful thin plastic sheet to form the body.

We are delighted that the organiser, NHB and Hua Song Museum have lined up a mooncake tasting session. While there were so many mooncakes of all sorts, we were more intrigued in the making of mooncakes. The baker uses her nimble fingers and started to mould the filling (paste) into a ball and covering it with the ’snow-skin’(seen in the box). The entire piece is then pressed into the wooden mould. The end result is a beautiful snow-skinned mooncake (exotically durian-flavoured)! Mooncakes are bought not only for personal consumption and as offerings to ancestors, but also gifts to more senior relatives. Because Chinese believe in gifts must always be given in pairs, another popular present is the Pomelo fruit. The Cantonese name for pomelo is “Yow”, which has the same meaning as “have”.

Breezing through the entire museum is easy with its well-planned space. Our favourite spaces are the Grand Food Hall and En En’s Kitchen. It contains the most amazing display of tantalizing cuisine re-created to represent the different dialect groups in Singapore.

Did you know?

From the corner of the hall, I spotted one of my favourite fruits — Cherries! Its an US imported fruit and its quite costly to get it in Singapore. Oddly, I’ve always thought it just ‘practically grew’ from the United States.  Many Chinese gardeners and farmers produced new strains of fruits and vegetables. The most famous sweet cherry variety is the ‘Bing Cherry’, now an American favourite. The cherry derived its name from Ah Sit Bing of Oregon, who crossed-breed the red and sweet cherry. He had migrated from Manchuria in 1855.

“My village neighbors all had sticky cakes like this, which they smeared on the mouth of the Kitchen God, so that he would only report the good things in heaven” – Mrs S. Lee

These sticky cakes, called ‘Nian Gao’ are amazingly made so life-like that you will take a second look at them! A sweet snack, its a common item seen during the Chinese New Year. Mum used to make them when we were kids. Mum loves to pan-fried it with loads of beaten eggs and when eaten, they taste heavenly with its chewy and sticky bite — they simply melt in your mouth!

Another favourite spot is the ‘En En Kitchen’. This kitchen is amazingly re-created to look like a typical traditional Chinese Kitchen, probably in the 1900s. What is wonderful about this space is that the visitors could touch and interact with the items displayed. Get in touch with your senses — Touch see and smell! Located at the side of the kitchen are small boxes that contain objects such as the wooden mould, traditional herbs and spices. We explored the entire space like a child; lifting these little boxes to touch and enjoying the scents of the common spices used in cooking Chinese cuisine.

Another exhibit caught my sight. It was the most amazing wedding certificate ever! — with beautiful coloured western influence graphics! I can’t help but stare in awe! Mum said that only the well-to-do family could afford such intricate and beautiful designs.

Who would have guessed that ironing clothes in the those days could be a big work-out? Its extremely heavy as the entire piece is made of solid metal except for the handle. Using a pair of tongs, Mum used to fill the bottom compartment with hot burning charcoal and warn that none of us is allowed to go near it. Its burning hot and there is no Off button!

Guess what’s this? Initially I thought its a traditional fridge. Mum said that in the olden days, there were no fridge, and getting ice was an expensive thing to do, so they placed their raw ingredients, such as meat in a cooling area like the one below. In this case, it is an area where dishes are placed to ward off insects like flies, ants or even lizards. I wonder why are the legs of the cabinet placed into small little dishes. To ward off insects?

While writing this, its already 5am in the morning! and there are so much more to share! Like to end the post with a thought-provoking liner I saw at Hua Song Museum:

Where there is water, there are Chinese

Hua Song museum offers visitors a chance to appreciate the spirit of the adventurous early Chinese migrants around the world! They have made countless sacrifices and amidst adversity, they show great fortitude and industry to make good in their adopted land. Its one museum where friends and family could chat and pour over fond memories. Definitely makes a great weekend trip!

Where is Hua Song Museum?

Its located at the new wing of Haw Par Villa, which is next to the historic Haw Par Villa, Singapore. Haw Par Villa is founded by distinguished overseas Chinese Aw Boon Haw (1882 – 1954) in 1937 and has since attracted countless visitors from overseas!

Har Par Villa
262 Pasir Panjang Road
Singapore 118628