Overview

Located within three beautifully-restored shophouses on Pagoda Street, the Chinatown Heritage Centre is a time capsule that holds stories of Singapore’s past.

Dedicated to documenting and recreating the lives of Chinatown’s earliest residents, the space comprises six galleries, conserved living spaces and a range of immersive experiences.

A step back in time

At the heritage centre, you’ll be able to step back in time, and gain insight into the lives of the traders, labourers and immigrants who called Singapore—and the bustling Chinatown district—their home.

Facets of these pioneers’ lives are rendered in painstaking detail, ranging from their humble ‘eight by eight’ living quarters to objects that tell stories of love, sacrifice and triumph.

Visitors to Chinatown Heritage Centre will be able to retrace the journey of those who left their villages in China, escaping famine, flood and civil unrest to find a better life in Singapore.

Their journeys and their lives in Singapore can be experienced through a range of multisensory exhibits and interactive narratives.

 

Multi-sensory experiences

Visitors will be able to step into the shoes of iconic Chinatown characters from the 1950s, engage in seasonal craft workshops and explore the centre with multimedia guides, which are available in English, Mandarin, French and Japanese.

Olfactory displays of pungent opium and fragrant spices will bring you a whiff of the past, while larger-than-life photography props provide explorers with a fully immersive experience.

Besides its exhibits, the space holds various workshops and story-telling sessions for visitors who are on their own voyage of discovery. Those looking to bring home a memento or two can pick up a range of books, postcards and prints by local artists like Patrick Yee and Francis Wong Hooe Wai.