An Unknown Singapore Pioneer

Chew Joo Chiat

Chew Joo Chiat was an unknown Singapore Pioneer. He helped in the economy and development of Singapore, especially in Joo Chiat area. He was a housing developer in Geylang opposite Paya Lebar, building shops and residential houses before the turn of the 21st century. He was a planter owning spice plantations producing pepper, nutmeg and gambier. His coconut plantations produced copra. All the products from his estates were exported to Europe and America. In the early 1920s there was a migration of population moving to the east coast area known verbally as Katong. Chew Joo Chiat saw a housing need. He cleared his plantations and divided his lands into parcels of building plots. He became a housing developer once more. He also owned three rubber plantations and the largest was 64 acres. They were at Bukit Timah, Mandai and Changi, all with factories producing rubber sheets for export to Europe and America. As a planter and housing developer he provided jobs to the people. The goods exported overseas brought in foreign exchange to the country. Therefore, he made significant contributions to Singapore across the various sectors such as in economy, commerce and history. But he was an unknown Singapore pioneer.

In 2008 I chanced upon a list of past Singapore pioneers buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery. The list of names were compiled by the Asia Paranormal Investigators (API). Chew Joo Chiat’s name was not there. I wrote to them in April and May 2009. Raymond Goh replied favourably. After some verifications Chew Joo Chiat’s name was put on the list of Singapore pioneers buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery.

The Sunday Times dated June 10, 2012 published an article "New book features famous Hokkiens"

A new book to celebrate Singapore’s prominent Hokkiens will be available from November. Published by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK), the 400 pages book will feature 150 Hokkien Singaporeans.

I checked SHHK’s website for the list of 150 famous Hokkien Singaporeans but Chew Joo Chiat’s name was missing. I was not only disappointed but was also overwhelm with anger and frustration. How could a well known Hokkien son who had contributed so much to the country be excluded from the list? After my intervention I was informed by the manager of SHHK that his name would be in the publication. 

Recently the Minisry of Education was going to produce an educational video entitled "More Than A Name" and asked me for permission to use Chew Joo Chiat's photo. I gladly gave my permission.

                                   Shooting movie at Chew Joo Chiat's tomb

A documentary ‘History From The Hills’ about past Singapore pioneers buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery in 8 episodes will be telecast in okto channels starting Wed 9 January 2013 at 10.00 pm. Chew Joo Chiat’s story will be featured in the 4th episode on 30.01.2013

Finally Chew Joo Chiat has been recognised as a past Singapore pioneer.

Joo Chiat Changing Scene 5

Site map of the wayang (opera) stage and the Chinese temple at Joo Chiat Place

Last week I took a walk down memory lane to see the changing scenes. At Joo Chiat Place opposite Kim Choo Bak Chang shop there was a permanent wayang (opera) stage of timber and brick with tiled roofing. Its back was towards the road and the front was facing a Chinese temple. The original owner of the two builidings was Chew Joo Chiat's son, Chew Cheng Swee. The wayang or 'teochew hi' (Chinese opera) was performed during the birthday of the gods in the temple and also on certain Chinese festivals. The most popular opera troupes then were the 'lau sai toh' and the 'sar chiak soon'. I understand both had been disbanded some time ago due to poor patronage. The present generations prefer 'ker tai' (singing troupe).

Sugar Art Gold Fish
Photo from Samm's blog post

Dough Figurines Photo from Samm's blog post

During school days I went to the Chinese wayang not to see the performance but to mingle with other kids watching Chinese artists making sugar art figurines and dough art figurines. For sugar art figurines, moulds were used to make the required shapes like gold fish, rabbit etc. As for dough art figurines no mould was needed. The artist made characters from Chinese stories such as Journey To The West, The Three Kingdoms as well as animals. They were very colourful too. The cheapest one was the figurine of a cockerel because it was the easiest and fastest to make. The sugar figurines were edible. The usual way was to lick it like an ice cream. It could not be kept as it would melt or attract ants and insects. The dough figurine was not edible and also could not be kept too long. When the dough dried up the figurine became brittle and pieces of dough dropped off. It became mouldy very fast.

Actual architectural drawing of the wayang stage

Acual architectural drawing of the Chinese temple

The wayang stage has been replaced by an apartment building block with shops on the ground floor. Joo Chiat Gospel Hall has replaced the Chinese temple.

Apartments block with shops on the ground floor
The site was formerly occupied by a Chinese wayang stage

Joo Chiat Gospel Hall
The site was originally a Chinese temple

Another such wayang stage was opposite No 65 Joo Chiat Road where Chew Joo Chiat had his residence. The wayang stage was built by him so that he and his family members could watch the 'teochew hi' (Chinese opera) performance from the third level front balcony. His residence is now an empty field. The wayang stage site is now occupied by a block of shophouses as shown the picture below.

