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Chinatown, Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 牛 車 水 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 牛 车 水 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | "ox-cart water" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Malay name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Malay | Kreta Ayer | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tamil name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tamil | சைனாடவுன் |
Chinatown [lower-alpha 1] is a subzone and ethnic enclave located within the Outram district in the Central Area of Singapore. Featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements,Chinatown has had a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population.
Chinatown is considerably less of an enclave than it once was. However,the precinct does retain significant historical and cultural significance. Large sections of it have been declared national heritage sites officially designated for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Singapore's Chinatown is known as Niu che shui [lower-alpha 2] in Mandarin,Gû-chia-chúi in Hokkien,and Ngàuh-chē-séui in Cantonese - all of which mean "bullock water-cart" - and Kreta Ayer in Malay, [lower-alpha 3] which means "water cart". This is due to the fact that Chinatown's water supply was principally transported by animal-driven carts in the 19th century. Although these names are sometimes used for referring to Chinatown in general,they actually refer to the area of Kreta Ayer Road. [1]
Chinatown consists of four distinctive sub-areas which were developed at different times. [2]
Chinatown Complex is located along Smith Street,which was known colloquially as hei yuan kai (theatre street) in Cantonese because of its famous Cantonese opera theatre Lai Chun Yuen,which opened in 1887 to cater to the Cantonese community there,drawing large crowds during the 1910s and 1920s (Nasir,2005). [3]
Under the Raffles Plan of Singapore,Chinatown originally was a division of colonial Singapore where Chinese immigrants tended to reside. Although as Singapore grew,Chinese immigrants settled in other areas of the island-city,Chinatown became overcrowded within decades of Singapore's founding in 1819 and remained such until many residents were relocated at the initiation of Singapore's governmental Housing Development Board in the 1960s.
In 1822,Sir Stamford Raffles wrote to Captain C. E. Davis,President of the Town Committee,and George Bonham and Alex L. Johnson,Esquires,and members,charging them with the task of "suggesting and carrying into effect such arrangements on this head,as may on the whole be most conducive to the comfort and security of the different classes of inhabitants and the general interests and welfare of the place..."
He went on to issue instructions,as a guide to the Committee,which included a general description of Singapore Town,the ground reserved by the government,the European town and principal mercantile establishments and the native divisions and " kampungs ". These included areas for Bugis,Arabs,Indians,Malays,and Chinese kampungs. Raffles was very clear in his instructions and his guidelines were to determine the urban structure of all subsequent development. The "five-foot way",for example,the continuous covered passage on either side of the street,was one of the public requirements.
Raffles foresaw the fact that "it may be presumed that they (the Chinese) will always form by far the largest portion of the community". For this reason,he appropriated all of the land southwest of the Singapore River for their accommodation but,at the same time,insisted that the different classes and the different provinces be concentrated in their separate quarters and that these quarters,in the event of fire,be constructed of masonry with tiled roofs.
This thus resulted in the formation of a distinct section titled Chinatown. However,only when parcels of land were leased or granted to the public in and after 1843 for the building of houses and shophouses,did Chinatown's physical development truly begin.
The legacy of cultural diversity in Chinatown is still present. There used to exist some Hokkien merchants along Havelock Road,Telok Ayer Street,China Street and Chulia Street,and Teochew merchants are mostly in Circular Road,River Valley Road,Boat Quay,and South Bridge Road near Chinatown. The ubiquitous Cantonese are scattered around South Bridge Road,Upper Cross Street,New Bridge Road,and Bukit Pasoh Road as well as others. These days,the former Hokkien and Teochew residents have largely scattered to other parts of the island,leaving the Cantonese as the dominant dialect group in Chinatown.
The Chinese names of Pickering Street are Kian Keng Khau (mouth of the gambling houses) or Ngo Tai Tiahn Hok Kiong Khau (mouth of the five generations of the Tian Hok Temple).
There are also several prominent century-old Chinese temples like Hokkien Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street,Teochew Wak Hai Cheng Bio Temple at Phillips Street,Siang Cho Keong Temple at Amoy Street,Seng Wong Beo Temple at Peck Seah Street,and Cantonese Cundhi Gong Temple at Keong Siak Roadside.
Guilds,clans,trade unions and associations were all referred to as kongsi are present within Chinatown such as to assist to the needs of each Chinese dialect group,such as Cantonese,Hokkien,etc.
