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Chinatown Heritage Centre

A Portrait of Chinese Immigrants

Located in the busy commercial center of Chinatown, the Chinatown Heritage Centre recreates the livelihood of local Chinese in the early days, based on the 1950s Singapore Chinatown. The museum is a window to the history and culture of Old Niu Che Shui, the Chinatown.

Located on the street of busy Niu Che Shui, the Chinatown Singapore, the Chinatown Heritage Centre was converted from Three Side-by-side Shophouses.

The Chinatown Heritage Centre 牛车水原貌馆 is based on the lives in Chinatown in the 1950s, when violent crime was still common in this “Sleepless Downtown”, with the bustling streets of stores and entertainment clubs here.

The museum not only recreates the downtown streets of Chinatown, but also portrays the Living Environment of Chinese People in Early Days and the hardships of their lives. When you walk into the Chinatown Heritage Centre, it’s as if you’ve really stepped back in time, and everything you can see inside the museum reflects The Efforts of the Exhibition Creators.

Manywhere Trivia:
The average living space of a Chinese Singaporean Family is called 8×8, which means 8 feet (2.44 meters) by 8 feet, less than 6 square meters indeed.

Who would have imagined once A Family of Eight was squeezed in such a cramped space? The Shared Toilet for over 40 residents is so small that even an adult can hardly turn around; because of the lack of water pressure, the whole building must stop all water use in order to take a shower ……

Tailors, physicians, carpenters, vendors, carters, maids …… The Chinese settlers came to this strange land to support their families for a better future. It is also these pioneers who braved the hardships that have made Singapore today.