SINGAPORE – In May 1968, Mr Chia Chin Liang was among more than 100 men who reported to Hong Lim Community Centre for national service enlistment.
“I remember that day vividly. It was a bittersweet experience followed by tough times during the next two years,” said the 86-year-old former pier superintendent.
The moment was captured in a photograph that is now part of a 100-photo exhibition launched on Wednesday by Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.
The exhibition, titled Capturing A Century: A Visual Journey, celebrates the centennial of the newspaper. It features photos taken by Lianhe Zaobao’s photojournalists and from the archives of Nanyang Siang Pau and Sin Chew Jit Poh, which merged in 1983 to form the Chinese-language newspaper.
It explores five main themes: national development, Covid-19, political milestones, life and culture, and major local news events.
The exhibition will showcase Singapore’s past and present, from the challenges of the nation’s birth to the advancements of modern times, and also feature images of some of Singapore’s most iconic moments come to life with animated effects by scanning QR codes.
Admission to the exhibition is free, and it runs from Wednesday to Sunday at the Level 3 Atrium of Raffles City Shopping Centre.
Lianhe Zaobao will also host similar mini exhibitions at the Bedok Public Library and Jurong Regional Library from April 8 to May 8, and from April 10 to May 8 at the Woodlands Regional Library.
The daily will also feature photos and videos from the main exhibition on its website and social media platforms.
At Wednesday’s launch event, Lianhe Zaobao executive editor Han Yong May lauded photojournalists for their contributions.
“Photojournalists are usually the first on the scene, and have a key role in illustrating the scene to their readers,” she said in Mandarin. “No words can describe the brilliance of the 100 photos displayed here. In English, there is an idiom, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. In these 100 photos, there are 100,000 words.”
The guest of honour, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, spoke about the advancement of photojournalism and its importance in quality news reporting.
“The mainstream media carries a responsibility and I think it is important,” said Mr Tan.
“It is a role for which I have a deep regard, as you continue to record history, to tell stories as impartially as you can, and to capture as much as possible of the whole context and backdrop to what’s happening around us.”
