Burial artefacts find new life

Unclaimed Chinese funerary artefacts from Bukit Brown Cemetery are on display after years of cataloguing, cleaning and restoration – telling the story of Singapore from the 1800s to the 1970s.

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent Jason Quah Executive Photojournalist

A banana-shaped glass milk bottle, with two openings for feeding infants, from a 1945 grave. An opium set, a relic of a past vice, from another grave dated 1938.

They are not gems or precious stones, but each is a historical treasure that tells the story of Singapore from the 1800s to the 1970s.

These are among unclaimed Chinese funerary artefacts from Bukit Brown Cemetery, unearthed from about 4,000 early Chinese graves. These graves made up about 5 per cent of the site’s estimated 100,000 graves.

They were exhumed when road development works began in 2013.

In 2021, Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng (KWSPST), a 155-year-old cultural institution in Bishan Lane run by 16 Cantonese and Hakka clan associations, partnered with the National Heritage Board (NHB) to collect close to 1,500 of these items for display and educational purposes.

After years of cataloguing, cleaning and restoration, the objects are now displayed at the new 126 sq m KWSPST Early Chinese Burial Artefacts Gallery, which opened officially on Nov 30.

Dr Yee Wai Seng, deputy director of the gallery, said the artefacts are imbued with the pioneering spirit of early Chinese immigrants, and hold profound historical and cultural value.

"The items show that our early pioneers were mostly ordinary individuals who braved hardship in pursuit of a better life," he said.

"It was their resilience and tenacity that laid the foundation for modern Singapore."

A spokesperson from NHB said: “The Early Chinese Burial Artefacts Gallery covers local Chinese funerary practices, which is an important though lesser explored aspect of Singapore’s heritage and history.

“With the opening of the gallery, Singaporeans will be able to learn more about these practices as well as gain greater insights into the daily lives of early Chinese migrant communities. NHB is happy to support the gallery through its Heritage Grants Scheme.”