5 Interesting Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Chinatown - The lesser-known facts

There are China towns found all over the world, for instance, the one found in New York and London, but the one in Singapore is more than just a subzone in itself. This unique district in Singapore has 4 sub-districts of its own. People moved here from many parts of China and southern India right after the World War II era. Each one of these 4 Sub Districts was occupied by a different community or a clan.

If you read about the destination before your trip to Singapore you would have come across this fact about Chinatown. This is named as such because back in the day the area was popular for its brothels, opium houses and gambling hubs. The Red-light district was extremely prevalent in the early 20th century but today you will be hard-pressed to find one in any part of China Town.

The Sri Mariamman Temple is one of the long-standing Hindu temples found in Singapore and it is not just a place of worship for the people who live here. The temple also acts as an extremely important spot for community activities and gathering of the Hindus in Singapore. During the colonial era, most of the marriages of Hindus happened within this Temple as it acted as a registry of marriages back then. If you are put up at a hotel near Clarke Quay MRT Singapore the likes of Park Hotel Clarke Quay this place is not too far for you to visit. Keep in mind that you must dress decently when you walk into this religious establishment.

China Town has an area that directly translates to mean the cow and water were back in the day the water supply for the whole area was transported mainly with Bullock carts. This art used to take the water from the well of a nearby hill and transported into the town in the nineteenth century. Apart from this, bull carts were also one of the best methods for commuting and transporting goods back in the day in most parts of Asia.

China Town used to be a secret police Bunker location that was also an operations room within the police intelligence in the area. Back until about early 1980, this bomb proof Bunker was the major destination where all great criminal cases were solved in secrecy.

When you walk through China town and explore it on foot you will notice many shophouses in the area. Apart from just taking a look at them, take some time to explore the history behind these buildings. The earliest of the shophouses were built 1800 and you can differentiate these buildings and categorise them into the year they were built depending on the height of the building.