Tanjong Pagar

History

The area of what Tanjong Pagar is now was said to be initially a fishing village called Salinter.

From the 1600s, Tanjong Pagar, located between the docks and the town, was an enclave for the thousands of Chinese and Indian dock workers who had migrated to Singapore from the mid-19th century.

Tanjong Pagar (Jawi: تنجوڠ ڤاڬر) in Malay means "cape of stakes", possibly due to kelongs (offshore fishing traps constructed using wooden stakes and cross pieces) along the coast from the village of Tanjong Malang till Tanjong Pagar. In George Drumgoole Coleman's 1836 Map of the Town, there is a road, Tanjong Passar, from South Bridge Road to the fishing village and there is a possibility that Tanjong Pagar is a corruption of the Tanjong Passar.

According to the Malay Annals, the villages along the coast of Singapore was constantly attacked by shoals of swordfish. The Sri Maharajah, on the advice of a boy, Hang Nadim, built a defensive structure of banana stems along the coastal side of the villages which trapped the swordfishes as they attacked the villages.

During the 1820s, a man who had unsuccessfully stabbed William Farquhar with a kris, Sayid Yasin, had his corpse placed in chains in an iron cage and exhibited publicly at Tanjong Malang for a fortnight as punishment for the stabbing. His grave later became a shrine and a place of pilgrimage for many years.

In the 1850s, when shipping activities increased, the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company was formed in 1864 along with wharves being built along the coast. This led to the possibly naming the area as Tanjong Pagar where Tanjong means "cape" and pagar means "fence" or enclosed space as the ships are moored in the wharves. Tanjong Pagar likely refer to the general area of PSA Gate 3 near the Victoria Dock.

Tanjong Pagar Road is known as tan jiong pa kat in Hokkien (Min Nan), which is phonetic.

Points of interest

Tras Street

Main article: Tras Street

The street name "Tras Street" dates from an 1898 municipal resolution to "use names of rivers and districts in the Malay Peninsula as being better adapted to the purpose [of naming streets] than the names of persons or families."

Tras Street today is a thriving night spot featuring many pubs, clubs and KTV bars.

Cantonment Road

Main article: Cantonment Road

Cantonment Road got its name from the contingent of Indian sepoys stationed here in 1819. They had accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles to Singapore and were asked to stay. In India, the English term for permanent military accommodation, as established by the sepoys, is "cantonment".

The local Cantonese had another name for Cantonment Road. They called it Ba Suo Wei, meaning "end of Bukit Pasoh".

Outram Road, which used to be part of Cantonment Road, only became a separate thoroughfare in 1853. The old Chinese name for Outram was Si Pai Po, meaning "sepoy's field", referring to the former sepoy presence in the area during colonial days.

Duxton Hill

Main article: Duxton Hill

Dr J.W. Montgomerie, the first owner of Duxton Hill, cultivated nutmeg plantations on its slopes. Montgomerie died in 1856 and his land on Duxton was auctioned off. Fourteen acres went to Arab Syed Abdullah bin Omar Aljunied, who divided them into four lots which were leased to wealthy Chinese developers.

By the 1890s, the developers had built two- and three-storey shophouses in Duxton Hill and the more affluent Chinese moved to the area.

Tanjong Pagar Plaza

Along the stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road, there is a semi-circle portion of road where it used to be called Cheng Cheok Street. Due to the shape of the road, the Hokkiens called the street gu kak hang, meaning "the ox's horns". The Cheng Cheok Street was named after Khoo Cheng Cheok, who is believed to be the brother of rice merchant Khoo Cheng Tiong who is the president of the Thong Chai Medical Institution.

As the street is the shape of a semi-circle and both ends connected to Tanjong Pagar Road, it was eventually renamed as part of Tanjong Pagar Road. On this stretch, there used to be pre-war shophouses before it was demolished and Tanjong Pagar Plaza, a commercial complex, was built over the original site.

Railway transport

The Malayan railway company (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) ran trains to a terminal railway station here. These trains served other parts of the Malay Peninsula.

The station ceased operations on 1 July 2011. KTM's southern terminus is now at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint near the causeway. The Singaporean government has conserved the Tanjong Pagar railway station building and has integrated it into newer developments on the site, including as a museum as well as being the site of Cantonment MRT station.

Amoy Street Food Centre

Main article: Amoy Street Food Centre

Amoy Street Food Centre is a bustling hawker centre in the area which houses Michelin Bib Gourmand awardees.

