How is the National Library Board going to attract the crowd?

A series of programmes are organised to promote the exhibition. Weekly guided tours for schools and the public are also scheduled for the entire duration of the exhibition.

Will there be any special programmes scheduled on the opening day of the Zheng He Exhibition?

There will be a series for performances on the opening day of the exhibition from 4-6pm at Plaza.

Visitors can expect a host of enriching performances as follows:

The Journey Begins: China
Wushu Demonstration by Pasir Ris Zone 12 RC
Featuring 28 kids who have 'wushu' in performance venues as diverse as Chingay and Channel 8 Variety Shows.

Destination India
Temple of Fine Arts
3 Senior students from this renowned Indian arts society will perform a sitar and tabla recital.

Destination Malaysia
Malay Dance Item by Irasari Kemuning
Featuring NLB's very own Azilah from Yishun Library and 6 other dancers performing Melekeh, a contemporary Malay Dance.

Destination Middle East
Bellydance by MEDC (Middle Eastern Dancers)
Gyrating their way through a number of exotic dances including El Nassem (the Breeze) and Ammouna Fi Al-Said.

Destination Africa
West African Drum-Out
Feel the rhythm with Lila Drums (www.liladrums.com).

Will there be any guided tour for the Zheng He Exhibition?

All secondary schools have been invited to register for the guided tours. Tours for student groups last about 45 minutes and are free of charge. Each session is conducted for a group of 40 persons.

Registration should be done at least two weeks in advance and is on a first-come-first-served basis. The last date for booking a tour is 27 Jan 2006.

Schedule of school tours:
Weekly Monday and Tuesday (except on public holiday)
2pm – 3pm or 3pm – 4pm

For public tour, it will be combined with the National Library tour. Due to time constraint, the library tour will end at the exhibition with a 15-minute walk-through of the exhibition hall. Visitors will be able to experience the exhibition in greater detail at their own pace.

Schedule of public tours:

Weekly Friday(except on public holiday)
6pm –7pm

Weekly Saturday (except on public holiday)
11am- 12pm

What are some of the programmes scheduled at the exhibition?

Visitors can expect a host of enriching activities as following:

Michael Yamashita: Portraits of Colour Photography Workshop and Exhibition

The National Library and Hewlett-Packard Singapore proudly present a photographic workshop and exhibition by world-renowned National Geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita.

For the very first time in Singapore, Michael Yamashita will be sharing with professional photographers and photo enthusiasts his works taken during various expeditions, including the retracing of Marco Polo's footsteps along the Silk Road. Through Mike's stunning photography, these exotic locations are beautifully portrayed and displayed in vibrant, true-to-life colour photos printed using HP's digital photography solutions.

Michael Yamashita's works have won awards at some of the world's most prestigious photography shows, including the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Pictures of the Year Competition.

This workshop will be the launch event for the upcoming Zheng He series of programmes conducted by the National Library for the months of September and October 2005.

Admission is free. Registration is required and is on a first-come-first-served basis.

Register now at:

[Morning session]
http://www.dnmweb.com/registernow/form/nlbam.asp

[Afternoon session]
http://www.dnmweb.com/registernow/form/nlbpm.asp

Venue: The Pod @ Level 16, National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street

Date: Tuesday, 16th August, 2005

Workshop sessions:
10am to 1pm
2pm to 5pm

The Portraits of Colour exhibition will be open for viewing from the 19th to 31st August at the Arts and Business Library, on the 8th Floor of the National Library Building.

Talking Zheng – What is the Zheng He phenomenon?

Join a panel of speakers including Dr Geoff Wade, Singapore Heritage Society's Dr Kevin Tan and Zheng He enthusiast Chung Chee Kit as they examine Zheng He as a socio-cultural-political phenomenon and take a closer look at the 600th anniversary celebrations from 'outside the box'.

