Made up of a confluence of alleys bursting at the seams with cheap curios, local eats, and places of worship, Singapore’s Chinatown is likely where you will head to for the standard ‘Chinatown Experience’. However, because it’s Singapore, you will also find yourself getting a lot more than you bargained for.

At first glance, Singapore’s Chinatown is exactly as you’d expect: a typical crumbly quarter infused with just the right amount of Chinese elements to come across exotic and traditional, but otherwise unsipid and unremarkably modernized with new-age comforts. However, when you lean in to take a closer look, a very different Chinese heritage presents itself – one that is uniquely Singaporean and characterized by multi-ethnic influences deeply embedded in all facets of its existence, from its food and language to its customs, practices, and even superstitions. There are Chinese versions of traditionally Malay/Indian dishes like Rojak, Mee Goreng, Chicken Curry and even Nasi Lemak; traditional pastries and delicacies are infused with local flavours like Kaya, Pandan, and Durian – and also, ask any Singaporean Chinese, and they will be quick to confirm that the Hokkien Chinese dialect that Singaporeans speak is weaved with so many words from the Malay language that oftentimes, Hokkien speakers almost forget that what they speak isn’t ‘real’ Hokkien. But perhaps, noone argues this point stronger than the presence of South Bridge Road – where, in just a span of 300m, you will find a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, and a Muslim mosque, all located mere stones’ throws away from one another; acutely underscoring the racial diversity and intermingling cohesion that existed between the different races even from as far back as the 1900s.

What makes Singapore’s Chinatown different from your average tourist Chinatown, is that it is a resplendent tapestry of Singapore’s main ethnic cultures, skillfully interwoven in an urban planning dénouement that loops us all back to where and how it all began – and it shows in everything; from the places of worship to the food choices to even the murals on the wall. It’s what makes the Singaporean Chinese so distinctly different from the mainland Chinese, in that they might be Chinese through and through, but their identities here are nonetheless deeply entwined with fragments of Malay and Indian influences – so much so that you simply cannot explore one culture without inadvertently stumbling into another.

What this means for you, is that your ‘Chinatown Experience’ in Singapore is guaranteed to be more than just about skimming the surface of ‘all things Chinese’. Instead, expect a bona fide immersion into a more localized Chinese culture; one that allows you to dig deeper and fully experience the realm of our Chinese identity – but only in its purest, most Singaporean form.

Set the Scene

Chinatown In 5 Words:
Cultural, Historical, Festive, Gastronomical, Aesthetic.

Best Time to Visit:
Chinese New Year, of course! Chinese New Year is, hands down, one of the top three biggest holidays in Singapore (the other being Christmas and the actual New Year); and this is where you’ll find yourself in the heart of action if you time your visit right. From nightly street light-ups to an extravaganza of temporary vendors hawking everything the locals will need to prep for the Lunar New Year, the energy at Chinatown is unparalleled during this time of the year, and you’ll be sorry to miss it.

Chinese New Year typically falls on January/February; it’s best to consult the calendar as the actual dates vary from year to year.

Sleep Here: Hostels are all the rage in the Chinatown area and you will be spoilt for choice, but in case you’re hoping for something a little more aesthetic with somewhat-friendly pricetags, cast your eyes towards Kesa House, The Scarlet, or even Hmlet Cantonment if you’re staying for more than 6 nights and have friends to share space with. (P.S. If you have extra cash lying around, a stay at the Duxton Reserve is a MUST.)

ADVENTURE FORTH

Chinatown In 5 Experiences:
1. I’m not one to recommend temples and museums unless they speak to you in a personal way, but the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum is a must regardless of personal interest. It is literally as its name suggests – the left canine tooth of Buddha, which was recovered from his funeral pyre in India, is housed inside this magnificent place of worship. Aside, plenty of other venerable artefacts await your perusal too, including a collection of more than 11,000 Buddha and Bodhisattva gilt statues, enshrined in a pagoda located at the centre of the temple’s roof.

2. There is something else here that deeply contrasts the ever-evolving facade of Singapore’s uniquely hip and swanky Chinatown – and that is the collection of Wall Murals scattered around the neighbourhood, decorating bits and pieces of the district with impressive portraits of its bygone era. From traditional customs and past ways of life to vanished trades and lost pasttimes, the murals of Chinatown come together to tell a deeper and more meaningful story of Singapore’s past, with details so tiny and so plentiful you can often times can get lost in them just walking from end to end. It is, essentially, a canvas of Singapore’s historical and cultural resonance spanning an entire century; a spot of nostalgia for the older generation, an immersive learning journey for the new.

