Chinatown is a place rich in history and cultural locale. Beyond collecting memories, Picturing Chinatown wanted to discover what would happen if we gathered a group of 12 people with a history in Chinatown or people who were passionate about the place. How would they express what Chinatown means to them in their reflections, photos and stories?
牛车水是一个拥有悠久历史和丰富本土文化的地方，除了发掘和收集往日的回忆，“光影纪实”这个作业希望集合一组对牛车水有不同理解、印象和情感的12位人士，看看能激发什么的火花？经过几轮分享交流以后，再从他们镜头下的照片，认识牛车水的不同面向，以及所表达的情感与思考。

How would they grow together if they met fortnightly for six sessions, taking pictures regularly, discussing photos, attending talks on history, urban development, visiting clan associations. Would they be able to help tease out the soul of Chinatown under the tourist façade?
他们在花了前后3个月的时间，一起穿街走巷拍摄照片，讨论摄影经验，聆听历史讲座，参观宗乡会馆，探寻城市发展与保留规划的现场，结果会是怎样的呢？在今日这商业气氛浓厚的旅游景点背后，如何触摸到牛车水本身的文史核心精髓？

This has been our experiment. In the end we had participants from diverse backgrounds ranging from their teens to their 70’s. Some had rich experiences as photographers and writers others yet others were learning to express what was in them through their more basic writing and photography skills. These are their stories.
这是一项试验性的作业。参与的朋友们来自不同背景，包括青年到七十几岁的乐龄人士，其中有经验老到的摄影师与写作人，也有的摄影新手以及还在尝试用文字记录生活的青年，这里就是他们的经历。

Methodology 进行的方法

The Singapore Heritage Society takes an active interest in how we can maintain a sense of place that is connected to history, so that we can bring greater depth and meaning to local identities. This is particularly challenging in a district like Chinatown, which has changed drastically since its tourist-oriented redevelopment of Chinatown in the late 1990s. Picturing Chinatown is our attempt to find new ways to achieve this objective.
新加坡传统文化学会积极关心如何让人们对地方空间与历史有机的联系的课题，旨在加强人们本土认同意识的深度。自上个世纪九十年代末期，在作为旅游景点的城市规划下，牛车水地貌景观发生了很大的变化，地方文史记忆与地方本身脱节在牛车水尤显严峻，《光影纪实牛车水》作业就是一项用新的方法来加强人们对地方文史感的努力。

As a process-oriented, collaborative project, Picturing Chinatown aims to go beyond documentation of stories and memories to more action-oriented community projects by utilisng the following three methods: storytelling and sharing, walking and journaling, and photographing. Walking, journaling and photographing equips participants with simple tools to sense, experience, and reflect on Chinatown’s unique social and historical landscape. At the same time, participants’ sharing and telling of stories effect deeply moving experiences and shifting perspectives, while also empowering individuals to become more involved in civic life.
这是按流程导向，共同协调进行的一项作业，期望这个能超越纪录故事与回忆，以行动为主导的社区项目，通过故事的分享、实地考察与摄影纪实三个方式，让参与的朋友亲身体验、感受与认识牛车水的社会与历史面貌，与此同时，他们本身在接触体会的过程中，会加强对牛车水印象与认识观点，这也会带来参与社会生活的力度。

Our method was simple: participants were tasked to frequent Chinatown to take photographs, to walk around the community, and to talk to residents and local businessess. They were also asked to make a walking diary to note their thoughts and observations. Our group of 12 participants and team members, a bilingual group varying in age from 18 to 70’s, met every two weeks for a sharing workshop.
进行的方法简单，首先参加的朋友得经常走进牛车水社区拍摄，跟居民与当地小贩小商们沟通交流，每次的访问必需做路线记录并把观察和想法做笔记与制图。作业组共有12名成员，拥有双语能力，年龄介于18到70几岁间，他们每半个月聚首一回进行交流分享工作坊。

The workshops tone was informal, and followed a similar format: dinner, followed by a discussion topic, and the sharing of photographs and thoughts from intervening weeks. In particular, participants discussed why they chose the photographs they did, and to reflect on the significance of particular scenes and memories to them. The primary aim of the workshops was to create a comfortable listening, discussion and conceptual space, while encouraging involvement from participants.
工作坊在轻松无约束的气氛下进行，也在餐座间讨论不同课题、分享每个时间段的走访经历，所拍的照片，所要表达的内容与感想。工作坊的基本目的是在所营造舒适的聆听、讨论氛围下，鼓励积极的参与并建立对地方时空概念。

The team feels it is important to involve a broader community of dialect and mandarin-speaking Chinatown residents and stakeholders. We utilised Chinatown vendors, and engaged Mandarin and dialect-speaking interns and translators to assist. We actively engaged with the Chinatown community. We chose to vary our workshop and dinner venues – we went to two clan associations, visited various eateries, went on a tour of Chinatown, and visited with a 4-generation family living and running businesses in Chinatown for more than 90 years. At the end of six workshops, participants produced a photo essay comprised of several images and an accompanying reflective narrative. The photo essays encapsulate a topic of their choosing, within the parameters of the question, “What Chinatown Means to Me”.
全体团队明白接触在习惯上使用华语与不同方言的社区居民的重要性。本作业在华语能力较强的见习生与翻译员的帮助下，主动跟牛车水社区与商家建立亲切的关系，他们在工作坊与进餐的地点选择也多元化，例如就曾到两家会馆进行，其它活动还包括牛车水之旅，也曾拜访一家四代同堂的家庭，这家人的家族生意在牛车水有90年的历史。六场工作访后，团队就制作摄影照片的故事集，通过照片与文字解说，在“我与牛车水”的主题底下讲述不同的故事。

