ST Singaporean of the Year 2021: Defender of Chinese heritage and culture

SINGAPORE - Being young as well as female makes Ms Lynn Wong, 32, somewhat of a rarity in Chinese clan circles.

But that does not daunt her in her aim to rejuvenate interest in Chinese culture through new ways of winning over the young.

Ms Wong, a heritage consultant and researcher, made the highly unorthodox step of giving up her PhD in business studies in 2016 to chase this goal.

Her decision was informed by her own experience of studying martial arts at Kong Chow Wui Koon, a Cantonese clan association in Chinatown, since she was 15. She said it gave her a lot - martial arts training, friendships, overseas trips, meals, solace in tough times and the space to be herself.

"In a transactional world, who gives you all these? And for free. I had such a good childhood because of the clan. I reaped the benefits and now I'm trying to give back," she said.

She currently holds several positions at the clan association, including chairman of the youth committee and vice-chairman of the gongfu, lion and dragon dance committee.

She has taken on the mantle of defender of Chinese heritage and culture, even as the forces of globalisation increasingly dilute their relevance to the young.

"If we do not do this in this generation, we may not have the chance again. Many traditions would have disappeared," she said.

In the last four years, she has devoted time and energy to "capturing and reviving disappearing foods, festivals, spaces and communities in Singapore".

Ms Wong said she wants to revitalise clan associations - set up initially to address the social and cultural needs of Chinese migrants - and preserve Chinese heritage and culture.

As a woman in sometimes patriarchal clan associations, Ms Wong knows it is a challenging task for her to bring about change, but this does not dissuade her.

"In any society, patriarchal or not, our actions speak louder than words. People start believing when we can prove we are right."