The storefront of Quan Ju De features rows of brightly colored, intricate paper models stacked high behind glass. These aren't standard stationery items; they are crafted to be burned as offerings for the afterlife. Miniature paper houses,…
Vanishing Trades of Chinatown
Meet the last traditional craftsmen of Singapore's historic district, from paper effigy makers to heritage tea merchants holding onto their ancestral trades.
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1. Quan Ju De Joss Paper Supplies 全聚德 金纸店
2. Pek Sin Choon Pte Ltd
Pek Sin Choon occupies a shopfront with wooden, tea-stained shelves holding hundreds of metal tins, each labeled in hand-painted Chinese calligraphy. The business began in nineteen twenty-five when Bai Yan Chuan arrived from Anxi, Fujian,…
3. Chinatown Seal Carving Souvenir
The small stall for seal carving in Singapore's Chinatown displays rows of stone blocks topped with intricately carved zodiac animals. For decades, practitioners here have hand-engraved names into these soapstone stamps using traditional…
4. Tong Heng Traditional Cantonese Pastries
The shop window at Tong Heng features a singular, diamond-shaped egg tart that defies the standard circular mold found elsewhere. This shape emerged from necessity during the nineteen twenties when the original founder, a Cantonese…
5. 平民药行 Ping Min Medical Hall
The shopfront of Ping Min Medical Hall is defined by its deep, vibrant red wooden door frame and the traditional glass cabinets that line the interior, packed with drawers labeled in hand-painted Chinese calligraphy. Established in the…
6. Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop
Tian Hng Buddha Shop stands out on the street for the dozens of hand-carved wooden statues filling its open front. Tay Mang Kuan started this business in nineteen forty-five, carving Buddhist and Taoist deities by hand in the back of the…