Currently the number one film in the United States and set to sweep the rest of the globe, Crazy Rich Asians, based on the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, is a rom-com about a Chinese American woman meeting her Singaporean boyfriend’s ultra wealthy family for the first time. As a huge fan of the book trilogy, the movie far exceeded my expectations. It not only captures the characters perfectly and delivered huge laughs and tearful moments, it was also a beautiful love letter to Singapore. This article won’t touch on the movie locations in Singapore but to explore the other cultural institutions that gives so much character and beauty to the city state. Future visitors to Singapore, once you’ve done the Crazy Rich Asians tour, check out these cultural sites to learn more about the country’s burgeoning art and culture scene!

Esplanade

The Esplanade is a performing arts center across the river from the Marina Bay Sands hotel and many other attractions. It consists of a huge concert hall, a theatre, specialized music stores, cafes, restaurants, and a performing arts library. The Esplanade showcases orchestra concerts, dance performances, musicals, and other theatre shows. Locals jokingly call it the durian, named after the famous spiky (and odorous) fruit because of the spicy round façade of the building. If you tell taxi drivers you want to go to the durian, they’ll know where to take you!

The Esplanade also showcases local art from photographs to drawings or mixed multimedia. If you’re walking from the MRT (subway) station, you’ll pass a long walkway that will feature art from local artists or students from primary or secondary schools. The Esplanade also offers free weekend performances at the main lobby and/or on its outdoor stage next to the river with a beautiful unobstructed view of the Singapore skyline and the Marina Bay Sands hotel (there’s a nightly laser show at 8 p.m., 9 p.m. on weekdays, and extended to 10 p.m. on weekends).

I think the most special aspect of the Esplanade is the public library specifically catered for performance arts (dance, music, stage and film). Taking over most of the building’s third floor, the 24,760 sq. ft. space is a playground for those interested in performance arts. There’s a small stage, an exhibition space, a studio for playing instruments, screening rooms, and even a café to grab a caffeine fix. The library is open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Closest MRT: City Hall (North-South, red line) or Esplanade (Circle, yellow line)

Peranakan Museum

Peranakans are descendants of Chinese immigrants to Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, who have married local women and fused local, Chinese and European traditions together to create something uniquely theirs. The movie’s set design for the Tyersall mansion has so many Peranakan touches including the tiles, vases, furniture, and paintings. The food scenes at the Tan Hua party also pay homage to special Peranakan dishes such as popiah (a type of non-fried spring roll), kueh (steamed rice flour and coconut desserts), and what looked like nasi ulum (Malay fresh herbed rice).

The Peranakan museum is situated at a small quiet street away from the hustle and bustle of large malls and traffic. It’s housed in Old Tao Nan School Building, built in 1910 in a fusion of colonial and Straits Chinese style. You will learn all about the history of the Peranakan and view pieces of furniture, cutlery, beautifully painted porcelain bowls, and ornate jewelry and clothing. There are rooms depicting an old Peranakan kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedroom. You’ll also see how they used to conduct wedding ceremonies and even funerals. If you’re curious about the food, right next door is a Peranakan restaurant called True Blue where you can sample kuehs and light meals.

Closest MRT Station: City Hall MRT (North-South, red line) or Bras Basah (Circle, yellow line)

Opening Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

National Gallery

The former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings started restoration works in 2012 to transform it into the National Gallery we know and love today. It houses the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia, and even the architecture itself is a work of art. With your admission ticket, you can go for a free docent led tour of the art collection and/or a tour of the buildings. I went on both tours and was fascinated by stories of the paintings, jail cells, and the courthouse. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining! The National Gallery also hosts internationally works like that of Yayoi Kusama, transforming rooms into magical escapes.

The Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden of the National Gallery showcases different works of art once a year. Currently, critically-acclaimed artist Rirkrit Tiravanija presents untitled 2018 (the infinite dimensions of smallness). This installation consists of a large-scale bamboo maze with a Japanese tea house at its center (yes you can go in there, and yes it’s air conditioned!). Every first Sunday of the month, they will host a free tea ceremony inside the tea house. It’s on a first come, first serve basis so make sure you experience this lovely artwork if you can. The installation will end on October 28, 2018.

Closest MRT station: City Hall (North-South, red line)

Opening Hours: Saturday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

STPI – Singapore Tyler Print Institute

Tucked away in a beautifully restored heritage shophouse in Robertson Quay, STPI showcases contemporary print art and also is a creative workshop for local artists. Do go for their free guided tours because not only will they talk about the exhibited art, they’ll also take you to the huge basement workshop that’s not open to the public. There you will see the giant print machines and learn about how they make their own paper from pulp and imprint the art onto the paper. It’s quite a long process that’s not as simple as one would imagine it to be. Before going on the tour, I hadn’t thought much about print art but now I have a whole new respect for it! There’s so much creativity, hard manual labor, and I’m sure blood, sweat, and tears that go into each work of art. We weren’t allowed to take any photos of the workshop to respect the artists’ works, so you will just have to go and experience it yourself!

Closest MRT Station: Clarke Quay (North-East, Purple line)

Regular Guided Tours: Thursdays 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays 2 p.m.

Everyone, go see Crazy Rich Asians, book your ticket to Singapore, and experience all the beautiful heritage, eat some great food, and enjoy a drink or two at incredible rooftop bars. You may or may not be crazy rich, but you will have a crazy good time!