There were the letter writers of Sago Street—in Hokkien this street is called Gu Chia Chwi Hi Hng Cheng (front of Kreta Ayer Theatre),but it was mainly associated with life and death —the sandalwood idols of Club Street and the complicated and simple food of Mosque Street;all rang to the sound of the abacus. Old women could be seen early in the mornings topping and tailing bean sprouts,the skins of frogs being peeled,the newly killed snakes being skinned and the centuries-old panaceas being dispensed by women blessed with the power of healing.
Besides Chinese residents,other races such as the Indians whom migrated during the British Raj live in Chinatown. Within the Chinatown is an important temple for the Tamils,the Sri Mariamman Hindu Tamil Temple,and also mosques,Al-Abrar Mosque at Telok Ayer Street,and Jamae Mosque at Mosque Street. These places of worship catered to the pockets of non-Chinese residents in the area and shows that despite efforts to segregate the early immigrants,they had no qualms living peacefully together,and side by side.
The street architecture of Chinatown's buildings,the shophouses especially,combine different elements of baroque architecture and Victorian architecture and do not have a single classification. Many of them were built in the style of painted ladies,and have been restored in that fashion. These styles result in a variety of different colours of which pastel is most dominant. Trengganu Street,Pagoda Street,and Temple Street are such examples of this architecture,as well as development in Upper Cross Street and the houses in Club Street. Boat Quay was once a slave market along the Singapore River,Boat Quay has the most mixed-style shophouses on the island.
In 1843,when land titles were issued,the terraces in Pagoda Street (now with additions,mostly three-story) were born. They were originally back to back,an arrangement which made night soil collection difficult,but lanes were developed in between following the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) back lane orders of 1935.
The architectural character of many of the terraces in Chinatown is much more Italianate in style than those of,for instance Emerald Hill or Petain Road. Windows often appear as mere slits with narrow timber jalousies (often with adjustable slats). Fanlights over the windows are usually quite decorative and the pilasters and balconies and even the plasterwork and colours seem to be Mediterranean in flavour. The style was probably introduced by those early Chinese immigrants (both China-born and Straits-born) who had knowledge of the Portuguese architecture of Macau,Malacca,and Goa,while the Indians would also have been familiar with the European architecture there,although it is difficult to imagine how these people would have had a particularly strong influence on building in Chinatown.
The Mass Rapid Transit MRT serves the area at Chinatown MRT station on the North East and Downtown lines,in the middle of pedestrian-only Pagoda Street,and serves the vicinity,as well as several public bus routes which integrates it into Singapore's transportation system. Nearby are the Tanjong Pagar MRT station on the East West MRT line;Outram Park MRT station,an interchange between the East West line and North East line;and Clarke Quay MRT station on the North East line,as well as a bus terminal called Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal.
Chinatown is divided between two Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs),Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar,in terms of representation in Parliament. Singapore's first Prime Minister,Lee Kuan Yew,was a Member of Parliament representing Tanjong Pagar GRC before his death in March 2015. After the September 2015 general election,Indranee Rajah now represents that part of Tanjong Pagar GRC. The Chinatown area that is part of Jalan Besar GRC is represented by Josephine Teo since 2020,following the retirement of Lily Neo after serving 23 years of politics from 1997.
The shophouses were home to "death houses" until 1961,when death houses were banned, [4] and brothels [5] until 1930,when the Women and Girl's Protection Ordinance was enacted,bringing the prostitution situation under control. [6] To cater to those who visited brothels,or participated in extended affairs of Chinese funerals [7] or came to frequent the opera theatre, [8] street hawkers,food stalls and traders selling household goods occupied the streets. In order to address overcrowding and poor living conditions in the city, [9] all street hawkers were relocated into the newly built Kreta Ayer Complex in 1983,which is today's Chinatown Complex.
The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravidian style. Located at 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves the majority Hindu Singaporeans, Tamilians, in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction. Sri Mariamman Temple is managed by the Hindu Endowments Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Tanjong Pagar is a historic district located within the Central Business District of Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urban planning zones. The district has a rich history and is known for its cultural and architectural landmarks, making it a popular tourist destination.
Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. the planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River planning areas of the Central Area to the east.
