Lianhe Zaobao takes Singapore culture to Shanghai and Beijing with inaugural festival

The festival will present a range of Singaporean cultural offerings to audiences in China’s two largest cities, Shanghai and Beijing, including music, film and food.

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM DAVID NEO/FACEBOOK

Published Sep 18, 2026, 01:10 PM

Updated Sep 18, 2026, 01:10 PM

Lianhe Zaobao launched the inaugural Singapore Cultural Festival in Shanghai and Beijing to showcase Singapore's diverse culture through music, film, food, and exhibitions, supported by the Ministry of Culture.

The festival features performances by Singaporean musical groups blending traditional and modern styles, film screenings with director Q&As, and a unique dining experience highlighting Singapore's culinary evolution.

A cultural seminar and an interactive exhibition on Singapore’s multiracial identity deepen understanding and promote cultural exchange between Singapore and China.

SINGAPORE – A new festival showcasing Singaporean culture was launched in Shanghai on Sept 17 by SPH Media’s flagship Chinese-language daily, Lianhe Zaobao.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth , the festival will present a range of Singaporean cultural offerings to audiences in China’s two largest cities, Shanghai and Beijing , including music, film and food.

The festival will take place in Shanghai from Sept 19 to 20 and then move to Beijing from Sept 24 to 26 . It aims to deepen mutual understanding between the communities of Singapore and China.

Lianhe Zaobao editor Ang Yiting said the paper does not only report news, but also engages deeply with Chinese-language education and cultural preservation.

“We hope that our first Singapore Cultural Festival will allow our friends in China to experience and appreciate the diversity, multifaceted nature and vibrancy of Singaporean culture through multiple senses and dimensions,” said Ang.

The launch ceremony drew a large attendance of more than 200 guests from Singapore and China, representing the government, business, cultural and media sectors. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo opened the festival alongside Ang.

In a post on Facebook on Sept 18 , Neo said the festival is a celebration of the enduring friendship and cultural ties between the two countries.

He said: “Singapore’s cultural story is shaped by our multicultural society. Traditions brought by generations of Chinese migrants have taken root and evolved alongside the heritage and influences of our indigenous, Malay, Indian and other communities – giving Singapore a distinctive cultural character of its own.”

Audiences in Shanghai and Beijing can look forward to performances by two Singaporean musical ensembles, the Siong Leng Musical Association and Artusik , at the Shangh a i Oriental Art Centre and the Dahua City Performing Arts Centre in Beijing .

The Siong Leng Musical Association’s performance will combine traditional Nanyin – a music genre that originated as court music during the Han Dynasty – with Indian classical dance. Artusik’s multi-ethnic ensemble will blend traditional Malay instruments, Chinese music and Western elements.

Singaporean stories of family ties, identity, migration and social change will also be played out on the silver screen at Shanghai’s Film Art Centre and the China Film Archive in Beijing.

The curated showcase comprises Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers (2026) , which was selected as Singapore’s Oscars entry for 2027 , He Shuming’s Ajoomma (2022), the short-film anthology 667 (2017) and Ang Geck Geck’s Ah Girl (2026) .

After each screening, the directors will share behind-the-scenes insights and take part in a question-and-answer session about their creative process.

Also on the menu at the festival will be a gastronomic experience put together by Singaporean chef Justin Quek and culinary researcher David Yip, charting the evolution of Singapore’s cuisine from colonial times to the present day.

The bespoke dining experience held at Jing An Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai and Kerry Hotel in Beijing will feature dishes blending Hokkien and Teochew culinary traditions brought by Chinese migrants, with later influences from Malay and Indian cuisines.

The Kerry Hotel in Beijing will also be host to a cultural seminar on Singapore’s distinct culture. The panel forum will feature Nanyang Girls’ High School principal Siau Fong Hui, Singapore Chinese Orchestra composer-in-residence Wang Chenwei and film-maker Eva Tang.

The festival will also feature an exhibition curated by the National Heritage Board, using interactive installations and multimedia presentations to show Singapore’s complex social fabric as a multiracial society.

Titled Singapore, In Perspective , the exhibition looks at national identity through places of worship, public housing estates, food, language, music and family life.

SPH Media’s Chinese Media Group editor-in-chief Lee Huay Leng said: “As the Chinese-language news media at the heart of this cultural ecosystem, we consider it our fundamental duty to deliver objective, balanced news reporting and our responsibility to promote cultural exchange.

