HOUGANG HERITAGE TRAIL A COMPANION GUIDE DISCOVER OUR SHARED HERITAGE OTHER HERITAGE TRAILS IN THIS SERIES S ERA NGO ON LINK ANG MO KIO ORCHARD BALESTIER PASIR RIS BEDOK QUEENSTOWN BUKIT TIMAH SINGAPORE RIVER WALK JALAN BESAR TAMPINES JUBILEE WALK TIONG BAHRU JURONG TOA PAYOH KAMPONG GLAM WORLD WAR II LITTLE INDIA YISHUN-SEMBAWANG 1 CONTENTS Introduction 2 Serving Communities 45 Ramakrishna Mission Early History 3 The shantangs of Au Kang The name “Hougang” Phoh Kiu Siang T’ng (普救善堂) Plantations and fruit orchards Nam Ann Siang Theon (南安善堂) Poh Teck Siang Tng (报德善堂) Au Kang’s Milestones in the 8 Nanyang Neo Clan Association Pre-War Years (南洋梁氏公会) The 5th milestone: Enclaves The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers The 6th milestone: Stories of Association (新加坡后港海南同乡会) pioneer settlers Sai Ho Piat Su (西河别墅) The 7th milestone: The All Saints Memorial Chapel Catholic community Heritage Businesses: 53 Memories of Au Kang During 14 from Generation to Generation the Japanese Occupation Ah Seah Teochew Porridge Neo Kian Guan Confectionary & Cakes Life in Rural Au Kang 17 Cheong Ann Watch Maker Kampong life Ho Tit Coffee Powder Factory Going to the market Just Anthony Recreation in Au Kang Serangoon Lian Hin Tailor Going to school Selected Bibliography 59 From Kampongs to Hougang Town 30 New town, new identity, new stories Credits 63 A Place of Many Faiths 34 Suggested Short Trail Routes 64 Hougang Tou Mu Kung (后港斗母宫) Zi Yun Kai Ji Gong (紫云开吉宫) Heritage Trail Map 69 Tian Kong & Kancanarama Buddhist Temple Chee Tong Temple (慈忠坛) Masjid Haji Yusoff Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Paul’s Church Paya Lebar Methodist Church and Paya Lebar Methodist Chinese Church Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Harvester Baptist Church 2 3 INTRODUCTION EARLY HISTORY THE NAME “HOUGANG” Hougang Avenue 8 and Upper Serangoon The name “Hougang” that we know today Road), to the junction of Bukit Arang Road is the Mandarin pronunciation of au kang, (now expunged, present-day Wolskel Road which means “at the back of the river” in both area) and Upper Serangoon Road. Many Teochew and Hokkien. The river in this case of Au Kang’s early landmarks, settlements refers to Sungei Serangoon at the end of Upper and communities were formed along Upper Serangoon Road. Many long-time residents Serangoon Road, the arterial road running who lived in the area before the residential through the area. The road is one of the oldest town was built still fondly use the name Au built in Singapore. By the late 1830s, it had Kang, rather than Hougang. extended all the way from town to the foot of Sungei Serangoon, facilitating in the transport Tua Jia Kar well replica to commemorate the former common well that served the villagers of the Hougang area, 2020 Courtesy of National Heritage Board Before the 1980s, Au Kang was, to locals, of goods and produce such as gambier, pepper a distinct area that radiated from Upper and rubber, not only from the interior of north- ention “Hougang” and its Teochew set up in 1921. In the same year, Masjid Haji Serangoon Road, spanning from the foot of eastern Singapore, but also from Johor to enclave would probably come to Yusoff was established to serve the Muslim Sungei Serangoon (present-day junction of Singapore town. Mmind and for a good reason. Today, community living in the vicinity as well. Hougang’s Teochew legacy can still be seen, from road names to institutions and Schools were also set up by the various landmarks that were established to serve the communities and churches to educate the Teochew community. youths of Hougang. For instance, Montfort School, originally named Holy Innocents’ However, before its transformation to the English School, was established at the very end present-day residential town, Hougang of Upper Serangoon Road in 1916, Sing Hua was first covered with gambier and pepper School that was set up in 1930 along Lim Tua plantations during the 19th century. These Tow Road, and Kalaimagal Tamil School was later gave way to coconut plantations and fruit founded in 1946 on the grounds of the former orchards by the pre-war years. Besides the Woodbridge Hospital. Teochew settlements, there were also other Besides these amenities, Hougang was also communities in the area, such as the Hokkien known for its bustling markets that served the and Hainanese dialect groups and a sizeable population living in Singapore’s north-eastern Eurasian community. region, namely Lim Tua Tow market at the 5th Religious institutions began to establish their milestone, Simon Road market at 6th milestone footholds in different parts of Hougang to and Kangkar fish market at the ½7 milestone. serve the spiritual and welfare needs of these In the late 1970s, the Housing & Development diverse communities such as the Church of the Board (HDB) redeveloped Hougang to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (founded become the present-day residential town in 1853), St. Paul’s