4/1

Today was an incredibly tiring and busy day. My group woke up early and promptly set off to CMU after eating breakfast (yum), where we conducted interviews and focus group discussions with the students and professors there for the day.

As the tour bus pulled up right outside the Faculty of Fine Arts, I couldn’t help but admire the rustic appearance of the CMU campus. The buildings looked old, even older than some of the buildings in our own school. Weeping trees charmingly outlined the faculty building. The concrete ground, filled with random clumps of dirt and soil here and there, bathed in the sunlight. The wind blew ever so gently. It was empty, peaceful and quiet, and I felt calm. Even though I was on school campus, I was able to feel relaxed and I immensely enjoyed the atmosphere I was in. It was very zen. This is definitely in huge contrast to the crowdedness and liveliness of South Spine, North Spine, or actually any of the NTU ‘districts’ or buildings I have been in!

We made our way to a seminar room, where my group got acquainted with Prof Waranan Sowannee, the Dean of Fine Arts. Prof Waranan is a 70-year-old grandfather and a proud Chiang Mai-an. Like any other local, he has a cheerful demeanor and a great smile. He excitedly shared with us about the history of Chiang Mai and ‘lanna’ culture, something he referred to as ‘sticky rice’ culture too. ‘Lanna’ culture is a combination of a myriad of elements brought together from traditional and multi-ethnic contexts. ‘Lanna’ directly translates to 1 million rice field, reflective of the vast rice fields in Chiang Mai. Prof Waranan enthusiastically discussed the region’s colourful customs and tradition, emphasizing the importance of beauty and symmetry in every action taken by Chiang Mai-ans. What I found interesting was how the role of men in the region was significantly downplayed and perceived as less important than the role women played from the 17^th century. Women were the head of the household, often experts in business and accounting. On the other hand, men were expected to be knowledgeable in art forms, such as painting and handcrafting goods. Men were expected to be active in courting the woman of their choice and came under critical scrutiny of their potential mother-in-law. How strange, especially in today’s context where men are typically thought to be the head of the household! Prof Waranan’s soon sharing came to a close, and we proceeded to have lunch at a nearby hotel.

After lunch, we listened to Prof Andrea and Prof Walsh (the two profs attached to our group) discuss about topics relevant to cultural preservation, such as heritage being regarded as a methodical science and how it is inextricably linked to politics. The greatest takeaway I had from both their lectures is the idea that heritage is ultimately the treasure of human experience. It is our responsibility to actively preserve our own culture and roots. In fact, we are obliged to do so. Culture plays a big role in each and every aspect of our life. It has significantly developed us into the people we are today and we ought to ensure that heritage is not lost or ignored as new ideas surface. I am greatly inspired by how passionate both Prof Andrea and Prof Walsh are about heritage preservation, and amazed at the lengths they have gone in ensuring that neglected cultures around the world are not forgotten. Heritage demands to be felt, heard and observed.

My team subsequently carried out focus group discussions and interviews with the CMU students assigned to our group. It was very interesting to gather different local responses and insight regarding Chiang Mai’s ‘lanna’ culture, and how Chiang Mai-an youth today perceive what heritage truly means to then. To our surprise, many of them said that they perceive heritage as the harmony of diverse cultures. For Chiang Mai-ans, there is effectively no one custom or tradition that is prominent in shaping their own national identity. This made me think of our own local heritage, and what it means to us. Similar to Chiang Mai, we do not derive our national identity from a dominant culture or tradition. I feel that we derive our sense of identity from the fact that we are one people, one nation, one Singapore (I just had to), regardless of race, language or religion. How interesting to be able to draw parallels between Chiang Mai and Singapore! It was insightful and enjoyable being able to talk to the CMU students and professors.

Today has been an extremely productive and fruitful day for me and my group mates. The day officially concluded with a delicious bowl of beef noodles from a street stall nearby Le Meridien. It has been a fulfilling day, and I can’t wait to visit the different heritage sites tomorrow!