Amid a nostalgic atmosphere, Chinatown Singapore will host the Five Footway Festival from Saturday until March 17, and transport visitors back to the 1900s when this neighbourhood served as a bustling trading hub. The Chinatown Business Association is working with its partners to create more than 70 creative activities that shed light on the rich cultural heritage and history of the Chinese community.
"The Five Footway of Chinatown holds a remarkable place in the heart of Singapore's history. The enduring legacies, hope and culture influence our lives today. With interactive elements for all, we look to bring visitors of all ages to experience the lives of old Chinatown Singapore through sights, sounds and flavours," said Lim Yick Suan, an executive director of the Chinatown Business Association.
The younger generation can find out about their origins through an exhibition that depicts the way of life, values, and traditions of their forefathers in Chinatown, as well as how early immigrants' lives were centred around the Five Footway through trade, clan activities, culture, and entertainment, thanks to a collaboration between Sun Yat-Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and students from Hwa Chong Institution.
After that, guests can take a walking tour with Let's Go Tour to go back in time to the 1920s when Chinese immigrant Tan Ah Huat first came to Singapore or experience the world of folktales with Joss Stick Storytelling. Formerly known as Theatre Street, Smith Street is a significant hub for entertainment, offering guests Cantonese, Teochew, and Peking opera performances as well as a Hokkien puppet show and a variety of workshops.
Pagoda Street has also been turned into a playground for families to enjoy childhood games like the nostalgic can and ring toss, hoop wheeling, chapteh, zero point, and snakes and ladders. In addition, there will be movie screenings, dragon dances and wushu.
To explore Singapore's charming culinary scene, visitors can visit Hakka Imperial Kitchen and learn how to make Hakka rice wine, while Auntie Helen shares her recipes for Hainanese-style pineapple stir-fry pork rind and fried preserved beans with chicken.
Admission to the Five Footway Festival is free. For more details, visit chinatown.sg.
Conserved buildings in the Chinatown tour.
Chinatown Business Association