The green field was the site of Chew Joo Chiat's residence and across the road, the shophouses behind the street signboard was the site of the wayang (opera) stage

Joo Chiat Changing Scene 4 - The Jetty

Joo Chiat Jetty was similar to the above picture

Photo from PICAS - Night Scene At Joo Chiat Jetty

How many of us today can still remember the Joo Chiat Jetty? Before the land reclamation at the east coast in 1966, there was no Marine Parade Road. The beach was right in front of the Church of Singapore. I swam in the sea there during my school days. When I was in the upper secondary school, I went to the beach to study under the shade. I enjoyed the ambience which was quiet and breezy during the day. An Indian 'kachang puteh' man named Ah Pao was selling 'kachang puteh' in front of Tung Ling School (now Church of Singapore). I patronised his stall so often that we became friends. Most school children in Katong knew him too. He was an icon to those who frequented the beach.

Joo Chiat jetty was built in late 1950s. It started from the end of Joo Chiat Road and extended into the sea up to where the former Republic Theatre building now stands. The end of the jetty was a square with railings and lightings. In fact, it was a jetty cum restaurant. It functioned as a jetty during the day and seafood business at night. The seafood restuarant was very popular with the people who lived in the area. They, not only enjoyed a good dinner but also the sea breeze, and the waves providing music to their ears. It holds fond memories to those who partied there, especially the night revellers. Unfortunately, the jetty had to be domolished owing to the land reclamation scheme at the east coast in 1966.

Joo Chiat Changing Scene 3 - Story Teller

Story Teller picture from PICAS




Joo Chiat Square


Joo Chiat Square is located at the junction of Joo Chiat Road and Joo Chiat Place. It is a cemented vacant land as shown in the above photo. On 23 Decembeer 2006, Joo Chiat MP Chan Soo Sen launched Joo Chiat Square that will be a gathering point for the community for weekend activities every Saturday for the next several years.

Before the place becomes Joo Chiat Square, there was a Shell Petrol Station which was one of Joo Chiat Road's landmark since 1950s. Illegal car rental was very popular then, especially in the eastern part of the island. They were also called Pa Ong Chia in Hokkien. Unlike the pirate taxis, they did not cruise on the roads to pick up passengers. The cars were parked at the petrol station waiting for hirer. When business was at its peak, there were about 40 cars for hire. Car rental rates were $1.50 per hour or $15.00 per day on week days and $2.00 per hour or $20.00 per day for Saturday and Sunday. Car models were Morris Minor, Morris Oxford, Hillman Minx and Vaxhual. They were all British made cars as there was no Japanese car then.

To hire a car was easy. You only had to show your identity card or a driving licence for record purposes in case the hirer absconded. The cars were usually hired out for social uses. But there were instances that such cars were used for robbery. A friend of mine who had a 'pah ong chia' business there, had the unfortunate experience. He was not aware that a robber had hired his car to rob until detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department called on him. Pa Ong Chia business stopped a few years before Shell Petrol Station ceased operation.

Before the second world war, Joo Chiat Square was a vacant field. Every evening men gathered there to listen to story telling. They sat on improvised benches around the story teller just like the top photo. My grand uncle was an avid listener of Chinese stories. I was about 4 years old then, and every evenings I would ride on his shoulders to the story telling site which was within walking distance from my home. When the story telling started, there was complete silence and the audience were captivated. I was bored sitting beside my grand uncle with nothing to play. Anyway, I enjoyed the two way trip riding on his broad shoulders.

Joo Chiat Changing Scene 2 - Post Office

(Before)

Photo from Joo Chiat A Living Legacy

(now)

An access road to Tembling Road Carpark

Joo Chiat Post Office was the only stand by itself 2 storey building at Joo Chiat Road. It was situated between No 159 and No 169, and was one of the landmarks in Joo Chiat Road. The building had since been demolished and the place is now an access road to the carpark at Tembling Road and Joo Chiat Place junction.

The building itself has an interesting history. It was build before WWII and was first used as a licensed retail opium shop. Joo Chiat at that time had migrant Chinese workers and many were opium addicts. Opium could be bought by individual to smoke at home, as my grand uncle did or by opium den operators to cater for poorer opium addicts. Smoking paraphernalia consisted of a long pipe with a small bowl fitted near the end of the pipe. An oil lamp is needed to heat and melt the opium as the addict inhaled the smoke from the pipe. The shop ceased selling opium since the Japanese occupation period.

After WWII the building was converted into a toddy (palm wine) retail shop. Toddy is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the saps of coconut trees. The saps collected were allowed to ferment for a day to turn it into toddy. It catered mainly to the Indian daily rated workers. A municipal labourer quarters was just behind the toddy shop. Majority of the occupiers were Indians who worked for the Municipality. The toddy shop opened in the afternoon, usually after the labourers working hours. Drinking toddy was a way of life for them, especially after a hard day's work in the hot sun as road sweepers, trench diggers, pipes layers and as mason. It was a common sight to see some of them falling to the ground, lying on the roadside and five foot ways, dead drunk.

The final occupant of the building was the Joo Chiat Post Office. The ground floor was used for postal services and the upper floor was supposed to be living quarters for the Post Master. I am not sure if he and his family ever live there. The above photo of Joo Chiat Post Office was taken in 1970.

