Chinatown's Chinese New Year Street Market resumes after two years

04 Jan 2023

Lianhe Zaobao, 4 Jan 2023, 时隔两年再举办 牛车水年货市场街头热闹街尾冷清​ (summarised translation)
 
SUTD students: For the Lunar New Year lighting decorations, the eyes of the rabbit were the most challenging to design
Among the many large and small Lunar New Year light decorations in Chinatown, designing the eyes of the 496 rabbits was the most challenging.
 
The theme for this year's Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown is “Leaping into the Prosperous Year of the Rabbit”. The light-up along New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street was designed by 14 students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) within the span of about five months.
 
Lim Pei Ying (22), a third-year student who was part of the design team, said that the lighting decorations are divided into four scenes, including the harvest season in the farmland, purchasing Chinese New Year goodies at the night bazaar, spring cleaning and reunion with the family, reflecting people's preparations for the New Year. “We hope to present the feeling of anticipation and excitement for the New Year.” She also said that the rabbits’ eyes were the most difficult to design, because the eyes are the soul, and there is a fine line between cute and scary.
 
Another student, Brayden Tang (22), born in the Year of the Rabbit, felt it was very meaningful for him to be part of the design team. He said that every Chinese New Year, his parents would take him to the Chinese New Year bazaar and view the light-up. “Seeing the public taking photos of the light decorations that I designed with smiles on their faces, I think it is very meaningful and cool.