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18-400: Ann Siang Road connects Ann Siang Hill to Kadayanallur Street . Ann Siang Hill was originally known as Scott's Hill , after its original owner Charles Scott, who cultivated nutmegs and cloves in the area. It was later sold to John Gemmill , a merchant and former auctioneer , and was renamed as Gemmill's Hill . It was then sold to Chia in 1873 and renamed to Ann Siang Hill. Chia joined

36-610: A few race horses; one of them reportedly earned him about a hundred thousand dollars. Hoo frequently let the public at large visit his residence , which was depicted as sprawling with lush greenery. Despite being eloquent in the English language, he maintained a Chinese personality, preferring to wear Chinese robes. His son Hoo Ah Yip ( Chinese : 胡亞業 ; pinyin : Hú Yàyè ), was educated in Britain . When his son snipped off his ponytail and converted to Christianity, Hoo Ah Kay

54-466: A wealthy landowner and one of the leading merchants of his time, he acquired both Gemmill's Hill and Mount Erskine . The hill was known as qing shan ting to the local Chinese. The early Chinese immigrants visited Ann Siang Hill when they wanted to send money home to their families in China, as it was the traditional site of remittance houses. Letter writers and calligraphers also had their businesses at

72-475: A well at Ann Siang Hill . In 1863, a group of local businessmen including Whampoa , went to Governor Orfeur Cavenagh to request reclaim land in the bay by building a pier and a seawall and filling in the bay at their own expenses to build warehouses. However, the request was rejected at that time. In 1865, plans for reclamation were again put forward and reclamation work was carried out between 1878 and 1885. The land reclamation works including draining

90-598: Is a street located in Singapore's Chinatown within the Outram district, linking Church Street to Cecil Street. Telok Ayer MRT station is located at the junction of Cross Street and this road. Telok Ayer Street was originally a coastal road along the Telok Ayer Bay and was named after the bay. On George Drumgoole Coleman 's 1836 Map of Singapore , it was known as Teluk Ayer Street . The Chinese name for

108-613: Is cited as both "the first Japanese honorable consul in Singapore" and "the first Chinese consul [in Singapore]", two posts he was given in 1879 and 1877 respectively. In 1859, Hoo played a key role in establishing the Singapore Botanic Gardens (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site ). In 1869, he was announced as the first Legislative Council member of Chinese ethnicity by the British, albeit an unofficial one. He

126-469: The British firm Boustead and Company in 1848. The company traded in natural resources , spices , coconut , tobacco , tin , tea and silk . After eight years on the job, Chia was promoted to chief produce storekeeper. He retired in 1890 after over 40 years of service in the company, and went into the timber business. He also became a partner of the firm Geok Teat and Company in 1863. After he became

144-608: The Legislative Council and within a few years, he was made an extraordinary member of the Executive Council , the only Chinese to have held this position. Hoo was described as having led a rich and glamorous lifestyle, occasionally organizing elaborate meals, mostly intended for overseas visitors. He would hire many dancers to perform for him, as well as personal servants to fan him, as depicted in an illustration by English painter Edward Cree. He also owned

162-500: The five-foot way of the shophouses to help the illiterate immigrants write letters home. Most of the houses in Ann Siang Hill and along Ann Siang Road were built between 1903 and 1941. Ann Siang Road, which has elegantly restored shophouses today, was once the traditional home of clan associations and exclusive social clubs . Kadayanallur Street Telok Ayer Street ( / ˈ t ə l oʊ k ˌ ɑː eɪ / )

180-600: The Sea, Mah Cho or Matsu . In 1822, Telok Ayer Street was the primary area set aside by Sir Stamford Raffles for the Chinese community. As the main landing site for Chinese immigrants, Telok Ayer Street become one of the first streets in Chinatown and formed the backbone of development of the Chinese immigrant community in early Singapore. Thus, Telok Ayer Street was the original focal point of settlement in Chinatown. Until

198-413: The existing marshland , removing the nutmeg plantations, and Telok Ayer Bay was filled in with land removed from hills along the coast, including Mount Wallich. Maritime buildings were then built on the reclaimed land. Thian Hock Keng which was previously sea facing was five blocks away from the sea front. Robinson Road and Anson Road were subsequently built in the reclaimed area. The street also

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216-506: The late nineteenth century, Telok Ayer Street was the main commercial and residential thoroughfare in Singapore. As immigration from China increased, so did the adverse qualities usually associated with a highly concentrated population. The high trade traffic along the road leads to the road being the center of the early Chinese slave trade in Singapore. Before land reclamation was done in the area, boats used to moor in Telok Ayer Bay waiting to get fresh water, carried by bullock carts , from

234-424: The past. These buildings include: Telok Ayer Street has been gazetted under the government's conservation plan. When the conservation project was completed, some of the area's shophouses were restored to their original appearance. Many of these shophouses are two- and three-storey, mostly the result of the land division of the time which consisted of deep sites with narrow frontages . The frontages are based on

252-583: The street is da bo gong miao jie which refers to the Fuk Tak Chi Temple located on Telok Ayer street. It was also known colloquially under two other names; The area near Merchant Street was called Guan Soon Street due to a firm, Chop Guan Soon, located there that brought in Indian labourers , The other is in Hokkien, meaning the "front street" of Thian Hock Keng which is dedicated to Goddess of

270-534: The then available length of timber beams , usually 16 feet (about 4.8 metres). Hoo Ah Kay Hoo Ah Kay CMG ( Chinese : 胡亞基 ; pinyin : Hú Yàjī ; 1816 – 27 March 1880), better known as Whampoa ( Chinese : 黄埔 ; pinyin : Huángpǔ ; Jyutping : Wong bou ), was a Singaporean businessman and community leader. An immigrant from China to Singapore , he held many high-ranking posts in Singapore, including honourable consul to China, Japan and Russia. Hoo Ah Kay (Hu Hsuan-tse)

288-603: Was also a retail dealer specialising in ships working for the British Royal Navy . For a period of time, he ran a business supplying ice imported from the United States to Singapore; it folded in 1856. Hoo was hailed as "one of the most influential Chinese (Cantonese) tycoons in Singapore". He was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George , Class Companion (CMG). In 1869, he became the first Asian member of

306-514: Was born 1816, in Whampoa , Canton , Qing Empire (present-day Huangpu District, Guangzhou, China). He immigrated to Singapore in 1830. Initially working with his businessman father at food supplier Whampoa and Co., Hoo inherited the establishment after his father died. Hoo received the honorific Mr. Whampoa for his political achievements and contributions to the Singaporean society. He

324-597: Was the founding site of one of Singapore's oldest schools, Gan Eng Seng School , which was started in 1885 at 106 Telok Ayer Street as the Anglo-Chinese Free School. The historical site marker of the school is nearby at the junction of Telok Ayer and Cecil Streets. Temples and mosques are plentiful in this area as they were built by Chinese and Indian Muslim immigrants to show their gratitude for safe passage. The numerous religious and clan buildings on Telok Ayer Street testify to their importance in

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