Uncovering Singapore’s rich culture through literature with TrendLit Publishing

Jin Yong and Andy Ang, co-founders of TrendLit Publishing, after a meal with a Taiwanese writer they met on their trip. Image Credit: TrendLit Publishing

Literature is a vibrant medium for showcasing a country's rich cultural tapestry to a global audience. It offers a window into traditions, values, and heritage, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, through diverse narratives, vivid descriptions, and nuanced perspectives.

TrendLit Publishing has been championing Singaporean literature for over a decade, even before its incorporation in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The publishing firm — co-founded by Jin Yong, Andy Ang, Boon Hui, and Jing Perng — is considered a promising young publisher of Chinese books that actively seeks opportunities to promote Sing Lit abroad. To bring #OurSGArts to more people, they embarked on ‘Promoting Sing Lit in Taiwan’ — touring a circuit of literary events in Taiwan in 2023 to market Singaporean literature (Sing Lit) to Taiwanese readers, with the National Arts Council’s support through networking opportunities and the Sector Transformation Fund.

NAC recognises the passion and artistic excellence that contributes to the thriving creative economy in Singapore — this includes providing artists and organisations with the opportunity to bring their passion for #OurSGArts beyond our shores. The team at TrendLit Publishing was invited to the Reading and Writing Society of Taipei (台北市閱讀寫作協會) to share about Singapore Literature, where many more connections were made. TrendLit also visited the Eslite's flagship 24-hour outlet in the Xinyi District and other independent bookstores, amongst other stops in their literary tour.

We speak with Jin Yong, the co-founder of TrendLit Publishing, about the rich cultures within Singaporean literature, the importance of educating the international literary community on our history, and the unforgettable experiences from their literary tour in Taiwan.

A sharing session on Streets and Places of Singapore 我獅城，我街道 to Singaporeans. Image Credit: TrendLit Publishing

1. Tell us more about this project.

The inspiration for Promoting Sing Lit in Taiwan came from two areas. The first was our own desire to spread Sing Lit to other Chinese literary communities in a post-pandemic world. We also saw the potential and hunger from the literary communities overseas to learn about the cultures and stories of other like communities, such as Singapore’s. The perspective of Sing Lit is unique and can fill such a need.

Secondly, we wanted to build relationships for future collaboration. We wanted to meet up with publishers, writers, and possible collaborators to explore options for collaboration and learn more about their operating models.

2. What is a key takeaway you hope people took away from the festival?

That beneath all that mainstream imagery and portrayal of Singapore, it is still a country filled with rich stories and cultures. The book that we went to promote in Taiwan — 我獅城，我街道 [Streets and Places of Singapore] — was a good medium to help people see that, as it spotlighted stories from all parts of Singapore and was expressed from a more personal perspective.  

Jin Yong (first from right) and Andy Ang, co-founders of TrendLit Publishing after a radio interview with Transformation Radio 102.5. Image Credit: TrendLit Publishing

3. How can Sing Lit help people of different backgrounds better understand the myriad of Chinese cultures in Singapore

It represents a more accessible and “relaxed” way of learning about Singaporean culture, especially in terms of the terms we use. Some of the participants at our events were quite interested in learning more about dialects and history of the Chinese communities in Singapore through history of Chinese-medium education, food, and even architecture.

4. How has NAC played a part in helping you advance your vision for this project, and to open up new doors to connect with people?

We felt that what we were trying to achieve sat well with NAC’s ‘Our SG Arts Plan (2023 - 2027)’ through our target to push Sing Lit to more international spaces. Besides the monetary support, there were also constant updates on the latest events or symposiums that the Council would invite or introduce us to be part of. These opportunities were great places to meet people and learn more about the literary scene.

We were also able to meet up with our manufacturer and producer for our Sector Transformation Project which involved producing merchandise with literary elements.

From left: Jin Yong and Andy Ang, co-founders of TrendLit Publishing, with the Chief Editor of the Taiwanese magazine One Little Day (小日子). Image Credit: TrendLit Publishing

5. What is one unforgettable memory you have while working on this project?

It was the questions raised by some of the participants at our events. For example, some were interested in why the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital was called 竹腳醫院 [lit. feet of bamboos]. I was pleasantly surprised at how an overseas crowd would be interested in the “small” history of Singapore.