Theo9902
27-10-2011, 02:34 PM
The famous Joo Chiat Road in the east coast of Singapore is named after Chew Joo Chiat (1857-1926) who was also known as the King of Katong.
Chew was born in Fujian , China , to a farming family. He left for Singapore in 1877 to make a better life for himself and for his family back in China . The young man arrived in Singapore penniless but he had good business acumen and a willingness to work hard. The small business he started soon prospered.
In the early twentieth century, he bought land in the east coast of Singapore from the Alsagoff and Little families. He used the land for coconut plantations and for growing spices like nutmeg and gambier. Copra (the meat of the coconut) was a valuable cash crop; spices were in great demand by the Europeans.
The dirt track that ran through his plantation estate was called Confederate Estate Road and it was used by bullock carts. The Municipality in 1917 wanted to develop that dirt track into a motor road from the town to the beach, where Singapore ’s rich had seaside bungalows. Chew knew that the motor road would make transportation of goods from the plantation easier and also increase the value of his land. Instead of selling the stretch of land to the Municipality, Chew donated it to them. The Municipality then named the road after him – Joo Chiat Road .
In the 1920s, Singapore ’s population was increasing and people started to move out from the town area. Chew then parceled his land into building lots and sold it to developers. Peranakans started moving into Joo Chiat as the Telok Ayer area, where many stayed, was getting overcrowded. A few years later, the predominantly Catholic Eurasians also moved into Joo Chiat when a Catholic church and school were built. Joo Chiat became home to large Peranakan and Eurasian communities. Chew and his family lived in the Joo Chiat area too and after he died in 1926, he was known as the ‘King of Katong’.
Parts of the Joo Chiat area were accorded conservation status in 1993 and 2003 and Joo Chiat was declared Singapore ’s first Heritage Town in 2011. The colourful and ornate facades of Peranakan shophouses built in the 1920s and 1930s still line the streets. You will also pass by lovely old houses with trellises on the way to dinner while walking from the bus stop or where you parked the car (that is if you can get a parking lot!).
What does not really need much conservation in Singapore is food; and the Joo Chiat area is famous for this. You can find a wide variety of food in Joo Chiat. More importantly, you can find a wide variety of VERY good food in Joo Chiat. Wantan mee, popiah, tau kwa pau, prawn noodle, bak kut the, fish head curry, pepper crab, chicken rice, bak Chang, kuehs and many other local dishes. There is also more Peranakan eateries in Joo Chiat (and Katong) compared to other parts of Singapore . Besides local cuisine, Joo Chiat has many cafes, bistros and cool chillout places which draw people from all over Singapore .
Joo Chiat is also the birth place of Katong laksa, which has become a world famous Singaporean dish. Katong laksa is different from other kinds of laksa as the rice noodles used are short and it can be eaten with just the spoon. Katong laksa originated from a hawker who sold his laksa along Joo Chiat Road and Tembling Road . The hawker was also known as ‘jangkok’ and ‘goh ki chiew’ for the stray hairs on his chin and he lived in a hut along Joo Chiat Road . The rivaling Katong laksa shops around the area are related to this hawker.
You take a heritage trail walk around the Joo Chiat area while stopping here and there to eat at the famous food stalls. After your meal, you can walk around more to “help digest” the food and enjoy the quaint buildings before stepping into another food place. Taking public transport to Joo Chiat may be better than driving as it is not easy to find parking especially during the weekend.
Chew was born in Fujian , China , to a farming family. He left for Singapore in 1877 to make a better life for himself and for his family back in China . The young man arrived in Singapore penniless but he had good business acumen and a willingness to work hard. The small business he started soon prospered.
In the early twentieth century, he bought land in the east coast of Singapore from the Alsagoff and Little families. He used the land for coconut plantations and for growing spices like nutmeg and gambier. Copra (the meat of the coconut) was a valuable cash crop; spices were in great demand by the Europeans.
The dirt track that ran through his plantation estate was called Confederate Estate Road and it was used by bullock carts. The Municipality in 1917 wanted to develop that dirt track into a motor road from the town to the beach, where Singapore ’s rich had seaside bungalows. Chew knew that the motor road would make transportation of goods from the plantation easier and also increase the value of his land. Instead of selling the stretch of land to the Municipality, Chew donated it to them. The Municipality then named the road after him – Joo Chiat Road .
In the 1920s, Singapore ’s population was increasing and people started to move out from the town area. Chew then parceled his land into building lots and sold it to developers. Peranakans started moving into Joo Chiat as the Telok Ayer area, where many stayed, was getting overcrowded. A few years later, the predominantly Catholic Eurasians also moved into Joo Chiat when a Catholic church and school were built. Joo Chiat became home to large Peranakan and Eurasian communities. Chew and his family lived in the Joo Chiat area too and after he died in 1926, he was known as the ‘King of Katong’.
Parts of the Joo Chiat area were accorded conservation status in 1993 and 2003 and Joo Chiat was declared Singapore ’s first Heritage Town in 2011. The colourful and ornate facades of Peranakan shophouses built in the 1920s and 1930s still line the streets. You will also pass by lovely old houses with trellises on the way to dinner while walking from the bus stop or where you parked the car (that is if you can get a parking lot!).
What does not really need much conservation in Singapore is food; and the Joo Chiat area is famous for this. You can find a wide variety of food in Joo Chiat. More importantly, you can find a wide variety of VERY good food in Joo Chiat. Wantan mee, popiah, tau kwa pau, prawn noodle, bak kut the, fish head curry, pepper crab, chicken rice, bak Chang, kuehs and many other local dishes. There is also more Peranakan eateries in Joo Chiat (and Katong) compared to other parts of Singapore . Besides local cuisine, Joo Chiat has many cafes, bistros and cool chillout places which draw people from all over Singapore .
Joo Chiat is also the birth place of Katong laksa, which has become a world famous Singaporean dish. Katong laksa is different from other kinds of laksa as the rice noodles used are short and it can be eaten with just the spoon. Katong laksa originated from a hawker who sold his laksa along Joo Chiat Road and Tembling Road . The hawker was also known as ‘jangkok’ and ‘goh ki chiew’ for the stray hairs on his chin and he lived in a hut along Joo Chiat Road . The rivaling Katong laksa shops around the area are related to this hawker.
You take a heritage trail walk around the Joo Chiat area while stopping here and there to eat at the famous food stalls. After your meal, you can walk around more to “help digest” the food and enjoy the quaint buildings before stepping into another food place. Taking public transport to Joo Chiat may be better than driving as it is not easy to find parking especially during the weekend.