Photo tour of Chinatown, today.
First, a couple of the older buildings in this district. Paradoxically, they're Indian in origin, not Chinese.
First, the Sri Mariamman Temple. I pointed this building out in the photo yesterday. Here's a shot from across the road:
A closer view of the gatetower, and the gods adorning the roof.
The temple was founded in 1827 by Narayana Pillai, a former government clark who became a wealthy businessman. The original temple was constructed out of wood and thatch, but was replaced by the current brick building some time in the 1840's. According to the website of the Hindu Endowments Board, the temple was placed in this location due to its ready access to the fresh water required for rituals.
A short way along the road from the temple, the Majid Jamae Mosque.
The mosque was originally built by Indian Muslims, and is around the same age as the temple. The walls and gatehouse are built in the South Indian style, while the main building itself was influenced by a neo-classical architect in Singapore at the time, George Coleman.
The old Majestic Theatre on New Bridge Road. This was built by a local doctor of Chinese medicines as an opera house in 1927. It was later converted into a cinema. The advent of new cineplexes in the upper stories of shopping malls in Singapore forced the Majestic, along with the other big cinemas in Singapore, to close, and the building has now been converted into a shopping mall itself.
A view down Smith Street, one of the streets that divide Chinatown into a rough grid:
The buildings on either side of the street are the shophouses I mentioned yesterday. Note the ground floors open to the street. It's not clear in this picture, but there are tables laid out on the street itself, and food stalls lining one side of the road. This is a recent revival of an earlier food market that used to materialise on that street after dark. The practice was stopped some time in the '80s as health regulations came into effect. Obviously, the modern incarnation of that institution is considerably less grimy than its predecessor was.
The view from inside the ground floor of one of the shophouses.
Note the corridor between the pillars and the shop proper. It connects with neighbouring houses, providing a sheltered walkway for pedestrians in hot weather. Inevitably, however, there are shopkeepers who do use the walkway as a bit of extra display space, incurring the ire of pedestrians in a hurry...
These two ancient shopping malls lie on the edges of Chinatown.
They were the first opened in Singapore, and though they've been prettied up somewhat, their age still shows.
Finally, there's also this:
This market was built in the '80s to house the large number of peddlers that used to line the streets of the area until then. It's quite colourful, especially the produce section in the basement. More on that next update
Finally, because I was bored this evening, a picture of my dinner. :P Porridge with chicken and Chinese century eggs. Delicious.
First, the Sri Mariamman Temple. I pointed this building out in the photo yesterday. Here's a shot from across the road:
A closer view of the gatetower, and the gods adorning the roof.
The temple was founded in 1827 by Narayana Pillai, a former government clark who became a wealthy businessman. The original temple was constructed out of wood and thatch, but was replaced by the current brick building some time in the 1840's. According to the website of the Hindu Endowments Board, the temple was placed in this location due to its ready access to the fresh water required for rituals.
A short way along the road from the temple, the Majid Jamae Mosque.
The mosque was originally built by Indian Muslims, and is around the same age as the temple. The walls and gatehouse are built in the South Indian style, while the main building itself was influenced by a neo-classical architect in Singapore at the time, George Coleman.
The old Majestic Theatre on New Bridge Road. This was built by a local doctor of Chinese medicines as an opera house in 1927. It was later converted into a cinema. The advent of new cineplexes in the upper stories of shopping malls in Singapore forced the Majestic, along with the other big cinemas in Singapore, to close, and the building has now been converted into a shopping mall itself.
A view down Smith Street, one of the streets that divide Chinatown into a rough grid:
The buildings on either side of the street are the shophouses I mentioned yesterday. Note the ground floors open to the street. It's not clear in this picture, but there are tables laid out on the street itself, and food stalls lining one side of the road. This is a recent revival of an earlier food market that used to materialise on that street after dark. The practice was stopped some time in the '80s as health regulations came into effect. Obviously, the modern incarnation of that institution is considerably less grimy than its predecessor was.
The view from inside the ground floor of one of the shophouses.
Note the corridor between the pillars and the shop proper. It connects with neighbouring houses, providing a sheltered walkway for pedestrians in hot weather. Inevitably, however, there are shopkeepers who do use the walkway as a bit of extra display space, incurring the ire of pedestrians in a hurry...
These two ancient shopping malls lie on the edges of Chinatown.
They were the first opened in Singapore, and though they've been prettied up somewhat, their age still shows.
Finally, there's also this:
This market was built in the '80s to house the large number of peddlers that used to line the streets of the area until then. It's quite colourful, especially the produce section in the basement. More on that next update
Finally, because I was bored this evening, a picture of my dinner. :P Porridge with chicken and Chinese century eggs. Delicious.