Kreta Ayer Road (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

: 水车路) is a one-way

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

located in

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

within the Outram Planning Area in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. The road links

Neil Road Neil Road ( Chinese: 尼路) is a one-way road in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar in the planning areas of Outram and Bukit Merah in Singapore. The road starts at the junction of South Bridge Road, Maxwell Road and Tanjong Pagar Road and ends at Ka ...

New Bridge Road New Bridge Road (; ms, Jalan Jambatan Baharu) is a major one-way road located within the Central Area in Singapore. New Bridge Road starts at the Coleman Bridge to the south of the Singapore River and extends into Chinatown within the Outram ...

and

Eu Tong Sen Street Eu Tong Sen Street () is a one-way road located in the central part of Singapore in the planning areas of Outram, Singapore River and Bukit Merah. The road starts at the junction of Hospital Drive, Kampong Bahru Road and New Bridge Road, and e ...

, and is intersected by

Keong Saik Road Keong Saik Road ( Chinese: 恭锡路) is a one-way road located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links New Bridge Road to Neil Road, and is intersected by Kreta Ayer Road. Etymology and history Keong Saik Ro ...

Etymology and history

In the early days of Singapore, locals drawn water from a well near

Ann Siang Hill Ann Siang Hill ( Chinese: 安祥山, ms, Bukit Ann Siang) is a small hill, and the name of a one-way road located in Chinatown, Singapore. It was named after Chia Ann Siang, a wealthy businessman. The road links Club Street and Ann Siang Ro ...

and transported them using

bullock carts A bullock cart or ox cart (sometimes called a bullock carriage when carrying people in particular) is a two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen. It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. The ...

and drove down the street. This led to the area being ''Kreta Ayer'', which means "water cart" in

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

. Similarly, the Hokkiens called the area ''gu chia chui'' while the Cantonese call it ''ngow chay shui'', both meaning "bullock water cart" (the word "road" is

elided In linguistics, an elision or deletion is the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or phrase. However, these terms are also used to refer more narrowly to cases where two words are run toget ...

). The road was officially name Kreta Ayer Road in 1922. For the

, the Chinatown area is referred also as ''tua poh'' or "greater town" district. In the 1880s, Kreta Ayer was the

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

of Chinatown. The Chinese traveller, Li Zhongjue, observed in 1887 that the street was a place of

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

s and

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s and where "filth and dirt are hidden".

Landmarks

Hok San Association (新加坡鶴山會館) has the oldest lion dance troupe in Singapore, it was established in 1920 and located at No. 21 of the shophouses along Kreta Ayer Road. Chinese Buddhist Association (新加坡中华佛教会) was founded in 1927 and located at No. 23 of the shophouses along Kreta Ayer Road. It was established after the visit of Venerable Tai Xu (太虚法师) to Singapore in 1926, and is the first Buddhist organisation established in Singapore.

References

Roads in Singapore Outram, Singapore Chinatown, Singapore {{Singapore-road-stub