Have you ever wondered what it is like behind the facade of a shophouse in Chinatown? Or what life was like back in the day? Like a time portal, Chinatown Heritage Centre will take you on a fascinating and immersive journey through the sights and sounds of Chinatown, from the past to present day.
The Chinatown Heritage Centre along Pagoda Street is a unique museum where you can get to experience Singapore’s Chinatown and discover the secret past of the historic district. It first opened in 2002 and was closed up till January 2025 when it reopened!
Instead of glass-cased exhibits, Chinatown Heritage Centre offers you a chance to imagine what life was like within a shophouse and provides a fascinating look at the past.
Chinatown Heritage Centre: Museum in a Shophouse
Chinatown Heritage Centre is located within three shophouses along Pagoda Street.
Broadly speaking, the first zone of the Chinatown Heritage Centre called Shophouse Living provides an immersive experience at how people lived within shophouses in the past.
This is then followed by another section on Chinatown’s past, particularly from the perspective of early immigrants who arrived in the Singapore and how they settled in.
The last section of the heritage centre shifts the spotlight to brands that embodied the spirit of Chinatown before finally offering suggestions on where else to explore after leaving the centre.
Life in Chinatown Past: Step Back in Time
From the reception, lift the cloth doorway divider and step into an old-fashioned tailor shop.
Dark wood furniture and glass cases displaying the shop’s handiwork line the walls. Tools of the trade lie on a work table, patiently waiting for the next customer to walk through the door.
It is as if it is the 1970s and the tailor has just stepped away from the shop and you are a customer who is waiting for him to return.
The room would be the tailor’s shop front where he met and served customers.
Less familiar is the next room – the backroom workshop where clothes are made.
Spools of thread and Singer sewing machines stand ready to fashion the next order. You almost expect workers to step through the door at any moment and settle back down at their stations.
Venturing deeper into the shophouse, you come across the tailor’s living quarters. The craftsman and his family would have lived here. In the past, it was not uncommon for tradesmen to live and work at the same place.
Right at the back of the shophouse, you will find the ground floor kitchen where meals would have been prepared. This was a communal kitchen that everyone in the shophouse would have shared.
Just beside the kitchen is toilet. Back in the early days, there was not plumbing. Instead, the toilets operated based on the “night soil” bucket system and you can have a peek at the metal bucket placed beneath the squatting platform. Amazingly, this system carried on till as late as the 1980s in some places.
Once ready to move on, head up the stairs to a floor above where you can take a voyeuristic look at how the people who lived in the past in Chinatown.
Cubicle Living
In the olden days, a shophouse would have been divided and let out to people from different walks of life.
Entire families would have lived and raised their children here in small rooms separated by simple partitions.
A dark and narrow corridor leads past rooms that have been set up to belong to tradespeople such as a clog maker, hawker and samsui woman. Each of the cubicles are filled with memories of hardship, struggle and resilience.
What was the person like? Where did he or she come from? What were their daily routines like? Each room reflects the person’s trade and is a visual treat that stimulates the imagination.
Pay a visit to the back of the shophouse where a small kitchen and rudimentary toilet can be found. These basic facilities would have been shared by all the residents of the shophouse.
Listen out for the different dialects you hear. We could decipher the Cantonese sayings as well as other dialects that would have reverberated through the living spaces in the past.
Story of the Chinese in Singapore
On the third floor, the story of the Chinese diaspora continues.
You can read about the circumstances that led them to leave their homes in China to make the perilous journey by sea to Singapore in search for a better life.
Upon landing in Singapore, many ended up working as coolies at the docks.
In the 1800s, vices such as opium dens, prostitution and gambling, along with secret societies were rampant. These and other shades of Chinatown’s early days are articulated through storyboards.
Education & Clan Associations
Visitors can also learn more about the significance of educational institutions and clan associations in fostering a sense of community. This was essential for a group of immigrants so far from home, yet still passionate about their roots, cultural practices and dialects.
There were many interactive panels throughout Chinatown Heritage Centre for the very purpose of learning more.
For those who are Chinese, find out the origins of your clan based on your surname. It was a very interesting and engaging way to learn where our forefathers hailed from.
Life and Leisure in Chinatown
There is also a gallery dedicated to Chinatown in the 1950s.
A five-foot way street barber and pushcart that screens films are some of the street scenes to explore.
In a quiet corner, you can even sit down and imagine borrowing a book from a street library or being in the crowd, listening intently to a storyteller as he enraptured the audience with tales of adventure.
There are plenty of photo ops here too, accompanied by soundscapes of the past where you can hear the letter-writer chatting with a customer.
Take a peek at the Chinese Opera stage where a video plays. Then step to the side to view what went on backstage.
In a corner, you will also find kachang puteh, a common snack that people would have enjoyed while watching the street entertainment.
You can also step inside a room to discover more about the various festivals celebrated in Chinatown.
Sago Lane
Chinatown’s Sago Lane was infamously known as the Street of the Dead. The old and ailing would check in to death houses found at Sago Lane and wait for the inevitable.
For the curious who wish to understand the origins of Sago Lane and its death houses, , Chinatown Heritage Centre’s Sago Lane gallery, one floor down from the last, provides a fascinating look into this grim part of Chinatown’s past.
If the subject of Sago Lane does not appeal to you, you also have the option of bypassing it and moving on to the last gallery.
Spirit of Chinatown’s Resilience
Chinatown is also characterised by the businesses that found their place within the historic district.
In the last section of the Chinatown Heritage Centre, you can learn about some of the businesses started by migrants that have left their mark on Chinatown. It highlights businesses that have stood the test of time and flourished.
There is also a section that highlights the heritage foods that were once hawked on the streets before finding their way into food courts.
A tour through Chinatown Heritage Centre ends on a bright note – literally.
The final gallery is located near the front window of the shophouse and captures Chinatown’s ongoing and evolving story. From there, you can find out where to explore next after leaving the heritage centre and add yourself to the Chinatown story.
Overall Thoughts About Chinatown Heritage Centre
The Chinatown Heritage Centre is a gem. It is a fascinating place to visit and provides an authentic look into the historic precinct’s past without trying too hard. Wandering its corridors, it is easy to wonder what stories its walls could tell if they could speak.
If ever in Chinatown, consider stopping by and paying the Chinatown Heritage Centre at Pagoda Street a visit.
Chinatown Heritage Centre Ticket Prices
Here are the entry rates for Chinatown Heritage Centre.
Standard
Adult (13 to 59 years old) – $25
Child (3 to 12 year old) – $20
Senior (60 years old and above) – $20
Singapore Residents
Adult (13 to 59 years old) – $15
Child (3 to 12 year old) – $12
Senior (60 years old and above) – $12
Children 2 years old and younger enter free.
Soft Launch Promotion from 24 January to 16 February 2025
From 24 January to 16 February 2025, Chinatown Heritage Centre is offering free admission for local residents and foreign visitors get to enjoy 50% off ticket prices.
Don’t miss this opening promotion. Get more details.
Where: 48 Pagoda Street, Singapore 059207
Opening Hours: 10 am to 7 pm, daily
Website: www.chinatownheritagecentre.com.sg
