Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Then & Now Joo Chiat (2)

Many prewar buildings in Joo Chiat had been demolished and replaced by modern ones. Fortunately an old building built in 1916 situated at Joo Chiat Road/East Coast Road junction still stands. It is now under URA conservation.                                                                                                                                              
Then                                                                    

Now                                                                      

In the 1950s Joo Chiat Road/Joo Chiat Lane junction was like a market place every morning. Unlicensed hawkers set up make shift stalls to sell fish, pork and vegetables. Housewives took the opportunity to meet and gossip while doing marketting. By midday all the hawker stalls simply disappeared into thin air. Such was the unwritten rule understood by the unlicensed hawkers.  


Then -  Photo credit: National Archives Singapore


 
Now                                                                       
                                                          
Joo Chiat Lane looks so much different now compared to the 1950s photo. The lane is very clean and uncluttered with hawker stalls. At the background a temple building has extended upwards and broader. It belongs to the well known Kwan Im Tng Temple at Tembeling Road                                    

2 comments:

[♥ ] chelsea said...

Hi Mr Chew,

I am a student doing a project on the Peranakan Culture of Joo Chiat. Your blog has enabled me to gain greater insight on the Peranakan Culture, thank you so much for putting in time and effort into setting up this blog :) I would like to know more about the rich culture of Peranakans, thus I would be glad if I can communicate with you via email. :)

Philip Chew said...

I am not a Peranakan and therefore unable to tell you much about the culture. Get in touch with the Peranakan Association for your project.