NSTPress: Tiong Bahru is a fascinating neighbourhood which harmonises old and new Singapore, writes Alan Teh Leam Seng
WHEN Tiong Bahru came up as one of the “must go” places I should visit while in Singapore, I was apprehensive.
From the deepest recesses of my mind, images started to resurface, of a place “accidentally” visited when, by mistake, I pressed the bell on a public bus enroute to Orchard Road.
Although the incident happened some 30 years ago, I still remember the moment vividly. However, looking on the bright side, I would have not stepped foot in Tiong Bahru on that fateful day otherwise.
At that time, I alighted from the bus and while waiting for the next one to come along, I took a quick stroll around. I saw numerous pre-war shop houses and lots of mum-and-pop businesses such as hardware and sundry shops. I also recall seeing rows and rows of bird cages suspended from the ceiling in a coffee shop across the road.
There were elderly men enjoying a morning cuppa while listening to the melodious shrills of sharmas and magpie robins. I remember this scene best as I had never encountered anything like this anywhere else. To me, it captured the very essence of Tiong Bahru at that time — homely and laidback.
TIONG BAHRU TODAY
Fast forward. Tiong Bahru today is no different from the place I used to know back in the 1980s. The art deco buildings are still around but as I take a closer look, I realise that many of the old-time establishments and sundry shops have closed. In their place are modern cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels.
The fresh coat of paint, remodelled interiors and modern fixtures have changed the neighbourhood which, in the past, was notoriously labelled Mei Ren Wo (Den of Beauties) or Er Nai Chun (Mistress Village).
In the 1950s, Tiong Bahru was where successful and wealthy businessmen and tycoons housed their mistresses. Its proximity to the cabarets of the Great World Amusement Park also meant the flats here were the lodgings of choice for the pipa girls and their majie (minders). Locals referred to these low rise flats as puay kee chu or “aeroplane houses” in Hokkien dialect.
During my walk, I must say that these houses did resemble aeroplane wings from a distance. Many of them, built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1930s, are still around today. I am glad that these historic structures have withstood the test of time and are so well preserved.
The main landmark here must be the Tiong Bahru Market and Hawker Centre. It boasts the highest concentration of “old” and established hawker stalls in any estate in Singapore. Previously known as the Seng Poh Road Market, it underwent a total makeover at a cost of S$16.8 million (RM42.64 million) and was reopened in 2006.
Today many people from all over Singapore come here to shop and dine. The wet market is located on the ground floor while hawker stalls are just a level above. Among the many established names are Yong Seng Coffee Powder which has been here for over 50 years. The owner tells me that although many things have changed, he feels that Tiong Bahru is still the best place to do business as well as raise a family.
The hawker stalls enjoy brisk business, especially during the lunch hour. There is so much variety to choose from but unfortunately, the dark clouds gathering are a sign that I should continue with my walk as it may start to pour soon. I console myself thinking that I can always return to sample the delicious food should it start to rain heavily.
TAKING THE STREETS
Walking along Seng Poh Road, I soon come to a quiet little open area bedecked with colourful buntings. It is here that I come across the Dancing Girl sculpture by Sarawak-born Lim Nang Seng. This metre-high piece of art depicts a maiden performing a joyful harvest dance. This concrete sculpture was unveiled in 1972 at a cost of S$2,000, just in time for National Day celebrations that year.
I continue my walk until I arrive at the junction with Tiong Bahru Road. A quick survey of the area and it’s all coming back to me.
The bird cages and the coffee shop were located right there. Sadly both are now gone. I can only see a small rectangle of land bordered by yellow painted poles.
The caged birds are no longer a daily feature. The white cage and birds painted on a brown wall is as close as I can get to seeing those feathered creatures.
Ironically, the two-dimensional birds on the wall of the Nostalgia Hotel, seem to be flying towards the very spot where the original bird corner used to be.
Interested to delve deeper into the history of Tiong Bahru, I head for Outram Road. At a pedestrian bridge, I walk up a short flight of stairs and turn into a small clearing where I see a large well- kept tomb guarded by four stone mythical lions.
This is the resting place of Chua Seah Neo and Wuing Neo who both passed away in 1882. Chua was the wife of Tan Tock Seng’s son, Tan Kim Ching. Wuing Neo was the daughter-in-law of Tan Kim Ching. Tan Tock Seng’s grave is located a short distance away.
Malacca-born Tan Tock Seng arrived in Singapore the very same year as Stamford Raffles in 1819. At that time he was only 21. He quickly learnt English and endeared himself to the British. Tan speculated in land and became immensely wealthy. He is best remembered for his large contribution of S$7,000 in 1844 to build a Chinese Pauper’s Hospital on top of Pearl’s Hill to take care the “diseased of all nations”.
I return to Tiong Bahru Road and walk past two traffic lights before turning into Tiong Poh Road. At the junction, I reach the Tiong Bahru Qi Tian Gong or Monkey God Temple.
Although there are many new establishments offering gourmet dining experiences for younger couples who have made Tiong Bahru their home, some older businesses and places of worship have stayed put.
The temple was founded in 1920 in a small attap hut in a taro garden just across Eng Hoon Street. It moved to this current location in 1938 and was dedicated to Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King.
I made a note to return here on the 16th day of the eighth lunar month for the Monkey God’s birthday celebration. Some devotees tell me that on that auspicious day, mediums go into a trance and start whipping themselves while climbing up ladders of swords and blessing the devotees.
FULL CIRCLE
The Tiong Bahru Community Centre at Eu Chin Street is just a short walk from Tiong Poh Road. Most of Eu Chin Street is taken up by this community centre, which is the first to be built in Singapore.
Visitors are encouraged to walk inside and see the stand-alone air-raid shelter which used to be the original structure of this place.
It is now the lunch hour. I retrace my steps to Seng Poh Road where I saw a few coffee shops earlier.
A few metres down the road I spot a long queue, so I decide to check it out. It seems that many are making a beeline for Loo’s Hainanese Curry Rice. A large advertisement in front of the stall displays snippets of promotional newspaper cuttings.
Apparently the curry takes three days to make, from preparing the spices to the actual cooking. This stall was started in 1946, when most cooks in colonial and wealthy Peranakan housholds in Singapore were Hainanese. At that time, the Hainanese were considered the best cooks around.
Unwilling to spend precious time waiting in the long queue, I walk further until I reach the famous Tiong Bahru Bakery. The large single swing door is a bit peculiar and visitors may want to exercise caution so as not to hit someone from the opposite direction.
The interior has a comfortable feel and the smell of freshly baked pastries is heavenly. I have a weakness for berries and I find one bedecked with raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.
It is a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. As for drinks, I have mixed fruit juice with mint which is supposed to be very good for the liver and complexion.
Next door is another cafe and what attracts me to it is the art display on its walls. The Orange Thimble allows local artists to display their work on a rotational monthly basis. I am fortunate that all the paintings this time are abstract representations of famous roads in the vicinity of Tiong Bahru. I spend a good half an hour trying to identify the places.
My visit is nearing its end. Although the caged singing birds are gone, Tiong Bahru today is like a phoenix rising. The last few years have seen a phenomenal transformation of this place from a sleepy, old-timer hangout to a modern enclave bursting with trendy cafes and boutique hotels.
Just as I am about to board a taxi, a bright orange Lamborghini purrs to a stop nearby. A young couple, decked in designer clothing, alight and make their way into an upmarket restaurant.
Perhaps this is a sign of the times. I can foresee how this place, located so close to Orchard Road, has embraced modernity, blending it harmoniously with its rich and diverse heritage.
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