Heritage Trail Poster

Fazzera's Reflection

Prior to this heritage trail, I can only remember ever visiting Chinatown thrice. Once when I was in secondary school as part of a learning journey, the other was when I had to accompany my mom to a tailor – of which both times was as dreadful as I can remember a few years ago. I personally felt that the place had no significance in my life as I have only seen it as just a tourist attraction and a place where our local Chinese will visit during the festive periods. By actually typing out my past impressions of the place leaves me ashamed of how ignorant I was. >.<

That aside, I was glad that my group had been selected to visit Chinatown as this provided me a chance to actually visit the place with an open mind. The heritage trail was an enriching experience for me as it has allowed me to gain a better understanding of Chinatown’s history and culture. When my group and I were walking around and searching for the particular areas and streets we needed to visit, it actually made me much more observant of the location, the architecture and the people around. It made me realise that every little part of the streets had its own history and stories that made up the past of Singapore.

The site that interests me most is the Telok Ayer street as six of Singapore’s national monuments can be found there. Although we only visited four of it, the fact that a site or structure is gazetted as a national monument meant that it holds so much historical, architectural and social importance to Singapore’s heritage. As the first landing point for immigrants, the early communities built their respective places of worship on Telok Ayer street to express gratitude to their deities for their safe passage through the harsh voyage. Although the Telok Ayer area was designated for the Chinese community according to the Jackson Town Plan of 1822, the location of these places of worship made Telok Ayer a multi-cultural space where different communities co-existed. It was interesting to be able to see places of worship like temples, mosque and church co-existing in the same region.

Essentially, this heritage trail has been meaningful as it has exposed me to understand the rich history and culture of Chinatown. It was really an enjoyable experience this time around with my group mates. On top of that, I was pleasant to see tourists visiting the historical sites but at the same time, it made me realise how disheartening it is that more tourists indicates their interest in the diverse heritage of Singapore than local Singaporeans actually do. Thus, I feel that it is important to raise greater awareness of these heritages and the significance of various places in Singapore, especially to the younger generations that we will be educating in the future.

Shin Jie's Reflection

I have been to Chinatown several times especially when I was in primary school and the teacher arranged for class visits to Chinatown for a learning journey experience. As a student, my objective for each learning journey was merely to finish the task assigned by the teacher. I was not curious and did not think there would be many interesting stories behind each historical sites.

However, my recent trip to the Chinatown on the heritage trail with my group members was really an eye-opener and definitely made me appreciate more about Singapore history and  its cultural heritage. Chinatown, other than being well known for its traditional shops, markets and cafes, it is actually filled with its own unique history hidden behind each infrastructure as it is one of the early settlements for immigrants when they first arrived in Singapore. As a group, we discussed and shared our views while we moved from site to site. Some of us have better knowledge about a certain place than the other. Hence, going into discussions were useful for the rest of the people to understand and appreciate the site better.

From the heritage trail, one of the sites which left an unforgettable moment in my mind would be the Thian Hock Keng Temple. The elegant looking temple was actually the oldest Chinese temple in Singapore which has more than 100 years of history. Standing at the entrance of the temple, I could imagine the scenarios that happened back in 1850s where people will gather at the temple to pray for calm waves and a safe journey back to their homeland. How i wish i could get to see that scene!

Another interesting site was the visit to Eu Yan Sang. To us, Eu Yan Sang was just a ordinary looking Chinese medical shop which has many branches around Singapore. Neither did i think that there would be a long history behind it. Eu Yan Sang started off with a small, home-grown business, led by Eu Kong who has a mindset of caring for the people and helping to free the collies from addiction of opium. It was such a heartwarming and inspiring story. How I wish I could meet him in real life for it is hard to find someone who has so much passion for humanity!

Over the years, Chinatown has changed to become more modern and the old historical buildings could be hardly seen. However, there are some distinct features kept untouched by the government which will definitely help people learn more about their story and reminisce about the past. Life has always been an easy one for us so tend to be ignorant and take things for granted. We live a sheltered life because of what our forefathers have build for us. Hence, such heritage trail does help us appreciate what our forefathers have achieved and remind us about their hardships.

