The train stations are clean and quiet and air conditioned, which does not prepare you for stepping out onto Eu Tong Seng St, and the rich beating heart of a world of wet markets, moon cakes, small stalls racked with clothes, and rows and rows of maneki-neko (“beckoning cat”). The heat and the noise and the colour clash and wrestle for your attention. The chatter of excitable but friendly Cantonese and Mandarin fills every corner, and you want to ask whether red is a lucky colour, because it seems to frame every image. This is Chinatown, just one of Singapore’s vibrant ethnic quarters.
Hidden in the Garden City, amongst the cloud-sweeping skyscrapers and between the fauna-covered streets, are neighbourhoods bursting with Asian culture. From China to India, to Türkiye to Iran, this hot-pot of a city embraces cultures from across the globe. Chinatown, Little India and the Kampong Glam are three neighbourhoods on the top of most tourists’ must-see locations. Deeply steeped in culture, these areas showcase the rich heritage Chinese, Indian and Arab Singaporeans have to offer.
Today, these neighbourhoods serve as time capsules for three of Singapore’s largest ethnic groups, though its foundation started during Singapore’s British colonisation in the 17th century, almost 150 years before Singapore’s independence.
In 1822, British colonial officer, Sir Stamford Raffles, ordered Lieutenant Philip Jackson to draw up a town plan in which Chinese, Indian and Arab immigrants were divided into residencies by racial identity. This was dubbed, the Raffles Plan, also known as the Jackson Plan, and was intended to strengthen communities and make trade easier and more efficient.
But 200 years later, in the 60th year of Singapore’s independence, these neighbourhoods have become time capsules of heritage and culture, drawing in a sea of visitors each year. Amongst the tourist-lined streets are local residents embracing their ancestry, who have taken full advantage of having two worlds in one.
A look at the ethnic quarters of Singapore and some of their residents. Jade McKenzie
To Victor Yue, 73, his dual ancestry is one of the most important parts of being a Singaporean, and over the past 60 years, he has felt the impact of the country’s ethnic diversity.
“I always like to joke, I was born a British subject. I’ve been a Malaysian, and I end up being Singaporean, because we have three different stages of history,” he says.
“To me, as I grow older, I always worry what legacy I leave behind for my children, hopefully for my grandchildren. What do they know about culture?”
Victor Yue
Five km north of Chinatown is the neighbourhood of Kampong Glam, home to popular tourist attractions such as Haji Lane and Arab Street, and at the centre of it all, the Sultan Mosque, one of Singapore’s oldest religious landmarks.
Photo: Jade McKenzie.
Photo: Jade McKenzie.
Originally part of the Raffles Plan, the Kampong Glam was the district for Arab, Turkish and Muslim immigrants in Singapore.
Now, the area sees visitors from all over the world, exploring the many streets and alleys of this neighbourhood, all leading back to the Sultan Mosque, where dosan, Sister Rozannah, has worked for 12 years.
“We practice one people one nation, especially with National Day coming next month. We have a bond with each other. As long as we are Singaporean we stand united.”
Sister Rozannah
For Sister Rozannah, the National Day of Singapore is a time for citizens to come together, and to celebrate their shared history.
Located on Little India’s famous Serangoon Street is one of this neighbourhoods oldest family run restaurants, Komala Vilas, owned for three generations by the same family.
38-year-old Jayanthi Gunasekaran owns the restaurant with her two siblings, passed down to them from their parents. She says growing up in Singapore revolved around the community surrounding the restaurant.
“Back then it was one of five restaurants, and it was mainly serving the immigrant population, wanting a taste of food from their homeland,” she says.
Gunasekaran has recently been living and studying in Australia and returned home to Singapore this year to run the restaurant alongside her siblings, and she has brought a lot of gratitude home with her.
“As someone whose parents were born in India, I’ve had a lot more opportunities,” she says.
“To be born here and to have studied here, all of that came from being Singaporean.”
This story was produced as part of a federal government New Colombo Plan funded Curtin Journalism Singapore Study Tour.