A Good Soul Deserves Another

Last night, as I was picking up my mail from my mailbox on the groundfloor, there was a funeral wake. It was normal and I did not pay much attention until one lady, whom we met often in the lift, told me that the person died alone.

This man who had just passed away lived alone in the "senior citizen flat" along Upper Cross St. From what I understand from the people at the Wake, he was under social welfare. Inspite of all the hardship, he helped to deliver food and things to the other elderly people in the block, the people who are not able to move easily. He was an important connector in this community of elderly people.

He died alone without any relatives (at least at the Wake, no one was aware). The neighbours in the "community" took it upon themselves (with some volunteers like this lady and her husband who are living in my block, which across from that block) to give him a decent burial. They even arranged for Buddhist funeral rituals to be conducted.

At the Wake, the elderly neighbours who could walk were there to help out, such as folding the necessary joss-papers and burning candles/joss sticks. They tried collecting "white gold" (contributions to a funeral is known as white gold in Chinese) from the community. There was one donor who happened to be at the block to give ang-pows away to the senior citizen (these are the low profile philanthropists), who upon hearing of this case, gave S$1000 contribution. The community spirit is still alive.

Temple Facing The Sea 福德祠望海大伯公

It was said that way before Raffles arrived in Singapore in 1819, at this place where Palmer Road is now at, there was a thriving community. This could have been a thriving port, called Tanjong Malan, now known as Tanjong Pagar (Pagar meaning Kelongs or building on stilts in the sea used for trapping fish). And thus, it was only natural for the Chinese to first offer thanks to their Deities upon coming on shore. In this little place was a Chinese Temple dedicated to Da Bo Gong 大伯公 (more popularly known as Tua Pek Kong in Hokkien, and Fu Tat Chi (Fu De Ce) 福德祠 to the Cantonese and Hakka). As the temple was facing the sea (then), it was then known as the Da Bo Gong Temple facing the sea 福德祠望海大伯公.

This temple is probably the only "practising" Hakka temple in Singapore. For its more than a hundred and eighty years (considering 1819 as the starting point), this temple must have seen much. How its view of the sea was now blocked by containers when it could have been sending lapping waves on its steps. The bustling port activities. The different people living together - an early cosmopolitan town. There was also a famous kramat just across from the temple.

But much of the described scenes are oral history. What was it really like? Thanks to the Ying Fo Fui Kun (a HakkaClan) which administers the temple and NUS, an archaeological team has started doing some digs around the temple to understand better what life was like then. I hope that the dig will reveal more about life around the temple and the location then.

Chinatown Cat

Thanks to the encouragement of cat_aunty I am sharing a pix or two of this Chinatown Cat. One wonders since when did the cats come to Singapore (^^). But for longtime residents of Chinatown, they must have seen generations after generations of these free and easy cats. These cats are fiercely independent but are tame enough to take up your offer of food.

And if they like you, well, they will declare that you are their property. How? By brushing their bodies against your legs. Oh, they love a scratch on their head and would sit perfectly still, a little purr here and there, as you scratch its head.

On this crowded and noisy night in Chinatown as it lighted up for the Chinese New Year shopping, this cat was contented to have its dinner on a newspaper, thanks to its sponsor. Despite the movement of the people and the rain, it just ate on. What would its life be in Chinatown. (^^)

Chinatown Lights Up

Officially speaking, that is. It was "ren-shan-ren-hai" (people mountain people sea) from People's Park Complex to Sago Lane. It was almost like the old days when there were only shoppers and the stalls. Last night, the crowd was created in part, with the show and the small walking space for the people who flocked to Chinatown to watch, amongst many things fireworks.

There were more onlookers than shoppers, but certainly some would be "hooked" to buy something they fancied. The show by the Sichuan Operatic Troupe at the open stage next to the Chinatown Food Centre/Market must be the crowd stealer, with its modern dance and the ever interesting mask-changing performance.

For the crowd lined along the barricades, the highlight must be the dragon, lions and stilt walkers. The crowd, especially, the children just love to touch the fur of the lions. One young kid was so entranced by the giant (on stilt) that he allowed him to carry him.

Yes, Chinese New Year preparations for the household are underway. Chinatown will relive its old days, albeit a little differently.

Chinese New Year Shopping

Chinese New Year is probably one of the number of Chinese festivities where cooking traditional Chinese food is important. And so, shopping for traditional Chinese cooking ingredients is one of the main activities in the weeks before Chinese New Year. For this year, Chinese New Year falls on the 29th January, 2006.

Many shops in Chinatown are already stocking all the goodies, from ingredients for food dishes to desserts to tidbits (traditional Chinese sweets and bites like melon seeds and ground nuts) to the all important fruit, the Mandarin Orange.

