Dr Yee Wai Seng, Peck San Theng’s (PST) Vice Heritage Director, has a lifelong fascination with Chinese history. This passion, ignited in his youth, led him on a journey – from Pahang to Jilin and finally to National University of Singapore – all in pursuit of deeper knowledge.

Today, he shares his expertise as a lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). But Yee’s dedication extends far beyond the classroom. For the past five years, he has tirelessly volunteered his time after work at PST. Here, he meticulously researches, sorts, and restores the museum’s precious collection of artefacts. Dr Yee treats these historical treasures with the utmost care, akin to prized possessions. His dedication even extends to venturing into rubbish dumps, rescuing unwanted artefacts that hold the potential to enrich PST’s collection.

About the organisation

The current Peck San Theng complex was built in the 1980s on land leased by the government, and rehouses the old Guanyin and Tua Pek Kong Temples of the old village, as well as a main administrative building that functioned similarly to the old village hall. The old Peck San Theng Cemetery was built in 1870 and supported the community of Kampong San Theng.

In 1973, government directives to close the cemetery and stop burials were passed down. The graves were exhumed, cremated, and stored in the newly constructed columbarium, designed in a strikingly modernist fashion by architect Tay Kheng Soon, who also designed Golden Mile Complex. A heritage gallery which documents the experiences of the old kampong was inaugurated in 2018.