The panel will discuss the reasons behind this phenomenon and will consider the sudden surge of interest in this man, and debate if the phenomenon has a broad-based following, or is purely driven by sectorial interests like tourism, historical interests or just media hype.

Date: Saturday 10 September 2005
Time: 3.00- 5.00pm
Venue: Level 5, Imagination and Possibility

Admission is Free

Cartography Workshop

Have you ever wondered why in spite of advance technologies and modern methods of map marking, border disputes still exist and gross errors of judgment still occur in wartime? And how some of these accidents actually lead to the discovery of great lands and adventures?

Join AP David Higgit as he explores the history of cartography, its innovations and how it is linked to the subject of exploration. He will introduce participants to simple map interpretation and demonstrate the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) & Global Positioning Systems (GPS). He will also consider the different types of maps and their uses.

Date: Wednesday 14 September
Time: 7.00 – 9.00pm
Venue: Level 5, Imagination & Possibility

Admission is Free but registration in needed

Zheng He and the Formation of Southeast Asian Architecture and the City

Dr Johannes Widodo will delve into the legacy of Zheng He as manifested in material culture throughout the Southeast Asian coastal cities, especially in the fusion of Chinese and Islamic elements in urban patterns (such as the "Datuk-kong" phenomena), hybrid mosques & temples, fusion architecture, and racially mixed settlements. This presentation is aimed at promoting the spirit of peaceful co-existence among different racial and religious groups, and the celebration of cultural diversity, cherished by the multi-cultural communities in Southeast Asia since its early formation until now – things that we seriously need at the present.

Date: Saturday 24 September 2005
Time: 3.00- 5.00pm
Venue: Level 5, Imagination & Possibility

Admission is Free

Zheng He's Voyages and the Malay Community

Very few Malays would know of the close ties that Admiral Zheng He had with the Malay Community. Zheng He himself was a Muslim who made a great contribution to the spread of Islam 600 years ago. Fewer would have known that there were actually experts and Islamic scholars amongst his crew. Join Mr. Jaffar Kassim as he talks about the many contributions and impact that Zheng He had on the Malay community at this talk.

Date: Wednesday 28 September 2005
Time: 7.45 – 8.45pm
Venue: Level 5, Imagination & Possibility

Admission is Free

Who are the Peranakans?

According to local Malaccan traditions, the Peranakans were descendants of a Chinese princess Hang Li Poh and her entourage. As an unforeseen outcome of Zheng He's imperialist venturing, a group with a very strong and distinct identity – and one that is neither completely Chinese nor Malay - was born.

Peter Wee, a local Peranakan will adopt an investigative enquiry approach to explore how various aspects of the culture have evolved and consider: Where did the Peranakans come from? Who is or is not a Peranakan? What are the difference between the descendants of later settlers from the Southern coast of China and the Peranakans? And with the increase in inter-marriage, are there any real Peranakans left?

Date: 12 October 2005
Time: 7.00 – 9.00pm
Venue: Level 5, Imagination & Possibility

Admission is Free

What does it mean to be an Explorer in Singapore?

The process of exploration itself is full of paradoxes: an expeditionary failure may even mark the beginning of one's success, as illustrated in the case of David Lim, who became a successful motivational speaker. And why do national expeditions include foreigners (e.g. Sir Edmund Hillary who was a Kiwi in a British expedition when he was the first man to scale Mount Everest)? And finally, what happens when there is nothing left to explore or climb?

In this panel discussion, local explorers including Stefen Chow from the NUS Mountaineers who recently returned from Everest, Wilfred Tok who has climbed the highest peak in the Americas, Anaconda; and Dr. Chan Yew Wing, who has led and coordinated numerous expeditions to remote areas, will discuss these paradoxes and also consider the economics and sponsorship of exploring – what happens if a sponsored expedition fails?

Date: Saturday 22 October 2005 Time: 3.00 –5.00pm Venue: Level 5, Imagination & Possibility

Admission is Free