^TM

"Everything old is new again." The lyric popped into my head as I stood in the shadow of the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles and gazed across the Singapore River.

In 1989, I'd stood in almost the same spot as a guide pointed out the run-down shophouses along Boat Quay on the opposite shore and explained: "The government is considering restoring them, but they might be too dilapidated to be saved."

In the end, Boat Quay wasn't just saved, it was transformed into one of the most popular restaurant districts in Singapore. Where coolies and swaylos (water hands) once loaded and unloaded freighters, hip young professionals now dine al fresco at water-side tables. Where immigrant merchants proclaimed their wealth by the height of their shophouses, restaurants serve an array of international cuisines.

"Everything old is new again" might be the unofficial national anthem of Singapore, a tiny island republic at the southern tip of the Asian mainland, between Malaysia and Indonesia. The former British colony, with a cultural milieu that is approximately 77 per cent Chinese, 14 per cent Malay and seven per cent Indian, is intent on not just preserving but resuscitating its varied heritage structures.

Shophouses, which are unique to Singapore, are a key part of this program. So called because their owners operated a business on the ground floor and resided upstairs, shophouses originally were associated with immigrants from southern China. Examples from the 19th century were simple two-story buildings, but 20th century versions became taller and more ornate. The most recognizable shophouse style, known as Chinese Baroque, combines Georgian windows and cornices, plaster reliefs of Chinese elements, and detailed Malay wood carvings.

The first group of shophouses to be restored was Tanjong Pagar, an area of Chinatown defined by Craig, Duxton, Neil and Tanjong Pagar Roads. The work had just been completed when I visited the area in 1989. Since then, many traditional Chinese businesses have returned to the buildings.

One such business is Tea Chapter at 9A/11/11A Neil Road. At street level, it sells Chinese tea, teapots and tea accessories, and it has converted the upstairs into a tea house so charming that even Queen Elizabeth couldn't resist stopping for refreshment when she toured the area. It's a delightful place for a tourist to take a break and to learn the Chinese way of brewing and serving tea.

More contemporary uses have been found for other shophouses in the area. A good example is the Duxton Hotel at 83 Duxton Road. It combines nine shophouses to create a European style boutique hotel that includes one of the few French restaurants in Singapore. The heritage facade remains unspoiled, and the former living quarters adapt well as multi-level suites.

In another part of Chinatown, bounded by Telok Ayer, Cross, China and Pekin Streets, one of the newer restoration projects incorporates some of the community's oldest structures, including the first known Chinese temple in Singapore and one of the first free schools in Singapore. But the bulk of the development, a shopping and office complex known as Far East Square, comprises blocks of shophouses united by modern glass arcades.

The restored temple at 76 Telok Ayer Street is now the Fuk Tak Chi Museum. Among its contents are a model depicting the area as it appeared in the late 1800s and related artifacts donated by Singaporeans.

Singapore's enthusiasm for recycling structures has spread throughout the city.

In Kampong Glam, the Muslim quarter dominated by the ivory minarets and golden domes of Sultan Mosque, a conservation project has changed Bussorah Street, which bustles with activity during Muslim festivals, into a pedestrian mall, with renovated shophouses on either side and the mosque at one end. Street level shops provide religious items such as Haji caps, prayer beads, prayer mats and copies of the Koran.

In the Indian sector, a cluster of shophouses bounded by Serangoon Road, Hastings Road, Clive Street and Campbell Lane has been converted into the Little India Arcade. Tucked between stores displaying shimmering silks and glittering gold jewelry are stalls selling vividly colored flowers, woven into garlands used for temple offerings, and paan, a mildly narcotic betel nut concoction used as a digestive.

Still more shophouse conservation projects are planned or underway.

Singapore is modernizing at an incredible rate and shows no sign of slowing down. Fortunately, its unique shophouse architecture is being preserved in ways that both residents and visitors can appreciate and utilize.

Photos by Toni Dabbs

For More Information

Back to TravelLady Magazine