TEXT BY IMAN IZZATI HAMJURI AND JOLEEN CHEW‍

”Who are you?”— simply ask the Gen Z’s, and they will tell you more about themselves and what inspires them. But when the question “What are you?” arises, it is not as simple. Our diverse and multicultural community has resulted in the rise of a singular global culture, leaving individuals of mixed cultures and diasporic identities to feel out of touch from their cultural roots. In the past, Chinese communities sustained their “Chineseness” in their day-to-day trading activities. Strengthening business ties among the Chinese, especially in industries like selling of construction, commodities and furniture were important as well. However the new generation takes a different approach to expressing their Chinese identities.

Rather than just preserving our culture, we reimagine them by blending cultural practices, craft and even garments with contemporary design. We create spaces that embrace the development of Chinese culture uniquely to its time and place, yet still retaining its root values. A recent revival of a long forgotten Singaporean festival showcases the persistence of a culture for generations to come. Celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the Qixi Festival is a celebration of mastery and craftsmanship. Lynn Wong, the founder of Qixi Fest, shares her efforts to revive the festival and bring it back to the streets of Chinatown after its disappearance of over 50 years.

ARTWORKS BY TANG MOROKAT PECH‍

Nearly every civilization has a “Wish Upon A Star” festival since the Han dynasty. It is believed that if people sing praises about their crafts, their wishes will be fulfilled faster. In a Singaporean context, the festival is about crafts, mastery, and our foremothers- the driving force behind the Qixi Festival- the amah or majie community. These women, who were sworn to celibacy, worshipped the Seven Sisters for their skills in needlework and crafts. The amahs would work on the craftworks to be displayed during the festival in their leisure time and after hours. Qixi Fest 2023 allowed vanishing crafts like crochet, lantern and effigies to take the spotlight.

Literary art forms such as Chinese riddles, calligraphy and poetry were also featured in the festival. An embodiment of honour, perseverance and compassion, effigies are wooden statues that represent divinity and humanity combined. They are crafted using ‘Qixian’ (漆线) which means ‘painting lines’ in Hokkien. A traditional technique is applied to depict intricate motifs found on the robes and armour of deities, including dragons, peonies and pavilions. In the past, lanterns were elaborate and adorned with decorative trinkets like jade bangles, spools of thread, pearl necklaces, and double-sided fans. Qixi uses simpler traditional materials such as bamboo splints and paper artefacts to display the lost art of lantern-making.

A modern twist on needlework, festival attendees are able to customise their own crochet magpie plushies. Magpie birds are integral to the folklore behind the festival, symbolising good luck and harmony in Chinese culture. Often mistaken as Chinese Valentine’s Day, Lynn shares that her biggest struggle in this mission is to dispel the common misconception that Qixi has romantic associations. She shares that while it is easy to do something that has never been done before, it is harder to “try and change deeply stirred misconceptions”. She hopes that through this festival, she is able to communicate the value of perseverance and a constant strife to always be better. “Ultimately, it is your roots and your identity. Whether you grew up with it or not, ultimately it is about how you pursue it,” she adds. Lynn encourages them to be open to different experiences, and make more effort to connect with their own cultures. Despite Qixi being a Chinese festival, Lynn always considers ways to make it inclusive. This way, those who do not identify as Chinese can still resonate with the values. Workshops and talks within the festival were done in English for people who did not grow up speaking Mandarin. Unlike most cultural tributes with monochromatic images and traditional motifs, the festival had a modern take of vibrant and colourful illustrations to entice both the younger and older generations.