perspective journeys

Perspective Journeys

Singapore info

Foreign embassies in Singapore

Basic facts

Resources

Chinese dynasties

Chinese Opera

some pages with free downloads of references

Things to do

Shop for charity:

Coffee table book

"A life for others"

Sample Chinese vegetarian food

Links

Perspective Journeys offers tours in Singapore. The tours are based on anthropological research to offer analysis and perspective to give you insight to local cultural dynamics. More importantly, for you to weave the past and present together to understand the "whys" behind the "whats" that you see and how they relate to you as a traveler.

This information is complemented with conspiracy theories, gossips and rumors to give you the full flavor of the place, people and society.

It is not the "this is a very nice building" or "this is a very old temple" type of tour. The tour is designed to suit your interests and do not include visits to "factories" or commission based shopping places.

A typical Singapore experience

Visitors to Singapore and Asia often encounter modern high rise building, modern complexes, and shopping centers standing in contrast to traditional buildings especially places of worship.

These observations stimulate visitors to contemplate some very interesting questions;

Is the city a "westernized" city or a city that looks "westernized"?

How did the past interact with the present to create the material landscape you see?

What is the relationship between "tradition" and "modernity"?

How does all these relate to you as a traveler?

Perspective Journeys programs offers you the perspective to answer the above questions and offer the context for you to understand cultural practices that less informed travelers may find "confusing", "weird" or "do not make sense".

The tours are presented in an easy to understand manner and in non technical language (No complicated jargon!), taking into account your background and interests.

How is a typical tour like?

There is no standard or typical tour because every program is customized to suit your interests.

You can see different themes below.

For someone who likes in depth tour of Buddhism, the whole tour can be designed to visit different types of monasteries.

Others may like the tour to include a few other topics then the places will be changed accordingly.

So you can have in depth program or explore a wider scope of issues. Micro or macro - your choice!

What places are included in a tour?

Again, no standard places to visit.

Based on your interest and the number of topics you like to include in a tour, we will give you an itinerary. If there is a location you have been too, know very well or rather not go, another location will be suggested.

Some customers have done several tours on the same topic so the flexible itinerary allows our customers to get highly customized program.

This way, you can explore, get to know more places and gain a new perspective on your favorite topic/topics.

Below are examples of popular tours and topics. Each tour is tailor-made and is designed to suit your interests. The topics below can be a tour by itself or be incorporated into a larger program.

World War Two (WW2) from Overseas Chinese Perspective

This is a World War Two tour to explore how an event known as World War Two (WW2) unfolds from the Overseas Chinese perspective.

How was the Chinese perspective different from the colonial British?

How was the relationship between the Chinese in Singapore and the British?

How did the British and Japanese help save the Chinese during the Sook Ching massacre?

Read more............

Dreams of a sojourner

The story of early Chinese migrants, their aspirations, and how the institutions they built transcend social political developments to remain relevant today.

Why did Chinese come to Singapore?

How did the year 1860 changed demographics of Singapore and South East Asia?

What do they tell us about the relationship between the past and present and how it reacts to modernity?

Chinese "Religion"

This program looks at Chinese notion of religion and offers a context to understand Chinese religious institutions and its symbolic meaning.

How do you tell if a temple is Buddhist, Taoist, Confucianist?

What is Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism and what is the relationship between the three?

Is there a Chinese "religion"?

Read more........

Culture & Commodity

This program explores the extent in which culture can be appropriated as tourist products for popular consumption.

During the 1990s, Asian theme parks were introduced but it was not a success. It reflected the limits where culture can be commoditized as well as dynamics in tourism consumption.

This is a 3 in 1 program offering:

1) An introduction to Chinese legends and myths

2) A glimpse of pre WW2 society in Singapore

3)The "dos and don'ts" of packaging culture for tourism

Read more........

Tours can be mixed and matched. If you have an interest in a specific subject matter not listed,

a program can be designed. Each tour is about 3.5 to 4 hours. If you have taken a tour, we like to hear your thoughts. Feedback.

Different journeys, different objectives

Different travelers have different objectives. Perspective Journeys tours can be designed to complement your travel objectives.

The following section shows how information can be put together to offer you an insight to the cultural dynamics related to your traveling objectives.


Business Traveler	Transit Visitor	Cultural Explorer


VIP Guest	Expatriate	Pre trip programs

About the guide; Chan who has a background in Anthropology and research interest in issues of modernity, consumption, social change and cultural identity.

The tour programs are researched, designed and presented by him.

Chan is licensed by the Singapore Tourism Board as a specialty tour guide, heritage category.

Academic Background:

Masters in Social Anthropology, London School of Economics (LSE), UK