Interesting Green: Bukit Brown deserves World Heritage status, too

Source Website: http://news.asiaone.com/news/mailbox/bukit-brown-deserves-world-heritage-status-too
By Edwin Pang, The Straits Times, Thursday, 9 July 2015

PHOTO: Volunteer guides leading visitors on a walk at Bukit Brown cemetery on July 13, 2013.
Photo: The Straits Times
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvgqnAY4BXXzBmyPJbLF2IkqSr7BfIKBSVl13dPnkFNiNiHLEFeKxHHCkTiKKJEZ2T__SrfVj4ASfx3FHcsDkU9IOm4JV6kqT9WF1CFJf16tnji656kelJtCy5Z78J5TPOfGIzoy04XU/s1600/20150708_bukitbrown_ST.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w848/public/original_images/Jul2015/20150708_bukitbrown_ST.jpg?itok=ILUUUJIc
http://news.asiaone.com/news/mailbox/bukit-brown-deserves-world-heritage-status-too

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said that Singapore could have a second Unesco World Heritage Site after the Botanic Gardens.

We need look no further than Bukit Brown Cemetery.

PHOTO: Bukit Brown Cemetery
Picture by TripAdvisor
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyRjtqYNKNlYAHRs-kswr5n-Oh2dmkFUMoWnLnMuEOTCCB2Mn6lbW4wZe6-OUaHSpQRD33KIvmYNfqxTUx_VsJF5W82RS4GIlBD8fNTY7sMl-8vLlKgamIuzLSQfE80Hf58YQErI8JyI/s1600/bukit-brown-cemetery.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/e0/b6/5f/bukit-brown-cemetery.jpg
http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294265-d2547770-i98612831-Bukit_Brown_Cemetery-Singapore.html

As one of the largest Chinese cemeteries in the world outside of China - in terms of its number of graves, with its oldest grave dating back to 1833 - Singapore will be doing this historic landmark grave injustice by not nominating it for the accolade.

PHOTO: Early morning at Bukit Brown
Bukit Brown Cemetery is the largest Chinese cemeteries in the world outside of China - in terms of its number of graves
Photo by Philipp Aldrup, Bukit Brown: World Monuments Watch 2014
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKDUOaT2gkNqV1_96H88Z7lqkkgF5Od1FOGTwO8SB_nRM20iG6urLwm1KNDVU-1jXgLawwZR342JNQJzhk-ErGVc1b1lUXk5ff5lFbcH-4lJZw4IBqFvfWk5rQhyT-PTJM7j8ImY7AUM/s1600/664308_10151500407243868_1490301174_o.jpg
http://bukitbrown.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/664308_10151500407243868_1490301174_o.jpg
http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=5301

Although a Chinese cemetery, Bukit Brown can be said to be uniquely Singaporean, being named after English trader George Brown and having the largest tomb in Singapore - that of late businessman Ong Sam Leong and his wife - which is "guarded" by statues of Sikh soldiers instead of traditional Chinese stone lions.

PHOTO: Late businessman Ong Sam Leong and his wife - which is "guarded" by statues of Sikh soldiers instead of only traditional Chinese stone lions.
Picture from Remember Singapore published on 19 September 2011
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUH_E4unyT6wds062pEeSE8B8h4PbFXzeEZtr4r45s7m0WLXq8r8YWc_cUGxLfvzK_ycAwsPFEl8-4UaX2xV6c4WZLgnfUEQAZN56TJzGUlOgKyHNXwwEN4NMlpOSSSNSMgZPUJ8m2aI/s1600/bukit-brown-cemetery11.jpg
https://remembersingapore.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/bukit-brown-cemetery11.jpg?w=640&h=468
http://remembersingapore.org/bukit-brown-cemetery/

Peranakans, too, are buried there, such as the Dondang Sayang Association's founding member Koh Hoon Teck.

Bukit Brown is also the final resting place of pioneer entrepreneurs and philanthropists (someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes), such as Tan Lark Sye, Ong Boon Tat, Lim Chong Pang and Chew Boon Lay.

Bukit Brown has huge potential. Spruced up, it could become an even bigger draw to both tourists and locals.

