Chinese Gardens' faded glory

The heady climb up the seven-storey pagoda at the Chinese Garden yields a bird's-eye view of Jurong.

At your feet, a blanket of greenery curling around Jurong Lake. To the east, condominiums and Housing Board flats; to the north, the factories and power plants that populate Jurong Industrial Estate.

But what also catches the eye is the graffiti on the walls of the pagoda. The roof beams sag, and there are tiny cracks in the walls.

"No one comes here any more. Why would they come here when there are attractions like Gardens by the Bay around?" said a 59-year-old part-time vendor, who sells potato chips and soft drinks at the entrance. He gave his name only as Mr Lee, saying he used to be an art designer.

Once a popular tourist haunt in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinese Garden is seldom promoted as an attraction now and is deserted on most days, save for the odd runner.

Earlier this month, its caretaker, JTC Corporation, said it had planned a long list of refurbishment works for Chinese Garden, including architectural repairs and new paint.

Designed by prominent Taiwanese architect Yu Yuen-chen, Chinese Garden was touted as "Singapore's architectural pride" when it opened in 1975, a phoenix risen from what used to be marshes and swamps.

It drew many visitors from near and far, as well as couples taking wedding pictures.

Office clerk Judith Tan, 47, who took her wedding photos at Chinese Garden in 1989, said: "Back in those days, there weren't many places as scenic as Chinese Garden." Her elder sister also had her wedding shoot there.

Chef Benton Toh, 52, a Taman Jurong resident who jogs at the park, compared Chinese Garden to Haw Par Villa, a tourist attraction at Pasir Panjang.

He said: "In the '80s, this used to be a big attraction like Haw Par Villa, you know? "They had these $3 tours for Singaporeans to come here and visit. Then you could sit around and have picnics by the lakes." Chinese Garden's bamboo groves, bonsai gardens and Song Dynasty-style architecture made it a filming spot for local martial arts dramas in the 1980s and 1990s, recalled visitors such as freelance photographer Kelvin Ong, 30.

One such pugilistic drama was Men Of Valour, broadcast in 1986, about Song Dynasty Chinese general Yue Fei. It starred veteran actors Xiang Yun, Chen Liping and Chen Tianwen.

Cut to today and boards have gone up and the shutters have come down at its Stone Boat building, which used to house eateries.

Both the JTC and the Singapore Tourism Board do not track visitor numbers to Chinese Garden. But they spike during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when it offers Chinese cultural shows and lantern light-ups, and charges an entry fee.

Mr Ong, a frequent visitor to Chinese Garden since his teens, now goes there for night photography.

"It's a great place - nice and quiet. And I always go to the same spot in the pagoda for a bird's-eye view of Jurong East."

Chinese Garden, which has no entrance fee on normal days, has turned into a retreat for foreign workers on weekends and public holidays.

Some duck below ficus and yellow oleander trees, snapping selfies on their phones.

Others laze beside the ponds and lakes, chatting and eating.

Indian shipyard worker Ganapathy Balasubramanian, 30, meets his friend, construction worker Prakash Chellayan, 30, every Sunday to chat over murukku.

"We would rather come here than go to Jurong Point. It is quiet and close to nature here. It reminds us a bit of home, so we hope it stays this way," said Mr Balasubramanian.

But Chinese Garden may not stay quiet for long. Plans are afoot to turn Jurong into a massive commercial hub.

Regulars doubt that the repairs can restore it to its former glory.

"There are just too many other attractions," said Mr Toh.

Tourism experts agree that refurbishments are unlikely to resurrect Chinese Garden as an attraction for overseas visitors.

Dr Michael Chiam, senior lecturer in tourism at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said: "There is more competition now, unlike in the early days. It is more a place for locals in the community than tourists."

Mr Allan Chia, head of marketing at SIM University's School of Business, said Chinese Garden was set up to "re-create" China, which was closed to the world in the 1970s.

"Today, the wonders of China can be easily visited and what has been 're-created' is no longer attractive to locals and tourists."

Instead, he suggested that it be "redeveloped and marketed as a themed recreational park, a green lung in the midst of a developing suburban metropolis".

For regular visitors, what matters most is that repair works do not mar its charm.

Said Mr Ong: "I would leave this place as it is. The more work you do, the more it starts to resemble a concrete jungle."

jianxuan@sph.com.sg

This article was published on May 16 in The Straits Times.

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