A newspaper report on the opening of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Centre in June 2008 said its modern design and zen-style décor “could raise the eyebrows of the traditionally inclined”. Everything about the centre – from its concept and design to construction materials - is completely unlike conventional Buddhist temples. There are no red and gold pillars nor green-tiled roofs with colourful qianci (cut and paste ceramic) decorations. Instead, visitors are bound to admire the bright airy main hall with soaring ceilings and special lapis lazuli wall, the serene calligraphy room and ultra-modern columbarium. The entire centre exudes an ambience of calm and peace.

Join us for a guided tour of this unusual and modern temple and learn about this branch of Buddhism. We will end the tour with an optional lunch (at own cost) at the centre’s teahouse with delicious and healthy vegetarian food prepared by the centre’s own staff.

The poet Rumi once wrote: “There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness. We are

lutes, no more, no less. If the sound box is stuffed full of anything, no music.” So goes a

metaphor to the fourth pillar of Islam: Fasting in the month of Ramadan.

Join Khir Johari, Malay culture enthusiast, as he takes you to the heart of Ramadan

celebration in Singapore’s Kampong Gelam, where he grew up. Find out how Ramadan is

observed, the various traditions related to this Islamic holy month and their significance.

Khir will explain the custom and practice of fasting and what it means to him personally.

Discover the foods associated with fasting, and the eventual preparations for the end of

Ramadan festivities, that is the Hari Raya Puasa.

After his talk Khir will lead us through the bazaar to explain the various foods being sold. We

conclude by experiencing breaking fast at a typical Muslim restaurant, the way many

Muslims do (food included in fee).

For more than two thousand years, Chinese people have used a system of medicine – traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which is different from western medicine. The underlying concepts and theories of TCM treat man’s body, mind and emotions (or spirit) as a single entity, and its practices take a holistic approach in prevention and cure. Another unique principle of TCM is the emphasis on balance or harmony within the body and its relationship with external forces in nature.

In addition to prescribing medicinal herbs, TCM often includes nutritional therapies, physical treatments such as acupuncture, cupping, massage or Tuina, and therapeutic exercises such as taiqi and breathing exercises. TCM is increasingly recognised as a credible alternative medical system in various countries outside China.

If you are curious about TCM, join us at a TCM centre where you will learn about the basic principles and practices. We will also tour the centre where you can see herbal and other exotic medicines, as well as visit the dispensary where medicines are dispensed.

Throughout the ages, Indian women have been drawing kolams (geometric designs) at their doorsteps or in their courtyards as a welcome sign every morning. Traditionally they use rice powder mixed with water. Nowadays many have switched to commercially available dry coarse powder.

This form of art from South India serves three main purposes: a religious ritual, a social activity, and a channel for artistic expression for the commoner. It is an ephemeral art that is kept alive not in galleries, but in the common man’s home. It is not meant to be permanent. Like life, it has to be constantly regenerated (the life of a kolam is usually just one day).

Join Explore Singapore! to learn about kolams and its variations throughout India like the Rangoli in the North and Alpana in the East. Experience the joy of learning how to create these geometric designs on paper and discover the benefits it brings, such as improved concentration and creativity amongst others.

Singapore is well known internationally for being one of the most orderly and law-abiding countries in the world. Its laws are passed by Parliament whose members meet in Parliament House.

Parliament House sits impressively next to the river with its formal gardens adding a touch of green to its exterior. Unlike the late Victorian style of its predecessor, the old Parliament House (now the Arts House), the present one was designed “to represent a contemporary architectural expression of stateliness and authority”. Its prism-shaped top, is a modernist take on the traditional dome. What is it like inside? And how does the Parliament of Singapore function?

Join us on a private guided tour of the building to see its different areas – it was designed not only as a venue for parliamentary debates, but also a research centre and meeting place for the members of parliament (MPs), as well as a place of interest for students and the general public. You will learn about Singapore’s unique parliamentary system, the different categories of Members of Parliament and the roles of officers in the system.

“For many years after the establishment of the British settlement in Singapore in 1819, to speak of Singapore was to speak of the river" (Stephen Dobbs, “The Singapore River - A Social History 1819-2002). It was the artery on whose waters, and by which banks were the bustle of boats and boatmen, coolies and cargo, merchants and merchandise. It was busy, noisy, and dirty and smelly too! And so it was for over 150 years, until 1977 to 1989 when the river was cleaned up … and what was once the lifeblood of a nation, grew quieter, calmer. Today it is an entertainment and leisure hub. Join us for a walk along its banks as we take you back to the Singapore River of that once busy times. We will tell you stories of the people, the boats, the businesses, the buildings and the bridges that dotted this landscape from over 200 years ago.  "Guests are not allowed for this tour".

Reclaiming land from the sea is a time-honoured pastime. A major reclamation in the 1880s filled in the Telok Ayer Basin, enabling the building of major roads in the Central Business District (Cecil Street and Robinson Road) but leaving a large fish market high and dry.     

Chinese temples are sited near water, like the one on Phillip Street – close to the river and the seafront – Yueh Hai Cheng Temple, the oldest Teochew temple in Singapore. It won a UNESCO award for cultural heritage conservation for the painstaking restoration in the 1990s, two hundred years after its original construction. This is where our walk begins, with our guide explaining the two main deities and the tales depicted by the carvings and ornate roof sculptures.

Phillip Street is parallel to Market Street, which leads to … the Old Market, or Lau Pa Sat, so named when the new Ellenborough market was built. Its monumental cast-iron (from Glasgow) octagonal frame restored and still beautiful. An architectural marvel, like the Chinese temple.

Lau Pa Sat is now a food court for office workers. There our walk ends and some may want to try a well-known Singaporean breakfast of kopi, kaya toast & eggs.

Want to find out more about our programmes? Click here to download a PDF .