Church (founded in 1936) we know today. Amid the housing estates and Paya Lebar Methodist Church (founded and new facilities, traces of its past can still in 1932). Over at the 5th milestone (around be found, whether in its old landmarks or the junction of Bukit Arang Road and Upper traditional businesses. Serangoon Road), Hougang Tou Mu Kung, Singapore’s oldest temple dedicated to Taoist Join us on this self-guided trail to explore the rich Detail of the earliest known map showing the Seranggong (Serangoon) district, marked milestones and a police station at the 7½ milestone, 1885 deities known as Nine Emperor Gods was heritage and lesser-known stories of Hougang! Survey Department, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore 4 5 and pepper plantations. As Singapore’s Breadfruit, Mata Kuching, Nam-nam, Romania, gambier and pepper plantations were known Jamboo of various kinds, Bombay, Siam and to be largely established by Chinese settlers, Manila Mangoes, Chicus, Roccums, Kondondong, especially the Teochews, it is likely that many Blimbing, Carambola, Sour-Sop, Cushen nut, of Hougang’s early settlers were Chinese Bachang, Langsat, Betel nut, Tampang, and plantation owners and farmers, who gave the Pumaloes. The Avenue (¾ of a mile long) is area its local name Au Kang. in excellent order and lined with large Durian, By the late 19th century, as more people Mangonsteen, and other fruit trees. Throughout began to reside in Au Kang, the gambier and the plantation there are a great many Durian pepper plantations were steadily replaced Trees in full bearing.” by fruit orchards, vegetable farms and other crops. An 1883 article in The Straits Times The early 20th century survey maps of described a coconut and fruit plantation at the Singapore showed that the Serangoon 5th milestone, giving us a glimpse into what district was covered with coconut and rubber orchards in the area must had been like then: plantations, as well as fruit orchards. Towards the area around the present-day Chuan Hoe “The Freehold Property is almost all planted with Fruit Trees, in bearing, and consists of between Avenue, the land was planted with rubber trees, 8,000 & 10,000 Cocoanut trees, between managed by the Singapore United Plantation. 3,000 & 4,000 Mangosteen trees, and a large Elsewhere in the area, coconut plantations and number of Rambutan, Orange, Rambi, Pulaan, clusters of villages covered the land. A postcard depicting a coconut plantation in Singapore, c. 1900s Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore HAZARDS OF LIVING IN AU KANG feet in circumference. The Malay who caught the In the early years, plantation owners and alligator received $5 for his trouble.” Sungei Serangoon, located at the end of Upper Howkang and Lowe Chukang Baru Districts workers in Au Kang faced hazards like In the 19th century, reports of pirate attacks Serangoon Road, also played an important role convey their produce to Town by the tigers and robbers. Meanwhile, at Kangkar, around Sungei Serangoon on boats ferrying in the early development of Au Kang. The river Serangoon Road”. In 1891, an article on the it was crocodiles and piracy that plagued passengers to and from Malaya were not and its tributaries were lined with mangroves native names of streets in Singapore noted that plantation owners, workers and fishermen. and tidal swamps and served as key waterways the Chinese would refer to Serangoon Road as An 1866 article in The Singapore Free Press and uncommon. In 1855, a survivor of a pirate raid described his experience to The Straits Times: for transport of people and goods to and Au Kang Lo (“Au Kang Road” in Teochew) and Mercantile Advertiser revealed that by the mid- from Malaya, and along the coastal areas of 19th century, Kangkar was already bustling the settlement at the foot of Sungei Serangoon “… I was coming from Johore in a sampan Singapore. Its importance was such that by the with Chinese and Malay dwellers who were as Kangkar (“foot of the river” in Teochew). kota (boat with an engine), in company with late 1800s, a police station was located right terrorised by regular crocodile sightings: two Chinese … as we neared the mouth of at the foot of Sungei Serangoon, to keep track In maps from the colonial era, however, this the Serangoon River, I saw a sampan, waiting of shipping activities in the waterways there. area was officially referred to as Serangoon. “A large alligator (sic) has been seen constantly apparently for some boat; we approached the In 1861, with increased illicit opium trafficking The different areas of Serangoon were simply in the Sirangoon river making his appearance in sampan and as we did so the men in it, rose up; from Malaya, the British declared that there named by the milestones, which marked the different parts looking for prey and causing great they were eight in number, they were all Malay, were only four legal landing places for boats at distance in miles from Singapore town.