SM Lee Hsien Loong at the Opening of the Rejuvenated Chinese and Japanese Gardens

Professor Leo Tan, Chairman of the Garden City Fund Management Committee, 

Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, CEO of NParks,

Ministers, Cabinet colleagues,

Advisers, partners, donors, volunteers and everybody who is here

A very good morning to all of you.

Introduction

I am very, very glad to be here today for the opening of the rejuvenated Chinese and Japanese Gardens. This is a milestone that we have been long eagerly awaiting. With today’s opening of the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Jurong Lake Gardens project is now completed. 

Transforming Jurong

If you look at a satellite photo, like on Google Maps or Apple Maps, you will see very clearly the big green space that is Jurong Lake Gardens. It is our only National Garden in the heartlands. A 90ha oasis amidst the urban landscape; the green heart and centrepiece of a bustling Jurong region.

The Gardens have been an integral part of modern Jurong, right from the beginning. Back in the 1960s, Jurong before it was developed was just jungle and swamps, with a few kampungs and orchards. Our founding leaders made comprehensive plans to develop Jurong and transform it into an industrial estate – an engine of growth to drive our industrialisation and our economic development.

I remember following my father to visit the development works at the Jurong industrial estate in the 1960s, as a teenager. At that time, the swamps were being filled, the mangroves were being cleared, squatters were being resettled and land was being prepared for factories, but mostly the land was still bare hills and exposed earth. Factories were yet to come. One of our stops was at the mouth of the Jurong River. We had built sluice gates there to dam up the river and create a new freshwater reservoir. The sluice gates I think, are still there. The works were completed in 1971, forming Jurong Lake. It provided a beautiful setting for the Japanese Garden which was completed in 1973, and the Chinese Garden soon after in 1975. The two gardens added to the growing range of amenities in Jurong.

JTC had built flats to be used as quarters for factory workers in Jurong too, but at first nobody wanted to stay here. It was too ulu, and workers much preferred to stay in town and take the long commute to work. Over the years, with the development of more community facilities, Jurong became more liveable, and the population grew. We developed new residential areas – Taman Jurong and Boon Lay in the earlier phase, then came Yuhua, Hong Kah, and other estates. Later, as more estates were completed, we aggregated them into townships – forming the New Towns of Jurong East and Jurong West. As families moved in, the two gardens became increasingly popular. Both for the locals, as well as visitors from other parts of Singapore, and from the rest of the world.

Today, Jurong is a vibrant and thriving region. Many MNCs, tertiary institutions, and research centres are based here. And over one million residents call Jurong home.

But we have not stopped upgrading and rejuvenating the Jurong region. We have built many new homes here, with more in the pipeline. As well as new shopping malls and healthcare facilities. Every weekend, residents from Jurong and further afield go shopping at Jem and Westgate. The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is right here on your doorstop. And in a few years’ time, the Integrated Transport Hub and the Jurong Region MRT Line will begin operations, offering even more convenient public transport options.

10 years ago, I happened to visit the Chinese and Japanese Gardens – jalan jalan on leave. I had not been there for a long while, I was very happy to be back. They were still very nice, but I noticed that the Gardens still looked basically the same as they did in the 1970s, when I brought friends and visitors here as a young man. So I suggested to the planners to consider upgrading and refreshing the Gardens. Keep the landmarks, but let us do something more with the gardens, to make them even better. URA and NParks took a look, and agreed with my suggestion. So for National Day Rally that year, I announced that we would create our third National Garden – the Jurong Lake Gardens – by combining and enhancing the Chinese Garden here, the Japanese Garden – the next island, and Jurong Lake Park across the lake (which is now called Lakeside Garden). The plans also included revamping the Science Centre. We are now building a new Science Centre on the north shore of the Lake, next to the Chinese Garden MRT station. It will complete the visitor experience at Jurong Lake, where families can enjoy a nostalgic, fun, and educational day out at the Gardens.

A Garden for the people, by the people

NParks has done a wonderful job rejuvenating the Gardens. The first phase, comprising mainly Lakeside Garden, was completed in 2019. And since then, Lakeside Garden has already welcomed 25 million visitors. Quite a few of us have been there more than once. This second phase (which includes the Chinese and Japanese Gardens) took a little longer because of COVID-19, but it has been well worth the wait.

Visitors to these two gardens can enjoy a delightful blend of the old and the new. We have preserved many of the familiar structures and landforms. E.g., Cloud and Twin Pagodas, Bonsai Garden, Stone Boat, Tea Pavilion, and the Grand Arch (where we are now), as well as the marble bridge which comes across and brings us here, where a lot of wedding photos have been taken. At the same time, we have created new highlights: Like the Harvest Moon Terrace in Chinese Garden, offering picturesque views of the Lake; And the Sunken Garden in the Japanese Garden, with lush green walls and a central skylight creating a unique valley-like landscape.

Jurong Lake Gardens will cater to visitors young and old, fitness junkies and weekend warriors, human beings and pets – there is something for everybody. And especially for families, who will be happy that the annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations at the Chinese Garden is coming back this year. In fact, it is starting this evening with the largest edition of Lights by the Lake, with 300 lanterns across the Gardens and an exciting slate of free programmes. So please join in if you can and bring your children and your grandchildren! If you have green fingers, you can learn more about sustainable gardening at the Edible Garden. The lake is especially beautiful in the evening, and it is a great place for couples to come and paktor during the golden hour before sunset, and then continue under the stars. And I am sure that photography enthusiasts – like me – will find many beautiful scenes to capture here.

I am particularly happy to note the strong public participation in the rejuvenation effort. NParks did an extensive public engagement. They received 14,000 suggestions, which helped shape their rejuvenation plans. There was also strong ground-up involvement. Students from local institutions and volunteers from Friends of Jurong Lake Gardens worked with our agencies to co-create five community plots in the new Floral Garden. Residents, grassroots leaders, and volunteers also participated in the tree planting throughout the Gardens. I would like to thank the corporate and individual sponsors whose generous donations have enabled the rejuvenation of the Gardens. Thank you for all your contributions! 

Now more than ever, we can look to JLG as a “People’s Garden” – for the people, by the people. Where all have a stake, and everyone is welcome.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude with a small piece of history. Literally, “a piece” – because right close to us, in fact at the (end of the) bridge at the arch, lies the stone commemorating the official opening of the Chinese Garden, unveiled in April 1975 by then-Minister of Finance Mr Hon Sui Sen. The stone records an exciting time of rapid progress and development, both for Jurong and for the nation. It also reflects the strenuous efforts by our founding fathers to green Singapore and make it a better home for all of us. As the late Mr Hon said at the opening ceremony: “Visits to the Garden should provide a welcome relief from the hectic pace of life most of us are keeping.” A lot of things have happened, but this has not changed. We are still keeping a hectic pace of life and we still enjoy welcome relief in the gardens. So in this spirit, may the newly rejuvenated Gardens offer Singaporeans a green sanctuary for many decades to come.

With that, I am very happy to declare the Jurong Lake Gardens officially completed! 

Thank you very much.