Thus, this heritage trail reminded me to take some time off my busy schedule and appreciate some of the remaining monuments and sites. The route to Singapore's success was not an easy one and it took us years to achieve that.  Hence, I am thankful for the efforts put in by our forefathers. This will also motivate me to work harder and contribute more to Singapore in the future so that the next generations (students) could also experience the fruits of our labors. Overall, it was an enriching and fun trip where i gained new insights and knowledge about the early immigrants' (Chinese, Malays , Indian, Boyanese) culture and contributions to Singapore.

Reflection

The journey to Chinatown gave me a very big hindsight on how the area was during the colonial times. As we walked down the South Bridge Road and encounter the different roads and lanes that are so rich with stories and history it gave me so many things to learn. How the early immigrants chose to settle down in Singapore and make this place their home.

The streets have many stories to tell since the colonial times and walking through these places with the timeline in mind, it feels like experiencing the place back in those times. On of the historic icon that stays in my mind was when we walked down the Sago lane. It was the houses for the dead. It was very hard to comprehend that these street houses were for the sick and dying early immigrants back then. It was a very heart wrenching moment when we read about that lane.

These sites that were recognized as sites of history for Singapore do serve a very important purpose for the general public. It shows how much the early immigrants suffered during those times and yet they still chose to stay and make this place their home. Our forefathers chose to make Singapore their home that is where we are today. The trail gave me so much feels on the history of chinatown as well as Singapore. I went to chinatown many times but never notice the richness of history this place had. The trail made me want to explore more historical sites in Singapore that was conserve like Kampung Glam as well as Little India. Till then, I think I did value added myself through this trail and I am sure I will be able to value add my students next time in schools through heritage trails like this. Team Chinatown Sign out!

Telok Ayer

 Telok Ayer was a place that resides alot of early residents of Singapore. It was very near the shore so most of the people living there were on kelongs or by the sea. The statues depicts how the people lived during the colonial times at Telok Ayer area.

South Bridge Road

South Bridge Road, street, located in the Outram and Singapore River areas of the Central Region, in Singapore. One of the thriving centres of the city in the heart of Chinatown, South Bridge Road has been an important street, and one of the main thoroughfares linking the town and the New Harbour. The road stretches south from Elgin Bridge to Maxwell Road/Tanjong Pagar Road/Neil Road. It cuts through the heart of Chinatown which connects most of the historical streets in Chinatown.

Smith Street

Next Stop Smith Street!

Smith Street is one of the adjoining streets in today's Chinatown that had quite a reputation during the colonial times. It had three and four-storey brothels which along with prostitution, also promoted opium smoking, drinking and gambling. It was a place where most chinese male migrants who are alone and does not have families spent most of their evenings.

Currently the street has transformed into eateries and cafes where people come during the evenings to enjoy the delicacies here. However the buildings that were used during the colonial times were built and conserved to show the significance of this street during those days,

 As we walked through the streets it can be seen that the buildings were conserved and even rebuilt due to the destruction of the building during the Japanese Occupation, to educate the public what this street used to be,

This buildings shows how the early immigrants of Singapore lived through colonial times. It also shows sentiments of people at that point of time. This street also has an opera theater that rich chinese merchants came to watch and spent most evening drinking and enjoy the entertainment it offers. It is called Lai Chui Yuen. We went to the original building of Lai Chui Yuen as shown in the short vidoe clip below.

As we walked all the way to the end of the street, we head on towards the Kreta Ayer Complex where it used to be a shelter during the japanese occupation.

Sian Chor Kang Temple, 66 Amoy Street

Located right next to Ann Siang Hill, Sian Chor Kang / Siang Cho Keong Temple was first established in 1867 by Abbot Da Ming. The Taoist temple was built by the Hokkien community. It has been said that the temple was constructed at that site due to the good feng shui of the place, as it used to face the sea and the rear was high ground. On the left side of the site, there was a “dragon” well which assured water in abundance.

