Mosque street
It was named thus due to the presence of Jamae Mosque (also known as Chulia Mosque), which is situated near the junction of Mosque Street and South Bridge Road entrance.
Indian Muslims, also known as Chulias, were from the Coromandel Coast in South India. They were among the first Indian migrants who settled down in Singapore during the early 19th century. While women began travelling from India to Singapore only from the 1860s, many South Indian Muslim men who arrived here prior to that period married local Malay women. Their offspring were referred to as Jawi-Peranakans.
South Indian Muslims who settled down in the northern part of Chinatown, within the area of Chulia and Market streets, were mostly traders running small-scale ventures. Other Indian Muslims were assimilated into the Arab-Malay communities in Kampong Glam. To serve the religious needs of South Indian Muslims, Malays and Jawi Peranakans, Jamae Mosque was built on Mosque Street between 1830 and 1835. The street was named Mosque Street due to the presence of the mosque.
February 2021 (Chulia Mosque at South Bridge Road)
February 2021
February 2021
February 2021
February 2021
February 2021
Pagoda Street
Pagoda Street obtained its name from the nearby Sri Mariamman Temple, located at the corner of South Bridge Road and Pagoda Street. The pagoda (or gopuram in Tamil) built over the main gate of the Sri Mariamman Temple was a significant feature on the street. In 1843, shophouses-cum-residences were built along Pagoda Street. As there was no access through the back of the shophouses, back lanes were introduced in between some of these living quarters in 1935.
Notorious for its opium-smoking dens in the early 19th century, Pagoda Street was probably also one of the stations of the coolie trade. This street was once referred to as Kwong Hup Yuen Kai (which means “street of Kwong Hup Yuen” in Cantonese), as Kwong Hup Yuen, a well-known coolie trading firm, was located there. From a coolie station between the 1850s and 1880s, Pagoda Street evolved into a coolie lodge in the early 20th century. In 1901, there were some 12 lodging houses located on this street. With the urbanisation of Singapore in the mid-20th century, the street reinvented itself as a commercial area for retail trade and services, as well as textile and tailoring.
Source: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_321_2005-01-11.html
Coolies
In the 19th and early 20th century, many Chinese immigrants, particularly from the southern region of China, came to Singapore in search of better prospects but were instead made to work as labourers – known as coolies. Pagoda Street had over 12 coolie firms in 1901, one of which was the infamous Kwong Hup Yuen coolie firm. The shophouse at 37 Pagoda Street is believed to be the former premises of the Kwong Hup Yuen coolie firm, which was the largest firm at the time.
These coolies had to endure poor living conditions. They ranged from a lack of proper sanitation and fresh water, to cramped living quarters where workers often had to share wooden beds. Sickness, violence and opium dens were also rife and caused issues such as opium addiction among these coolies. While the official quota for housing coolies was 200 people per firm, many coolie firms housed beyond the stipulated quota.
https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/d07fd16d-1161-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad
Moreover, coolies were euphemistically called zhu zai (猪仔, piglets) and were treated like beasts of burden, with the stronger workers being highly prized for their physical capabilities, while the weaker and sickly labourers were left to fend for themselves. These social factors made their lives all the more difficult and many coolies struggled to make a viable living.
Having functioned as a coolie station between the 1850s and 1880s, and as a coolie lodging in the early 20th century, Pagoda Street began to transform into a commercial area in the mid-20th century with the urbanisation of Singapore.
The shophouse at 37 Pagoda Street stands as a dark and stark reminder of the struggles of the Chinese coolies during Singapore’s colonial period. This is evident in the fact that Pagoda street, on which this shophouse is located, is sometimes colloquially referred to as Kwong Hup Yuen Street by the local populace even today.
Source: https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/surveyed-sites/37-Pagoda-Street
January 2020 (from New Bridge Road)
September 2020 (No. 69)
September 2020 (No. 42)
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