Emerald Hill: an Erosion of Culture

Emerald Hill (also known as The Grand Old Lady with the Peranakan Airs), was designated for preservation under Singapore's Area Preservation Scheme in 1981. The 9.5 ha area received a complete facelift as part of the preservation scheme. In addition to the two-storey houses, the landscaped pedestrian walkways and surrounding areas were also preserved. The preservation works and recreation of the Straits Chinese environment was based on original 1902 architect plans.

Emerald Hill in the past - before restoration

Since Emerald Hill was largely located on prime land (stretching all the way from Orchard Road corner to Cairnhill Circle), the cost of restoration was high. However, URA was determined to rehabilitate Emerald Hill, which consisted mainly of malacca-style pre-war houses. Features such as the original windows, arches, fluted columns and even stairwells were similar to the original buildings. Nonetheless, modern material was used for the project. Reconstructions were made of synthetic materials such as Fiberglass or poly-marble (as opposed to the original materials like bricks and plaster) that was likely to be more durable.

 traditional wood-carved Peranakan doors

Nonetheless, the entrance to the once-opulent Emerald Hill seems to be a half-hearted attempt. The undertones of affluence of the past have been replaced with the glitz of pubs and cafes, a far cry from the traditional Peranakan-style shop houses of before. Apart from keeping the facade of tradition (i.e. same layout, same architecture structures of shophouses), the place seems more like an empty shell, of which true tradition and rich culture is lost. It offers a glimpse of the past, but an in-depth understanding of the Peranakan culture is unlikely to be grasped from the refurbished and gentrified space. The background scene of high-rise buildings, fancy condominiums and office blocks remind us of the constraints of a modern society, and perhaps even how it intrudes on the view of what is considered to be culturally significant.

today

in the past

                                                                      

Chew Yi Wei (in Eastlit Issue 5) beautifully describes her sentiments on Emerald Hill: 

"Conservation efforts merely stimulate the past, giving us only a pretty, charming but ersatz image of it. Conservation is nostalgia with a lost cause. Can we not retain the past by leaving it alone? In a bid to keep the past, we sap the life out of it."

Such thoughts of a "smeared" culture echoes in a poem from someone who had visited Emerald Hill:

Emerald Hill 

by Youzi

Tucked away watching

somewhere beyond the city scape

Silent, inconspicous

Cunningly masked,

By the intoxicating tastes and noises

of Sherry, Brandy, Port and Havana Cigars.

Swilling around her

Neither young nor old

And yet both

Somewhere she is smeared

Blue and white

In a grotesque parody of prettiness

Somewhere she retains

an ageless beauty

Golden carvings and warm rich wood

Still smelling of nutmeg, pepper and gambier

But most days now she doesn't care

Complacent vines

Weary leaves trail and her heels

She drapes herself

In dusty batiks patterned by dust

Caked with the smug patina of time

Not a sound

Save for the occasional gurgle

Of laughter from the see-saws

Where we grapples with loss like her

Not a soul

Save for the curious face behind the darkened windows

And the pink blouse flying alongside the reluctant wind

In the distance the fowls wander

Or look at us knowingly

They must have seen many like us

Who sat in her presence

Our hearts greedy for her knowledge

Who caressed her and praised her

Then left her cold

________________

References

(Photographs): rememberingsingapore.blogspot.sg

"Going Back to Emerald Hill" by Chew Yi Wei. Published April 2013:
http://www.eastlit.com/eastlit-issue-five/eastlit-april-2013-content/going-back-to-emerald-hill/

"Emerald Hill" by Youzi. Published Mar 2005: 

https://www.fictionpress.com/s/1861254/1/Emerald-Hill