Jamae Mosque is one of the earliest mosques in Singapore, and is located on South Bridge Road in the Chinatown district within the Central Area. The mosque was established in 1826. This mosque is also known as Chulia Mosque and Periya Paḷḷi among the Tamil Muslim community in Singapore. Together with its neighbour, Sri Mariamman Temple, the mosque stands out in its predominantly Chinese location. The Mosque Street that runs beside it may have been named after this mosque.
The Central Area, also called the City Area, and informally The City, is the main commercial city centre of Singapore. Located in the south-eastern part of the Central Region, the Central Area consists of eleven constituent planning areas: the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, the Museum Planning Area, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, the Singapore River and Straits View, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The term Central Business District (CBD) has also been used to describe most of the Central Area as well, although its boundaries lie within the Downtown Core.
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs along with the Central Area of Singapore. The Jalan Besar GRC is the electoral division representing the largest area of the downtown city centre of Singapore, followed by Tanjong Pagar GRC. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Whampoa and lastly Kampong Glam. The current Members of Parliament are Denise Phua, Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, Josephine Teo and Heng Chee How from the People's Action Party (PAP).
Masjid Al-Abrar is a mosque located along Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown within the Central Area, Singapore. It is one of the earliest mosques in Singapore.
Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, is located on Telok Ayer Street within the Downtown Core of Singapore's central business district. The church is approximately 450 metres from Telok Ayer MRT station.
Telok Ayer Street is a street located in Singapore's Chinatown within the Outram district, linking Church Street to Cecil Street. Telok Ayer MRT station is located at the junction of Cross Street and this road.
South Bridge Road is a major road in Singapore, running south of the Singapore River in Chinatown. It starts at Elgin Bridge and ends at the junction of Neil Road, Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road.
Pagoda Street is a street located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road, but has since been converted to a pedestrian mall to Chinatown MRT station at its New Bridge Road end.
Amoy Street is a one-way street located within Chinatown, within the Outram district in Singapore. The street is close to Tanjong Pagar MRT station.
Neil Road is a one-way road in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar in the planning areas of Outram and Bukit Merah in Singapore. The road starts at the junction of South Bridge Road, Maxwell Road and Tanjong Pagar Road and ends at Kampong Bahru Road which then merges into Jalan Bukit Merah. At the end of the road, it is a conservation area of several shophouses and a three-story Victorian style school building, which was the former site of Fairfield Methodist Girls' School. In the Tanjong Pagar area of the road, it is home to rows of conserved shophouses for various purposes.
Kreta Ayer Road is a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links Neil Road to New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street, and is intersected by Keong Saik Road.
Tras Street is a street located in Tanjong Pagar in the Outram Planning Area and Downtown Core in Singapore. The road connects Enggor Street and Gopeng Street to Cook Street, and is intersected by Wallich Street.
Duxton Hill is a small hill, as well as the name of a road, located in Tanjong Pagar in the Downtown Core district of Singapore.
Teban Gardens is a residential precinct located in Jurong East, Singapore. Immediately north of Pandan Reservoir, it comprises exclusively public housing built by the JTC Corporation and Housing and Development Board.
Commonwealth is a subzone of Queenstown, located in the central-western part of Singapore. It is named after the Commonwealth of Nations. Commonwealth consists of Housing and Development Board flats, and there is one primary school and a secondary school in the area, New Town Primary School and Queensway Secondary School. SBS Transit Bus Services 32, 51, 93, 100, 105, 111, 122, 123, 145, 147, 153, 186, 195, 196, 198, SMRT Buses Services 61, 961/961M & 970 and Tower Transit Singapore Service 855 passes through this area. The nearest Mass Rapid Transit station is Commonwealth MRT station. Amenities in the area include Blessed Sacrament Church, Faith Methodist Church, Masjid Mujahidin Mosque, Queenstown Community Centre, Queenstown Lutheran Church, Ridout Tea Garden, Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Ancestral Hall, Sri Muneeswaran Temple and Tanglin Halt Food Centre and Market.
Kim Seng Road is a street in Singapore that runs along the upper-easternmost portion of the Bukit Merah-Central Area border. It was named after Peranakan philanthropist, Tan Kim Seng. Today, the boundaries of Kim Seng division are: Indus Road and Alexandra Canal in the north; Jalan Bukit Ho Swee in the south; Kim Seng Road and Outram Road in the east; and Lower Delta Road in the west.
Library resources about Chinatown, Singapore |