The Project Team 作业团队

Chua Ai Lin 蔡爱琳
Project Leader 作业领队

I am a historian and president of the Singapore Heritage Society. In Singapore, we often believe there isn’t much history and that rapid economic change has exacerbated this. While this is true to some extent, I think there’s a lot more than meets the eye. We need to keep our senses alert to the continuities with the past and rich culture of everyday life that is around us. Chinatown is a very good example. Through Picturing Chinatown, by looking for stories of the relationship between people today and this very historic space, I hope we can begin to see the living presence of the past in our lives and understand it in a more nuanced way.
我是从事专业历史研究，现任新加坡传统文化学会会长。一般认为新加坡这个地方没有什么历史，对高经济增长的追捧，更造成这种错误观点没能纠正过来，我们需要对丰富的文化与日常周边生活的发展与转变的连续性保持敏感触觉，牛车水就是一个很好的例子。通过《光影纪实牛车水》的作业，将居民故事与过往生活空间的联系起来， 我希望从今日的生活世界里看到我们的文化与历史脉络。两者之间其实是一直生生不息的延续着。

Drawing from my masters research in visual anthropology, I designed the project using collaborative photography for place making and community building. I found my experience in this project to be personally enriching. What I found particularly meaningful were our multigenerational conversations which created meaningful connections to each other, our pasts, and to Chinatown. Unexpectedly, these visits to Chinatown and our conversations also untangled memories from my own past, and helped to renew my own understanding of the area. I am currently a PhD researcher in Anthropology from the University of Toronto. I am interested in cultural heritage and land development in Singapore, in particular the stories people tell about Singaporean heritage.
我在做视觉人类学的硕士研究时，曾经策划一项利用群队摄影来建立对地方与社区的认同意识的计划。这过去的经验与这回的参与对我来说是个人的自我提升，特别有意义的是通过跨代对话联系彼此，见到我们的过去，也认识了牛车水。最让我意想不到的是，在参与牛车水的活动中，我竟然解开记忆之锁，重新唤回我旧时的记忆，也重新认识这个地方。目前我是多伦多大学人类学博士研究生，我的研究是关于新加坡的文化遗产与地方发展，特别是民间故事里的新加坡文化遗产。

An instructional designer by training, I am a curriculum developer and trainer in an educational consultancy. I am also an avid photographer with a special interest in landscape photography. My extensive portfolio also includes cityscapes, abstracts, black and white and food photography. I am also a weekend potter. My current work on teacups and bowls focuses on elegant simplicity and functionality, in the style of fine Japanese pottery. I have recently developed an interactive iPad app, DragonFire Singapore, which showcases the traditional wood firing, and the last surviving dragon kilns in Singapore.
我是接受指导设计员的训练，目前是一所教育咨询机构的课程规划员与教官。身为摄影爱好者，对地貌景观摄影情有独钟， 拍摄的题材也涉及城市景观、抽象照、黑白照片以及美食摄影。在周末闲暇时间也学习陶艺创作，目前专注在简单优雅又实用的日式碗和茶杯。最近开发平板电脑互动应用软件，介绍本地使用传统柴木烧制陶瓷器的一座也是最后一座龙窑。

I run a Kinesiology practice in the heart of Chinatown and I consider myself a longstanding local in the area. I would love to encourage more neighbourhood collaborations and placemaking in line with my current interest in practicing urban permaculture. In a former life, I have worked in television and print journalism.
过去我是从事电视与平面媒体写作，目前我在牛车水经营一家运动机能咨询服务的公司，我以自己为牛车水的“老街坊”为豪。我会鼓励更多街坊邻里跟我一起参与并成为地方认同的共建者，这也能配合我对城市可持续农艺栽育设计的探索兴趣。

I am a 62 year old Engineer. I grew up in the greater Chinatown and I have been walking the streets of Chinatown since young. My interest is in cultural heritage. I hope that from the sharing of the experiences of this project, we can get more people to continue the journey. There is still much to be done – sharing and through the process, recording our Chinatown heritage. I am sure, from here, we will spin off to other parts of Singapore and even the world as we trace the diaspora of Chinatown residents.
我今年62岁，是一名工程师。我是在牛车水地区成长，从小就在这里穿街走巷。我的兴趣就是牛车水的传统文化遗产。我希望通过跟经验的分享可以吸引更多的人的参与，让路继续走下去。我们的工作还很多，边记录边分享的过程就是牛车水文化的传承。我相信，从今天起，这里这个起点；将激起千层浪波传到新加坡每个角落，当我们开始搜寻牛车水居民曾经留下的脚印与联系，这个波纹甚至还可以把我们带到全至世界。

Articles about Picturing Chinatown 关于《 光影纪实: 牛车水旧事新说 》的文章

Please click on the links below to read more:
请点击衔接阅读更多关于《 光影纪实: 牛车水旧事新说 》的文章:

• Picturing Chinatown: Water from the Bullock Carts, by Jean Chia (Singapore Heritage Society newsletter, ROOTS, Nov 2014)
• 《借光影追溯牛车水街坊人事》（联合早报，2014年12月28日）
• Picturing Chinatown: Through A New Lens, by Leong Yee Ting (irememberSG blog, 12 March 2015)