Maxwell Food Centre

Main article: Maxwell Food Centre

The Maxwell Food Centre dates back to pre-war days as a fresh food market and food centre. In 1987, it was converted into a food centre, housing hawkers from the vicinity. The present existing hawker centre was renovated in 2001. Stallholders are mainly those from the essentially Cantonese neighbourhood, with many from the famed food street, China Street. A wide variety of authentic local favourites are available at Maxwell Food Centre, with slight Cantonese bent. Popular dishes include hum chim peng (a crusty fried pancake), ngor hiong or five spices meat roll of Singaporean Hokkien origin, and herbal broths made from home-brewed recipes.

Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre

The Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC) housed arts full-time and part-time groups of different cultural traditions and art disciplines, and had the distinction of being the first property to be acquired under the National Arts Council's Arts Housing Scheme in 1985. It was located at Cecil Street next to Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

Little Korea

Tanjong Pagar has been greatly influenced by Korean culture in recent years and has earned the nickname of Little Korea and Koreatown. As many as 15 Korean food outlets have sprung up in a 300 m stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road near Duxton Hill over the last few years. Following the increase in the Korean population, the number of restaurants and retailers aimed at the community is on the rise. Apart from Korean eateries, there are also many wedding boutiques along Tanjong Pagar Road and at least three wedding boutiques there offer Korean-themed wedding photography.

AIA Tanjong Pagar

AIA Tanjong Pagar Building, built in 1920, recently restored to former glory. It is located at the junction between Neil Road and Keong Saik Road. AIA Tanjong Pagar Building houses the "American Insurance Agency".

Tanjong Pagar Centre (Guoco Tower)

Main article: Tanjong Pagar Centre

The Tanjong Pagar Centre was completed in 2016 and is the tallest building in Singapore.

Politics

Currently, the entire place is divided between Tanjong Pagar GRC and Jalan Besar GRC. Both of them are under the People's Action Party (PAP).

The western part of Tanjong Pagar is mainly located in the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division of Tanjong Pagar GRC. Since the namesake electoral ward was created in 1955, Singapore's founder and inaugural Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, served as its Member of Parliament for about 60 years until his death on 23 March 2015. Currently, Foo Cexiang served as the MP for the division, following Lee's successor Indranee Thurai Rajah, a fellow Tanjong Pagar GRC MP who joined in 2001, departed from the ward in 2025 to helm Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

The eastern half of the area is also located in the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division of Jalan Besar GRC whose MP is Josephine Teo since 2020, replacing Lily Neo. In 2011, Jalan Besar GRC was reorganized to the short-lived Moulmein-Kallang GRC with Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng being ceded to the neighbouring Tanjong Pagar GRC, but these changes has since been reversed in 2015.

In media

• Last Train from Tanjong Pagar, 2014. Epigram Books (Singapore)
• Singapore Shophouse Walks: Chinatown, Blair Plain, Duxton Hill, Tanjong Pagar. Kildi Photo (Singapore)

References

Works cited

References

1. (30 March 2018). "Work to preserve Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on track". The Straits Times.
2. (10 January 2023). "Explore the best of Tanjong Pagar: Great food, aesthetic cafes and buzzing bars to hit up".
3. "MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2022 Bib Gourmand Selection".
4. Kumamonjeng. (5 October 2017). "Tanjong Pagar also known as Little Korean Town in Singapore!".
5. Philippart, John. (1823). "The East India Military Calendar: Containing the Services of General and Field Officers of the Indian Army". Kingsbury, Parbury and Allen.
6. "The British Base and Prison on the Island of Singapore".
7. (2024-08-28). "Hawker Guides: Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore".
8. "Maxwell Food Centre".
9. "Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre, wall mural : general view [1] {{!}} PictureSG".
10. (July 29, 2019). "Tanjong Pagar Korean Restaurants". ladyironchef.
11. "AIA Tanjong Pagar {{!}} PictureSG".
12. Whang, Rennie. (14 January 2016). "Tanjong Pagar Centre: New tallest building in Singapore after 20 years". The Straits Times.
13. Teng, Koh Hong. (2014). "Last Train from Tanjong Pagar". Epigram Books.
14. (2019). "Singapore Shophouse Walks: Chinatown, Blair Plain, Duxton Hill, Tanjong Pagar". Kildi Photo.