Singapore Chinese

The Chinese came to Singapore in the wake of the English settlement. Then new trading hub needed labour and an endless flood of poor Chinese migrants provided it for little reward. The longer-term payoff for Singapore is the depth of Chinese culture.

After Jennifer indulged in a Chinese breakfast (I stayed firmly and happily with my cereal). We spent the morning visiting temples which ranged from pretty through to impoverished. The Buddhas Tooth temple was fabulous and there was a ceremony underway that, although baffling, was very beautiful. We did not see any sign of the tooth in question, but we did see a great many likenesses of Buddha in various guises.

The moon temple had a bewildering array of signs warning visitors not to give staff money or offerings and a ‘sacred turtle’ sitting trapped in a faded plastic tub – which left me considering a jail-break. Our guide last night had spent some time describing Singapore’s low tolerance for crime, so the sacred turtle was left to its fate.

The Chinese markets were too touristy to be very interesting but the shophouses that bordered them were lovely. The history of the Chinese coming to Singapore repeatedly involved them landing on quays or beaches that are now significantly inland thanks to the incredible depth of land reclamation the island has undertaken. The shop houses used to line quays but now sit roadside, well out of sight of the water.

Lunch was at the Maxwell hawker markets which was a thoroughly local experience not least because the heaving crowds means sharing tables is essential. Must admit it was a bit too crowded and noisy for my happiness, but Jennifer got the char kway teow she had been craving.

After some time by the pool we went and had a drink and then dinner sitting at Boat Quay by the river. There was, however, no stretch of the imagination that had dinner continuing the Chinese theme given I had salmon and Greek salad.

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