Finally, I’m back to resume my museum hopping mission on this weekend after having not able to do so since January. If you didn’t know, I had actually given myself a mission to visit as many museums or galleries in Singapore as I can this year. It is like I have given myself a new hobby on my free weekends although I’m not really a museum enthusiast.
Anyway, I do like to see interesting collections/displays though (but I will skip those explanation parts usually…haha) and will always be fascinated by the architecture of the museum itself. This time, I’m heading to Armenian Street to visit Peranakan Museum. The museum showcases the history of Peranakan cultures in Singapore as well as other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia.
The below description from the museum explains the origin of ‘Peranakan’; South East Asia has long been a crossroads of the world, where trade has stimulated cultural exchange. Merchants and other travellers have connected the region to China, India, Middle East and Europe. Many of these people settled in this region and intermarried into local communities, creating a vibrant hybrid cultures which today are widely referred to as ‘Peranakan’.
The museum is not too huge and has 3 levels of galleries housed within a beautiful heritage building. Visit to this museum is complimentary for Singaporean and Permanent Resident (similarly to many other museums in Singapore too). I spent a little over an hour in there and had a great time exploring the various little sections of the museum. There wasn’t too many visitors during my visit early this afternoon too, making the visit more peaceful and relaxing.
There are a lot of instances where I took close-up of insanely beautiful and intricate details of the displays ranging from batik and jewellery to ceramic and even furniture. They were so cool! That’s it for my highlight of the museum visit today. I do wish the Peranakan Museum to be a bit larger though and has more seating areas for visitors. Now, which museum should I visit next?
