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Chinatown Attractions
What to See in Chinatown
Singapore Chinatown is an amazing place full of beautifully restored shophouses selling amazing kind of products from jade Buddhas to textiles to Chinese herbs. The area was first designated for the Chinese by Sir Stamford Raffles and nowadays it is a favourite destination for good shopping as well as delicious food.
Chinatown offers a lot more than just the restored shops, though: there are also a lot of significant monuments and cultural heritage buildings in Chinatown, especially along Along Telok Ayer Street and Pagoda Street. These include the Chinatown Heritage Centre, Sri Mariamman Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple, Eu Yan Sang Chinese Medical Hall, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Al-Abrar Mosque. When in the area be brave and try Singapore’s famous hawker food – an experience that should not be missed. The most intense time to visit Singapore's Chinatown is around the Chinese New Year when locals decorate their shops mainly in red with all sorts of decoration items including huge lanterns.
Chinatown Heritage Centre
Singapore offers many excellent museums. While in Chinatown, visit the Chinatown Heritage Centre if you want to learn more about the rich history of the old Chinatown and life of Chinese migrants in Singapore.
Opening Hours: Daily from 09:00 - 20:00Location: 48 Pagoda Street, not far from Pagoda Street exit of Chinatown MRT station
Sri Mariamman Temple
This active temple is the oldest and the most important Hindu temple on the island. It was built about 1843 in the South Indian Dravidian style by Naraina Pillai. The work and carvings on gopuram (the tower above the entrance) are so beautiful it's truly worth a visit. In the early days Sri Mariamman Temple was not used solely as a holy place for the South Indian Tamil Hindus; it was a place where many new immigrants lived before they got work and found their own places. Nowadays it serves not only as a place of worship but for many cultural social events such as wedding ceremonies and an annual fire-walking ceremony.
Location: 242 South Bridge Road
Thian Hock Keng Temple
Originally built in 1821, Thian Hock Keng Temple is the oldest Hokkien Temple in Singapore. The building and structure today were under a big renovation and completed not long ago. Materials (i.e. ironwork, tiles, granite pillars, etc) using in this temple came from many countries including China, England, Scotland and Netherlands.
Location: 158 Telok Ayer StreetEu Yan Sang Chinese Medical Hall
As the name suggested Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall is where Chinese medicines are sold. It was built by a millionaire Eu Tong Sen in 1910. Since then it has become an important center for the local family. Other products sell include Chinese tea and herb.
Opening Hours: Daily from 08:30 – 18:00 daily, close on SundayLocation: 267 South Bridge Road
Chinese Methodist Church
Chinatown is homed of many cultural building including Singapore’s first Methodist church. It is located on Telok Ayer street features art deco style building with Chinese roof. Very interesting to see.
Location: 235 Telok Ayer Street
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
This interesting four-story temple was completed in 2007. Inside visitors will find amoung other things a 27-foot of Buddha statue at the main hall, one of the Buddha Shakyamuni's teeth on the fourth floor and a pagoda on the roof.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 18:30Location: 288 South Bridge Road
Jamae Mosque
Another holy place to visit is Jamae Mosque which built around 1830s by Chulia Indians (Muslim merchants and moneylenders from India's Coromandel Coast). It is considered one of Singapore’s oldest mosques.
Location: on 218 South Bridge RoadAl-Abrar Mosque
This mosque, also built by Chulia people in 1827. At that time was just a small building. So many people call it by the nick name ‘hut mosque’ as it was look like when first built. The today building was built in 1850s and went though a major renovation in 1980s.
Location: 192 Telok Ayer St, near Thian Hock Keng TempleNagore Durgha Shrine
The shrine has a unique blend of classical molded arches and columns and Indian Muslim motifs and was built by the Muslims of southern India.
Location: At the corner of Telok Ayer Street and Boon Tat StreetMaxwell Road Food Centre
For visitors who are adventurous enough, a must visit in Chinatown should include those food centres (aka hawkers centre). Chinatown has a few to offer i.e Maxwell Road food Centre. It is a fun experience to learn about the original style hawkers food which not around on streets any more. The hawker foods are influenced by three main cuisines as the way Singapore are made up from; the Chinese, Indian and Malay. Many visitors are fascinating with the items offering here i.e. noodles with dumplings and roast pork, pork rib soup with rice, BBQ sting ray with sambal sauce, satay, nasi goreng fried noodles in soya sauce with cockles and eggs and many of those finger-food which look yummy and can easily fill you up within no time. First thing first just look around and if you find something you like, order it as simple as that. They are usually good and inexpensive.
Location: Maxwell Road food Centre is on the corner of Maxwell Road and South Bridge Road.

