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Hwa Chong Institution

Chinatown

Smith Street

History
In the early days, Smith Street was popularly referred to as hei yuen kai or "theatre street", a reference to the Chinese theatre Lai Chun Yuen, which was located at No. 36 Smith Street. The popularity of the theatre gave rise to colloquial names for the streets surrounding it; Temple Street was hei yuen hau kai or "theatre back street", and Trengganu Street was hei yuen wang kai or "side street". Between the 1910s and 1920s, performances would play to a packed audience. By the 1920s, the theatre was losing its popularity to cinema halls and amusement parks, resulting in fewer performances right up to the 1930s. It was rented out to Shaw Brothers after 1940 and renamed Sin Seng Theatre. The theatre was badly damaged by a bomb during WWII. Post-war renovations were made to its structure but by then the building was no longer entertaining audiences, rather operated as a merchandise shop and later a warehouse for street hawkers. It was restored to its Victorian splendour in 1998 and was bought over by a Taiwanese businessman for $50 million. He later donated it to the Taiwan-based Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation which now occupies the premises. The conversion of this shophouse into a commercial complex earned it an entry to the 2002 Unesco's Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. After World War II, street hawkers and traders selling household goods occupied the street. They were relocated to Kreta Ayer Complex in 1983. Smith Street had a darker side, serving as a red light area between 1901 and 1930. There were at least 25 brothels on the street. It was only in 1930, after the Straits Settlement Ordinance No.15 entitled Women and Girl's Protection had come about, that prostitution was brought under control. The street was also popular as a place for those seeking jobs. Job seekers would congregate at this street for hire by prospective employers. It commemorates the hugely popular Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, then Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner in 1887 to 1893, who was a Chinese scholar and responsible for most of the work to combat the problems of secret societies. Joke- has it that the road got its English name when the British asked Chinese locals the name of the road, they given clueless answers "See mee?" (Hokkien for What?) as they could not understand English. Thus they duly recorded the name as "Smith" instead. Its red-light reputation contributed character to the street, which was also known for hawker stalls crowding into the street during its heyday reputation as the main "Food Street". There are attempts to recreate the ambiance today by closing parts of the road and turning it into an outdoor eating area. If you prefer to dine in air-conditioned comfort, the row of restaurants along the conservation shophouses will offer an eclectic mix of cuisine catering to a wide range of tastes.

Pagoda Street

Pagoda Street, in Chinatown, links New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road. Popular for its Jamae Mosque and Sri Mariamman Temple, the whole of Pagoda Street, along with a portion of Trengganu Street, is currently a pedestrian mall.

History

Pagoda Street got its name from the presence of Sri Mariamman Temple, a prominent feature of the street. Pagoda, meaning a temple, is also used to refer to a temple's pyramidal tower, called gopuram in Tamil. The Pagoda or gopuram built over the main gate of the Sri Mariamman Temple was such a landmark on the street that it gave the street its name. One of the earlier streets of Singapore, Pagoda Street was well known for its opium-smoking dens in the early 19th century. Towards the later part of the 19th century, the street turned into a coolie trading centre. A popular coolie firm, Kwong Hup Yuen, made Pagoda Street famous. Kwong later became a bicycle trader and their shop, now called Kian Seng Heng Bicycle Trader, is currently situated at 37 Pagoda Street. The street extended its role from a coolie station between the 1850s and 1880s to a coolie lodging place in the early 20th century. Around 12 coolie lodging houses were located on this street in 1901. With the urbanisation of Singapore in the mid-20th century, the street reinvented itself as a commercial place dealing in retail trade and services, textile and tailoring. Currently, the street is part of Chinatown Conservation District, and is being remodelled by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to showcase life in Chinatown in the olden times.

Description

Lucky Chinatown, located next to Chinatown MRT, is a 7-storey shopping centre with a facade built in traditional Chinese architectural style. Chinatown Heritage Centre, opened in 2002, represents part of STB's efforts to rejuvenate Chinatown. It features the different aspects of Chinatown that existed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Heritage Centre is housed in 3 restored pre-war shophouses. STB has also built resemblance of opium-smoking dens, gambling houses and prostitute's parlour within some shophouses on this street. Street markets on this street have reintroduced stalls that provide traditional trades such as watch repairing, fortune telling and clog making.

Temple Street

The official name for Temple Street was formerly Almeida Street after Joaqium d'Almeida, son of José d'Almeida, who owned some land in this area at the junction of Temple Street and Trengganu Street. In 1825, José d'Almeida, a Portuguese doctor and trader, opened a clinic and a shop here and made his fortune by trading in Portuguese and Chinese goods. In 1908, the Municipal Commissioners changed its name to Temple Street to avoid confusion with other streets in Singapore which were also named after D'Almeida. Temple Street was home to many Teochew traders who sold Chinaware and household items. There were also itinerant tinsmiths and metal ware workshops as well as blacksmiths making horseshoes.

