Chinatown Heritage Center, Singapore

Located within three beautifully-restored shophouses on Pagoda Street, the Chinatown Heritage Centre tells the stories of Singapore’s past.

The center really gives you an insight into the life of the Straits Chinese who came to Singapore, living in the shophouses and carry on their trade in a single room shared with all their family members. The recreations of the various trades plied by this hardworking community - tailor, shoemaker, dressmaker, doctor etc. - together with the communal kitchen and toilet areas is a real eye opener into their living conditions in the 1950s.

The audio guide explains who lived behind the shop front and house, and how the tailor, apprentices and his family worked and lived together as well as the coolies and Samsui women in the floors above.

In addition to its exhibits, the Chinatown Heritage Centre holds various workshops and story-telling sessions for visitors who want to learn about the Chinatown history. Those looking to bring home a memento can find a range of books, postcards and prints by local artists.