Singapore political architect Lee Kwan Yew and his offhand critic, the American global anthropologist Clifford Geertz, needed to talk. About colonialism, democracy, culture. . . First of two essays on the possible city-state of the future.
What is culture? At first glance the amiable sales person was Chinese, but this was not China and we were dealing in English. I wanted a cultural experience, not the camera. Or so I thought.
With a name like Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, it doesn’t sound like a tourist attraction, but I was captivated at this new Singapore museum, built with $50 million in private donations from the Chinese business community.