Description

Temple Street got its name from the Sri Mariamman Temple located at the junction of Temple Street and South Bridge Road. It is also probable that the street was named Temple Street due to the presence of many temples in the vicinity of the road around the area and not necessarily after Sri Mariamman Temple. Sri Mariamman Temple, built in 1827, is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. In the 19th century, the area around Temple Street was home to the Chinese although there were also Malay and Indians homes, thus explaining the presence of Muslim and Hindu places of worship in the vicinity. Indians and Malays lived in large numbers on the nearby Cross Street and Chulia Street. Temple Street was popular for Cantonese Operas until 1927 notwithstanding the fact that it was supposed to be a Teochew enclave. The area bound by Temple Street and Smith Street was also popular for tinsmith shops. It had a lucky streak as it was unharmed by bombs during the World War II. Currently, Temple Street is lined with quaint 2-storey baroque style shop houses, some of which have been rebuilt or renovated as part of the Chinatown conservation plans. In 1997, a part of Temple Street was converted into a pedestrian mall.

Trengganu Street

Trengganu Street takes its name from Terengganu, a sultanate and state on the northeastern side of present day Peninsular Malaysia. The difference in spelling is attributed to the state's former name, "Trengganu", which was given to the street at the time the state was named as such. Hawkers used to sell a variety of wares, from cheap cooked food to household goods day and night on Trengganu Street in the past. In 1968, there were 1,200 hawker stalls operating daily in the central Chinatown area, with most of the stalls being found mainly along Trengganu Street, Sago Street and Banda Street. Today, Trengganu Street has been converted into a pedestrian mall. Some of the shophouses are home to performing arts groups.

History

In the 19th century, the street was well-known for the presence of the famous Lai Chun Yuen opera house, located at the junction of Smith Street and Trengganu Street. Trengganu Street was also an infamous recreation outlet for the early Chinese immigrants. Opium and gambling dens and brothels on the street served the Chinese coolies who came to Singapore alone and found themeselves obligated to toiling for long hours. Many roadside stalls were also found along the street. The wide range of goods sold on Trengganu Street led it to be dubbed "the Piccadilly of Chinese Singapore". However, with the ban on setting up roadside stalls taking effect in the early 20th century, the street lost its glamour and became quite deserted. During the Japanese Occupation, the block of flats that lined Trengganu Street, from Smith Street to Sago Street, became home to Malay families who sought shelter and protection. Hawkers serving exotic recipes were also what used to make Trengganu Street famous. Their specialty was brewed tonic soups made from a concoction of tortoise, turtle, snake, lizard, or snake meat served in thick ceramic urns.

Description

Today, Trengganu Street is part of the Chinatown Conservation Area. One noted building on this street is the Chinaman Scholar's Gallery which depicts the home of Chinese scholars of the 1920s and 1930s. Complete with kitchen, bedroom, dining and living areas, the gallery showcases furniture, porcelain, musical instruments and photographs from the period. The character of the street is reflected in many old and conserved beautiful baroque-style shophouses. The street has also become a heavily-frequented place by tourists. In order to revive the glory of 19th century Chinatown, Trengganu Street was converted into a street market with stalls selling a plethora of goods. Traditional trades such as watch repairing, fan-making and fortune-telling were also reintroduced on this street.

Chinatown heritage centre

Life of the ethnic Chinese in early Singapore was simple and almost everyone lived in rented cubicles of shophouses, which were often overcrowded and disease-stricken. It is fitting therefore, that the Chinatown Heritage Centre occupies three shophouses at the ethnic quarters of Chinatown, newly restored to house memories and untold stories of Singapore’s early forefathers. Each level of the Centre takes you to a different time in the history of Chinatown and allows you to trace the lives of its early occupants. The hard life of the migrants resulted in many of them seeking solace in the four evils: opium smoking, prostitution, gambling and secret societies. But the celebration of life too was present, and Chinatown was always abuzz with activity and festivity. The Centre was re-created based on the recollections of former residents, as are the exhibits and displays, giving visitors an authentic and personal account of life in Chinatown. Guided tours of the Gallery are conducted on the hour. Meanwhile, have a cuppa at the Centre’s Kopi Tiam or select a memento at the retail shop from a range of unique traditional souvenirs such as hand-sewn Chinese quilted blankets, traditional miniature sewing machines and clogs. ________________________________________________

route map- Hwa Chong Institution

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route map- Chinatown

Legend:

Hwa Chong Institution

Chinatown

Smith Street

Pagoda Street

History

Description

Temple Street

Description

Trengganu Street

History

Description

Chinatown heritage centre

Chinatown Picture Montage

HCI Picture Montage