Reflections on Attitudes towards Conservation of Historical Sites in

Singapore and China

Vera Neo
20161000003

Keywords: Attitudes, conservation, China, Singapore

The process of conservation has always intrigued me. For whom do we

conserve? More importantly, why do we conserve? Why is this process
important to us? Hailing from a country with just over 50 years of history and a
land area that has earned us the nickname “The Little Red Dot”, conservation
is an abstract concept. Our lack of natural resources drove us to pursue
extensive economic growth for survival. Today, after the herculean efforts of a
generation and visionary leadership, we have become a model for many
developing countries interested in growing their economies. However, against
this ever-growing need for expansion advancing towards us in waves, one
cannot help but feel that we have been building sandcastles, and this growth
has all come with insidious consequences.

Our attitudes towards conservation have been steadily changing. Before,

changing landscapes were a sign of the times and considered a natural result
of our development. Modernization felt like an upgrade, and the desire for
economic stability united the people under a common goal despite existing
racial, cultural and religious differences. Nowadays, consideration for the
social, cultural or historical value of a place (or object) is carefully weighed
against its monetary costs before any decision is made regarding its
conservation. However, this has not been as easy or straightforward a
process as one might be led to think. While the growing awareness of the
importance of conservation has steadily found its way into our collective
consciousness, to the extent of dominating national forums at times, clashes
with the long-held pragmatic views towards conservation reveal a deeper
incongruence between economic aims and the desire to document and
preserve for posterity (like the passing down of a family heirloom). Rather
than evaluating growth in terms of its tangible gains alone, many have begun
to consider the intangible (and often, irreversible) losses as well.

This incongruence in goals was aptly illustrated in a relatively recent case of

the planned clearing of a cemetery for the construction of a highway, which
sparked national debate. While space constraints rarely become a subject
worthy of news in other countries, our relatively small land mass and the need
to maximize all land use means that such decisions are often heavily
scrutinized. Bukit Brown cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in
Singapore (the oldest tomb found dates back to 1833) and is the site of rest
for many famous Chinese pioneers, who, in some cases, commissioned

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elaborate tombs. The site has been left relatively undisturbed as a natural
area for decades. Thus, it came as no surprise that conservationists were in a
frenzy over the decision to clear such a historically-rich land site for a highway
structure that was projected to cut traveling time by a few minutes, with many
arguing in favour of rerouting and building the highway around the cemetery,
even if it would cost more in public monies. Such a public debate regarding
the construction of a highway over this cemetery would probably have been
unheard of ten years ago. Though the eventual result was not in favour of the
full conservation of the site, extensive measures were taken to document the
site for posterity’s sake (albeit, an unsatisfactory conclusion). Ultimately, this
begs the question regarding the approach one should take towards
conservation and the importance of physical preservation in a land-scarce
country.

In China, a similar focus on its economy has prospered the nation, but at the
expense of its environment, which has had adverse effects on the state of
conservation in the country. When the Terracotta Army was first uncovered,
techniques for the preservation of the polychromy found on the warriors were
sorely lacking and largely under-developed. Despite the immense historical
significance of the site, resources allocated to the project streamed in
gradually and methodologies for its preservation were constantly being
adjusted and modified as more warriors were excavated. Due to a lack of
specific knowledge and particular attention paid to some of the initially
excavated warriors, this has led to some degree of irreversible deterioration.
Fortunately, the extent of this deterioration did not spread further following
efforts to improve conservation methods and technologies.

Following this, attitudes toward the process of conservation have been

changing ever since. Unlike Singapore, China possesses one of the richest
troves of historical artifacts and sites dating back thousands of years in our
world today. New archaeological sites are being excavated more often than
before and processing of these findings has been yielding exciting insights
into the lives of the ancient Chinese people, particularly, how these societies
prospered or declined. As more advanced technologies and methodologies
are developed to overcome the challenges of conservation and as these
conserved discoveries gain ever-increasing significance, it is perhaps
unsurprising that scholarship of this subject and public interest have risen in
tandem.

In light of an increasing awareness of the importance of conservation amidst

an increasingly evolving global environment, it is definitely heartening to
observe such a change in attitudes in China and Singapore.

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