Chinatown in Singapore

Chinatown in Singapore is a bustling and colorful neighborhood located in the central part of the city. It reminds many tourists of an open-air museum, as the small area is home to many temples, pagodas and shops selling traditional Chinese goods.

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Video: China Town in Singapore

Contents

History

The boundaries of Singapore’s Chinatown were sketched out as early as 1822, just after the first immigrants from South China arrived on the island and settled by the banks of the river (the well from which they drew water for drinking remains on present-day Spring Street). The life of the Chinese community of the time was one of hard labor, and they also had to break the law and “make a living” by robbing and running opium dens. Chinatown then, as now, covered a large area southwest of the Singapore River. Merchants native to Fujian Province settled along what are now Telok Ayer and Amoy Streets, fishermen from Chaoshan settled near Boot Key, and Cantonese merchants set up shop on Pagoda and Temple Streets.

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North Bridge Road and U-Tong St.

North Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street are the main arteries running through the heart of Chinatown; they are lined with shopping passages such as Peoples Park Complex (Peoples Park Complex; Park Road, 1) with trendy stores and old stores, and Yue Hwa Emporium (Yue Hwa Emporium; Eu Tong Sen Street, 70; men. ; 6538-42-22; www.yuehwa.com.sg; open: Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-2 p.m.), which sells only Chinese goods, from silk to souvenirs. The latter can also be bought at the former Great Southern Hotel, which someone called “Chinatown’s old grand dame.” Aslant across Yue Hwa Street is the Chinatown Point shopping center (“Chinatown Point”), overlooking the Chinatown subway station; here you can buy good products from Chinese artists and artisans.

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Pagoda Street and the Chinatown Heritage Center

On Pagoda Street, in a former storefront, is the Chinatown Heritage Centre (Pagoda Street; 48 Pagoda Street; men.: 6221-95-56; www.chinatownheritagecentre.sg; open daily 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; admission fee), which explores the neighborhood’s past; exhibits include recreated shanties of early Chinese settlers.

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Sri Mariamman Temple

Next door is the Shri Mariamman Temple (Shri Mariamman Temple; South Bridge Road, 244; open: daily 7.00-21.00), built in 1827 and dedicated to the healing goddess Mariamman. It is the oldest and most important of Singapore’s Hindu temples. Note its gopuram tower decorated with figures of Hindu deities, and the ceiling paintings inside. Between October and November, the temple hosts the Thimithi festival, during which worshippers walk on glowing coals.

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The streets of Chinatown

The best time to visit Chinatown is January and February, when its streets are festooned with lanterns and bright red decorations to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and crowds flock to the market. The Chinatown Evening Market (open: daily 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) consists of 200 stalls and booths lining Pagoda, Trengganu and Sago streets. Walk down Temple Street, past the many souvenir stores (licorice, silk, tiger balm), and you’ll come to Trengganu Street, an open-air shopping center; it used to be a venue for actors and brothels.

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Trengganu Street intersects Smith Street, the “Chinatown Food Street” (open daily 17.00-23.00), where stalls sell delicious local delicacies. Be sure to try char kway teo (fried rice noodles) and rojak (vegetable and fruit salad in sweet black sauce).

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Trengganu Street bumps into Sago Street, another colorful corner; Chinese medicine shops, rattan fans, and sweet shops are abundant here. Between Sago Street and Sago Lane is The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (tel: 6220-02-20; www.btrts.org.sg; open daily 7am-7pm). It opened in 2007 and is designed in traditional Chinese style. There are works of religious art and Buddhist texts, but the temple’s main treasure – and the subject of constant debate – is a sacred tooth that belonged to the Buddha. It is only retrieved into the light of day twice a year: on the Vesak holiday and the Chinese New Year.

Tanjong Pagar district

Turn right off Sago Lane and reach the corner of Tanjong Pagar and Neil Streets, where the majestic Jinriksha station stands. Once upon a time, rickshaw pullers parked their two-wheeled carts here. The station was built in 1903 in the classical style, and the building is topped with a dome. Jin-rickshaws were the main mode of transportation in Singapore in the early 20th century, only to be replaced by cycle rickshaws in the 1940s. The rickshaw-coolies lived near the station, renting bunks in tiny shacks in Chinatown.

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Tanjong Pagar used to be a Malay fishing village. In the 1830s, nutmeg plantations were established on the land surrounding it. The area became commercially prosperous, but by the 1960s had fallen into disrepair and would surely have been razed to the ground if not for a government conservation program. It soon became a model of how the heritage of old Singapore should be preserved and restored. Today, the Tanjong Pagar Conservation Area has more than 190 meticulously restored stores painted in pastel colors, with wooden shutters and high beamed ceilings. They line Neil Road, Murray Terrace, Craig Road, Daxton Hill Road and are occupied by offices, restaurants and pubs.

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Below Neil Road, beyond Creta Air Road, runs the once famous Keong Saik Road, the red light district. Many of the former stores, beautiful Chinese Baroque buildings, have now been restored to house boutique hotels – such as Hotel 1929 (50 Keong Saik Road; tel: 6347-19-29; www. hotell929.com) – contributing greatly to the neighborhood’s popularity. Holistic centers, bars and art galleries sit alongside brothels and sleazy coffee shops.

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City Gallery Singapore

Opposite Jinriksha station, across Maxwell Road, is the main local attraction, Maxwell Food Centre, one of the oldest fast food “outlets”. At lunchtime, there are often solid lines at the tables and tents.

