Many would have tried Hinghwa (PuTian) cuisine but did you know that there is much more to the Hinghwa culture? The inaugural Hinghwa Food and Cultural Festival will be happening from 12 to 17 March 2024 at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Orchard Road. It will feature authentic Hinghwa delights and cultural performances to showcase the heritage of the Hinghwa people.
Learn about Hinghwa Food & Culture
Expect festival highlights including 20 types of Hinghwa dishes, opera performances, Shaolin Kungfu performances, Hinghwa handicrafts and more!
The Hinghwa Food and Cultural Festival is organised by Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network and supported by the Putian Municipal People’s Government.
Must-watch Performances at of Hinghwa Food & Cultural Festival
Get ready to be enthralled by the performances at the Hinghwa Festival. One highlight is the Puxian Opera by a renowned opera troupe hailing from China. It will be presenting u踏伞行 (Ta San Xing), a performance that has received nation-wide recognition with its debut during the Spring Festival Gala 2023 broadcasted across China. It also clinched the prestigious “Wenhua Award” – one of China’s national awards for the performing arts at China Art Festival. Puxian opera has its historical roots in the Tang and Song dynasties.
See the real deal of Shaolin Kungfu live at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. Watch high-energy and adrenaline-charged performance by the Southern Temple Shaolin Monks as they showcase their Kungfu mastery.
Apart from Shaolin Kungfu and Puxian Opera, the festival will have other edutainment segments to further our understanding and better appreciate the Hinghwa culture and heritage.
History of the Hinghwa People
Who are the Hinghwa people? The first of the Hinghwa community arrived in Singapore in the late 19th century from Putian, also known as Henghua or Hinghwa, a city in East China’s Fujian province. The Putian city has a long and distinctive history, and has been designated as a national historical and cultural city in China.
According to the Census of Population 2020, there are about 27, 000 Hinghwa people in Singapore. There could be many more Hinghwas, but many had categoried themselves as belonging to the Hokkien dialect group instead.
Mr Fong Chi Chung, President of Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network, said, “We set up the Singapore Puxian (Hinghwa) Network to bring together descendants of the Hinghwa who are working and living in Singapore. We have since grown from about 200 members to about 700 members today. We have organised many events and even tours to Putian China and our members have greatly supported these activities and feedback that they enjoy them very much. Organising a food and cultural festival in a big-scale manner will hopefully help foster deeper understanding and appreciation of the Hinghwa culture among the general public, and we look forward to welcome everyone from Singapore and the region to join us.”
Six-day Hinghwa Food & Cultural Festival
When:12 to 17 March 2024
Where: Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza
