Chinatown Stories | Updated as of June 2019

Traditional Medical Halls Evolving with the Chinatown community, two medical halls and their time-tested remedies continue to remain relevant today.

Thye Shan Medical Hall Founded in pre-independent Singapore, Thye Shan’s history is interwoven with that of Chinatown. In 1938, after crossing raging seas from China, Chan Chak Poey travelled extensively around Singapore and Malaysia doing odd jobs. Some 17 years later, he poured his life savings into a small shop offering traditional Chinese (TCM) to the community. Named after one of the five most famous mountains in China, Thye Shan (泰山) symbolised stability and a new beginning.

TCM was Chan’s family trade – his father had owned a medical hall in Guangdong province. Chan used his connections to acquire high-quality herbs from China for his patients. Combining these with indigenous herbs from Southeast Asia, he created unique formulations to target common ailments such as rheumatism and joint pain.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, Chinatown had a large coolie (unskilled labourers) population who suffered chronic aches from their backbreaking work. To address their needs, Chan formulated topical products such as herbal oils and balms. These became the mainstay of Thye Shan.

“These topical products were created in small batches. My grandfather tweaked each formula after feedback from customers. Sometimes they wanted the product to be spicier, and sometimes they commented on the fragrance. You could say he co-created our most iconic products with the Chinatown community,” said Chan Mei Yi, the founder’s granddaughter and general manager of Thye Shan.

Today, the heritage brand offers 20 house brand topical oils, balms and medicated plasters – a larger selection than most medical halls. One of the all-time best-sellers is the Herbal Analgesic Oil (千里追风油) for rheumatism, and aches, a formula perfected in the 1960s. More than a million bottles have been sold.

“Back in those days, Singapore was already a bustling port, and we saw a constant influx of sailors. Many Taiwanese sailors made our medical hall a pit stop to stock up on medicated oils and supplements for their wives, girlfriends, mothers or their own consumption. Sometimes this accounted for up to 20 to 30 per cent of our business,” shared 40-year-old Mei Yi.

In the 1970s, the founder made women’s health a priority. He tweaked the classic Ba Zhen Tang (八珍汤) to include 10 ingredients, and also launched a special Lingzhi Jin Feng Wan (灵 芝金凤丸), a women’s supplement in the form of a pill.

“Both products nourish the blood and improve blood circulation – the most important health needs for ladies. They can be taken to regulate irregular menstrual cycles, accelerate recovery during confinement, or address chronic fatigue. My grandfather valued women’s health needs, and made it a point to market these products and educate female patients,” she explained.

When he passed away in 1997, he was succeeded by his two sons, daughter, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren, including Mei Yi. These second- and third-generation successors continue to make high-quality herbs and treatments accessible to the community.

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Chinatown Stories | Updated as of June 2019

Besides more than 600 raw herbs, the medical hall also stocks animal parts such as cicada, gecko, seahorse and 100 per cent pure oil. Extracted from the tail of and purified, crocodile oil is similar in composition to the oil naturally secreted by the . It can be used as a moisturiser, mask or makeup base for anti-ageing benefits.

The unique offerings of this heritage brand are not lost on tourists. Mei Yi shared that many returning customers from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia regularly stock up on supplements, medicated oil, patches and tea blends, sometimes lugging up to 30 boxes home.

Since preventative medicine is a hot topic in healthcare today, the medical hall also offers bottled herbal teas brewed over slow fire, and distributed at major supermarkets, medical halls and food stall for convenience. A few thousand bottles are sold each day, bringing the benefit of TCM to the masses.

Teck Soon Medical Hall When self-taught Chinese physician Chow Chee Yik started offering medical consultation in 1967, it was from a small half-unit in Sago Street. Fast-forward half a century, and Teck Soon has branched out to four shops in Chinatown. Over half a century, the household name has catered to four generations within some families.

“We’ve taken care of grandparents, their children and grandchildren, and even had the pleasure of watching these grandchildren grow up and have their own children. We are so close to some customers that they would bring us snacks when they visit us, such as Tong Heng egg tarts or walnut cake,” shared Chow Khai Shui, the founder’s son, and director and Chinese physician of Teck Soon.

“During the 1960s and 70s, Western medicine was costly. A visit to a general practitioner might set one back $10 to $18 – a considerable amount for many at that time. MRI and CT scans were also uncommon and expensive. Many Chinese relied mainly on TCM for their health needs, since a packet of medicine costs as little as 50 cents,” explained the 58-year-old.

Monthly visits to the gynaecologist were also not a common practice. So Teck Soon cared for a generation of mothers-to-be, dispensing Chinese herbs known as shi san tai bao (十三太保) to stabilise pregnancies.

Another common group of patients were coolies, rickshaw drivers and samsui women (Chinese immigrants with trademark red headgear, largely in construction and industrial jobs). “Many of them had to carry heavy loads across rickety planks. They came to us with numerous aches and fatigue. Our remedies helped to fortify the spine, breath and blood to cope with the demands of their daily physical toil,” explained Khai Shui.

One of the most popular remedies was 100 per cent pure Hong Hua oil (红花油). This medicated oil could be massaged into sore spots to improve blood circulation, get rid of blood clots and provide pain relief. Back in those days, more than a 100 bottles might fly off the shelf each month.

Over the years, the medical hall continued to weather health crises and flu epidemics with the community. During the SARS epidemic in 2003, for instance, it provided preventative medicine

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Chinatown Stories | Updated as of June 2019

to reduce “heatiness” – a state where too much heat in the body causes cough with sticky phlegm and mouth ulcers. The demand for herbs such as honeysuckle and isatidis radix (ban lan gen, 板藍根) increased up to eightfold.

Growing up alongside the booming business, the founder’s eight children began helping out at their father’s medical hall during weekends and public holidays from the age of seven or eight. “We would be tasked with processing items such as lotus seeds, almond and chrysanthemum. I remember skinning almonds till my hands were red and swollen,” recalled Khai Shui.

The founder passed away in 1992, and the business is now run by 16 family members. It remains the go-to destination for many within the community, especially for its value-added herbs.

While most TCM halls simply repackage and sell imported herbs, Teck Soon includes extra steps to enhance the efficacy of some herbs by soaking them in salt water, steaming them, drying them, or infusing them with wine.

Teck Soon has more than 15,000 regular customers today, and is recognised with numerous awards, such as the Singapore Excellence Award 2012/2013, Singapore Entrepreneurs’ Award 2013, and Singapore Quality Brands Award 2013/2014.

References:

 This article is based on interviews with the GM of Thye Shan and director of Teck Soon.

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