Joo Chiat Heritage Night

Joo Chiat was awarded Singapore's First Heritage Town in 2011 by The National Heritage Board. On Saturday 30th June 2012 Joo Chiat Heritage Night was held at the Siglap South Cummunity Club to celebrate the award. My wife and I were invited to the function. We were pleasantly surprised to be placed at the VIP table sitting together with Mr Charles Chong MP for Joo Chiat and Puan Noor Aishah, widow of Singaopore's First President, the late Inche Yusof bin Ishak.

Highlight of the evening:

1. Photographic Exhibition of Joo Chiat Heritage
2. Get together of Joo Chiat's Heritage Residents
3. Sit down multi ethnic 4 course dinner   
4. Robert Fernando in Concert           

L to R: Charles Chong MP for Joo Chiat, Puan Noor Aishah, Dr Uma Rajan BBM PBS

Mr Nah Juay Hng Group Director, People's Association

My wife and I are on the left opposite Mr Charles Chong and Puan Noor Aishah

Robert sang old favourites accompanied by a 3 piece band. A few senior couples could not resist the dance music took to the floor. I am sure they were longing for this moment to be young once more. The songs of yester year with dance music brought my memory back to the 50s and 60s. At that time Singapore Hotel at Geylang Road was a very popular place for tea dance. The floor was alway packed with dancers and there were frequent fights between groups of youngsters. Those were the days.

Note: All photos credits to peterlimstudio.com

Where Is The Heritage Town

Temasek Polytechnic foreign students at 112 Katong

On Thursday 12 April 2012 I was with a group of Temasek Polytechnic International Freshmen exploring Joo Chiat/Katong area. They have not heard of the Peranakan before and was very keen to learn its culture.  They went to Koon Seng Road to view the Peranakan houses, visited the Peranakan antique shop at East Coast Road and tasted Peranakan food including Katong laksa. The group leader, Jack did not eat spicy food. He told me that as a leader he had to show an example and ate the Katong laksa. It turned out that the laksa was not very spicy and he liked it.  

It was raining when we were on our way to the Community Centre at Joo Chiat Road. I told them that Joo Chiat was awarded the First Heritage Town in Singapore by the National Heritage Board last year. The presentation of the award and Joo Chiat Heritage Exhibitions was graced by the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, Lui Tuck Yew. The ceremony was held at the town's community club when Joo Chiat ward was no more in Joo Chiat but in Siglap.  Thinking that everything remained the same, I was eager to show our foreign students the exhibits that showcase Joo Chiat's Hertiage. We called at the ground floor office and was told by a staff that Joo Chiat ward is no longer in Joo Chiat and if we wish to know anything about Joo Chiat Heritage Award we had to make our way to the Siglap Community Club. I felt so embarrassed to have disappointed the students.

I know Joo Chiat ward has moved to Siglap. But, has Joo Chiat Heritage Town also moved to Siglap? No wonder people make a joke out of it. They said there was no more sleaze in Joo Chiat (Siglap). I have friends living in Siglap. Can they say that they live in Joo Chiat now?  Is it not confusing? I hope in the next General Election Joo Chiat ward will be returned to its rightful place where it used to be that is in Joo Chiat area.

Searching For My Roots Again

Last year the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) decided to clear Bukit Brown to make way for a highway and future housing development. Just a month before that I was told by a relative that Chew Joo Chiat first wife was buried there. So, it became my mission to find my great grandmother's grave. No relative alive today knows her name as well as her date of death. To search the whole of Bukit Brown Cemetery would be like looking for a pin in a hay stack. I searchd the NEA's registry of death but it was useless without the name and date death of the person. I tried a long shot by contacting the Goh brothers of Asia Paranormal Investigator (API),  Raymond and  Charles. I told them my problem to find my greatmother's grave. I was surprised by their prompt reply with a bonus thrown in, that was a photo of a tombstone.

                                                            Tombstone of Tan Quan Neo

On that Saturday I got my younger brother Hector to go with me to the cemetery. There we met the Goh brothers as arrranged. They drove us to the site. From the paved road we had to walk upslope on the undulating ground plus hopping over many graves to reach the semi jungle area. I tumbled a few times before reaching the area. There most of the  graves were in a bad state. Then Charles pointed out to me Mrs Chew Joo Chiat's grave. The place was dark as the sunlight was blocked by leaves of tall trees. The tombstone was obstructed by thick tree vines dropped from above. I took a few photos and then noticed a side tombstone written in English words. The name of the deceased Tan Quan Neo was clearly written. She died on 19th April 1927, just a year plus after Chew Joo Chiat's death. Then it struck me that Tan Quan Neo is the name of Chew Joo Chiat's second wife. Chew Joo Chiat's grave plot had a double tombs. Tan Quan Neo's tomb was reserved next to his but she was not buried there. Why?
 

                                  Tan Quan Neo's empty tomb is on the left of the double tomb

Tan Quan Neo married Chew Joo Chiat and had only one child. She is Chew Quee Neo, wife of Lee Tian Seck compradore of Batu Pahat Bank in 1960s. Her grave had been neglected for years. Perhaps she had no male descendants to visit and clean up her tomb during each Qing Ming Festival.

My concern now is to find my great grandmother's grave. Is it true that her body was buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery? I thought she died in China. I may have to make more journeys to Bukit Brown Cemetery to find her resting place. My mission unaccomplished!