The present temple was completed in 1969, and since then it has been renovated thrice – the first in 1908, second in 1937 and the third in 1966. The shrine is small but the main altar houses statues of Guan Yin, Sakyamuni Buddha, and a few minor gods flanked by Ma Zu and Toh Peh Kong. The main deity being worshipped here, however, is Toh Peh Kong as displayed on the banner at the entrance of the temple.

Former Anglo-Chinese School, 70 Amoy Street

When heading on to our next stop, we had trouble locating the former Anglo-Chinese School as the site was under construction, which obstructed the frontal view of the block. However we still managed locate the area.

Anglo-Chinese School was founded by Reverend William Fitzjames Oldham, a Methodist missionary in Singapore, on 1 March 1886. He began by teaching classes in English and Chinese in a rented shophouse to 13 boys whom were sons of Chinese businessmen. This meant that they were sons of wealthy individuals, which indicates that the school was morally and financially supported by them as well as the community. As result, a year after its founding, the school’s enrollment increased to 104.

When Singapore was still under the colonial rule, the provision of education were not as well-progressed as its growing economy. The opportunities for education were limited, as the authorities did not see the provision of education as the government’s responsibility and did not provide funding. While there were some funding provided to English private schools, the Chinese and Malays were left to educate their own community. This is evident in the founding of ACS, given that Oldham only managed to establish the school with funds provided by his Chinese friends and from Colonial Secretary McCabe to begin teaching the small group of boys.

On top of all that, it is interesting to know that ACS was the first school in Singapore to have a flower named after it!

Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church

Overlooking the Telok Ayer Park at the beginning of Telok Ayer Street, sits the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, which is also known as the Hokkien Church in its early years. The church is  one of the oldest churches in Singapore founded by Methodist missionary and medical doctor Dr Benjamin West in 1889. The three-storey building was completed in 1925. The church was declared a national monument on 23 March 1989 – its 100th year.

What is unique about this church is architecturally, it is different from the common churches we know of. The building’s design is an eclectic fusion of eastern and western elements. The doors and windows are similar to those found in Southeast Asia. It also features a distinctly Malayan walkway on the side that links it to the adjoining shophouses, with Byzantine-style columns and piers marked with crosses stand along the walkway. The church does not have the key ecclesiastical architectural features – it was not built along the traditional cruciform plan of most Western churches. Additionally, the main entrance is oriented west and not east-facing like most churches. The incorporation of Chinese and local elements in the architectural design helped the local Chinese community to identify with the building.

Former Jinricksha Station

The Jinricksha Station was built in 1903 and opened the following year, serving as the main depot for rickshaws. The rickshaw, also known as jinrikisha – meaning the “man-powered carriage” in Japanese, were first introduced and imported into Singapore in 1880. As it was affordable and easily available, it quickly became an ubiquitous mode of transport. By the early 1990s, numerous rickshaws were plying Singapore’s streets.

Following the end of war in 1945, the number of rickshaws started to decline with the increasing use of trishaws, electric trams and buses. On top of that, there were increasing criticisms from various segments of society that saw rickshaws as a mode of transportation that insulted human dignity and frowned upon human rights. As a result, by 1946-47, legislation officially phased out the rickshaw.

Maxwell Road Food Centre

We were happy to know that Maxwell Food Centre was one of our pit stops, so we decided to have our brunch at the popular hawker centre within the Central Business District (CBD) area!

Maxwell Road was named after Sir Peter Benson Maxwell in 1921.

The Maxwell Road Food Centre began in the 1950s as a wet market in the Chinatown area. The site was converted into a temporary hawker centre to house hawkers from China Square along China Street. Its structure then remained for more than a decade. It was designed such that the stalls shared a communal washing area, which was located in the major thoroughfare where patrons consumed their food at fixed tables. While they were eating, they could see dirty dishes piling up and hawkers washing the dishes at the washing area – the hawker centre was notorious for its unhygienic conditions. But it still remained a popular food centre.

