Clifford Pier, one of Singapore’s most iconic heritage landmarks, commemorated its 90th anniversary in June 2023 with a series of celebrations. Named after the former Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, the historic landmark was the first port of call for Singapore’s forefathers in the early days of the city-state.

Clifford Pier was famously lit by red lanterns to provide illumination for the shoreward journey, earning the affectionate title of Red Lantern Pier. Today, the revitalised Clifford Pier keeps its original architectural features and charm. It houses The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore’s eponymous event venue, The Clifford Pier, providing a stunning backdrop for corporate events, weddings and galas.

In commemoration of the remarkable milestone, the team reinstated the iconic red glass on the pier’s shoreward-facing lamps, paying tribute to the important role it played in Singapore’s early history. A photo exhibition featuring interactive displays was also launched at The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, enabling visitors to share fond memories about the legendary pier.

The Group has been partnering with the South China Morning Post on the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards since 2013. The annual award scheme pays tribute to Hong Kong’s unsung heroes, whose quiet but significant work has made a positive impact on the community and made Hong Kong a better and more harmonious place. The ceremony was graced by the Guest of Honour, The Hon Mr John Lee Ka-chiu, GBM, SBS, PDSM, PMSM, Chief Executive of the HKSAR.

Seven award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges for their remarkable accomplishments in the perseverance, community, culture, innovation, teamwork, youth and sustainability categories. The eighth award, the Lion Rock People’s Choice Award, was determined by public voting.

The Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation has forged a five-year partnership with UNESCO to support the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. A special ceremony was staged in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in November 2023 to recognise the seven China-based winners of the 2021 and 2022 cycles. Eighty-two projects from China have received UNESCO Awards, the highest number among the 47 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Daryl Ng, Director of Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Special Adviser to the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, attended the award ceremony and congratulated the award winners in person. In the speech, he emphasised the importance of heritage conservation in promoting cultural values and connecting communities, citing the example of Tai O Heritage Hotel, where restoration efforts meticulously preserved the hotel’s history and architectural significance while rejuvenating the neighbourhood. The Hotel received an Award of Merit in the awards programme’s 2013 cycle.

Sino Group and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation are delighted to support the Community Living Room project, one of the government’s key initiatives as outlined in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address.

Each Community Living Room is designed as a communal space where underprivileged families living in sub-divided flats can access safe, friendly and cosy places and facilities that feel like home and enable them to engage in activities such as studying, cooking and dining, as well as partaking in social interactions. The first programme, at Vista in Sham Shui Po, is operated by local charity the Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon.

The 8,000-square-foot venue includes a well-equipped kitchen, living room, dining area, recreational space, library and study room equipped with laptops, nursery areas, counselling rooms, fitness and sports facilities, accessible rest rooms and shower facilities, and an affordable self-service laundry room.

These shared facilities provide parents with a much-needed respite that is conducive to well-being and fostering harmonious relationships, as well as a safe and clean space for their children to do homework and participate in group activities, enabling them to grow healthily. The Lok Sing Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon also partners with local schools and universities to recruit mentors and volunteers to offer academic and personal development support to children.

The Sham Shui Po Community Living Room is expected to serve at least 500 sub–divided unit households, with about 80,000 attendances a year. Initial feedback has been very positive, and the second Community Living Room, located at Sunshine Plaza in Hung Hom, was opened in July 2024.

The Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation has forged a five-year partnership with UNESCO to support five cycles of the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. In 2022, 13 projects from six countries, namely Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand have been recognised, covering outstanding work on archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, urban streetscapes and ancient hydrological systems. Mr Daryl Ng, Director of NTFCF and Deputy Chairman of Sino Group, addressed the 2022 award winners, congratulating them on their remarkable achievements.

This is our second year of partnership in promoting transformative heritage conservation practices in the Asia-Pacific region. It holds special meaning for us as the historic Tai O Heritage Hotel, Hong Kong’s first UNESCO-awarded hotel, celebrated a decade of community making in 2022.

