Picture Discussion, Zhuo Wen

By studying the shop houses in the background, I infer that this picture is taken in one Singapore’s numerous heartlands. Most of the people captured in the photograph are senior citizens, however there are also people of younger age groups. This shows that the heartland depicted is well like by the residents of all ages in the estate.    

As it is in the knowledge of many that heartlands are usual very crowded when hordes of residents of the estate throng to shop for groceries and household items. The heartland in the picture seem to be lack of the usual hustle and bustle, this picture may be taken during the weekdays, especially in the late morning when most residents are already off to work. This inference of mine can also be further supported by the fact that the people in the picture have done their shopping as a couple of them are carrying plastic bags.

On the left foreground, a diminutive young woman, who seem to be a caretaker, is pushing a wheel chaired wizened old lady. The woman could also be a maid, hired by her employees, which most probably are the family members of the elderly lady, to take care of her while they are working since the elderly lack of the ability to take care of herself. The pair may be shopping in the heartland, or the maid may just be taking the elderly woman out for a walk.

On the right foreground is a slightly round-bodied aged man whom just finished shopping. He is seen holding a plastic bag filled with the stuffs he bought. In the middle ground, a short, curly-hair elderly is pushing a trolley with several bags of items she bought. In my opinion, she could be purchasing groceries for family members, if not she would not have to use a trolley to carry the paid for items. In addition, she may be only starting with her purchasing of items, as her trolley is still largely empty and along with the fact that she is heading towards a fruit stall in the background where most of the groceries stall or wet market may be situated at.   

The heartland pictured may be found in the older estate of Singapore as there is a large number of elderly living in the area, along with this fact is that shops located at the void deck of HDB apartments are rarely found in the new ones. Also, a foreigner interested in Singapore’s culture may have captured this picture in his or her lens.

In conclusion, this picture depicted most Singaporeans way of life and heartlands are still largely popular among consumers although facing strong competition with air-conditioned, modern and sophisticated shopping malls.