The House That Remembers Us

As the House of Tan Yeok Nee begins its next chapter as a cultural and community landmark, descendant and artist-in-residence Tan Ngiap Heng traces the threads that bind past to present.

- WORDS INDRAN PARAMASIVAM PHOTOS HOUSE OF TAN YEOK NEE + DARREN SOH

THERE ARE PLACES IN SINGAPORE that feel less like buildings and more like memory breathing in real-time. The House of Tan Yeok Nee is one of them. Newly restored and reopened after 140 years, under the thoughtful stewardship of the Karim Family Foundation, Singapore's last traditional Teochew mansion now stands as both landmark and living pulse: a bastion where craftsmanship, ancestry, and contemporary imagination meet. For artist Tan Ngiap Heng, great-great-grandson of the original towkay, walking these halls is an act of recognition, a rediscovery of the heritage written into his lineage and an invitation to consider how history survives when it is tended to with care.

As the great-great-grandson of Tan Yeok Nee, what emotions stir in you when you walk through the restored House, as you see the past literally rebuilt around you?

I am awed by the beauty of the detailing in this Teochew house, and this restoration has truly brought out the excellence of Teochew craftsmanship. Growing up in Singapore, I rarely saw this type of house or its adornments, and this place has given me a new appreciation of Teochew art. Knowing that it was originally built by my great-great-grandfather brings home the point that art is part of my heritage, even if I was not explicitly exposed to it when I was young.

In your eyes, how does heritage survive across generations?