Heritage businesses depend on the strength and unity of the family, says one third-generation owner. SINGAPORE: When his family’s Nyonya rice dumpling business was struggling in the face of a manpower crunch, bird flu and swine flu, Mr Edmond Wong and his siblings decided to come together to save it.
“The gotong-royong spirit must be there. When we're talking about heritage business, we must look into the values and the traditions,” he added.For heritage businesses to keep going, they need to transform, said Singapore University of Social Sciences' Dr Lye Kit Ying, whose research interests include cultural heritage.
“Then, in a way, everybody gets to be part of this process. I think it can make it more sustainable,” added Dr Lye. “Whatever loss we are feeling, and whatever loss our parents’ or grandparents’ generation felt earlier, it’s the same thing. It's always one generation ago , ‘I don't see the connection here’,” she said.