The place where most families go to pay respects to their loved ones whom have passed on. Bukit Brown Cemetery, also known to the local community as Kopi Sua or Coffee Hill, was a public Chinese cemetery that had been established in the early 20th Century. It was believed to be the biggest Chinese graveyard outside China, hosting about 100,000 graves. It was originally announced that in February 2012 that 5000, out of more than 100000 graves, would make way for a new 4-lane road that would cut through the cemetery. This number was reduced to 3746, from the original 5000, on 19 March 2012. It was also revealed that the rest of the cemetery would make way for a new public housing town in about 40 years time. With such a history in that place and also how my ancestors graves were affected in the building of the 4 way lane, it makes me want to explore more and find out about it. After around 30 minutes of travelling i reached the destination. Stepping into the place, i was greeted by the warm and earthly look of the nature that
embraces the cemetery.
However there were many construction works going on around the vicinity which takes away the earthly vibe in the area. This takes away the quietness from the place which is something that families would want to have when they go and pay respects. While strolling around i noticed the different styles and design of the tombstones. This shows the different culture and dialects that the person was from. I found this very interesting as it makes the place a place that is diverse in culture and dialect.
As i ventured further i saw a hut in which there was a elderly individual who is resting after cleaning some of the tombstones. It is such a beautiful sight to see people who are taking care of the tombstones, keeping it clean and neat when the families of the dead are not there to do so. All in all, even with the huge argument of whether the government should be allowed to exhume those graves for the 4 lane road and public housing project, “the old has to make way for the new”. This is especially so for Singapore as Singapore is a small country and has very little space, therefore for changes and progress to happen, places have to be exhumed to make space for future projects and buildings which helps the country to move forward.
