Chinatown

From Track2Asia

When you want to take a look at the old ways and get a glimpse of traditional Chinese life and cuisine, go to Chinatown. Chinatown is bordered by Maxwell Road on the south, the Singapore River on the north, Cecil Street on the east and New Bridge Road on the west.

Chinatown is replete with terraces festooned with traditional ornaments. It also has quite a number of temples, and of course, shops and merchants. You can find excellent stores selling a host of traditional Chinese products – medicine, silks, ornaments, to name a few.

Although a considerable part of Chinatown has been demolished to give way to more modern structures, a walk in this part of Singapore is still an interesting and captivating exercise. Also, some parts have been carefully restored to its past grandeur with the help of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

However, the traditional merchants (chop (stamp) makers, incense hawkers and letter writers) have started to move out because of the higher rental fees. Now, high class boutiques and upscale restaurants have taken their place.

Nonetheless, we still recommend that you visit this section of Singapore, especially during the early hours of the morning, when there is more activity to be seen.