Club Street
Encyclopedia
Club Street is a street
located in Chinatown
within the Outram Planning Area
in Singapore
. Club Street links Cross Street
with Ann Siang Hill
, which leads to South Bridge Road
.
The street is lined with conserved
shophouse
s that are occupied by restaurants, bar
s and several galleries
. Restaurant groups Da Paolo and IndoChine Group have branches located on this street, and it is home to a number of bars and cafe
s.
club
s sited on this street
. Some say the street got its name after the Chinese Weekly Entertainment
Kee Lam Club, which was sited on this street at the end of Ann Siang Road. The club was formed in 1891 and was the leading Straits Chinese
club for several decades. Others believe the street name was derived from the Chui Lan Teng Club which existed there for more than 90 years. This was the place where wealthy Chinese businessmen would meet for leisure.
Another club was the Ee Hoe Hean Club
, the most exclusive and prestigious of Chinese clubs in the 1920s. The club was founded in 1895 by a group of Hokkien
businessmen. The clubhouse was located originally on Duxton Road and shifted in 1910 to Number 38 Club Street. It later moved again to Bukit Pasoh Road
in 1925. The club had members who were Hokkiens, Teochews
, Cantonese
and Hakkas
.
Club Street was predominantly a Hokkien area. Hokkiens living here came from three village
s in the Tong Ann county
in Fujian Province of China
. Club Street was known for its sandalwood
idol
s.
This street was known in Chinese
as tua man lai, which means "within the big gate
". This is a reference to a big gate
way at the entrance of Club Street from the Cross Street junction
. The Hokkiens also refer to this street as chui lan teng, meaning "Chui Lan pavilion
".
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
located in Chinatown
Chinatown, Singapore
Singapore's Chinatown is an ethnic neighbourhood featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements and a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population. Chinatown is located within the larger district of Outram....
within the Outram Planning Area
Outram, Singapore
Outram is a district in Singapore, within the Central Area, relatively near the prominent city centre and financial districts, but is nearer the border of the Central Area, and outside the Downtown Core. Outram is served by extensive public transport, including SBS Transit and a Mass Rapid Transit ...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Club Street links Cross Street
Cross Street
Cross Street is a street in Singapore starting from Shenton Way in Downtown Core and ending at the junction of South Bridge Road in Chinatown which is in Outram Planning Area which then becomes Upper Cross Street. At the start of the street, it houses Telok Ayer Market...
with Ann Siang Hill
Ann Siang Hill
Ann Siang Hill is a small hill, and the name of a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore...
, which leads to South Bridge Road
South Bridge Road
South Bridge Road is a road south of Singapore River in Chinatown, Singapore which starts from Elgin Bridge and ends at the junction of Neil Road, Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road....
.
The street is lined with conserved
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
s that are occupied by restaurants, bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s and several galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
. Restaurant groups Da Paolo and IndoChine Group have branches located on this street, and it is home to a number of bars and cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s.
Etymology and history
Club Street got its name from the various ChineseChinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
s sited on this street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
. Some say the street got its name after the Chinese Weekly Entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
Kee Lam Club, which was sited on this street at the end of Ann Siang Road. The club was formed in 1891 and was the leading Straits Chinese
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
club for several decades. Others believe the street name was derived from the Chui Lan Teng Club which existed there for more than 90 years. This was the place where wealthy Chinese businessmen would meet for leisure.
Another club was the Ee Hoe Hean Club
Ee Hoe Hean Club
Founded in 1895, the Ee Hoe Hean Club located at Bukit Pasoh Road in Chinatown, was one of the oldest millionaires' clubs in Singapore. Besides functioning as a social and business club, members of the club were actively involved in the political development of China during the pre-independence...
, the most exclusive and prestigious of Chinese clubs in the 1920s. The club was founded in 1895 by a group of Hokkien
Hoklo people
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people whose traditional Ancestral homes are in southern Fujian of South China...
businessmen. The clubhouse was located originally on Duxton Road and shifted in 1910 to Number 38 Club Street. It later moved again to Bukit Pasoh Road
Bukit Pasoh Road
Bukit Pasoh Road is a road in Tanjong Pagar within the Outram Planning Area of Singapore. The road starts from Neil Road which is one way, but becomes two ways, when the road forks out into two parts, with one becoming Teo Hong Road, with both roads ending at New Bridge Road...
in 1925. The club had members who were Hokkiens, Teochews
Teochew people
The Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...
, Cantonese
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
and Hakkas
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
.
Club Street was predominantly a Hokkien area. Hokkiens living here came from three village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s in the Tong Ann county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
in Fujian Province of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Club Street was known for its sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
idol
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s.
This street was known in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
as tua man lai, which means "within the big gate
Gate
A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
". This is a reference to a big gate
Gate
A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
way at the entrance of Club Street from the Cross Street junction
Junction (road)
A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents. In some cases, vehicles can change between different routes or directions of travel.-Origins:...
. The Hokkiens also refer to this street as chui lan teng, meaning "Chui Lan pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
".