3. Tuck in at Maxwell Hawker Centre / Amoy Street Food Centre. An impressive list of Michelin Bib Gourmand recipients and award-winning stalls makes it worth braving the reverberant clatter of these hawker centre. Collectively, these stalls offer you a business-class insight into the best of local hawker food and it’s hard to go wrong with any of the stalls here. If you’re lucky enough to be with friends or family, an ideal meal here is best enjoyed over an array of excellent small plates.

4. A fun little retail space that’s often overlooked in Chinatown is The Tintin Shop, an official Tintin merchandise house with a comprehensive array of memorabilia. It’s a quirky little contrast to the area’s oriental vibrance, and you will not miss it on Pagoda Street.

5. Here’s another one that misses the attention of most people: the NUS Baba House. If you have a strong love for the pretty Peranakan shophouses of Singapore, it probably makes sense that you should know a little more about the people who once lived in them. After all, they were some of the richest, most fascinating people in Singapore’s history… and when I say rich, I mean rich in every aspect of life you can imagine: rich in its history, rich in its culture, rich in its fashion, rich in the arts, rich in wealth; rich in tradition … even rich in its cuisine. Everything about the Peranakans are intricate and ornate to the max, but sadly, they are also a vanishing ethnicity in Singapore; and the NUS Baba House will allow you a rare glimpse into an extremely unique culture that forms a huge facade of Singapore’s heritage, despite its dimunitive size in the population today.

Where to Get Touristy:
The main Chinatown Street Market is, essentially, the area that people are thinking about when they think about Singapore’s Chinatown, and you cannot possibly miss it even if you tried. Expect to find all the usuals on a typical Asian curio hitlist, from gaudy keychains retailing at 30 for $10, to homeware, clothes, technology, bags, accessories, Chinese ‘artefacts’, and even traditional food products and medicinal herbs. My favourite are these fabric oriental knots and I cannot resist buying at least one whenever I’m in the area.

PICK A WILD CARD

An Under-the-Radar Spot to Try:
If shophouses are your aesthetic (as it should be when you’re in Singapore), you cannot miss out on the Blair Plain Conservation Area. It’s a petit little neighbourhood just 5-10 mins off of Chinatown, and is almost a destination in itself. Intricately patterned wall and floor tiles, shuttered windows, and canopied roofs detail the structures of these stylistically historic Peranakan shophouses; featuring an eclectic mixture of Chinese, Malay, and European design elements that engenders it a visible canvas of Singapore’s multicultural and architectural influences through the century.

If you’re planning to work your way through Chinatown from the absolute start to finish, begin at Blair Road and then work your way through Neil and Everton Roads. This precious, often-overlooked enclave will leave you feeling a million miles from what is actually one of Singapore’s busiest thoroughfares; and you will relish these quiet moments appreciating its architectural intricacies, delightful wall murals, and or even whiling an hour or two in a quiet cafe.

A Peculiar Place to Cast Your Eyes:
When you’re in the main area of the Chinatown Street Market, look out for this little thoroughfare by the side of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple called Sago Street and Sago Lane. Today, it is lined with rows of pretty curio shops and delicious eateries – but did you know that, right at the turn of the 20th century, these streets were notorious not only for its brothels and prostitute dens, but also for its ‘funeral houses’ where people – quite literally – came to die?

This is because, according to Chinese superstition, it is considered ‘bad luck’ to die in one’s own house; and as such, the dying (especially if they were immigrants who came without kin) would come here and await their death in the upper storeys of the funeral shophouses – and thereafter, have their funeral sorted by the funeral parlour below. In fact, death houses were so prominent on Sago Lane during the time that the street was called sei yan gai – which translates to ‘Dead People Street’ in Cantonese.

I Know This Great Little Place:
The best kind of bookstores make you feel like you’re in the comfort of an old friend’s living room, and Littered With Books will make you feel so at home you might accidentally ask the store staff for the wifi password.

Arguably the quirkiest indie bookstore you will find in Singapore, LWB is housed in a narrow two-storey shophouse along Duxton Road, and is my absolute favourite retail space in this area. Randoms notes and sketches will lure wandering eyes to its beautifully timeworn shelves and walls filled with plenty of odd titles; and before you write this off as just another ‘aesthetic’, I assure you that the stockists of LWB definitely know what they’re doing. The store carries more than your usual bestsellers and trending reads, providing even the most discerning bibliophile with plenty of opportunities for some obscure treasured finds.

an INSIDER’S insight

What Do the Locals Get Up to Here?
The young come here for the hipster’s hodgepodge of cafes, bars, and bistros. And the old? Well, they gather to do admirably slow living things – people watch, engage in a friendly game of Chinese Chess, or simply just catch up with old friends (and everyone seems to know everyone in that generation).