“We have long held that cultural exchange cannot be confined to the printed page or the digital screen; it must be lived and felt through face-to-face engagement.”

该文化节将向中国两大城市上海和北京的观众呈现一系列新加坡文化作品，包括音乐、电影和美食。

图片：截图来自 DAVID NEO/FACEBOOK

发布于 2026 年 9 月 18 日下午 1:10

更新于2026年9月18日下午1:10

《联合早报》在上海和北京举办了首届新加坡文化节，通过音乐、电影、美食和展览展示新加坡多元的文化，并得到了新加坡文化部的支持。

该节日包括新加坡音乐团体融合传统与现代风格的表演、电影放映及导演问答环节，以及展现新加坡烹饪发展历程的独特餐饮体验。

一场关于新加坡多元种族身份的文化研讨会和互动展览，加深了新加坡和中国之间的了解，促进了两国之间的文化交流。

新加坡——新加坡报业控股旗下旗舰中文日报《联合早报》于9月17日在上海推出一项展示新加坡文化的新节日。

在文化、社区及青年部的支持下，该艺术节将向中国两大城市上海和北京的观众呈现一系列新加坡文化作品，包括音乐、电影和美食。

该节日将于9月19日至20日在上海举行，随后于9月24日至26日移师北京。其目的是加深新加坡和中国社区之间的相互了解。

《联合早报》编辑洪宜婷表示，该报不仅报道新闻，还深入参与汉语教育和文化保护工作。

“我们希望首届新加坡文化节能够让中国的朋友们通过多种感官和维度体验和欣赏新加坡文化的多样性、多面性和活力，”Ang说道。

启动仪式吸引了来自新加坡和中国的200多位嘉宾出席，他们代表了政府、商界、文化界和媒体界。文化、社区及青年部长梁智强与Ang共同为电影节揭幕。

9 月 18 日，Neo 在 Facebook 上发帖称，该节日是为了庆祝两国之间持久的友谊和文化联系。

他说：“新加坡的文化故事是由我们的多元文化社会塑造的。一代又一代华人移民带来的传统已经生​​根发芽，并与我们原住民、马来人、印度人和其他族群的文化遗产和影响共同发展演变，从而赋予新加坡独特的文化特色。”

上海和北京的观众可以期待在上海东方艺术中心和北京大华市表演艺术中心欣赏到新加坡两个音乐团体——祥岭音乐协会和Artusik的演出。

祥岭音乐协会的演出将融合传统南音（一种起源于汉代宫廷音乐的音乐类型）与印度古典舞蹈。Artusik的多民族乐团将融合马来传统乐器、中国音乐和西方元素。

新加坡关于家庭关系、身份认同、移民和社会变迁的故事也将在上海电影艺术中心和北京中国电影资料馆的银幕上上演。

本次精选展映影片包括陈哲艺执导的《我们都是陌生人》（2026），该片被选为新加坡角逐 2027 年奥斯卡金像奖的代表作品；何树铭执导的《阿祖玛》（2022）；短片合集《667》（2017）；以及洪基基执导的《阿妹》（2026）。

每场放映结束后，导演们将分享幕后故事，并参与关于创作过程的问答环节。

此外，本次美食节还将推出由新加坡厨师郭俊杰和烹饪研究员叶大卫共同打造的美食体验，展现新加坡美食从殖民时代到今天的演变历程。

在上海静安香格里拉大酒店和北京嘉里大酒店举办的定制餐饮体验，将以融合中国移民带来的福建和潮州烹饪传统的菜肴为特色，并融入后来的马来和印度菜肴的影响。

北京嘉里酒店还将举办一场关于新加坡独特文化的文化研讨会。研讨会的嘉宾包括南洋女子中学校长萧芳慧、新加坡华乐团驻团作曲家王晨玮和电影导演邓丽君。

该节日还将举办由国家文物局策划的展览，利用互动装置和多媒体演示来展现新加坡作为一个多种族社会的复杂社会结构。

展览名为“新加坡视角”，通过宗教场所、公共住宅区、食物、语言、音乐和家庭生活来审视国家认同。

新加坡报业控股中文媒体集团总编辑李怀龙表示：“作为这个文化生态系统的核心中文新闻媒体，我们认为提供客观、平衡的新闻报道是我们的基本职责，促进文化交流是我们的责任。”

“我们一直认为，文化交流不能局限于纸面或电子屏幕；它必须通过面对面的交流来体验和感受。”