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Next to the “food center”, across Kadayanallur Street, is the URA Centre with the Singapore City Gallery (Singapore City Gallery; 45 Maxwell Road; tel: 6321-83-21; www.ura.gov.sg/gallery; open Mon-Sat 9am-17pm), whose main exhibit is a huge model of the city. The gallery’s two floors are home to exhibitions, interactive displays, touch-screen terminals, and audio-visual programs showcasing Singapore’s present and future.

Kadayanallur Street goes uphill to Ann Siang Road; as you follow it, look out for the chic boutique hotel The Scarlet (33 Erskine Road; tel: 6511-33-33; www.thescarlethotel.com). Step inside, admire the highly original interior, see what’s on sale in the stores and what’s on display in the galleries. Up the street is another boutique hotel, The Club (28 Ann Siang Road), housed in a building built in 1900.

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The Club Street

Ann Siang Road ends at Club Street. It was once home to trading companies and street literates writing letters to the dictation of illiterate Chinese. Now this area is filled with beautifully restored stores (a few unrestored, very colorful ones remain). Their architectural style cannot be called entirely Chinese. The carvings and wickets (pintu pagar) are of Malay origin, the Georgian windows and Art Deco features come from Europe, and only the tiled roofs are a purely Chinese element. The neighborhood is now full of trendy bars and bistros; there are also two great Italian restaurants, Senso Restaurant and Wag (21 Club Street; tel: 6224-35-34; www.senso. sg) and Da Paolo (80 Club Street; tel: 6224-70-81; www. dapaolo.com.sg).

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Telok Ayer Street

Club Street goes uphill before descending to Upper Cross Street, where Far East Square and China Square Central are located; at lunchtime, the area’s cafes and eateries are always packed with employees from surrounding offices. Far East Square is worth a stroll: browse the interesting stores; admire the unusual gates representing the five elements of the Chinese universe.

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Telok Ayer Street runs from the eastern side of Far East Square and along it you will see several national monuments. First up is the Fuk Tak Chi Museum (76 Telok Ayer Street; tel: 6532-78-68; open daily 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; free). Formerly the site of the Fuk Tak Chi Temple, built in 1824 and dedicated to Tua Pek Kong, the Taoist god of wealth, the museum has 200 artifacts in its collection, including a gold Chinese belt, an abaca board, and even a lease expiration notice sent to a neighborhood resident years ago. Just down the street stands Ying Fo Fui Kun (Ying Fo Fui Kun; Telok Ayer Street, 98; tel: 6533-67-26; open Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; admission is free). Built in 1822, this house was owned by the Hakka Chinese. Note the traditional Chinese architectural elements, such as carved beams and pillars. Even further afield are three shrines. The first on your way is Nagore Durgha Shrine (Nagore Durgha Shrine; 140 Telok Ayer Street), built in 1818 by Muslims from South India. It was closed in the 1990s and reopened in 2008, now as the Indian-Muslim Cultural Center.

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Tian Hok Keng Temple

Next to the shrine is a small park called Telok Ayer Green with human-sized bronze sculptures depicting scenes from the past. A few steps away is the Thian Hock Keng Temple, dedicated to Heavenly Bliss (Thian Hock Keng Temple; 158 Telok Ayer Street; tel: 6423-46-16; www.thianhockkeng.com.sg; open daily 7.30am-5.30pm), an exquisite structure built between 1839 and 1842 by the first Chinese settlers and dedicated to their patroness Ma Chu Poh, goddess of the sea. The granite pillars of the temple came from China, the blue tiles from Holland, and the cast iron railings from Scotland. Although the main altar is Taoist, the back room is dedicated to Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. The last temple on Telok Ayer is the Al-Abrar Mosque (Al-Abrar Mosque; 192 Telok Ayer Street; open: daily 11.30 a.m.-9 p.m.), known as the Indian (or Chuli; the Chuli are Tamil Muslims from South India).

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Painting and Design

Continue down the street, past the Chinese Methodist Church (it will be on the left) and then through the park, and you’ll come to the bright red building (Red Dot Traffic) occupied by the very interesting Design Museum (28 Maxwell Road; tel: 6327-80-27; www.red-dot.sg; open Mon, Fri, Fri 11.00-18.00, Sat to 8.00pm; admission charged). Its German management regularly awards the prestigious Red dot prize for the most original design solution. The museum exhibits artifacts from all over the world. There is also an Art and Design Fair (MAAD – Market of Artists and Designers; open on the first weekend of the month 11.00-19.00), where original works by young artists and designers are sold.

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Bacqua

While in Chinatown, be sure to try bakkwa, a delicious sweet grilled meat. Just follow the smell and you’ll surely come to one of the stalls selling this gourmet treat. The most popular among them are: “Urn Chee Guan” (203 New Bridge Road) and “Bee Cheng Hiang” (69 Pagoda Street).

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Love Potions

Aphrodisiacs are something of an obsession for Singaporeans. From deer penis wine to seahorse tonic, you’ll find a huge selection of China’s finest love potions at Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall (269 South Bridge Road, opposite Sri Mariamman Temple; tel: 6223-63-33; www. euyansang.com.sg; open Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm). In addition, any pharmacy in Chinatown carries ginseng and a “fertility line” of sex-enhancing herbs, tonics and tinctures made from deer antlers to boost libido to incredible heights. On Arab Street, Malay medicine shops favor bulbs that prolong sexual pleasure. Indian pharmacists, following the traditions of Tantra and the Kama Sutra, boil asparagus and molasses in milk and ghee from buffalo milk and spice it all up with licorice. A store where you can buy ingredients for Indian aphrodisiacs is located at the Mustafa Center on Sied Alwi Road in Little India.

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