There is an overlap between the areas of China Square, Kreta Ayer (Hokkien) Area https://www.marcs.studio/post/singapore-chinatown-kreta-ayer-hokkien-area.
Telok Ayer Street
This section of Telok Ayer Street covers the road between Cross Street and Church Street. For the section between Cross Street and Cecil Street proceed to Telok Ayer.
Fuk Tak Chi Temple
Between 1820 to 1824, Cantonese and Hakka immigrants installed a shrine of the deity Tua Peh Kong at the temple’s current site. The shrine was one of the first stops for immigrants from China. As soon as they arrived, they would visit the shrine to offer their thanksgiving for their safe passage to Singapore. The shrine was initially housed in a non-concrete structure, as it was common practice then to build an initial wooden structure or a shed over a shrine. A brick temple was finally built in 1825, followed by renovations in 1869. The temple’s 1869 renovation was financed by Hokkien community leader, Cheang Hong Lim.
Besides its religious functions, the Fuk Tak Chi temple also served as the headquarters of the Hakka and Cantonese communities in Singapore. In those days, temples doubled as welfare associations and were closely associated with clan associations and the development of the community. It was also a place where disputes were settled.
In 1994, the temple, then in a dilapidated condition, closed its doors to the public and was handed over to the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The temple management moved to a shrine in Geylang. Subsequently the temple was redeveloped into a museum and re-opened to the public on 19 November 1998. The museum, a conservation project under the National Heritage Board, is now known as the Fuk Tak Chi Museum. It is Singapore’s first street museum.
August 2020
China Street
This street is located between South Bridge Road and Amoy Street. Once infamous for its numerous gambling houses, China Street was also known as Ghee Hin Street after the notorious Hokkien secret society of the same name, which had its ‘kongsi’ (meeting house) here.
China Street used to be notorious for its gambling dens and secret societies. The street was closely associated with Hokkiens who lived and worked around China Street. It was famous for its gambling dens and served as a meeting place for secret societies. In fact, the Hokkiens called the street kiau keng khau, or “mouth of gambling houses”, as the street was seen as an entrance to the gambling dens. A powerful Hokkien secret society, Ghee Hin, had their meeting house along this street. The street was therefore also known as “Ghee Hin street”.
November 2022
November 2022
Chin Chew Street is thought to be a loose transliteration or a form of slang to refer to the city of Ch'uan-chou (Quanzhou) in the Fujian province of China. Being in the vicinity of Cross Street – a former Indian enclave where many Indian boatmen lived and operated shops selling goat’s milk, mutton and herbs, Chin Chew Street began as an Indian residential area in the early 19th century. The road originally consisted of another portion called Upper Chin Chew Street. Until the 1930s, Upper Chin Chew Street was a hive of activity due to the many music halls, restaurants, theatres and brothels located there. This portion of the road was expunged to make way for the Hong Lim Complex constructed in 1979–80.
In the mid to late 19th century, Chin Chew Street became a Chinese commercial area; many beancurd cottage industries and sellers once thrived on the street. In the early 20th century, this street, along with Upper Chin Chew Street, was the home of many samsui women, who were construction labourers from the Sanshui (“Samsui” in Cantonese) district of China's Guangdong province. The women lived in tiny and squalid spaces within dingy shophouses that lined the streets.
Nankin Street
November 2022
November 2022
One of the early streets of Singapore, Nankin Street appears on the original 1822 Raffles Town Plan of Singapore. The street runs parallel to Hokien Street and Chin Chew Street on both sides. It is listed in Coleman’s 1836 Map of Singapore as Nankeen Street. It is not known when and why this street was named after the Chinese city of Nanking although some streets in the vicinity were named after places in China. The street originally stretched up to New Bridge Road and this portion of the road, from South Bridge Road to New Bridge Road, was called Upper Nankin Street. A Hakka secret society named Sung Bai Kun was located on this street in the 19th century giving it a notorious reputation.
Upper Nankin Street became the subject of a study, which looked into the living conditions in Chinatown, conducted by Kaye (1960), a Social Research Fellow at the University of Malaya. The shophouses along Nankin Street had been partitioned into many cubicles with no windows or ventilation. Upper Nankin Street was identified as being generally representative of the overcrowded and poor living conditions in Chinatown. It was also scheduled to be demolished by the Singapore Improvement Trust and would provide an opportunity to study the living conditions of the re-settled residents of that street. Samsui women who arrived in Singapore from 1934 to 1949 made Upper Nankin Street and Upper Chin Chew Street their residential quarters. Both Upper Nankin Street and Upper Chin Chew Street were expunged to make way for the construction of Hong Lim complex in 1980.
June 2016
June 2016
November 2022
January 2022
Pekin Street, one of Chinatown's older streets, first appeared in the 1836 Map of the Town and Environs of Singapore by George D. Coleman. It is not known why this street was named after the capital city of China although the large number of Chinese residing there, particularly the Kheks or Hakkas, may account for its name. The street was known for its furniture makers, more specifically cabinet makers, who lived along the street in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a relatively safe street with a better reputation compared with the other streets of Chinatown, which were lined with opium shops, gambling dens and brothels. Since the late 1990s, Pekin Street has been converted into a pedestrian mall with a glass-covered walkway.
November 2022
November 2022
November 2022
November 2022
July 1971
Hokkien Street
Built in the 1820s, Hokien Street is one of the oldest roads in Singapore. The road appears in the 1828 Jackson Plan (or Raffles Town Plan) of Singapore as “Hokien Street”. As its name implies, Hokien Street was a main settlement area for early Hokkien immigrants from China. The Hokkien community was the largest dialect group to have emigrated from China to Singapore. They dominated commerce in early Singapore and many were noted philanthropists. Hence, many streets in Singapore have been named after prominent personalities from the Hokkien community.
The Chinese also referred to Upper Hokien Street as tiang thye kai after the clan association, Tiang Thye Hui Guan. Built in 1849 by Cheang Sam Teow, a Chinese immigrant from the Tiang Thye county of China’s Fujian province, it became dilapidated after some years. In 1887, 38 years later, it was rebuilt as Tiang Thye Temple by Cheang Hong Lim, the son of Cheang Sam Teow. The temple was later demolished to make way for the construction of Hong Lim complex in the 1980s.
Chin Yuen Chian Ching Temple (aka Tiang Thye Temple) in Upper Hokkien Street around 1980
Pickering Street (Macao Street) was named after William Alexander Pickering, the first Protector of the Chinese, and head of the Chinese Protectorate. He was popular amongst the Chinese population for his ability to speak four Chinese dialects plus Mandarin. Pickering Street was originally known as Macao Street.
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