frankie chee H olland- Bukit Timah GRC is going artsy next month. Resi- dents will be tre ated to a month of art and calligraphy exhibi tions and dance per- formances. The event, Bukit Timah Culture Festi- val, is organ ise d by the Buki t Timah Grassroots Organisations (GRO) to show- case the different cultures of Singapore. About 23 free events, by groups and individuals from Singap ore and China , will be held at locations such as the Bukit Timah Community Club in Toh Yi Drive, Jurong’s IMM Mal l and the National Library in Victoria Street. The total number of participants and audience s is expe cted to hit around 20,000 , with the organise rs spendi ng about $150,000 on the festival to reach out to the district’s 52,000 residents. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and adviser to Bukit Timah GRO, said: “We have many people of different races and nationalities in our district and we want to use culture to enhance cohesion and integration among them.” She added that Bukit Timah Communi- ty Club already has a his tor y of being involved in culture and the arts, offering calligraphy classes and competitions, and a fes tival is just the thing to take the involvement to the next level. Among the Singap ore groups taking par t are Thau Yong Ama teur Music al Association, which is active in the Teo- che w ope ra sce ne, and the Tien Heng Kang Heng Nam Drama Association, another opera troupe. There will also be a Singapore Book of Records attempt on Saturday, when 500 people will try to set a record by writing the Chinese charac ter “fu” (fortun e) at the same time at the community centre. China artist Zhang Xiang De, 47, one of the country’s most established visual artists, will also be showing his work here for the first time. The watercolour painter was awarded the gold award three times at the Beijing International Art Exposition. He is para- lysed from the waist down after being struck by polio as a child. He told Life! on the telephone from Heilongjiang: “I liked drawing when I was in elementar y school and later became more serious about it, but at that time, the handicapped weren’t allowed to study in univ ers itie s, so I was largel y sel f- taught. “I was driven by love to pursue my art. Art, to artists, is our reli gion and way of life, we can’t do without it.” About 53 of his paintings will be dis- played at the National Library. Another draw at the festival is Teo- chew opera singer Zheng Jian Ying, 64. The mai nla nd Chi nese per former has been here several times as par t of the Shantou City Teochew Opera Troupe but this trip is a family affair. Her two younger sisters, Zheng Sha, 61, and Zheng Wei, 52, and sister-in-law Xiao Bing, 47, will join her on stage. They are all Teochew opera artists and mem- bers of the China Opera Artistes Associa- tion. She said: “I am retired so I seldom per- form but the organiser has a worthy inten- tion of highli ghtin g opera and culture, and performing together with my sisters is a rare opportunity.” [email protected] PHOTOS: BUKIT TIMAH COMMUNITY CLUB BUKIT TIMAH CULTURE FESTIVAL Where: Various locations When: July 4 to Aug 2 Info: Call Bukit Timah CC on 6466-2912 for more information and programme schedule Bukit Timah gets artsy watch it Bukit Timah puts on a month-long festival of art, calligraphy, opera and more for its residents Highlights of the Bukit Timah Culture Festival include Teochew opera by Chinese performer Zheng Jian Ying (left) and an exhibition of watercolour artist Zhang Xiang De’s (right) works, including Cao Er Ye Qing Qing (Even The Grass Is Lush, below).