Some More Postcards From Chinatown....

I am back with some more Postcards From Chinatown....

When I sauntered into Chinatown yesterday, this lovely building caught my eye and my fascination...

After some degree of search on the internet, I figured out that this is the Jinrikisha Building (金吉力沙人力车站),

Located at the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road, the Jinrikisha Building was a station for rickshaws - those kinds that you still have in Calcutta - the hand-pulled ones.

Rickshaw was first imported from Shanghai to Singapore in 1880 and by 1888, a Jinricksha Department was set up to register and license each rickshaw, there were over a thousand of them in Singapore in the 1880s. 

The Jinrikisha Building or the station as it was known then was built from 1903 to 1904. It catered to customers coming into Singapore from the nearby Tanjong Pagar Docks. It is estimated that by 1919, there were 9,000 rickshaws manned by 20,000 rickshaw pullers working in shifts.

After World War II, rickshaws were phased out by government legislation, easing the misery of the rickshaw pullers who lived here close by in Chinatown's shophouses.... 

Some tourists roaming around Chinatown just like me....

O wow! Free WiFi for me at Chinatown.... That was a big help - I quickly logged on to Google Maps for directions....

Decked up for the Autumn Moon Festival!

Dusk sets in at Chinatown...

As I walked back to Raffles Place, the highrises were being lit up...

And the skyscrapers looked beautiful....

Incredibly, the quaintness of Chinatown blends into the modernity of Singapore, with no visible signs of a clash of ideas or generations...

Today when I headed back to Chinatown, with Neeti, the pace in Chinatown was a bit more relaxed, not as frenetic as yesterday....

We ended our day at Maxwell Food Centre....

Postcards From Chinatown....

After a great start to the day at the Botanic Gardens and the National Orchid Garden, a delectable lunch at the Singapore Flyer, the Flyer ride itself was a bit of a disappointment, a bit let down....

But I guess better things were in store for me at the next stop - Chinatown.....

Chinatown was established under the Raffles Plan of 1822 - Sir Stamford Raffles suggested that each community be given a specific area to live in. While the British were assigned the waterfront area, now a part of Downtown, Indians were sent to what is known as Little India today and the Chinese came here, to Chinatown. In a sense, this smacked of a kind of Apartheid, that was prevalent in South Africa....

Raffles appropriated all of the land southwest of the Singapore River for housing the Chinese. He insisted that the different classes and the different provinces be concentrated in their separate quarters and that these quarters, in the event of fire, be constructed of masonry with tiled roofs. The Hokkiens (Fukiens) lived along Havelock Road, Telok Ayer Street, China Street and Chulia Street, and the Teochew merchants are mostly in Circular Road, River Valley Road, Boat Quay and South Bridge Road.

But within these areas, other communities also thrived - the presence of Hindu temples and Muslim mosques within the heart of Chinatown are an evidence of this. Sri Mariamman Temple, ]Al-Abrar Mosque and Jamae Mosque are located here.

The name Chinatown was used by the British while the locals niu che shui (牛车水or "bull-cart water"). This name came about because simply because of its location, Chinatown's water supply was principally transported by animal-driven carts in the 19th century. The Malays called it Kreta Ayer, which had the same meaning.

Restored shop-houses still survive....

Each shop-house seems to have a history of its own... of immigrants from China, their struggles here and their survival....

The colours of the shop-houses are indeed enchanting...

Chinatown is decked up for the Autumn Moon Festival... The festival is essentially a harvest festival and the lunar deity, Chang'e, known as the Moon Goddess of Immortality. is worshipped in these days. Chinese mythology says that in the ancient times, there was an excellent archer called Houyi, whose wife was Chang'e. Once ten suns rose in the sky, together, bringing misery to people on Earth. Houyi used his archery skills and shot down nine suns and in their joy, people declared Houyi as their king.

But power went to Houyi's head and he become a cruel and conceited ruler. He obtained an elixir that would made him immortal and would have prolonged the people's pain. Chang'e stole the elixir and fled. When Houyi realised this, he chased Chang'e who fled to the Moon, with a rabbit as her companion. When Houyi realised Chang'e had left him forever he died in grief, but Chang'e remained on the Moon. 