PHOTO: Finding Bukit Brown
Director: Pedro Shiu
Sound & Audio Post-Production: Janie Chee
Producer: Nurbaya Rameh

Synopsis:
The heritage of the Bukit Brown Cemetery as seen through the eyes of five men.

There is an old saying that no land can be spared in Singapore, especially burial land. Bukit Brown has over 100,000 graves and is the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China. Yet, the cemetery is to make way for a new residential area. An eight-lane road cutting through 3,746 graves initiates the hill’s redevelopment.

Finding Bukit Brown is an attempt to rediscover a landmark lost in Singapore’s history — and asking how much of Singapore’s heritage we are willing to put in the line of Singapore’s urban development.

In the end, it’s not just about preserving Bukit Brown. Rather, Singapore should consider keeping places which give its people something to hold on to. The nation’s collective memories provide a sense of belonging — and much of this memory is found in Bukit Brown’s heritage.
Posted by Zed on June 30, 2012
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYUWwOVmaYAhJ6Mq9OlBPi4kBstkMz2-wg5gNQzu5pmBIl0LNTIlBVtZd4ktr3Py52ZYzbj1RHpNsDHcG_bN4Ng6TgpwQ4cAFsmC5VOxeA-Wup118OUQIeuDwgqYYIRK0oG66EC2iKz4/s1600/finding-bukit-brown-web.jpg
https://filament2012.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/finding-bukit-brown-web.jpg?w=710
https://filament2012.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/finding-bukit-brown/

Already, foreigners are joining Singaporeans in exploring not only the graves, but also the area's sprawling grounds, which are teeming with local flora and fauna that have been left to thrive almost untouched for decades.

PHOTO: Bukit Brown Cemetery, the area's sprawling grounds, which are teeming with local flora and fauna that have been left to thrive almost untouched for decades.
Picture from 环球旅行网
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCVDW0E-VFD7fYtBlubz6cfOO58QznI-Lc3X1ZENG_sVA_oriz-Z2qIzNRIS3pvDgbUr0a5mPFAAPMXQmx3C9ZKNGDKgvZs_4iLahHwnHy5V4ErtNmL1OPb25Cs-nFykd-HzsJM0hUns/s1600/75cc27filename-p1080998-jpg.jpg
http://pic.to360.com/image/75cc27filename-p1080998-jpg.jpg
http://www.to360.com/Tourism/Scenic20103/

Bukit Brown could be converted into a heritage park with an education and research centre for students, conservationists and other visitors to learn not only about Singapore's natural history, but also about the Chinese diaspora in Nanyang - as South-east Asia was known in the old days.

PHOTO: Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore's natural history
A heritage park with an education and research centre?
Picture from 环球旅行网
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSJTVSVrIDFoB_Cauv1-KSdnuC_Nn9_C9hBztyEpi27d7Uj36aiJcJDfZtgQ1k_-W0saDcW-OVmT2AYtZqrnMPQUfCZeNRuLV2-GzbQsCm7oeU3QhncHilKbBwlteTVifCg59QE1qjF8/s1600/75cc75filename-p1080948-jpg.jpg
http://pic.to360.com/image/75cc75filename-p1080948-jpg.jpg
http://www.to360.com/Tourism/Scenic20103/

I hope the Ministry of National Development and other relevant bodies will consider having Bukit Brown nominated for Unesco World Heritage status, so that it may join the ranks of its counterparts in New Orleans in the United States and Bukit Cina in Malacca, Malaysia, as world renowned heritage attractions.

By Edwin Pang, The Straits Times, Thursday, 9 July 2015
This article was first published on 8 July 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

PHOTO: Bukit Brown: Spaces for the Living photo exhibit launches on October 1st in Singapore
The show aims to attract and engage the Singaporean people by providing them with an artistic and visual means to reconnect with their sense of nature, history and spirituality through a photographer’s lens.
Posted by singaporedaily on 12 September 2012
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoXzSz6No3tgzxWXsM9Lvj4YxgRDt6f2GQMWal-4kDBfvFeig9jXF1oCHwGK6nT5ysURBx3D9lhnUvNKzHYL7Ms9zxNgzIqFFiCxExnfuKyzzA3JH4giM0W79R__PbqJfLg4AlnSCsA4/s1600/rainbow-of-bbc-1.jpg
http://singaporedaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rainbow-of-bbc.jpg
http://singaporedaily.net/2012/09/12/bukit-brown-spaces-for-the-living-photo-exhibit-launches-on-october-1st-in-singapore/

