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Singapore Conference Hall
About
Screenshot from the National Archives of Singapore; Original Credit Line: RAFSA Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore. This image is provided for reference purposes only and is not an official credited reproduction.
Conference Hall and Trade Union House was officially opened by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 October 1965, two months after Singapore gained full independence. Kwon as the Singapore Conference Hall, it served as the headquarters of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). It was the only modern building in Shenton Way before the district evolved into a financial hub. With a seating capacity of over 1,000, the venue hosted numerous international conferences, National Day Rallies, and music performances.
In August 1988, Kuo Pao Kun staged Mama Looking for Her Cat, a multilingual play written in Mandarin, Chinese dialects, and English. After undergoing refurbishment from 2000 to 2001, the hall became home to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, which had been established in 1997. In 2010, it was gazetted as a national monument.
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Contributor
2026. “Conference Hall and Trade Union House“. In Performing Archipelagos, edited by Kyueun Kim, Alvin Eng Hui Lim and Hedren Wai Yuan Sum. Singapore: National University of Singapore.