The festival commemorates Chang'e's sacrifice for her people. In fact, the Chinese lunar probes are named after Chang'e!

The Autumn Moon Festival is celebrated with lanterns, signifying fertility and mooncakes signifying completeness and unity.

The Maxwell Food Centre... I read about this place during my research on Singapore.... I wish I could visit this place for food....

And finally I reach the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple....

Money, Money & All That Stuff That Moves The World....

I spent a good part of the evening clicking pics for my Postcards From Chinatown series. Just then I discovered what was on wishlist of places to visit in Singapore.... the Singapore Coins And Notes Museum.

Right after where the Trengganu Street meets Pagoda Street lies a nondescript shop-house with a frontage of not more than 15 feet.... I would have missed the place if I hadn't seen the display of the world's largest coin from Yap island in emerald blue South Pacific...

A replica of a tradional Chinese coin...

A smart, plump Peranakan lady at the reception greeted me. The ground floor looked more like a shop, with bullion coins and artifacts on sale. "Oh yes, Sir, it's upstairs". 

Her English diction was impeccable, and I emphasise, she didn't speak in Singlish like most others here la.... I swear, I have started la-ing about a lot....

After I paid the SGD10 entry fee (it pinched me, kind of burning a teeny weeny bit of a hole in my pocket), she guided me to the galleries upstairs....

Before of advent of money in this region, barter was in vogue.... spices, precious metals and stones were the medium of exchange....

In the early days, Spanish Dollars were preferred currency in these parts... The Sultans received their tributes and pensions from the British in this currency...

As the British established their stranglehold over Singapore, a common currency for the Straits Settlements comprising of Singapore , Penang and Malacca was introduced from India...

Currency from the Straits Settlements era....

Currency from the 1910s....

An embossing station for Straits Settlement coins from the Edwardian era....

I quite liked the designs on the currency from the 1930s....

A display of the Japanese occupation money, oh yes(!), I heard about the Banana Money or duit pisang at the Changi Museum yesterday....

The Banana Money (the name came from the picture of bananas on the currency) caused hyperinflation and became practically worthless with the defeat of the Japanese in the World War II....

QEII era currency from the region... I wonder how the notes would fit into wallets, they were simply huge....

The British royal family's line of succession.... was it relevant here? I doubt...

I moved to Gallery 2....

How coins are made.... useful info for kids, and errrr... inquisitive adults like me.....

High tech coins from the Singapore Mint....

Coins that glow under UV rays and in the dark....

The Orchid series.... indeed orchids are inseparable from Singapore....

The bird series.....

In a sense Singapore's currency design evolved with its economy - from natural motifs at the time of independence to a depiction of ships on coins depicted the nation's commercial clout....

The present series depicts Singapore's first President, Yusof bin Ishak on currency notes....

From paper driven to e-money driven economy - the transition in Singapore's economy....

Brunei and Singapore have a currency interchangeability agreement - Brunei Dollar is a legal tender in Singapore, and viceversa....

Special limited-edition notes were introduced to mark 40 years of the agreement. One side of the note featured the Brunei currency while the other featured the Singaporean currency....

It's high time we did this in our sub-continent - it would vastly boost our soft-power....

Currency to commemorate 25 years of independence

Orchids on coins...

How to detect counterfeit currency....

A gallery on international currencies....

There comes our good ol' Rupee....

I dream of the day when Indian currency would a preferred currency around the world, no need to exchange currency before travelling abroad... Hopefully that day isn't too far away....

Ahhh yes, we too have a mint museum back home in Mumbai... why the hell didn't I visit it before? The Reserve Bank of India established the Monetary Museum on Sir PM Road in South Mumbai a few years back. I remember Time Out Mumbai reviewed the place and recommended it....

I was a bit upset with myself - I've visited the currency museum of Singapore but hadn't done so at home. I'll make amends for that when I return....