Asia Travel Guide

Singapore’s Chinatown evolved around 1821 when the first Chinese junk arrived from Xiamen, Fujian province in China. The passengers, all men, set up home around the south of the Singapore River which is known today as Telok Ayer. Chinatown’s local name - Niu Che Shui (Bullock Cart Water) arose from the fact each household at that time had to collect fresh water from the wells in Ann Siang Hill and Spring Street, using bullock-drawn carts.

Not all parts of Chinatown are Chinese though. The Al Abrar Mosque along Telok Ayer Street, and the Jamae Mosque and Sri Mariamman Temple along South Bridge Road lay witness to the harmonious racial and religious atmosphere in Singapore.

Chinatown can be divided into four main districts - Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh - each with its own distinctive flavour. The heart of activity is in the Trengganu/Smith Streets area.

Chinatown Food Street
Located at Smith Street, the Chinatown Food Street offers the best local hawker favourites! You would be able to savour the best of Singapore’s hawker food and rediscover the joys of al-fresco roadside dinning among the beautifully restoring shophouses of Chinatown.

The Chinatown Food Street offers over 20 types of local delights. Do try out local dishes like Char Kway Teow ( a noodle dish fried with fresh cockles), Carrot Cake (a steamed savoury radish cake fried with eggs and preserved vegetables) or Rojak (a refreshing local salad tossed with sweet sauced and peanuts), served from outdoor stalls like days of the old. Expect to pay an average of SGD 5 per person for a hearty meal.

Chinatown Night Market
Take a stroll along the Chinatown Night Market for a unique night market shopping experience! Delight yourself with an array of traditional and modern merchandise ranging from street opera masks to handmade ornaments, traditional clothing to unique fashion accessories, you will be spoilt for choice with the eclectic mix of merchandise on offer.

Immerse yourself in the old world charm of these Chinatown shophouses as you browse the selections at every stall. For those looking back to kick back and relax, there are also traditional and modern dance performances to entertain you in the evenings.

Don’t forget to check out the wide variety of local finger food stalls at Trengganu Street too!

Source: Uniquely Singapore

Boat Quay
Looking for a swingin’ good time? Then head on down to Boat Quay - the trailblazer of the Singapore entertainment scene. With an eclectic mix of high end restaurants and alfresco dining and lively bars and pubs, Boat Quay is arguably the favourite place to “chill out” for most professionals and expatriates.

Imagine that only a century ago, Boat Quay was the hothouse for trading. When Raffles signed the agreement securing the auspicious title of free port for Singapore, this instantly opened the floodgates of immigrants from neighbouring countries. Within six months, a familiar scene in this location was sun-tanned coolies and swaylos (water-hands) balancing heavy gunny-sacks of rice on their shoulders, with springy gangplanks under their feet, loading and unloading a bewildering plethora of produce. By the 1860’s, three-quarters of all shipping business was done at Boat Quay. Here was the starting point of Singapore’s success as a business hub.

The south side of the river was crammed with shophouses because it resembled the concaved belly of a carp, which according to Chinese believers, was the source of prosperity and wealth. Today, the row of shophouses has been carefully conserved. Notice the variance in height - this was a sign of each man’s wealth, the higher the shophouse, the wealthier the owner.

Clarke Quay
Shop, eat and be entertained by the riverside! Featuring five blocks of restored warehouses, Clarke Quay offers a quirky alternative to mainstream attractions, with second-hand and antique shops, flea markets and restaurants with an amazing array of F&B options. In the evenings, dance clubs and pubs come alive with music from the 1960s to the present.

Or get your dose of adrenaline rush with the G-Max Reverse Bungy! Designed and developed in New Zealand eight years ago, the G-Max is Singapore’s first extreme ride. It involves up to three people being seated in a specially designed open air steel reinforced capsule, attached by US-approved bungy cords to two towers. The cords are tightened and then released, catapulting the capsule up to 60m in the air at speeds of 200kph. The ride lasts for about 5 minutes.

Named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore’s second governor, Clarke Quay had been the commercial centre, where an unending stream of lighters would transport their goods upriver to the warehouses. Near the entrance to Clarke Quay on River Valley Road is Whampoa’s Ice House which belonged to Hoo Ah Kay, an early immigrant from Whampoa, China who imported ice from Boston in the mid-1800s before ice-making facilities were available in Singapore. Note how the Chinese and European merchants brought their own architectural styles to the area.

Robertson Quay
A more laid-back cousin to Boat Quay, Robertson Quay offers a more tranquil ambience for dining and entertainment by the Singapore River. Housing a string of hotels hugging the river against a background of the old go-downs of Singapore, Robertson Quay is the perfect locale for an evening out. Enjoy a walk and leisurely dinner at the many alfresco dining outlets, wine bars, arts houses and hotel cafes.

Robertson Quay used to be the site for merchants’ offices, warehouses and jetties, where they would facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. Children would often stand and wave from the old Kampong (village) houses along the banks. Many a time, they would take off their clothes and jump in for a cool afternoon swim.

Source: Uniquely Singapore