Chinatown Trip

Having been there for more than three times, I do not reckon Chinatown as an exciting place any more. However, life has always had some surprises in store for us. So after revisiting Chinatown today with Mr Tan and Sky programme students who are in his command, I found the trip breath-taking as the scenes of immigrants' lives open in front of me, page by page, like an ancient book full of mysteries and wonders.

I have been to Chinatown with Mr Tan this year just before the Chinese New Year celebration, so we have experience the so-called noisiest, grandest and the most brilliant Chinatown under the veil of the new year. We were in awe at the sight of so many vendors shouting out their "lowest" prices as the bell of the New Year drew near. We gasped when we were surrounded by friendly sellers asking for free tastes of various products, and we elbowed our way through the narrow lane toe to heel, toe to heel.

And I thought about people back in China celebrating the New Year, whith snowflakes decorating their window panels, garden holies and frontdoor steps.

They lit off the firecrackers.

Their toes are colder than their feet.

Their feet are colder than their limbs.

Their limbs are colder than their heads.

Their heads are colder than their breath.

Their breath is colder than their lips.

And their lips are purple and blue, purple and blue.

Until the firecrackers lit up their merry faces.

However, that was almost one year ago. Now, we came to Chinatown not for the "enjoying' purpose, but on the joint project in discovering immigrants' lives in Singapore. As such, Pagoda Street with countless stalls of handicrafts and Smith Street with endless trail of restaurants were not our major destinations. Even the Hindu Temple and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple did not trigger in us special feelings. Standing under the scalding sun, everyone had only one destination in heart, which was Chinatown Heritage Centre Museum.

The museum is like an ancient castle with riddle lanes and secret passages. Walking inside was like going on a unexpectable journey. Doors after doors, rooms after room, lanes after lanes, we all plunged into the amazing world of Nanyang's earlier settlers. Those immigrant were generally victims of poverty, floods and famines in China and seeking for a better life in Nanyang. Though they came to Si Lat Po(Singapore) after enduring overcrowded and inhuman conditions on the perilous sea journey, their arrival destination did not prove them a wonderful life. Without the support of their families, those sinkhehs(newcomers) resorted to the evils associated with the secret societies and many fell into the grasp of opiums and casinos. They could not return to their homes anymore and many passed away lonely in the death houses.

The most striling part of the journey was visiting various parts of the shophouse where coolies, carpenters, shoe-menders, maids lived together. The condition of their living was so appaling that we all wondered how could one survive in there, especially the common kitchen and toilets without sewage systems. Compassionate to the sour lives of maids and coolies, we all felt fortunate of being born in a "golden age".

The tour ended where it began, and we had a rich meal in a sharks' fin restaurant before we broke up and went home. It was another memorable trip in my holiday and was educational as well. Once again, it piqued my curiosity of discovering more about this place which once seemed so boring.

It was raining the whole morning.

The delicate roof decoration

Pagoda Street

The "boat" carrying immigrants to Nanyang

Indian fishermen(statues)

Buddha Tooth Temple

A warrior outside a restaurant

We are here!