My Connection and Perspective with the Singapore Chingay Parade – Reflections by a Non-Singaporean
These past two days, I had the privilege of attending a picture book reading workshop organized by SUSS and several Japanese experts. Participants had the opportunity to read a picture book about the Singapore Chingay Parade.
In the storybook, I saw brightly colored costumes, rhythmic music, and confident, radiant smiles from performers of different ethnicities on the same stage. These images made me truly feel that Singapore’s advocacy of multiculturalism is not just a slogan, but is being presented to the public through concrete actions.
In the process of reading picture books, Singapore’s four major ethnic groups “participate together,” and people of all ages, races, and backgrounds can become a part of it. This inclusiveness and respect allows different cultures to maintain their own characteristics while also understanding and appreciating each other. Therefore, the Chingay Parade’s significance has long transcended the festival itself. It is a vivid lesson in social education, conveying to the public, especially the younger generation, the important values of respecting differences and cherishing harmony. Presented through storybooks, cultural education becomes gentle yet powerful, allowing children to naturally understand the meaning of “multicultural coexistence” through reading.
This encounter with the Chingay Parade storybook made me realize that culture is not a distant historical symbol, but a real experience existing in daily life. It can be a parade, a story, or even a sense of identity. The Chingay Parade, through continuous inheritance and innovation, keeps Singapore’s multiculturalism vibrant amidst changing times.
For me, this reading workshop not only taught us picture book reading techniques but also deepened my understanding of Singapore’s multi-ethnic and uniquely local society, further strengthening my connection with the Chingay Parade.
这两天，我有幸参加了suss与几位日本专家组织的《绘本朗读讲座》。参与者有机会阅读了一本关于新加坡妆艺大游行（Chingay Parade）的绘本故事。
在故事书中，我看到了色彩绚丽的服饰、充满节奏感的音乐，以及不同族群表演者在同一舞台上自信而灿烂的笑容。这些画面让我真切地感受到，新加坡所倡导的多元文化并非停留在口号上，而是通过实际行动被呈现在公众视野之中。
在阅读绘本的过程中，新加坡四大种族“共同参与”，无论年龄、种族或背景，人们都可以成为其中的一分子。这种包容与尊重，让不同文化在保持自身特色的同时，也能彼此理解、相互欣赏。由此来来看，妆艺大游行的意义早已超越了节庆娱乐本身。它是一堂生动的社会教育课，向公众，尤其是年轻一代，传递尊重差异、珍惜和谐的重要价值。通过故事书这种形式呈现，更让文化教育变得温和而有力量，让孩子们在阅读中自然地理解“多元共存”的含义。
这次与妆艺大游行故事书的相遇，让我意识到文化并不是遥远的历史符号，而是存在于日常生活中的真实体验。它可以是一场游行、一段故事，甚至是一种认同感。妆艺大游行正是通过持续不断的传承与创新，让新加坡的多元文化在时代变迁中依然充满活力。
对我而言，这次朗读讲座不仅让我们学习了绘本的朗读技巧，也加深了我对新加坡多元种族的本土特色社会的认识，也让我与妆艺大游行的缘分更深刻更浓厚了。
Author: Zhang Jing
Singapore University of Social Sciences