It was only in March 2000 that renovations began on the centre. Early plans almost had the new Urban Redevelopment Authority Centre take its place, but calls to preserve the hawker centre prevailed. It was then reopened in May 2001.

Former Eng Aun Tong, 89 Neil Road

This neoclassical-style building was built by Aw Boon Haw in 1924. As we walked around the exterior of the building trying hard to find out what the building was formerly used for, we did not find any historical plaque to find out more about the building. Nazirul insisted that it probably had something to do with crocodiles when we saw the signage near the electrical riser of Singapore Powers that labelled “S’pore Crocodile Garments”.

Thus, we were surprised to find out that this building was the former Eng Aun Tong factory which manufactured the internationally renowned Chinese herbal ointment, Tiger Balm. The starting of the factory coincided with the Aw family's move to Singapore from Rangoon in the 1920s. The factory operated until 1971 when production operations were contracted out and production of the famous ointment was moved to the Jack Chia group's factories in Jurong. This building along Neil Road received conservation status on 18 September 1992 under the voluntary conservation scheme.

Al-Abrar Mosque

Al-Abrar Mosque was built in 1827 as a thatched hut by the Indian Muslim congregation. The worshippers of the mosque were mostly the Chulias, Tamil Muslims from the Coromandel Coast of South India whom were amongst Singapore’s earliest immigrants. The mosque is also known as Kuchu Palli which translates as “small mosque” in Tamil, probably due to its simple and modest structure. In Malay, the mosque was also known as Masjid Chulia or Chulia Mosque.

The present building was erected between 1850 and 1855, and was declared a National Monument on 19th November 1974. The land lease of the mosque was for 999 years, held originally by Hadjee Puckery Mohamed Khatib Bin Shaik Mydin as a trustee for the Muslim community. In 1910, new trustees were appointed to look after the mosque, namely K. Mohamed Eusope, Thambyappa Rarooter, S. Kanisah Maricayar, V. M. Kader Bux and J. Sultan Abdul Kader – these men were also trustees for the Nagore Durgha Shrine on the same street and Jamae Mosque at South Bridge Road. It is now currently under the care of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).

What is unique about this building is that it aligns and fit right in the urban planning grid, set in the row of shophouses. From thatch to brick, the mosque underwent a series of major renovations between 1986 - 1989 with further expansion that now enabled the mosque to enjoy a capacity of up to 900 worshippers at any one time – five times the original number.

It is interesting that although it went through several renovations, the simple structure and architectural design of the mosque today still remains true to its beginning days. Mainly identifiable by the two large minarets topped by a crescent moon and star in the central bay. The design of the mosque that borrows elements from the Indo-Islamic architectural style sets it apart from other shophouses in the vicinity. On top of that, the use of European Neo-classical features adds a touch of eclecticism to the mosque.

Visited/Taken on 17 September 2016

Buildings 42 – 50 Mosque Street; 175 – 198 New Bridge Road and 38 – 64 Upper Cross Street

The four-storey buildings were once tenements designed by the civil engineering firm “Seah and Le Cain”. The architecture of the buildings shows that they were build by the Colonial Government in the 1920s.

Tai Tong Cake Shop, which was famous for their traditional Cantonese mooncakes, was located at the 1^st storey of 43 Mosque Street.

No 70 Eu Tong Sen Street and the Majestic Theatre

The Majestic Theatre was built in 1928 by Eu Tong Sen for his wife who was an opera fan and once was refused to enter an opera. He also formed an opera troupe for her, and bought the street (Eu Tong Sen Street) on which the theatre sat. Swan and Maclaren, the leading architectural firm at that time, designed the building. The same firm also built Raffles Hotel and Victoria Memorial Hall.

The Majestic Theatre was originally known as the Tien Yien Moh Toi Theatre and was a performing Cantonese opera until 1938, when it was converted into a cinema.

When the Japanese occupation of Singapore started in 1942 during World War II, the theatre was renamed Tai Hwa Opera House. It was used to screen Japanese propaganda films.