Joo Chiat Changing Scene 1 - Old Railway Line

Railway line in Joo Chiat


I was brought up at Joo Chiat Road near Geylang Serai. In 1957 I moved to live at Kg. Eunos. Since then, many landmarks in the area had changed. The house where I grew up had been acquired by HDB and is now a vacant land. Joo Chiat Market was replaced by Joo Chiat Complex. Nearby was an open air Lily cinema. In its place, now stands a multi-storey car parks for the shopping complex. Nam Wah coffee shop where I used to have beer with friends is now Joo Chiat Hotel.

Some very old land marks in the area had been lost completely. Before WWII there was a railway line in the area. Guillemard Road was then unknown. The whole stretch was a railway track. It cut through a few roads before joining the railway track at Joo Chiat Lane. After passing Tembling Road (opposite the temple) it made a turn behing a two storey house and continued towards Everitt Road/Joo Chiat Place junction. From there it went all the way to Jalan Eunos quarry.

During the Japanese occupation there was no train service as some of the railway tracks damaged by bomb was not repaired. After the war the disused railway land was replaced by housing developments. The railway line in Joo Chiat is now history.

Joo Chiat Road update

I like to walk in Joo Chiat for it gives me many fond memories of bygone days. Recently I walked down memory lane again to see the changes and reminisce the past. At Joo Chiat Road opposite opposite Joo Chiat Lane was a block of three storey shophouses. It was built after the war. Before then  it was a vacant land and a railway track passed through the land. The railway track began at Kallang Basin where the old airport was located. It cut across Joo Chiat Road and continued along Joo Chiat Lane and ended up at Kampong Batak now known as Eunos. The 3 storey building has been upgraded into apartments with shops on the ground floor.

                         Shophouses at Joo Chiat Road opposite Joo Chiat Lane

                                     Joo Chiat Lane facing Joo Chiat Road

                             Past railway track cutting across Joo Chiat Road
                 There was no building between Joo Chiat Road and Onan Road







I love to walk along Joo Chiat Road between Joo Chiat Terrace and Geylang Serai. That was where I had my fond memories. When looking at the sites of shops that were once there, I could still visualise the buildings, their characteristics and the shopkeepers who were my childhood friends. Last week I was there again. Standing on the vacant where my former house was situated, I would recall my growing up days. On the vacant land stood a block of 2 storey building with 5 shophouses. I lived in the second house No 73 Joo Chiat Road. Chew Joo Chiat's house at No 65 was in a block of 3 storey building. The 2 blocks of buildings were separated by a sandy lane which was also my playground. I remembered three closed friends living across the road diagonally opposite. I surveyed the sites where new buildings have replaced the old ones especially the shops that belonged to my friends. I wished time had stood still and I could visit them for a chat. The most prominent building in the area was the Chinese wayang (opera) stage. It was built of brick and mortar and was also the only one in Joo Chiat Road. Chew Joo Chiat built it for his own entertainment. I was told by my grandma that during his birthday he engaged Teochew opera to perform on the stage and he watched with family and friends from the balcony of his house on the opposite side across the road.

Beside the wayang stage was a block of 2 storey building with only 2 shophouses.
They were built 1926. The year was inscribed on the gable wall. The corner shop was selling hot and cold drinks including beer with only one chu char stall. The shop owner Teng Kee was also the chef. He dished out very good Cantonese cuisine. His neighbour was a char kiat (wooden clog) shop. The clogs were all hand made. After the shopkeeper's death his son Siam Loh did not continue with his father's trade but changed it into a sundries shop. Adjoining the 2 shophouses was a block of single storey semi-permanent timber building. There was a tin smith shop that made tin cans, pails, funnels, rain water down pipes, etc. Next was  Chinese cake shop followed by a joss paper/sticks shop. After the timber building was another block of permanent building with many shophouses. Their trade varied from joss sticks, sundries, fruits, textile, Chinese medicine, goldsmith, pawnshop and many others. My closed friend Goh Choon Guan aka Kek Leng occupied the corner shop selling Chinese praying goods. His shop name was chop Kee Lan Teng and it was very well known to the Buddhists and Toaists in Joo Chiat and Katong. He sold paper lanterns during the Chinese Eight Moon Festival and fire crackers on Chinese New Year. I remembered in the old days there was no printed ready made red paper evelopes aka ang pow and the Chinese used red paper to wrap coins and notes for ang pow during the Chinese New Year period. A few days before the Chinese New Year my grandma got me to buy a few sheets of red paper from my friend's shop. At home grandma used a scissors to cut each sheet into pieces of squares with different sizes. Ang pow was in oblong shape. Smaller square paper was used for wrapping coins and bigger piece for notes. I also remembered the women of that time used the red dye from the red paper to apply on their lips as sticks and on their cheeks to have a rosy complexion.

                      show ang pow samples

Alas, my 3 Joo Chiat friends were no longer around as they had returned to their creator. The wayang stage, 1926 building and the semi-permanent timeber building  had been demolished and replaced with a new block of 2 storey building. The scene at that location has changed. I had only old photographs to remind me of the past.
Below are photos of my house and those of my friends' shops.

                                               Before (view from Katong)

Then (view from Katong) 

Then (view from Geylang)

Today (view from Katong)

aerial view the vacant land where my house No 73 was located