Joo Chiat Road 1920s

Joo Chiat Road in the early days was a dirt track stretching from Geylang Serai all the way to the east coast beach. It was then known as the Confederate Estate Road. The dirt track was owned and maitained by Chew Joo Chiat. It was made up into a metal road by the Municipality and named the road after Chew Joo Chiat as Joo Chiat Road. Motorised transport made access to the east coast and the beach more attractive. People from other parts of Singapore migrated to the east coast to be nearer the sea. Furthermore, development of the area from Katong to Joo Chiat was very rapid resulting in a land boom. Joo Chiat was not entirely coconut plantations. There was also a rubber estate off Joo Chiat Road. It had a factory with machines processing rubber from latex into rubber sheets. As land values increased, housing in Joo Chiat Road expanded rapidly. Large coconut plantations fragmented and about 53,000 square feet of rubber estates came under the hammer.

1920s saw Joo Chiat Road having colourful rows of Perankan terraced houses and bungalows with fanciful names like Noel Villa, Sandy Point Villa, Mafeking House and others. Most of the residential buildings were occupied by the Peranakans except the shophouses nearer the Joo Chiat Market. Some coconut trees and fruit trees by the roadside were untouched by housing development.

Gei Hin Kwan Hotel, Happy Hotel, Katong Hotel, Japanese Koyakan Hotel and a few others lined sporadically along Joo Chiat Road. They were popular with clubs, associations and other organisations that held their meetings, anniversary and celebrations there. In those days some hotels also operated illegaly as brothels. Some was caught by the law and fined at a Magistrate Court.

Besides prostitutions at the hotels there were triads and gangs in the area. They collected protection  money from the shopkeepers and hawkers, and extorted money from the rich and wealthy. One extortion incident was reported in The Straits Times on 22 November 1923. The articles stated:

"The maximum sentence of six months' rigorous imprisonment was passed on a Chinese who was found guilty of attempting extortion in the second Police Court yesterday.

The complainant, a Hokien trader of No 246 Joo Chiat Road, stated that he discovered a letter in his house early on the morning of November 11 which was to the effect that he would have to pay a certain amount of money over at a shop, No 30 Joo Chiat Road and if within 3 days the money was not paid, he would meet with some trouble. Two days later a Chinese called at the shop and said that he was the man to collect the money deposited by the complainant. He was told to wait and in the meantime the complainant was informed. The latter went to the shop and conducted the accused to a coffee shop, where he was subsequently arrested by a police corporal who had already been informed."

The newspapers report did not mention the name of the Hokien trader. Chew Joo Chiat was a Hokien trader at that time and his obituary stated that he died at his residence No 246 Joo Chiat Road. The Hokien trader wth the same address as Chew could not be a coincidence. Therefore, could the person in the attempted extortion be Chew Joo Chiat himself?

新年进步

Happy New Year for 2012

                                             Wishing You A Wonderful New Year 2012

Joo Chiat Road in 1920s

Joo Chiat area in the early days was coconut plantations. There was a dirt track starting from Geylang Serai all the way to the east coast beach. It was then known as Confederate Estates Road. The dirt track was later constructed into a proper roadway for motor vehicles. It was renamed after the wealthy land owner Chew Joo Chiat as Joo Chiat Road. With the opening of a new road to East Coast Road and the beach more people migrated to live there from other parts of Singapore resulting in housing boon in Joo Chiat.

                                                           Confederate Estate Road

                                                 

                                                           Joo Chiat Road        
                                               
In 1920s there were many residential buildings along Joo Chiat Road. They were Peranakan styled terraced houses and bungalows with fancy names such as Noel Villa, Sandy Point Villa, Mafeking House and so on.  The facade had motifs and details symbolic of the Chinese and Malay cultures with European influences. Such buildings gave Joo Chiat Road a very unique character. The residents were mostly Peranakans except for the shphouses nearer to Joo Chiat Market. Coconut trees were still very visible along the both sides of the road. The roadside coconut trees got lesser as Joo Chiat Road progressed.

Chinese migrants and others could find accommodations at Gei Hin Kwang Hotel, Japanese Koyakan Hotel, Happy Hotel, Yumei Hotel and a few more along Joo Chiat Road. Clubs and Associations also held their meetings, ronggeng parties and anniversary there. Besides their legal businesses, they also had illegal business such using the hotels as brothels. A few were arrested and charged in Court.

Joo Chiat Road also had its ugly side. There were triads taking protection money from shopkeepers, hawkers and businessmen. There was an incidence of extortion reported in The Straits Times on 22 November 1923 as follows:

       ".......The complainant, a Hokien trader of 246 Joo Chiat Road, stated that he discovered a letter in the house early morning on the November 11 which was to the effect that he would have to pay a certain amount of money over at a shop, No 30 Joo Chiat Road, and if within 3 days the money was not paid, he would meet with some trouble. Two days later a Chinese called at the shop in question and said that he was the man to collect the money deposited by the complainant. He was told to wait and in the meantime the complainant was informed. The latter went to the shop and conducted the accused to a coffee shop, where he was subsequently arrested by a police corporal who had already been informed......."

We had just read the extortion drama above. But the mystery is, who was the Hokien trader which was mentioned in the newspapers article?  The address given 246 Joo Chiat Road was the residence of Chew Joo Chiat. See the newspaper cuttings above and below.

I assumed the victim was Chew Joo Chiat. The extorner must be very desparate by showing himself to his victim. On the other hand, Chew must be a very brave man risking his life to go to the extortioner. Furthermore, the arrest seemed to be very easy.  Only one policeman was needed to apprehend the bad guy. In today's context a team of policmen is required to lay an ambush in order to arrest the extorner.