Cover ‘Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City’ runs from now until October 9 (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
‘Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City’ runs from now until October 9 (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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The latest exhibition at the National Museum chronicles 700 years of Singapore’s transformation, showcasing over 350 artefacts and interactive experiences in celebration of SG60
Singapore’s maritime soul comes alive in spectacular fashion at the National Museum of Singapore’s newest exhibition, Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City. Running from now until October 9, this ambitious showcase celebrates Singapore’s 60th year of independence by tracing the ebbs and flows that shaped a small fishing village into today’s global financial powerhouse.
The exhibition’s narrative anchors on Singapore’s maritime connections, revealing how the sea and Singapore River have been the driving forces behind the nation's remarkable evolution. With over 350 carefully curated artefacts from the National Collection, visitors embark on an immersive journey spanning more than seven centuries of history, discovering how constant flows of people, goods and ideas from around the world have woven Singapore’s rich and diverse cultural fabric.
“As we celebrate SG60, Once Upon a Tide offers a timely opportunity for us to reflect on our nation’s remarkable journey of progress and transformation that is shaped by its connections in the region and beyond," explains Chung May Khuen, director of the National Museum of Singapore. The exhibition’s central theme of openness and interconnectedness remains deeply relevant as Singapore continues to adapt and innovate in an increasingly globalised world.
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Above The Always on the Map section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
Above The River Road section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
The Always on the Map section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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The exhibition unfolds across five distinct sections, each employing experiential storytelling to bring Singapore’s evolution to life. The journey begins with Always on the Map, where visitors walk beneath towering digital projections of waves crashing onto shores—a sight familiar to early arrivals. This section showcases Singapore’s strategic position at the crossroads of global trade networks, long before British settlement in 1819, through rare artefacts and an interactive digital experience allowing visitors to search for Singapore across different historical maps.
The River Road section transforms visitors into time travellers sailing through the Singapore River’s history. Once the lifeblood of early settlement, the river’s evolution mirrors Singapore’s economic development, fuelling industries from coaling to shipbuilding. The centrepiece Sampan Challenge invites visitors to “row across” the Singapore River, navigating past vessels and battling elements to safely deliver passengers—a playful yet educational experience highlighting the river’s vital role in the nation’s progress.
Above The Expanding Horizons section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
Above The skyline of Singapore in 1976 (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
The Expanding Horizons section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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Expanding Horizons addresses Singapore’s masterful land planning despite physical constraints. Featuring a letter from Sir Stamford Raffles to the town planning committee and a panoramic 1976 skyline painting, this section includes an innovative digital slider map visually tracing Singapore’s changing coastlines across centuries, charting the extensive history of land reclamation from colonial times to present.
The human element takes centre stage in Flows of People, celebrating the individuals who built Singapore’s cosmopolitan foundation. Through intimate audio and video testimonials, visitors hear directly from community members across generations, from early settlers to modern workers. Personal mementos and photographic artefacts reveal the diversity of those who helped build the nation, drawing compelling parallels between past and present occupations, from construction workers to caregivers.
Above A letter from Sir Stamford Raffles to the town planning committee (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
A letter from Sir Stamford Raffles to the town planning committee (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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The exhibition culminates with Making Waves, spotlighting Singaporeans, businesses, and organisations achieving global recognition since 1965. From Singlish words entering the Oxford Dictionary to local dishes celebrated worldwide, this section celebrates unique Singaporean expressions gaining international acclaim. Featured personalities include pianist Margaret Leng Tan, filmmaker Eric Khoo, and athletes such as Loh Kean Yew, Shanti Pereira and Maximilian Maeder.
Meanwhile, the museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative invites public contributions of objects and stories from contemporary “wave makers”. The contributions will help the National Museum build up its collection and tell more diverse stories of Singaporeans who make the nation proud globally.
Read more: IMDA celebrates 60 years of ‘Singaporean-ness’ through local storytelling
Above The Singapore flag flown on the summit of Mount Everest (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
Above Pianist Margaret Leng Tan’s upright toy piano which she played at the John Cage Memorial Concert at the Lincoln Center in 1994 (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
The Singapore flag flown on the summit of Mount Everest (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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The experience concludes with an innovative RFID-based personalised journey. Questions interspersed throughout encourage reflection on Singapore’s evolving identity and definition of success. Visitors receive wristbands to record responses, ultimately being assigned one of four avatars representing individual values and aspirations for Singapore's future, contributing to a collective cityscape visual.
Once Upon a Tide: Stories of the Singapore River and Surrounding Seas offers free admission to Singaporeans and permanent residents, with family-friendly features including 11 Waves of Wonder captions co-created with My First Skool educators. The exhibition represents more than a historical retrospective, it is an invitation to envision Singapore’s continued transformation in an interconnected world.
Above The Making Waves section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
Above The exhibition's RFID-based personalised experience (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
The Making Waves section of the exhibition (Photo: National Museum of Singapore)
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As Senior Editor of Tatler Singapore, Hashirin champions and refines the storytelling across platforms—curating and crafting compelling profiles, cover stories and features that spotlight visionaries shaping culture, business and impact. Driven by curiosity, she draws inspiration from the artists, changemakers and trailblazers she encounters through her work. Beyond the pages of Tatler, she is an avid supporter of local theatre and delights in seeking out art in every city she visits.
