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©️ sn infocomm 2017
W H E R E
Tiong Bahru is located within Bukit Merah Planning Area, in the central region of Singapore.
W H A T
Tiong Bahru is one of the oldest estates and is one of the most popular places to visit, by young and old alike.
It is lined with many modern cafes and quaint shops, while maintaining its heritage at the same time.
The estate of Tiong Bahru consists of around 30 low-rise apartment blocks with a total of over 900 units. High-rise HDB flats and condominiums can also been seen along the roads surrounding the main estate.
Tiong Bahru literally means “New Century”, a mixture of Hokkien and Malay, with Tiong referring to ‘tomb’ in Hokkien and Bahru referring to ‘new’ in Malay.
ARCHITECTURE
&
LAYOUT
The buildings at Tiong Bahru were built during the 1930s and are influenced by Nanyang style and Art Moderne, which was a popular design used then, that emphasises on long horizontal lines and rounded ends.
The buildings are all not more than 5 storeys high and are painted in light colours, with spiral stairs, flat roofs and underground shelters.
The buildings were inspired by the industrial age of the 1920s and were designed to look like automobiles, as people were considered rich if one could drive a car, take a plane or a cruise.
The rounded windows of the buildings resemble portholes found in ships, and the clean curved corners resemble the bridge of a ship.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
©️ sn infocomm 2017
The buildings here have also adopted the five-foot walkways of shophouses to allow people to move from one building to another with ease. It is a place to bond with neighbours.
Ventilation air walls were also built into the structure of the buildings to improve air circulation and regulate the temperature. The original and now rare green glazed windows were also used to cut out the glare of the tropical sun.
Street names in Tiong Bahru are named after prominent Chinese pioneers of the 19th and 20th centuries, with many being wealthy merchants who earned their own fortune and gave back to the society.
For example, Yong Siak Road and Yong Siak Temple were named after Tan Yong Siak (1831-1914), who was a charitable Teochew trader who supported Sun Yat Sen during his stay in Singapore.
PAST
&
CURRENT RESIDENTS
Tiong Bahru, in the past, used to be an estate for the wealthy, where rich tycoons kept their
mistresses, and was known as ‘Mei Ren Wo’ (den of beauties) in Chinese.
Shortly after the Second World War, more people moved into the neighbourhood and its population tripled, losing its reputation of being an exclusive neighbourhood.
It slowly became a heterogeneous community of middle class residents as well as street hawkers.
One of the estates most famous residents was Heng Keng Ching, who is better known by his stage name, Wang Sar.
Wang Sar was one half of a comedic duo with the other being Ye Fong, and they were also known as Ah Pui and Ah San respectively. Their standup comedy which was based on the characters of the Old Master Q comic books and included banters in various dialects, Malay and English, which were very popular back then.
Currently, Tiong Bahru is a popular place amongst the young who are involved in the art industry in Singapore. In 2012, OH! Open House organised art exhibitions inside the homes of Tiong Bahru residents to bring art closer to the community. Establishments such as The Orange Thimble, also frequently hold art exhibitions and attracts an artistic young crowd.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
©️ sn infocomm 2017
T I O N G
B A H R U
M A R K E T
Prior to the building of the market, known as Seng Poh Market, street hawkers were always under constant threat of being chased away as street trading was illegal.
The hawkers then gathered and appealed successfully to the governor of Singapore for a proper market to be built.
In order to organise and license the street hawkers that moved in after the Second World War, and to provide a convenient place for food and grocery, a market was built in 1955 and is now known as Tiong Bahru Market, which also houses the Tiong Bahru Food Centre on the second level.
There are many famous hawker stalls in Tiong Bahru Food Centre and 2 among the 17 hawker stalls has been given the bib gourmand award in the inaugural Singapore Michelin guide. The 2 stalls are the Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice and Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
CURRENT ATTRACTIONS
Currently, Tiong Bahru is a popular hang-out spot for youths due to its many unique cafes and shops.
One such shop is BooksActually, which is an independent bookstore located in the heart of Tiong Bahru.
BooksActually was founded in 2005 by Kenny Leck and Karen Wai and moved from Club Street to its current location in 2011.
BooksActually regularly hosts literary events and is the organiser of the annual Singapore Art Book Fair.
They also run a boutique publishing house, Math Paper Press, where they focus on developing literary works of Singaporeans.
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Strangelets is a store which sells many quirky, random items and small gifts.
They sell everything you can think of, from gift cards, to bags, to shoes and is the perfect place for someone who wants to find unique items for keepsake or for use.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
©️ sn infocomm 2017
©️ sn infocomm 2017
Tiong Bahru Bakery has expanded from just a shop in Tiong Bahru to a small franchise with stores in Tangs as well as Raffles Place.
It was opened in collaboration with celebrity chef, Gontran Cherrier, and specialises in French pastries.
Their signature pastry is their French Croissant, which are famous for being soft and flaky.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
The traditional Qi Tian Gong Temple, is a temple dedicated to the Monkey God and has been around since the 1920s.
This temple is one of the many heritage attractions in Singapore, and is possibly the only temple in Singapore dedicated to the Monkey God.
There are more than 10 Monkey God statues in the temple, with the oldest one being almost 100 years old.
Devotees are from all over Singapore, as well as many from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and even from the United States.
©️ sn infocomm 2017
Tiong Bahru is a hipster neighbourhood that infuses both modern and traditional aspects of Singapore and is now a hotspot for locals and tourists alike.
It is a place where the artistic community of Singapore gather to share ideas and bond over their common interests.
Not only does it attract the younger generation, it also attracts the older generation of Singaporeans to their many cafes and food stalls, uniting the society in a single neighbourhood.