At Upper Cross St, there is this shop, Ming Tai [Ming Da] that sells all kinds of traditional Chinese cooking ingredients, from various grades of dried scallops to wax duck and sausages. It also dispenses Chinese herbs - for medicine as well as for tonic soups. And for those who wants to prepare special dishes like "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall", you can also find most of the ingredients here.

The shopowners speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and probably more languages and dialects.

[Note: Disclaimer, I have no commercial interests in this shop (^^)]

Chinatown prepares for the New Year of the Dog

Christmas has come and gone. The new year is only hours away. And now Chinatown is preparing for the Chinese New Year of the Dog, which falls on 29 January 2006. Many interestings props were already awaiting in various "hideouts" waiting to be put up. Now, they are in the process of putting up.

A few weeks before Chinese New Year is probably the only time of the year when the place will be crowded as people from all over Singapore will flock here to buy the traditional stuff to prepare for the Chinese New Year (CNY). Others will come to soak in the atmosphere. In the old days, the very young would venture into the crowd with their parents risking suffocation as it was really shoulder to shoulder. These days, the crowd is as thick. But then, in those days, it could be the only time for the family to buy new clothes and some tidbits for the CNY. Ah, Singapore has come a long way.

Soon, traditional yummy food - maybe only for the older people? - like Chinese sausages, waxed ducks and meat, Yunnan Ham (that one uses a normal saw to saw it), and Shitake mushrooms will be on full display.

Different Faces of Chinatown

Thanks to "Monkey" there is another website with a photo essay of Chinatown.

http://www.yawningbread.org/photo_essay/pew-01/pew-0100.htm

Sausages - An Austrian Challenge

Right in the heart of the Chinatown that most people know, is a small roadside stall, the new ones that were set up along Trengganu St (on the side of Sago St.) Apart from the traditional and not so traditional stalls selling all kinds of things, is a stall that stands out. Inside this stall is an ang-mo. A jovial and outgoing person, this ang-mo (Hokkien for red hair, meaning caucasians) greets anyone and everyone who passes by his stall.

Erich must be his name as his name card is written as "Erich's Wuerstel Stand" with the slogan "Quality Grilled Sausages - Austrian Style". And the address? Chinatown Night Market Singapore F&B 3 Trengganu Street.

On that evening when I was in Chinatown with my Aussie friends, we thought it was a good idea to have Austrian sausages right in the heard of Chinatown. What a Stammtisch too! We had Bockwuerst and Bratwuerst with sauce and mustard. Oh, sie waren gut geschmeckt! Ah, in Singlish? Shiok! Sedap!

And what could have been better when we were enjoying the sausages and chatting with Erich, when the Crazy Horse girls walked down the road with the saucy Chinese blouses and tight samfoo pants. We did not know where they came from until we heard from Erich. And yes, he knows what's going on in Chinatown!

Erich certainly adds life to Chinatown! Judging by the number of news-magazine articles pasted all over his stall, his must be the most popular one in town.

Want to get another kick out if this? His name card has this declaration, "The Last Sausage Kiosk Before the Equator". Can anyone dispute this? (^^)

Chinatown of Yesteryear

Chinatown today is very different from yesteryears. For those who lived in Chinatown in the 1950s to the 1970s, most, if not all of them are no longer living in Chinatown. At least not in the old pre-war houses.

Chinatown can roughly be considered to have three main parts, the Cantonese part, near to the People's Park Complex (between New Bridge Rd and South Bridge Rd, right to the former Upper Chin Chew St) , the Hokkien part (the area around Telok Ayer St and Amoy St stretching to Boat Quay, the Teochew part (Merchant Road and Clarke Quay).

Many looked back with nostalgia. Here is an interesting Blog that shares with us on this yesteryears in the Cantonese part of Chinatown.

My Memories of Chinatown



[Ack:Lam Chun See http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com]

Protection of the Land

As in many traditional Chinese shops around the world, in the Chinese shops in Chinatown, one could see the small altars at the back of the shop, in many cases, dedicated to Guan Gong, the red-faced General of the Three Kingdoms. And on the floor near to a wall, one could find a small altar dedicated to the Deities of the five directions and the local land. This is for the protection of the land and space where the shop is.

Some of these altars could be seen on the five-foot-way, as shown on the picture here. As in Taoist practice, the shopowners worship the Land Deities of the five directions for their help in protecting their shop, land, space and business. In offering, you could see give cups of tea, and sometimes, Chinese liquor and five joss-sticks are used. Fruits or offering of food are also put on the small altar.

Adjusting to the modern times, where there is more consciousness on cleanliness, small burning bins for joss papers are used. Here is a picture of a small red burning bin.