In Singapore, the term "Baba" means "Chinese man" and, by extension, the descendants of the Chinese communities that have built in the 14th century in southeast Asia and have built over the centuries many aspects of culture discomfort in their culture of origin.
The "Baba" also the head of the family that has incorporated elements of European culture through his parents and grandparents during the colonial period.
The cultural integration process that begins with this is a lesson in openness and tolerance, two subjects more than ever.
The exhibition features a collection of about 480 pieces of luxurious and refined culture of the established Chinese communities in Singapore.
The objects shown - furniture, textiles and beaded embroidery, porcelain ... - who borrow their forms, patterns and colors in Chinese and Malay cultures, mark the identity of the Peranakan. They date mostly from the late 19th century or early 20th century. This period corresponds to a major economic boom that allowed many Chinese families in Singapore to grow.
It thus marks the culmination of Peranakan communities that materialized in part by a lifestyle whose house was the heart and the sign outside the most important. Baba Bling
Who are the Peranakans?
For centuries, the riches of Southeast Asia have brought foreign traders to the region. While many returned to their homelands, some remained behind, marrying local women.
The Malay term ‘peranakan’ which means ‘locally born’ also refers to other communities that developed in Southeast Asia like the Chitty Melaka and Jawi Peranakans.
The Peranakan Chinese are descendants of Chinese traders who settled in Malacca and around the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra, as early as the 14th century. In the 19th century, the Peranakan Chinese, drawn by commerce, migrated to the bustling ports of Penang and Singapore.
The Chitty Melaka, or Peranakan Indians, descended from unions between South Indian Hindu merchants and local women, from the time of the Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century. Linguistically, the Peranakan Indians speak a type of vernacular Malay which incorporates some Tamil words.
The Jawi Peranakans (or Jawi Pekan) are descendants of intermarriage between South Indian-Muslim traders and women of the local community. The Jawi Peranakans clustered around urban centres, particularly in the trading port of Penang.
The Peranakan culture is a unique hybrid culture that is still part of Singapore’s living heritage.
