Village life has all but disappeared in Singapore, swallowed up by the island’s urban sprawl. If pressed, Singaporeans will name ‘Buangkok’ and ‘Pulau Ubin’, although for how long these two villages will exist, no one can tell.

‘Small town Singapore’ however still exists, if one knows where to look. By definition, this suburban location must exude a certain homely charm, and be a relatively modern residential area served by mom-and-pop shops.

Tall order? Not if you step into Tiong Bahru. Hidden from the fast changing cityscape of Singapore, and located just minutes away from Chinatown and the hurly-burly of the central business district, it is a ‘must-visit’ for foodies and architecture enthusiasts.

UNESCO bid

So unique is Tiong Bahru in Singapore, that university lecturer Adjunct Professor Tan Wee Cheng is hoping it can be listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) along with other local culturally important local ones such as Little India, the Civic District and Raffles Hotel.

Having visited a “few hundred World Heritage Sites around the world” Prof Tan, who is also honorary treasurer of the Singapore Heritage Society, has listed spots that warrant UNESCO’s attention at worldheritagesg.blogspot.com

Although not high on that list, Tiong Bahru is still pertinent. As Prof Tan explains, “there is no requirement for any site to be majestic and universally well-known. In fact, apart from about 50 sites such as the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China, the other 850 sites worldwide are familiar only to the people of the country where they are located.”

He adds, “What is more important is that a World Heritage Site needs to mean something to human civilisation, that is, possess outstanding universal value.

“Botanic Gardens, our nature reserves, Tiong Bahru and the early housing estates, as well as the historic centre of the port city of Singapore all possess these significance.”

In January 2009, he started a Facebook group called UNESCO World Heritage for Singapore! to campaign for Singapore to get itself on the list. It has since attracted some 389 members and is still growing.

Time travel on foot It takes a slow walk down Tiong Bahru estate to truly appreciate Prof Tan’s passion for it. At the heart of the estate is the ubiquitous Tiong Bahru Market, an imposing multi-storey wet market and hawker centre.This was rebuilt in 2006 on the site of the original 1955 market. This behemoth however, is not the draw. Shift your attention to the surrounding areas and it becomes clear that Tiong Bahru is a special place.

The residential buildings within this isolated cluster are distinctively old – in a good way. They exude that characteristic charm that movie sets often fake for celluloid. This neighbourhood however, is the real deal and the architecture is the first thing that will grab your attention.

The construction style of the estate is a mix of Streamline Moderne (a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s) and local Straits Settlement shophouse architecture. They feature rounded balconies, flat rooftops, spiral staircases, light wells and underground storage and shelters.

Among the 20 blocks of flats and 36 units of shophouses, the tallest are only five stories high, which further adds to that idyllic ‘blue-skies-small-town effect’ sorely missing in other high-rise modern estates.

Tiong Bahru was one of Singapore’s first experiments in public housing. Way before the present public housing authority, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) was formed in 1960, this estate was conceived and built by its predecessor, the Singapore Improvement Trust.

Constructed between the 1930s and 1950s, the Tiong Bahru flats were modelled after British towns. A notable feature though is that all its streets are named after Chinese pioneers of the 19th and early 20th centuries such as Lim Liak, Kim Pong, Guan Chuan, Chay Yan etc.

During the pre-World War II years, the estate was a choice residence for the upper class, and also where the rich and powerful kept their mistresses. For this reason, the estate used to be known as Mei Ren Wo (“den of beauties” in Chinese).

The Urban Redevelopment Authority has gazetted the pre-war flats as a conservation area, which means that the flats will not be redeveloped and any renovations that change their exterior façade is disallowed.

Mr Peter Lim, 72, who has lived in the estate since he was three, explains Tiong Bahru’s charm.

“It connects with not just residents and former residents, but also with people who live in other areas of Singapore. Visitors to Singapore who have an interest in architecture, social heritage and neighbourhood charm have also been fascinated by Tiong Bahru,” says the former editor in chief of The Straits Times.

“Its history encapsulates many of the trials and tribulations of wartime and post-war Singapore, much of the drama and melodrama, the stuff of steamy stories as well as serious sociological studies.”

The name Tiong Bahru is derived from two languages, the Hokkien word  ‘tiong’ which means tombs and the Malay word ‘bahru’, meaning new.

The name was most probably coined by the Peranakan community, when a new burial ground was built next to an existing one in nearby Tanjong Pagar.

Fade to sepia

Despite the many accolades, the estate is under threat of eventual dilution. For one, the ever-expanding city limits and new sky-scraping estates are fast encroaching upon Tiong Bahru.

Peter, a life long resident, cautions, “It has conservation status, but we have not gone far enough to restore and preserve the architecture. Aircon compressors and other incongruous fittings have robbed Tiong Bahru of much of its visual charm.

“At a town hall meeting a couple of years ago, one of the younger, newer residents showed us pictures of the Art Deco neighbourhood in Miami. That has the pristine charm that Tiong Bahru sadly lacks.”

Peter is of the view that if international recognition for Tiong Bahru as a heritage site is sought, “we need the people and the funds to tidy up the exteriors and the streets, restore the original features that have disappeared and remove the incongruities.”

Indeed Tiong Bahru used to be renowned for its bird-singing aviaries, which have now been torn down and replaced by the Link Hotel. Bird lovers had gathered then with their songbirds every morning to catch up with fellow bird lovers over coffee and tea amid crisp, melodious chirps.

The bird corner is now part of the Link Hotel that took over the former block of flats in the mid-2000s. Its attempts to revive the bird corner have yet to become fully successful.

Prof Tan’s effort to get Tiong Bahru listed as a World Heritage Site may have some way to go still, but the estate has not gone without some sort of global recognition.

It is the subject of a recent film titled Civic Life: Tiong Bahru by two UK-based filmmakers.

Other areas worthy of World Heritage status

• The Civic District: Raffles Hotel, The Padang, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore Cricket Club, Supreme Court Building, Victoria Memorial Hall, Old Parliament, Empress Place (ACM), National Museum, Fullerton Building, the historic bridges of Singapore River, Tan Kim Seng Fountain and the War Memorials.
• Little India, Arab Street and Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar area
• Singapore Botanic Gardens
• Peranakan architecture of Joo Chiat / Katong
• Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

* This article was written by Imran Johri and first published in Singapore Magazine (Oct-Dec 2010 issue).