Friday, April 25, 2008
-2:45 PM-
Melody:
Hello everyone! This is an introduction to our blog dedicated to the Peranakans. We have created this blog because as our school is Peranakan, we learned many intriguing things about the Straits-born Chinese's heritage, and we want others to know more about this interesting subject. It all started when we were assigned PW (project work) and were supposed to create a product that teaches people about Peranakan heritage. Then this idea blossomed and we created this page! It is to be simple yet captivating for our readers to learn more about Peranakans(:
Here is an introduction to Peranakans:
The word Peranakan means 'local born' in Malay. The Peranakan Chinese are descendants of Chinese traders who settled in Malacca and around the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra as early as the 14th century and married local women. In the 19th century, the Peranakan Chinese, drawn by trade, migrated to the thriving ports of Penang and Singapore. They have a unique hybrid culture, which is still part of Singapore's heritage.
Upcoming...
We decided to write a story with information embedded in the plot. Here is the summary of it:
A girl is unhappy with the mother who always treats her son better. She argues with her mother one day and her mother, very furious, locks her in her room. Trying to escape full of resentment in her heart, the girl opens the window and attempts to climb down from the third storey. She loses her footing and just when she thinks her time is up, she opens her eyes to find herself in unfamiliar territory.
She later finds out she is in a Peranakan household in the 80s, yet she is like a ghost, unable to communicate with the residents. She watches the way of life of them, and learns a lot. When night falls, the girl closes her eyes. The next time she opens them, she find herself in a Chinese household, still ghost-like, and in the 80s. She watches their way of life, and is astounded by how it differs from Peranakans. She realises the privileges she had taken for granted in her current life , and wants badly to return to her time, and apologise to her mother. Will she be able to?
This story tells of the diferences from the past and present Peranakans, and how the culture differs from our Chinese heritage. Make sure to look out for it!
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