Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History

Tyersall Park in the news again! Throughout its long history Tyersall Park has frequently been in the news: as a leftover from an ancient Malay sultanate; a prestigious stop on the colonial social circuit; a glittering royal palace; the scene of a catastrophic and mysterious fire; a hotbed of scandal and family feuds; wartime tragedies; haunted mansions and forbidden secrets. Find our more about the fascinating story of Tyersall Today’s news is all about development and land values. The region's press came alive again this week with the latest development in the saga surrounding the plot of land, (or more accurately plots of land), located in the heart of District 10, and adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Singapore Botanic Gardens. Before this week, the most recent news story came out in June this year. At the time my blog post on the story attracted over 7,000 hits, showing the incredible level of interest in the hidden history behind the headlines.  Learn More About ...

With Beijing's "Victory" parade in full swing today (September 3), I decided to write a short post about historical memory which is a key theme that runs throughout " Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History " Find out more about the book In many ways this post may also be considered as an epilogue to my recently concluded 5 part series on one of the most enigmatic characters in the book Yoshichika Tokugawa. How is VJ Day remembered across Asia—and what does that say about the stories we choose to tell? At first glance, this may seem like a departure from the storyline of Palace of Ghosts. And in a narrow sense, it is. But I’ve chosen to explore this topic because the way we remember—or misremember—VJ Day reveals deeper, unresolved tensions in historical memory. These tensions sit at the very heart of Palace of Ghosts. The book is not just about events, but about narrative power: who controls the story, what is preserved, what is buried. The politics of ...