What to Really Expect:
Once, I ran into a couple of tourists in Chinatown who needed help: they’d seen all of Chinatown basically and asked if that was it; and when I confirmed their uncertainty, they were a little disappointed because they’d presumably expected more. The thing is, the actual Chinatown (i.e. the enclave with your standard assortment of tacky curios, tourist trap eateries, cliche ‘Chinese’ street decor and establishments) is a super small area that can be easily covered in 1 hour. What you might really want to see though, are the other enclaves surrounding it, and they are (in my order of preference): Blair Plain, Duxton Hill, Keong Saik, and Ann Siang Hill/Telok Ayer.

They’re each equally small districts comfortably nestled around the main Chinatown itself; but collectively, can provide a more meaningful experience for your visit to this part of Singapore. For most part, these streets are a flourish of beautiful shophouses (each so different and distinctly characteristic), heritage wall murals, indie retail outlets, and an insane number of hipster cafes and rooftop bars – so if this is your scene, add these places to your Chinatown itinerary and I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

(P.S. Ann Siang Hill has a particularly iconic night life scene especially amongst our expats, so if you’re hankering for bespoke cocktails and beers with good grub and a great atmosphere, pop back in here when the Sun goes down.)

Trickiest Part of Navigating Chinatown:
If you’re considering adding a couple of the aforementioned enclaves to your itinerary, your biggest stressor will possibly be the obscene number of streets you will have to pin in your itinerary. Also, the idea of covering five different enclaves might sound a little overwhelming, but there is a systematic way of working your way through the neighbourhood, and the way is as such:

Start at Blair Plains >> Move along to Keong Saik (5 min walk) >> Continue to Chinatown (less than 1 min walk) >> All sightseeing will likely end at Cross Street. Here, walk on down towards the direction of Telok Ayer, and you will find yourself at the Telok Ayer/Ann Siang Hill district >> Fom here, it’s a seamless journey that will eventually bring you to Duxton Hill. All in all, if you’re really looking to make your way through everything (not including cafe stops and/or the possibily of being stuck in an Instagram location taking too many photos 😅), it will amount to a 3-4hour immersive journey.

The Locals Don’t Want You to Know About:
A secret bird’s eye view.

Somewhere between Blair Plains and Keong Saik lies a series of 50-storey housing blocks that you might like to pop by for a visit. It’s called The Pinnacle @ Duxton, and it was the first group of 50-storey housing apartments ever built in Singapore.

For just $6, you can gain access to its 50th storey, which unveils a well-manicured skybridge that gives you a panoramic bird’s eye view of Singapore.

Cafe Hop Like A Local:
You may not believe it, but Singapore’s Chinatown district is pure hipster capital, and whenever you find yourself lost amidst a prevalence of hipster touchstones, there leaves only one thing to be done: Cafe Hop.

To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin with recommendations because literally every street has its own cluster of equally aesthetic cafes. Your best bet would be to either do some research before heading over, or be serendipitous about it. After all, with this many cafes to choose from, the last thing you’ll have to worry about is not finding one.

It’s personal

Favourite Childhood Memory:
Sadly, Chinatown isn’t a huge part of my childhood memory vault. I never quite visited much (or was brought here much) when I was a kid- although, for about a good 5 years in my early twenties, my brother and his family had a home at The Pinnacle @ Duxton; and for that brief moment in history, I had, by extension, access to sweeping views of Chinatown from the thirty-fifth floor, as well as free, unlimited visits to the sky garden. 😌 (Now those were some good memories.)

Guilty Pleasure Alert:
You may not believe this, but from time to time I get the urge to spend money on completely unnecessary things like souvenirs from my own home country – and when I do, I make that trip down to Chinatown and FULLY INDULGE in the whole Chinatown Street Market shopping experience. I have tons of beautiful chopsticks I haven’t used, oriental knots that I’ve run out of places to hang, ceramic plates, bowls, and nostalgic tin utensils – and my latest obssession is, of course, patterned KN-94 face masks.

This Draws Me to Chinatown Every Time:
Ironically, I actually come to Chinatown very regularly these days due to its proximity from my home; and yet, no matter how often I do, every time I find myself in this part of the island, I manage to always stumble across yet another new cafe, or a new retail space, or a new wall mural. The most beautiful part about Chinatown, I think, lies in the fact that its facade is constantly evolving, and it’s all happening against a backdrop of a century-long history that only further serves to sharpen the contrast between the past and the present. You’ll find cafes housed in hundred-year-old buildings, yoga studios parked next to clan associations; organic pattisieries sprouting out from amidst hole-in-the-wall pastry shops that have existed since before the Second World War… and it’s the very kind of juxtaposition that makes my heart sing.

Enjoy Chinatown, I know I did.

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