Chinese New Year markets in Singapore

As the lunar calendar’s final month draws to a close, the streets of Singapore transform in anticipation of Chinese New Year. From the 24^th day of the 12^th lunar month to Chinese New Year’s Eve, a festive energy sweeps through the city, turning ordinary streets and shopping areas into lively centres of celebration. Markets bustle with activity as red couplets bearing auspicious words and lanterns adorn shops and stalls. Many Singaporeans would have memories of stalls along the five-foot ways selling waxed meat, and those offering New Year couplet-writing services that were decorated with red couplets bearing auspicious words written in gold or bold black ink. Other stalls sold New Year essentials such as New Year cards, niangao (sweet rice cakes), kumquat, melon seeds, Chinese New Year candy, clothes, and fresh flowers. Singaporeans of different generations flooded these New Year markets, eager to purchase festive goods in preparation for Chinese New Year.

Chinatown Chinese New Year market

Chinese New Year markets usually appear at neighbourhood shopping streets and in local markets frequented by the Chinese community in Singapore for their daily needs. These markets emerge to meet the demand for festive goods as families prepare for the Lunar New Year, often beginning after sending off the Kitchen God, which takes place on the 24^th day of the 12^th lunar month.¹One of the most popular Chinese New Year markets, which has existed since the early 20^th century, is in Chinatown’s Kreta Ayer district, spanning Pagoda Street, Temple Street, Smith Street, Sago Street, and Trengganu Street.

The Chinatown Chinese New Year market in the early days emerged spontaneously from the local Chinese community, with both permanent shops and street hawkers seeking to boost business during the festive season. It was a community-driven initiative. About a month before Chinese New Year, stall owners would extend their operating hours into the night, stocking up on a wide array of festive goods. Stalls occupied entire streets, including central walkways, offering visitors an impressive variety of items but also causing massive crowding and congestion. The market featured a mix of licensed and unlicensed hawkers, creating a lively and sometimes chaotic atmosphere. A common sight was that of unlicensed hawkers fleeing with their carts when health inspectors approached.² Alongside the main market, a dedicated flower market flourished near Hong Lim Park and Sri Mariamman Temple, catering to shoppers seeking auspicious blooms for the New Year celebrations. In 1983, Singapore launched a national initiative to enhance public health by relocating street hawkers to purpose-built facilities. The policy required all street stalls in the Kreta Ayer district to cease operations and move into the newly constructed Kreta Ayer Complex, which was renamed Chinatown Complex in 1984. Instead of the traditional open-air street market, the festivities were moved indoors to Chinatown Complex and nearby supermarkets. This marked the first time in Singaporean’s memory that the vibrant street market, long associated with Chinatown’s Chinese New Year celebrations, was absent. Numerous citizens wrote to newspapers, voicing their apprehension about the potential loss of a cultural tradition that had long been an integral part of Chinatown’s identity and festive atmosphere.³

Following the closure of the open-air street markets, the Citizens’ Consultative Committee organised Chinese New Year fairs from 1985 to 1987. These events were held around the open space bordered by Sago Street, South Bridge Road, Banda Street, and Dickerson Hill Road. The fairs were themed as follows:

1985: Hello Chinatown Spring Festival Fair

1986: Hello Chinatown Fair

1987: Excellence Chinatown

Visitors could enter these ticketed fairs to purchase festive goods and enjoy exhibitions and cultural performances. The 1986 fair, for instance, featured about 100 stalls selling festive goodies, a dinosaur exhibition and laser dinosaur show. The event also showcased a variety of traditional Chinese dances and opera performances.

In 1985, the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board launched its first Chinese New Year light-up in Chinatown, drawing inspiration from the successful Christmas Orchard Road light-up. Since then, the light up ceremony has become an annual tradition transforming Chinatown into a dazzling spectacle of lanterns and life-sized dioramas.

From 1988 onwards, efforts were made to revive the lively atmosphere of traditional Chinese New Year markets and boost tourism in Chinatown. Stalls were once again permitted to operate on Chinatown streets, but only for the two weeks to a month preceding Chinese New Year. This new arrangement, now under the management of the Citizens’ Consultative Committee, came with stricter regulations. Stall owners were required to obtain temporary licences and pay rent for spaces on the street. The market was confined to allocated streets, which were closed to traffic during this time. Stall setups were standardised, with organisers handling preparations in advance, and stall owners had to adhere to strict hygiene and safety regulations. This carefully regulated yet vibrant market has evolved into the familiar Chinatown Chinese New Year market that Singaporeans and tourists enjoy today.

Bugis Street, Ellenborough market, and beyond

While Chinatown was the primary destination for Chinese New Year preparations in the past, there used to be other traditional street markets that operated concurrently with the Chinatown Chinese New Year Market. The diversity of festive marketplaces was highlighted in a 1978 report by Sin Chew Weekly:

“From Smith Street in Chinatown, through Pagoda Street and Sago Street, extending to Albert Street and peh sua-pu (Bugis Street), the entire area buzzed with activity. These streets formed the heart of the hawker community who were selling seasonal festive goods during this Chinese New Year period…it would not be an exaggeration to call it a vibrant world of street hawkers.”⁴

Bugis Street, known as peh sua-pu (white wash) in Hokkien, or hak gaai (black street) by Cantonese speakers, was a popular Chinese New Year shopping destination before the 1980s. Bounded by Victoria Street, North Bridge Road, Middle Road, and Rochor Road, the usual business in the area comprised over a hundred hawkers selling food and daily necessities. During the festive season, the market transformed into a Chinese New Year market, expanding into nearby streets such as Queen Street and Victoria Street.⁵ The market ended in 1985 when the area was redeveloped for the Mass Rapid Transit Station at Victoria Street.

Beyond Bugis Street, there were also a diverse array of Chinese New Year markets which catered to specific dialect groups. An example was Ellenborough Market, established in 1845 along the Singapore River. Located in a predominantly Teochew area, the market was renowned for ingredients essential to Teochew reunion dinners, such as rabbit fish, as well as dried goods like mushrooms, anchovies, and fish maw.⁶Markets along China Street and Purvis Street attracted Hokkiens and Hainanese due to popular pastry shops nearby such as Tan Hock Seng and Nam Tong Lee.⁷These establishments offered traditional pastries integral to Hokkien and Hainanese festive customs.

Chinese New Year markets in Singapore have evolved and diversified significantly over the years, expanding from traditional street markets to include emporiums, shopping malls,⁸ fairs in housing estates,⁹ and online platforms. River Hongbao, established in 1986, also became a notable addition to the wide array of Chinese New Year markets in Singapore.¹⁰As technology advances, many Singaporeans have also shifted to online shopping for Chinese New Year goodies. Despite these changes, the essence of Chinese New Year markets remains intact. They continue to serve as communal spaces, whether physical or digital, where people gather to experience the festive atmosphere and prepare for a prosperous new year.