EMPRESS PLACE MUSEUM

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what were the reasons for the closure of the Empress Place Museum; (b) what was the total amount spent on the whole venture; and (c) what lessons were learnt from the experience.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: (a) Reasons for the closure

In February 1986, the PRC and Singapore Governments agreed to stage in Singapore a series of 5 exhibitions on PRC historical and cultural relics. This was part of our bilateral co-operation in tourism. As part of the agreement, Singapore Government formed a company, the Historical and Cultural Exhibitions Pte Ltd, to stage the exhibitions. The Empress Place Building was selected as the venue for the exhibitions. The first exhibition started in April 89 and the fifth, and last in the series, was completed on 30th April 95.

Government decided to close the Empress Place Museum from 1st May 1995 as (a) the 5 exhibitions under the bilateral agreement have been staged; and (b) the Historical and Cultural Exhibitions Pte Ltd, which operated the Empress Place Building, was not financially viable despite the support of the travel industry.

(b) Total amount spent

The entire venture cost $31 million, most of which were spent renovating the building and offsetting the operating losses.

(c) Lessons learnt

The Empress Place Building was opened in 1989 for a specific objective, namely, to stage the 5 exhibitions on PRC historical and cultural relics as part of our bilateral co-operation in tourism. It has achieved this objective. The 5 world-class exhibitions have fostered a better understanding of Chinese history and culture among the more than 1.5 million Singaporeans and tourists who visited them.

The intention when the Historical and Cultural Exhibitions Pte Ltd was set up was for the company to operate on a commercial basis with no Government subsidy. Despite the company_s marketing and publicity efforts, and the quality of its exhibits, the exhibitions did not draw in the crowds. This was especially so among locals, whose visitorship dropped from 218,000 when the exhibition first opened in 1989 to less than 40,000 a year during the last 4 years. This reflects the need for continued arts promotion among Singaporeans by the Government and interested cultural groups.