MG Kumar, ‘Chinatown, 1965’, 2020, Oil on canvas, 24 x 28 in
‘Racks of clothes along racks of clocks, as if ticking away the fashion of the eras.
Fortune telling weight machine, I never stepped on one before.’ - "Postcards from Chinatown", Terence Heng
West of the river bank, the Teochew folk begin to set up their shops alongside their Hokkien-speaking neighbours. Soon enough, they are joined by businessmen, traders, craftsmen, hawkers and peddlers. The journey across the South China Sea has been a long one – and not without turbulence – and the journey ahead will be a longer one still. Each arises from that flowing river with cargo on their backs and a future in their eyes.