At The Heart Of Chinatown

CHINATOWN WASN'T ALWAYS CHINATOWN. Prior to the 1980s, its denizens referred to the area by its specific precincts and street names such as Kreta Ayer, Keong Saik Road and Sago Lane. It was only when the government wanted to demarcate the area as a historic district that the name 'Chinatown' gained currency. That said, the area has never been exclusively Chinese - there have always been pockets of Indian traders living in the district since the 1800s. They helped set up Sri Mariamman Temple and Masjid Jamae, two of Singapore's oldest religious institutions.

A new theatre performance-cum-walking tour titled Chinatown Crossings offers these and other nuggets of information throughout its lengthy but rich 2.5-hour duration. Produced by Mandarin theatre company Drama Box, the English-language show literally takes the audience across the colourful precinct, from Pagoda Street to Smith Street to Duxton Plain Park, all the while telling the story of various characters living there.

They include Ting Ting (played by Sabrina Sng), a girl determined to make her way in the world despite her social disadvantages; Kunalan (played by Pavan J Singh), an orphan who learns to speak the language of his neighbours; and Fong Cheh (played by Jodi Chan), a ma jie (domestic servant) from Guangdong who helps raise both Ting Ting and Kunalan.