Singapore Chinatown busy street
Among the sleek and shiny streets of Singapore, Chinatown sparkles at night and during the day have that clean grime along its busy streets which makes it one of my favorite spots in the country. The food there is also worth a bite for those with adventurous taste buds and the few temples nearby makes for an interesting cultural side trip. Yes, Chinatown is one of my favorite places in Singapore. And here’s more reasons why.
Numerous shops at chinatown
Chinatown’s history goes way back in 1821, when the first Chinese junk from Xiamen arrived from China. The passengers who are all men made the area around Telok Ayer River their home. It is now where Chinatown is. My visit to the Chinatown Heritage Center deepened my appreciation of the place’s history and heritage. I saw their cramped living conditions before, during and after the war and how they adapted throughout the years.
Eating at the Food Street
Food tripping is one of my favorite activities there as well. I wrote something about Smith Street or popularly known as Food Street where I tasted Sichuan food close to what I had to Sichuan, China. And definitely there are lots more to try out aside from what I mentioned. And it’s not limited to Chinese food.
Biking at Sago Street with Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Interestingly, not everything here is about Chinese. Aside from the new and impressive Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the old Sri Mariamman Temple at Pagoda Street is still picturesque. There’s also the Thian Hock Keng Temple along Telok Ayer St. It’s a Taoist temple built by seamen in 1821, one of the oldest places of worship in the area.
Night at the Smith Street
Of course shopping will not be missed here. There is so much to see and buy here, from Souvenirs to gadgets and other Chinese (and non Chinese) related items. But you know what I like more about Chinatown? It’s when the night starts to come in and all those bright lights color up the numerous shophouses along the streets.
View of the CBD Flat at night
Maybe if you’re done with all that shopping, eating and probably picture taking, you can cross South Bridge Road. Head to the back streets, past the pubs and go on a moderate hill climb. You’ll find Ann Siang Hill. This is where the old Chinese Migrants used to have wells for drinking water. Now it’s a small park hidden among modern shophouses. It’s a nice place to take some air in and view more of the city skyline with a foreground of a bunch of airconditioner exhaust fans clumped together. Yep that’s Singapore Chinatown for you.
Ann Siang Hill view
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Ang gagaling ng kuha mo.
Anyway, I love Chinatowns. I believe that every major city should have one. And any Chinatown is worth visiting. The eats is good and the shopping is fantastic, plus people watching is to the max.
Chinatown in Singapore looks like the Jonker Street in Malacca, Malaysia..
nice nice….
full of culture and food =)
wow! nice entry. now i’m even more excited to visit this place… and looking forward to a great food trip! yumm…
Looks like “frames” out of a Chinese movie !
I especially like pic #1.
That’s true Photo Cache! CHinatown’s in defferent cities are always a delight to visit. They have such character
Hi Carmen! Somewhat similar to Jonker Street but multiple streets for SG
I’m sure you’ll have a great time there Joycee
Haha. Thanks Sidney
The Chinese is all over the planet that it seems a city anywhere won’t be complete without its own Chinatown.
Cool, I saw something familar. There’s another chinatown in Singapore which is more laidback. It is in Geylang. Geylang is known as Chinatown 2 because of many chinese nationals who worked and set up shops there due to the cheaper rent.
Hi, thank you for sharing..
I’m a student and research about of the Taiwan’s Shilin Night Market, can you please help me to do a survey regarding on your view of Chinatown Night Market(牛車水), and the website as below as:
http://www.my3q.com/home2/327/ximoon/50631.phtml
Thank you for your helping, and wish you have a nice day. ^^