Singapore is a splendid place with an amazing array of cultures and sensibilities.  They make up the heartbeat of the city state, giving it a constant rhythm that is constantly shifting.  Travelers here find a superb sense of style in the streets, where the locals combine the best of all the traditions, mixed with a marvelous playfulness that finds all the intricate beats of pop culture and absorbs them to make new forms.  This is reflected in the fashion, the design, and the art.  It’s also apparent in the cuisines, and there is a spectacular selection of tastes and cooking traditions to choose from here.

There is a great variety in Chinese, Indian, and Malay cooking, and some of the very best Japanese restaurants in the world.  The Japanese influence on the place is perhaps best evidenced in its cooking, where tradition is something that is revered and carefully studied, and contemporary innovations are added to the mix with generous flair.  Generous flair in never missing in Singapore, where the arts scene is as diverse and electric as the restaurant scene.  One of its most famous members, Kuo Pao Kun, passed on in 2002, but left a legacy that’s still very strong here, and his flair will burn on for generations.

He was a playwright, and known for his deeply human vision in his works, having witnessed the Japanese Invasion in China, as well as the People’s Liberation Armies taking over Beijing, and he was also imprisoned by the Singapore government for his writings and activism.  This ability to remain outspoken, no matter what the deep personal price, is a characteristic tenacity that followed him through all of his work here.  He is the founder of one of Singapore’s great alternative performance venues, The Substation, and also founded the Practice Performing Arts School.  He has inspired generations of new artists, and will continue how we do things in Singapore.  He opened many doors which can never be closed again.