Heritage trail · Singapore
Singapore: from samsui women to the city girl
Start in Katong's pastel shophouses, meet the samsui women who built the city, and end at a hawker table.
Women who led
The women behind Singapore
Keeper of recipes
Mrs Lee Chin Koon
A Peranakan matriarch who wrote down nyonya recipes that had only been passed on by hand. Mrs Lee's Cookbook, published in 1974, is still in Singapore kitchens.
Food ambassador
Violet Oon
Food writer turned chef who brought nyonya cooking from home kitchens to restaurant tables.
War heroine
Elizabeth Choy
Imprisoned during the Japanese Occupation for helping internees, she became the first woman in Singapore's Legislative Council in 1951.
Head of state
Halimah Yacob
Singapore's first woman President, from 2017 to 2023.
History
How Singapore changed
- 1800s
The nyonya household
Peranakan women ran homes known for beadwork, embroidered kebaya and a cuisine blending Chinese and Malay cooking.
- 1930s
Samsui women and majie
Women from Guangdong came to build the city in red headscarves, and to keep house as majie in white and black.
- 1959
Women enter the Assembly
The first women were elected to Singapore's Legislative Assembly.
- 1961
The Women's Charter
Made monogamy law for non Muslim marriages and protected women in marriage, divorce and property.
- 1980s
Women at work
As factories and offices grew and families moved into HDB flats, many more women went out to work.
- Today
The modern Singapore woman
Founders, engineers, hawkers and heritage keepers. The kebaya is now on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage.
Dress through time
What women wore, and what it said
- 1820s
The early port
A small trading settlement by the sea, where different cultures first met.
- 1930s
The samsui era
Women of strength and resilience, who helped build a modern Singapore.
- 1950s
A nation taking shape
A young and diverse city, full of hard work and new opportunities.
- 1960s
The little nyonya
Peranakan heritage added colour, flavour and cultural richness to our identity.
- 1980s
A modern city
From industry to global trade, Singapore grew with ambition and grit.
- 2020s
A global Singapore
A vibrant, connected city, where heritage and progress thrive together.
School holidays
Heritage holiday camps in Singapore
Camps and workshops where children learn Singapore's heritage by doing: cooking, crafts, trails and museum days. Dates and prices come from each organiser; register on their page.
Not Quite Murukku (family storytelling)
22 Nov – 29 Nov · Sun 22 Nov and Sat 28 / Sun 29 Nov, 11:30am, 12:15pm, 3:30pm, 5pm; 30 min (run began 21 Nov)
A short interactive story in which a girl whose murukku comes out lopsided meets a murukku genie and learns to embrace her own creations.
Indian (Tamil/South Asian) snack traditions and family storytelling
PIP's PLAYbox, Esplanade · Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (Kalaa Utsavam 2026); Tongue in Cheek Productions · Free
Peranakan Architecture and Tile Art Workshop
22 Nov – 31 Dec · Sat, Sun and public holidays, flexible slots 11am-5pm; about 30 min (listing runs 2 Jul - 31 Dec 2026)
Kids hear the stories behind Peranakan floral and geometric tile motifs and paint their own tile to take home.
Peranakan culture and shophouse tile heritage
East Plaza, Entrance to Singapore Zoo, 80 Mandai Lake Rd · The Intan (booked via Klook)
Katong-Joo Chiat Stamp Rally 2026 (Flavourful Traditions edition)
22 Nov – 6 Dec · Self-guided; whole rally runs 7 Nov - 6 Dec 2026 (page header says 7-30 Nov and 1-6 Dec); reward redemption daily 10am-9.30pm at Joo Chiat CC, closed public holidays
Families collect stamps at six heritage food businesses (e.g. Kim Choo Kueh Chang, popiah and bak kut teh stalls) and redeem a keychain reward pack.
