history

Talad Rot Fai, Bangkok Night Market What do you get when you combine a State Railway of Thailand abandoned railway station with the surrounding warehouses, collect antiques, unusual goods, and open a free market? It’s simple. Look no farther than Talad Rot Fai for an answer. The Thonburi side of Bangkok’s train market is a … Read more

Mansions in Singapore In the late 19th century, we had our own version of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Teochews would construct four grand Chinese style homes (Si Da Cuo) known as the Four Mansions or Four Great Houses, with four prominent Teochews. During this time in Singapore, immigrants arrived in huge numbers. Many of … Read more

Iconic History of Hakka Cemetery on Holland Village To complement their popular Queenstown excursions, my community has launched the new Commonwealth and Holland Village Heritage Tour. Participants will hear first-hand accounts from company tenants, teachers, and residents — current and former — about their personal experiences with the NYCHA property. Some organizations have stayed still … Read more

Carrom Rules The elbow is bent at a nearly 90-degree angle, and the fingers are formed into a powerful hand catapult. An acrylic striker is released and shot forth with a flick toward a pre-assembled pool of brightly coloured hardwood seeds, demonstrating great aim and accuracy. Instead of swinging back into a pocket, the shot … Read more

Choa Chu Kang Crematorium The soothing chirping of birds was a pleasant sound to my ears. The hilly Mount Vernon region, which borders Bidadari to the west and north of Potong Pasir and MacPherson estates, is considered a haven for animals since it is home to a large number of migratory birds on their way … Read more

Front Row Singapore The emcee engages the crowd in amusing dialect banter before introducing her next act. The band begins to play, and lighting and smoke effects are added as the artist sings a Hokkien ballad while dancing in her glittering costume. The getai stage ignites, and the spectators are enraptured. In Cantonese, a getai … Read more

ACM Museum or Asian Civilisations Museum The Asian Civilisations Museum is featuring Enlightened Ways: The Many Streams of Buddhist Art in Thailand as part of Thai CulturalFest organized by the National Heritage Board. The Thai National Museums’ collection is complemented by artworks from 11 Thai national museums, the Asian Civilisations Museum, and private collectors for … Read more

Good Good Eating House The oldest housing estate in Commonwealth Drive, which was built in the 1960s, now resembles a ghost town as former residents have moved out and into replacement flats after Blocks 74 to 80 were designated for the Selective En Bloc Replacement Scheme in 2008. The Chup Laus was built by the … Read more

Serangoon Temple A short stretch of road, cut off from the rest of the city centre, lies to the west of Fort Canning Hill. The Tank Road, which is 250 meters long and lined with architecturally beautiful yet contrasting structures like the Church of the Sacred Heart, the Teochew Building, and the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, … Read more