Lynn Wong Yuqian

Lynn Wong is on a race against time to document and revive Singapore’s
disappearing foods, festivals, and heritage. Her notable projects include
spearheading the first Cantonese and Hakka themed “Ho Yeah” festival in Singapore to encourage youth to connect with their roots in 2018, curating the “New World, New Life” exhibition which is the biggest and longest multi-sensory exhibition ever
commissioned by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) in 2018, as well as directing and producing the “Reviving our forefathers’ disappearing foods” documentary film which won her a special prize in the UNESCO
Asia-Pacific Youth Intangible Cultural Heritage Storytelling Contest in 2019.
Currently, she is writing a book about reviving the Seven Sister Festival that has disappeared and hopes to comprehensively document the cultural heritage of traditional Chinese martial arts schools in Singapore. She holds a MSc in Management from INSEAD Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the National University of Singapore. More details of her work can be found at
www.lynnwong.online

Memoir Title

My Second Home

About the memoir

My clan association, Kong Chow Wui Koon, is a place I consider my second home. Unlike most members who were brought into the clan by their family or relatives, my introduction into the clan was one of coincidence. During the end of my 3rd year in River Valley High School, the clan was invited to conduct a 3-month Chinese cultural immersion programme and I excitedly enrolled into the martial arts and lion dance programme. But time flew by too quickly, and the programme soon came
to an end. Hence when Instructor Leong mentioned that I could continue training at the clan on 321 New Bridge Road, I was thrilled and leapt at the opportunity immediately. This was the beginning of an ongoing relationship I have with the clan association, which later expanded my interest and connections with other clan associations as well as different facets of Singapore’s Chinese heritage.

In this written work, I share through my eyes as a young girl 17 years ago, my first encounter with the clan association, my first “initiation” into the male-dominated martial arts fraternity, and the magic of the place that still lingers on today. This provides a glimpse into why I have dedicated my life to pursue what society deem as
a futile attempt against the tide of capitalism and self-gratification – to revive clan associations and Chinese culture by creating coincidences for others, like the one that got me here in the first place.

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Artist

Lee Ju-Lyn

Artwork: T“一个女生为什么要练到这么晚才回家?”
(“Why does a girl have to train till so late?”)