Does Crazy Rich Asians showcase the real Singapore? Our expert investigates
Singapore is said to be home to one in 25 of Asia’s richest people. And in data published by the International Monetary Fund earlier this year, the Little Red Dot was ranked the fourth richest nation in the world, with a GDP per capita of US$98,014 (￡76,134), trailing behind only Qatar, Macau and Luxembourg. The UK’s figure is $39,899 (￡31,105).
How apt then that the city-state provided much of the backdrop for the latest blockbuster all-Asian and Asian-American cast film, Crazy Rich Asians, which hauled in a staggering US$60 million (￡46.6m) during its second week of global debut, and looks set to be a continuing success.
But is this Singapore Tourism Board-backed production by Singapore-born writer, Kevin Kwan, reflective of true Singaporean life? And should you use its filming locations as a blueprint itinerary for a visit? Maybe not.
When screen anchor Nicholas Young (played by Henry Golding) and his protagonist Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) arrived in the city, they were seen feasting on satay, laksa and carrot cake, among other popular street food, at the Newton Food Centre. We don’t blame the tourist chiefs for wanting to showcase this newly renovated alfresco food centre teeming with about 100 food stalls for a glorious showcase of the city’s vibrant hawker vibes.
Most Singaporeans, however, prefer to go off the beaten path for their favourite hawker fare - char kway teow at Hong Lim Food Centre and satay at East Coast Food Centre. If you ever find yourself at Newton Food Centre, you should navigate your way to Soon Wah Fishball Kway Teow Mee at #01-69 for one of the city’s tastiest handmade fish dumplings.
Young’s best friend, Colin Khoo (Chris Pang), married his sweetheart Araminta Lee (Sonoya Mizuno) in a gothic chapel scene complete with stained glass at Chijmes, a former Catholic convent school restored and repurposed as a multi-purpose complex with a function hall, shops and restaurants. They also adjourned for a full-on after wedding party among the avatar-esque Super Trees Grove at Gardens by the Bay thereafter.
Chijmes indeed provides a charming wedding venue, as does Gardens by the Bay, but in terms of exclusivity, these options may not be quite as special for the moneyed crowd as say booking the entire 10-hectare Nikoi Island (nikoi.com) for an overnight wedding bash. The rates of up to S$22,000 (￡12,467) per night for up to 42 guests will hardly create a dent in the credit cards of the super-rich. The only catch is that Nikoi Island is located off the coast of Bintan and a good two-and-a-half schlep hours away from Singapore.
Chu and her Singapore girlfriend Peik Lin (Awkwafina) were also seen sipping cocktails, while discussing a possible strategy to manage Young’s difficult mother, at the terrace of Humpback restaurant at the shop houses-lined Bukit Pasoh Road in Chinatown.
The scene provided a glimpse into one of the city’s unique features - the two to three storeys-high mixed-use vernacular architecture buildings commonly seen in South East Asia with a shop on the ground floor for commercial activities and accommodation tucked above the shop. Shop houses are a dime a dozen in Singapore but anyone willing to discover the city’s prettiest ones, some adorned with colourful Peranakan tiles, will do better with a walking tour in the Joo Chiat enclave.
While you’re at it, head to Kim Choo Kueh Chang (60 Joo Chiat Place) and buy a bamboo leaf-wrapped bak zhang, a glutinous rice dumpling traditionally enjoyed by the Chinese during the Dragon Boat Festival but available year-round. Better yet, make an appointment to visit The Intan (the-intan.com), a private home museum at Joo Chiat terrace curated by Alvin Yapp, who has amassed an extensive collection of Peranakan relics and artefacts over the last two decades. I guarantee it would be more enriching than drinking cocktails in a shop house-based cocktail bar.
Crazy Rich Asians has no doubt put Singapore on the map as a party town for the rich but by no means should any one visit with the misconception that the city caters exclusively to the Champagne-toasting crowd. It could be all bling and extravagant parties if you wish but the city reveals the depth of its riches when one chooses to explore its heritage, diversity and juxtaposition.
Perhaps the most accurate depiction of Singapore life in the film comes from a line by Young’s mother, played by Michelle Yeoh, that mums like her are “obsessed about shaping their children’s lives”, alluding to the city’s “kiasu” (afraid to lose) mentality. Given the questions Crazy Rich Asians has raised about the city-state and its way of life, this theme alone could be the basis of another made-in-Singapore hit.
Crazy Rich Asians is released in the UK on September 14