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Twelve inappropriate Chinese greeting lantern decorations will be replaced by tomorrow, after they were mistakenly produced and placed in Chinatown on Thursday last week.
The banner-shaped lanterns, which were hung on South Bridge Road before the traditional street lighting ceremony to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, had prompted public comment that they were not suited to the occasion.
For example, one lantern message was translated “bright and majestic,” while another read “joy to the nation,” phrases not commonly used to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is a time for family gatherings.
Ms Jennifer Lee, chair of the Chinatown Festival Street Lighting Subcommittee, said she had pointed out the troublesome greetings on some lanterns to her contractor after receiving internal feedback and asked that they be removed before production began.
But they realized the changes weren’t made when the lights were being tested last Friday.
“These changes were not made on time,” Ms. Lee said.
Netizens who saw the lanterns said the decorations opened Singapore’s Chinese standards to criticism. Some said that the phrases in them, like “the bright moon shines”, did not make sense.
Ms Lee said that some of the greetings, such as one saying “the stars are shining,” may seem unconventional, but that they were “to recreate Hong Kong’s famous retro vibe” with lots of neon signs.
Among the lanterns that are being replaced is the one that says “joy to the nation.”
The committee did not disclose the other designs that are being replaced, but said it is working with the contractor to replace the affected lanterns.
This year’s lighting will air live on Thursday and run until October 16.
The Chinatown Festival is organized by the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens Advisory Committee and is made up of grassroots volunteers.
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