A committed corporate citizen, the Group has worked on a significant number of heritage projects across the region to preserve cultural heritage and collective stories for future generations, including:

• The heritage-listed former Sydney general post office (currently The Fullerton Hotel Sydney);
• Singapore’s 73^rd National Monument, the former Fullerton Building (currently The Fullerton Hotel Singapore);
• Clifford Pier, Customs House and The Fullerton Waterboat House in Singapore (currently The Fullerton Heritage); and
• The restoration of the Great Wall and Yanxi Gong in Beijing

Tai O Heritage Hotel, revitalised from the old Tai O Police Station, celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2022 with a series of community events, including ArtWalk@Tai O, a public art programme.

The first two phases saw the installation of ten murals at various locations in the charming fishing village that celebrate the beauty and character of Tai O. As part of the third phase, the hotel joined hands with the community to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit together with an installation entitled Spinning Good Wishes for the Year of Rabbit. The installation comprises 268 windmills, which in Chinese culture connote ‘movement of the heaven and earth’ and symbolise fortune, happiness and auspiciousness. Together, the 268 pieces signify ‘double happiness’ and ‘infinity’; in addition, Tai O Heritage Hotel volunteers joined with students at Tai O Primary School to hand-paint eight mini rabbits, creating a unique community art piece for the fishing village.

The Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation is joining hands with the Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation and the Hong Kong Palace Museum on Art Journey for Youth at HKPM, a multi-year partnership through which 50,000 special exhibition tickets will be distributed to primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong each year, providing our next generations with an immersive cultural experience and helping them appreciate Chinese arts and culture.

More than 900 artefacts, on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing, are on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. The cultural gems range from grade-one cultural objects, paintings and calligraphy to ceramics, jade, costumes and textiles, jewellery and rare books, many of which are being exhibited in Hong Kong for the first time. There will be workshops for young talents to learn more about Chinese history, architecture and culture at the world-class museum.

Following an extensive two-year remediation programme that spanned 98,000 working hours, The Fullerton Hotel Sydney has restored the intricate façades of the much-loved landmark.

The detailed stoneworks and carvings include figures representing New South Wales, Great Britain and Queen Victoria, and depict lives in the 19th century. The General Post Office Clock Tower is another heritage feature that has been restored. Soaring 83 metres above Martin Place, it features one of the city’s last remaining ‘Eternity’ inscriptions, written inside a clock tower bell by legendary Sydney figure Arthur Stace in the 1940s.

The remediation programme represents the hotel’s continued commitment to preserving and conserving the GPO building. As an advocate of heritage conservation, we strive to reconnect locals and future generations with this historic gem, as well as to share its unique story with everyone who visits The Fullerton Hotel Sydney through our enhanced heritage experiences.

To promote the hotel’s history and legacy, the hotel provides complimentary 90-minute Heritage Tours showcasing the building’s captivating history and architectural feats to both hotel guests and members of the public. Guests also get a chance to view preserved Tank Stream relics, from the watercourse that served as Sydney’s fresh water supply source from 1788 to 1826, located beneath the hotel.

Combining a workshop on English newswriting with the opportunity to learn about innovation, the Group has engaged 120 local secondary school students, shortlisted from about 400 applications, through the Sino Junior Reporter Programme.

Jointly presented by Sino Group and SCMP Young Post since 2014, the annual initiative sees aspiring reporters and writers hosted at a workshop taught by a seasoned journalist, then writing about a topic of interest, practising news writing and interviewing skills learnt at the workshop before submitting their entries.

The students visited Sino lnno Lab to experience the out-of-the-box inventions featured first-hand, then interviewed Mr Andrew Young, Associate Director (Innovation) to learn more about the sector and what the future holds. They also visited the inaugural Hong Kong Science Fair, which showcased inventions by Hong Kong primary and secondary school students.