Sungei Road: Thieves Market and the Chinese Baroque shophouses
Jalan Besar, Singapore

Jalan Besar: Thieves Market and the Chinese Baroque shophouses

For the visitor keen to explore beyond the main tourist areas in the city, Jalan Besar, on the fringe of Little India, is a natural choice. Here, along this “Big Road’ (“Jalan Besar” in the Malay language), you will find a “Thieves” Market”, a toy museum, an art gallery, some excellent examples of the Singapore Shophouse and road names that recall WWI personalities and battle sites.

Jalan Besar is one of the first roads to be built in Singapore. It started in the 1830s as a path through the betel nut and fruit orchard owned by the Norris brothers Richard and George, whose father was an officer of the East India Company Army. In the 1890s, the road was expanded and given its present name, which suggests that it was among the biggest roads in the colony then.

Today, it is no longer so, but as one of the main roads leading into the city, it is always very busy. Start your walking tour at the Sungei Road “Thieves Market”, so named because the goods on offer here are allegedly acquired via dubious means. That may had been the case in the 1930s when the open-air market first started, but today it also means that what you find here may be a steal. Known also as “Robinson Petang” (meaning “Evening Robinson” in the Malay language, in a nod to the posh department store Robinson), it is today really a flea market and is especially popular with foreign labourers. It also attracts inveterate flea market bargain hunters and intrepid tourists.

The market opens around noon and ends around 7pm. There are no street lamps so vendors – many of whom appear to hail from the underbelly of Singapore – pack up soon after sunset. Goods are spread over a mat on the floor: old electrical goods, clothing and accessories, shoes, vinyl records and cassettes, CD/VCDs, books, old souvenirs, watches, amulets, toys, household items, decorative objects, kitchenware, old books and magazines, photos and knickknacks of all sorts. People have been known to find the occasional treasure here among the junk although that’s a long shot. The “Thieves Market” may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s an eye-opening experience in all-spic-and-span Singapore.

From the “Thieves Market”, you will see lining both sides of Jalan Besar a unique architectural feature of the Singapore landscape. The Singapore Shophouse is typically a three-storey building with the street-level space reserved for business and the upper levels for living. Wooden louvred windows and a covered front walkway – called fivefoot way because it measures five foot wide – are also characteristic of this form of architecture which dominated the urban landscape during the colonial days. Their architecture range in style from art deco to Chinese Baroque (also known as Singapore Eclectic, a hybrid of Chinese and Western traditions). Many along Jalan Besar have been beautifully restored and enjoy conservation status today. The ones at the junction of Jalan Besar and Veerasamy are among the most eye-catching. Further along at Syed Alwi Road on the side of New World Centre, you will find a row of these shophouses adorned with bold and fanciful plasterwork, tiles and iron grillwork. At the Sam Leong Road junction, an art-deco style shophouse is today home to a rather unremarkable coffeeshop, still awaiting its turn to be restored.

Before Sam Leong Road, at 107/109 Rowell Road, you will find an exciting little entreprise started in 2006 by a group of artists. Called the Post Museum, it consists of a small gallery (www.p-10.org, Tel: 6294-0041) and a small restaurant (www.food03.sg, Tel: 6396-7980) serving a vegetarian menu. Take a break and try the house specials – the tempeh (fermented soybean cake) burger and vegan chocolate brownie. The gallery next door is free and shows cutting-edge works by artists in a variety of media.

A few doors beyond at 83 Rowell Road is the small but fascinating Museum of Shanghai Toys (www.most.com.sg, Tel: 6294-7747). This is the personal collection of Mr Marvin Chan and the toys, dating from 1910s-1970s, are all made in China.

At Maude Road, World War I history buffs will be pleasantly surprised to learn that this road is named after General Sir Frederick Maude. In 1926, the Municipal Commissioners of colonial Singapore chose to commemorate British and French generals and WWI battles sites by naming the roads here Allenby (after Edmund Allenby, British), Beatty (Admiral David Beatty, British), Foch (Marshall Ferdinand Foch, Commander of Allied Forces, French), Jellicoe (Admiral John Jellicoe, British), Kitchener (Lord Horatio Kitchener, British Secretary of War) and Petain (Marshal Phillipe Petain, French Commander of Battle of Verdun). The battle sites of Flanders, Marne, Somme and Verdun are also not forgotten.

A pawn shop, a throwback to the olden days when cash-strap individuals bring in an item – usually jewelry or watches – to secure a quick cash loan, can be found at 233 Jalan Besar. Thai Sun Pawnshop, like many still operating in Singapore today, is believed to be a vanishing trade but their continued presence certainly suggests otherwise.

If you are interested in more “Chinese Baroque” shophouse architecture, make a pit stop at Petain Road, where a row of beautifully-restored shophouses have been converted into private residences. They are among the finest examples of this local architectural style, a spirited mix of East and West. The Chinese Baroque style was popular in the building boom in 1900-1930s when local merchants made a fortune trading local commodities such as tin and rubber. Look out for European and Japanese tiles and plaster reliefs of birds, flowers and scrolls. Many locals will also tell you that Petain Road has also long been known as a red light district.

Architecture buffs should make one last stop at Lavender Street to take a look at another fine example of a restored shophouse. 161 Lavender Street won an Architectural Heritage Award from the Urban Redevelopment Authority for its beautiful restoration. The art-deco shophouse was owned by the famous local philanthropist Lee Kong Chian who supported Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Nationalist cause, hence the plaster figures of soldiers carrying Republic of China flags on the pediment.

On your way back, for a rest and a taste of some local snacks, drop by Swee Choon (191 Jalan Besar, Tel: 6294-5292), which is famous for its handmade traditional dessert, bao and dim sum. It is open 5pm through 10am and has been a favourite for night owls for more than 40 years.

Text by S.T. Leng. Photography by Eugene Tang. All Rights Reserved.