Celebrating the 75th Anniversary
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary with 1,000 People
November 19, 2017
The Blue Cross Charitable Institution celebrated the birthday of Patriarch Song Dafeng, the 75th anniversary of its establishment and the 15th anniversary of managing Blue Cross Rainbow Nursing Home. A dinner for 1,000 people was held at Hall 7 of Singapore Expo this evening (Sunday). The guest of honor was Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, and the special guest was Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chin Chuan.
The invited guests from home and abroad included the Xiu De Shan Tang, Tong Feng Shan Tang, Bao De Shan Tang and Ming Xiu Shan She from Malaysia, Shantou Cun Xin Shan Tang, Chaoyang Bao De Gu Tang, Chaoan Da Wu Xiu De Shan Tang, Anbu Tong Feng Shan Tang, Dong Feng Tong De Welfare Society, and representatives from Indonesia Tong Xin Shan She, totaling about 100 people.
The Teochew band led by two local Teochew music masters will also jointly present Teochew gongs and drums and Teochew music at the dinner.
The Blue Cross Charitable Institution is a joint organization of ten local historic charity halls to promote and carry forward the spirit of Patriarch Song Dafeng's compassion and saving the world and the people.
For this celebration, the Blue Cross Charitable Institution mobilized 80 people in the seventh exhibition hall of the Expo Center to build a huge rice figure of the Patriarch Song Dafeng with 3,000 kilograms of white rice and brown rice. It is as big as a basketball court for everyone to pray and watch.
Yesterday, the huge Patriarch Rice Figure successfully obtained the record certificate of the largest rice figure exhibition issued by the local "Singapore Book of Records", adding brilliance to the celebration.
Lin Xidi, chairman of the Blue Cross Charitable Institution, said that the Patriarch Rice Figure is paved with white rice and outlined with red brown rice. The rice figure is 72 feet long and 48 feet wide, solemn and spectacular. After winning the award yesterday, everyone was overjoyed. This is also the result of the concerted efforts and close cooperation of all participating staff.
General Manager Yang Xunzhong said that once the offering is completed today, the white and brown rice used to build the rice image of the ancestors will be distributed to the devotees who attend the ceremony and dinner. All the white and brown rice were donated enthusiastically by the "Si Hai Zhan".
The Blue Cross Charitable Institution celebration also held a charity hall cultural exhibition in Hall 7 of the Singapore Expo. Today is the last day and the exhibition will be open until 5 pm. The venue also started a lamp offering ceremony for devotees to light lanterns and pray for blessings. In conjunction with this celebration, the Blue Cross Charitable Institution specially invited Dr. Li Zhixian to compile a book: "Blue Cross Spring and Autumn: A Study of Chaoshan Charity Halls". Honorary Consultant Li Yuyun presided over the release ceremony on the 11th of this month.
