Memories At Old Ford Factory

During one of my history lessons many years ago, I have learnt that the British surrendered unconditionally to the Japanese at the Old Ford Factory located along Upper Bukit Timah.

I had always thought that the Old Ford Factory have been left vacanted ever since the war ended.

An abandoned building with such a historical story behind it would surely be home to many grievous spirits? (I really outta hand it to my vivid imagination sometimes!)  

Coincidentally, that is where I had to pass by on my way to school every day.

Maybe that is why I would often get the creeps each time my bus pass by it during my journey to school in the pre-dawn hours.

After graduation, I was still fascinated by the rich history associated with the building (albeit still fearful of whatever thing that could be lurking inside).

What I did not know was that The Ford Motor Factory has actually resumed operations after the war in 1947 and was shut down in 1980. 

It was only a week ago that I learnt the building was gazzetted as a national monument and already turned into a exhibition gallery from 2006.

Silly me! And I thought the building is still in ruins!

Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy

In the Spring of 1974, several farmers from the Yang Village near Xi'an were digging a well when they stumbled across the most priceless archaeological discovery of modern times!

Excavations have un-earthed thousands of terracotta warriors, each with a unique facial expression and positioned according to their ranks.

They are a replica of the Qin army from more than 2,200 years ago and it was believed that each terracotta warriors were replicas of real Chinese soldiers.

The army of statues, numbering in the thousands, is testament of the forces the first Emperor of China had at his command. 

Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210BC) was the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and he was the founder of China's first empire after unifying the Seven Warring States. If this name sounded all too familiar, that was because he is the one who ordered the building and restoration of the Great Wall of China!

Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13, Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of his tomb which took 38 years to build and utilizing the labor of over 700,000 conscripts many of whom were killed to protect the privacy of the Emperor once it was done.

Tiong Bahru Estate: A Walk Through Time

That low rise building was where my Grandparents' flat once stood

My Grandparents used to reside at Jalan Membina before their old flat was demolished and redeveloped into what you see today. That was a long time ago and it was way before Tiong Bahru Plaza was even built.

During that time, we would visit my Grandparents every weekend and I remembered I could see CK Tangs Tower in the distance right from the corridor.