Temple Street

Temple Street in Chinatown was originally called Almeida Street, after Joaquim D'Almeida. D'Almeida was a Portuguese merchant who stopped at Singapore and purchased a large piece of land, a portion of which was later named Almeida Street.

In 1908, the street was renamed Temple Street, probably in honor of Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Many argue, however, that Temple Street was not named after this particular temple but instead, refers to the abundance of temples in the area. There is also other name such as Gu Chia Chui Hi Hng Au, which means ‘the street behind the theatre’.

In the early 1900s, Temple Street became an enclave for Teochew immigrants from China. Despite this, many Cantonese Operas were staged here up till the late 1920s, the most famous being Lai Chun Yen Theatre. Like the rest of Singapore, the Chinatown area was badly bombed during World War II. Miraculously, though, Temple Street emerged unscathed.