Chinatown
Ethnic Quarter

Soon after the British, under Sir Stamford Raffles took possession of Singapore in 1819 to establish a trading port, a town plan was drawn up. The area south of the Singapore River was designated for Chinese merchants and seafarers. Two centuries on, this district still retains an unusually Chinese flavour.

Much of the architectural heritage of the district is not only extant, but well-conserved. Walking around Chinatown today, you'll see many examples of the shophouses that merchants built as they prospered. Typically, there would be a shop on the ground floor, with residential units above. Today, however, the upper floors have mostly been converted to commercial use.

On Pagoda Street, however, a few shophouses have been kept as the Chinatown Heritage Museum. You'll see the bunks the pioneers slept on, the communal kitchens where they cooked their meagre meals, sewing machines and other tools of trades that the early settlers had to earn their living.

Some businesses have thrived through the generations. Tong Heng, a specialist in traditional Chinese pastries, for example, has been operating in Chinatown for over 80 years. Other shops feature medicinal herbs, fine teas and BBQ meats (Bak kwa) at Bee Cheng Hiang and Lim Chee Guan along New Bridge Road. And naturally, there are innumerable places where one can find food, from gourmet cuisine to simple street-side hawker fare or coffee-shops (Kopi tiam) serving local favourites like Hainanese chicken rice, Hakka yong tau foo, Teochew porridge, fish ball noodles, Cantonese dim sum, Hokkien friend noodles and kway teow.

The streets of Chinatown are busy and colourful most times of the day. Look out for the flea markets at Cross Street and Banda Street.

And then there are fruits, particularly pomelo and the spiky durian. The latter is much loved by many Singaporeans, though its flavour may be too strong for others.