Peranakan and Katong-Joo Chiat food heritage businesses
Katong-Joo Chiat heritage businesses; redeem at Joo Chiat Community Club · Katong Culture and Marine Parade Youth Network (HAN@Katong-Joo Chiat, supported by NHB)
Stage Camp: Wonders of Asia (Week 1)
23 Nov – 27 Nov · Mon-Fri, AM 9am-12pm or PM 1pm-4pm; Friday showcase
Drama camp exploring stories of light, wishing and togetherness from across Asia through storytelling and role-play, ending in a showcase. Mandarin-led.
Pan-Asian festival stories and traditions (heritage focus is light; drama camp). Week 1 listed SOLD OUT on 4 Nov
Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street · Singapore Repertory Theatre Centre for Creative Learning · $400 incl. GST plus $6 booking fee
HAHA Chinese Winter Camps (Frosted Whispers; Ah Ma's Tasty Adventures)
23 Nov – 8 Jan · Themed weekly camps; Winter Camp format Mon-Fri 9am-3pm (half-day options exist)
Mandarin immersion camps built around themes: Frosted Whispers uses Western and Chinese seasonal tales and traditions; Ah Ma's Tasty Adventures explores Singapore food culture.
Chinese language and cultural traditions (primarily a Mandarin-language camp, light heritage content)
River Valley Campus, 5 Tank Road #03-02 · HAHA Chinese · From $140 (half-day camps)
Parent-Child Bharatanatyam Workshop: Sahachara - Moving Together
28 Nov · Sat 28 Nov, 11am, about 1 hour
Parent and child learn simple bharatanatyam-inspired movement together through rhythm games, storytelling and creative play. No dance experience needed.
Indian classical dance (bharatanatyam), Indian heritage
Esplanade Rehearsal Studio (meet at Theatre Studio Entrance, Level 4) · Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (Kalaa Utsavam - Indian Festival of Arts 2026) · $40 per session for 1 adult + 1 child
Amazing Race: Chinatown Chaos (SG Culture Pass)
28 Nov – 26 Dec · Every Saturday 10am-2pm, about 2 hours (weekly since 1 Sep 2025
Teams follow a route with a mascot and solve puzzles at temples, mosques, markets and murals, learning about early Chinatown as they go.
Chinatown, early Singapore immigrant history and multicultural religious sites
Monster Day Tours / Lion Heartlanders (per Little Day Out · From $27 (per SG Culture Pass listing); includes Killiney kaya toast set
No camps match. Try another age or word.
Happening now
Heritage programmes to join
Exhibitions, festivals, walks and school programmes running in Singapore now and in the coming months. Dates come from each organiser; check their page before you go.
Deepavali Festival Village (LISHA Deepavali Thiruvizha 2026)
10 Oct 2026 – 8 Nov 2026
Evening festival bazaar and open stage in Little India, with street lights along Serangoon Road, ending on Deepavali day (8 Nov).
Campbell Lane, Little India · Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LISHA)
Exceptional/Everyday: New Acquisitions, New Perspectives
30 Oct 2026 – 29 Aug 2027
Recently acquired Peranakan objects are shown to ask what makes an item Peranakan, with family activities alongside.
Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian Street · Peranakan Museum (NHB)
SHIPPED! Vessels of Taste
31 Oct 2026 – 31 Mar 2027
Shipwreck ceramics and jars used to explore how people cooked, stored and shared food, with a kiosk on Sultan Gate excavations.
ArCH Square (Sultan Gate area) · ArCH Square (NHB) with Museum of Food
Grandparents' Day Celebrations 2026
21 Nov 2026
Intergenerational day with Singapore History Gallery activities, a heritage food-making workshop (mee suah kueh), dance, bingo and a seniors' showcase.
National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road · National Museum of Singapore
For schools
Learning packs and heritage days
Story cards
One card per woman, with three facts and a question to discuss.
Next draftTrail worksheets
Spot the tile pattern, sketch a shophouse, ask a shopkeeper one question.
Next draftSchool heritage days
Trail, workshop, hawker lunch and reflection, in English or Chinese.
Next draftTeam heritage days
A half-day walk for colleagues, with the budget and tax points HR and finance ask about.
Read the planning guide