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Istana holds first virtual National Day open house

Guests of the first virtual National Day Istana Open House were treated to little nuggets of history on one of Singapore's oldest heritage sites yesterday, with a "speaking" cheese plate as their host.

This is no ordinary plate - the Government House property was believed to have been used in the 1930s and the 1950s, playing host, albeit a silent one then, to foreign dignitaries and guests. It is still serving the nation today, as one of the artefacts on display at the National Museum of Singapore.

In her opening comments during the virtual open house, which was hosted on Facebook and Instagram, President Halimah Yacob said that despite the coronavirus pandemic, it was important to allow Singaporeans the opportunity to visit the Istana, even if they could not physically be on site, with activities for the public to learn more about the Istana grounds and its history.

The virtual event also included a tour of the Istana grounds, courtesy of The Straits Times, which introduced guests to lesser-known spots such as an air-raid shelter known as the "bunker".

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and the National Museum also hosted segments during the event, which attracted close to 25,000 views in total.

The ACM, which has been undergoing major transformations over the last decade, unveiled some of its new features such as a gallery focused on ceramics.

Mr Kennie Ting, director of the ACM, presented a virtual tour of the museum's jewellery gallery where he introduced some of its curated pieces such as a Peranakan belt made of solid gold.

Meanwhile, the National Museum's Government House Cheese Plate interacted with President Halimah and more than 160 beneficiaries of the President's Challenge and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

The National Museum will be hosting virtual conferences titled Zoom into History this week leading up to National Day, where visitors can interact with museum artefacts like the cheese plate, voiced by local actors and comedians.

The National Day Parade 2020 organising committee also shared details of this year's celebrations during the open house and introduced the Our Heart for Singapore project, which invites Singaporeans to share their reflections and aspirations for the nation.

Rounding off the virtual open house, President Halimah encouraged Singaporeans to tune in to the different forms of National Day celebrations on Aug 9.

"Happy National Day, everyone! Let's stay united, let's do our best to make Singapore a better place for all of us."

The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.