Due to the large size of Chinatown, my research will be focused on the Kreta Ayer precinct, more specifically Smith Street and Pagoda Street.
In the past, Smith Street was famed for its brothels and food stalls. A theatre used to reside there, providing Cantonese operas as entertainment before it was bombed during World War II.
Now, after remodelling, the prostitute dens have disappeared, but food is still the main aspect of this road. It is still being marketed as Chinatown’s “Food Street”, and part of the historical ambience has been restored by closing off the road and making it an alfresco eating area.
One of the many food carts along Smith Street
Pagoda Street used to be home to coolie lodging houses, opium smoking dens and textile trades. It was named after the Sri Mariamman Temple, built in 1827.
Perhaps the most significant change to this street is the construction of an MRT station entrance right in the middle of the road. Visitors who enter Chinatown through the train station are immediately immersed in the atmosphere in the heart of Chinatown. The shophouses have long since been vacated, and opium dens have been banned. Most of the shops and stalls lining the street are now souvenir shops. The temple, fortunately, has been maintained are renovated, and its aura of religiousness still remains.
Some changes are common to both streets. For one, the shophouses have been restored in an attempt to bring back the atmosphere of the old days when Chinatown was crowded and dirty, but full of life. In order to make the shophouses seem less drab, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has painted them in bright colours. However, this does not go down well with recreating the old Chinatown, and makes it seem more like an art exhibition than a historical shophouse lane. The colourful buildings clash rather badly with the green canvas-covered food stalls, giving the street a mismatched look. The atmosphere brought on by being surrounded by ancient shophouses is lost because the modern twists put in place do not mix well with the cultural significance.
Another thing all these streets have in common is that the economic activity is geared towards tourism. Pagoda Street has been converted to a pedestrian mall – the historical aspect taking a backseat. Most of the shops sell tourist merchandise like key-chains, Chinese name stamps and postcards, things which locals do not use on a daily basis.
Some souvenir shops that can be found along the streets
Impact on Culture and Identity
Chinatown used to be one of the busiest places in Singapore, home to many Chinese immigrants. Today, it is less of an enclave than it used to be, since many old Chinese residents have moved out and most of the area does not cater to local Chinese any longer.
Internet commentator Yawning Bread has voiced his opinions on this issue. On his website, he mentioned suspicion from locals about the STB’s objective in the plan to conserve Chinatown – “Is it to revitalise a Chinatown for Singaporeans, or to create a touristic facade for foreigners?” While STB claims to understand that Chinatown still needs to retain “something meaningful to locals” or even the tourists themselves will “see through the superficiality of it”, there have been criticisms that STB’s ideas are “gimmicky…to the historical context”. One example given is the plans for a theatre with a curved roof when Chinatown does not have an architectural tradition of curved roofs. Other complaints were that the authenticity of Chinatown had been lost through redevelopment, and “unless the STB attended to these aspects, the revived Chinatown could not be real.”
(Source from: http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_1999/yax-129.htm Retrieved 22 July 2011.)
The older generation cannot see the revamped Smith and Pagoda Streets as the Chinatown of the old. The younger generation holds little or no historical and sentimental value towards Chinatown. Tourists appreciate the streets for their architectural significance, but view Chinatown mainly as another shopping site with more cultural ambience. It seems that Chinatown is a confused part of Singapore that is stuck in limbo between the preserving the olden times and modernisation.
Stay tuned for more posts!
Kimberly