Anxious and desperate responses to Bukit Brown Cemetery
25 October 2011 at 4:56 pm, Christy says:
I plead every Singaporeans to kindly save it from being demolished. The Bukit Brown cemetery is a place with rich history of Singapore. We had forgo so many historical sites in Singapore, please do not let the government do another irreversible mistake that will cause another regret for years to come.

A country without a place for people to remember their roots is like a country without a soul. In school we were taught to remember the source when drinking the water (饮水思源 Yǐn shuǐ sī yuán), now the government is doing otherwise (背道而驰 Bèi dào ér shǐ). This is so disappointing.

Lastly, let’s show some respect to our ancestors and let them rest in peace.

11 July 2013 at 3:43 pm, Hon says:
Hate to say this but .. karma awaits for those intentionally disrupt the final resting place of ancestors who shed blood, tears and sweat for the development of this country in the name of profit…
恶有恶报 (È yǒu è bào),
善有善报 (shàn yǒu shàn bào),
不是不报 (bù shì bù bào),
是时辰未到 (shì shíchén wèi dào).

06 August 2013, Remember Singapore says:
In September 2011, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the plan to construct a new road, parallel to Lornie Road, to cut through part of Bukit Brown. About 5000 tombs are expected to be affected.

Fearing that Bukit Brown will be further developed as a high-end residential estate, Asian Paranormal Investigators (API) are campaigning a “Save Bukit Brown Project” to recuse this century-old site, which has also been carefully preserved as an undisturbed natural area for decades.
Please preserve Bukit Brown and our heritage!
From: http://remembersingapore.org/bukit-brown-cemetery/

PHOTO: Singapore Polo Club riders taking their horses for a trot through Bukit Brown
Posted on 26 March 2012
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dLT3VO5AFnx6tGgTKjLztLLh4MjnJZHtfSgFZmYy0FZf5P3hrp-B1VHz2Z2oeI_zV3FHLWSvuLxzQxplrz2J2eEIW4aSsYyYfQ8Mc2BtZLUhUVSBsu4LqcBi_w18IO-d_ZufmKnqVzg/s1600/img_0332.jpg
https://natureramble.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/img_0332.jpg
https://natureramble.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/yet-another-place-lost-to-development/

PHOTO: The early birds, top of the morning to them!
Already, foreigners are joining Singaporeans in exploring not only the graves, but also the area's sprawling grounds, which are teeming with local flora and fauna that have been left to thrive almost untouched for decades.
Photo by Philipp Aldrup, Bukit Brown: World Monuments Watch 2014
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdBDyYQuEmaLOYOSeE8xhqPIQrOnfSLHcnVvc8RxubTXewlfztXJ13_XXIgtIV5YOfV9z-WPbQyQW3tbeHHA5gaHGYQEPHRhSqNJvXVppmfbUtn2JQdt6ClC7Ft543sYY6aRz8sNP5zM/s1600/56252_10151500405863868_722426028_o.jpg
http://bukitbrown.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/56252_10151500405863868_722426028_o.jpg
http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=5301

PHOTO: Bukit Brown cemetery
Monkey hunting in the graveyard. More.... monitor lizards….these things are everywhere!
Posted on 31 May 2012 by sewnsusan
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaGjOZoCnuLOJ3Yby0ZZJO0IxSq_OR8H61giiMs_O1wANUaKezVWpZue9f75hMZ9nMbo-Kjjzu-S5la-p041cmz4xS_rtsE3YgSZxdpOYquxIK42ef-E-1nGJUsGMISaVMM1B41POCNI/s1600/the-junglecemetary.jpg
https://lynchmenow.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/the-junglecemetary.jpg
https://lynchmenow.wordpress.com/tag/bukit-brown-cemetery/

Reference