Chinatown (West)

Chinatown (West)

Chinatown is a very fascinating place. It has produced many men of either great virtue or unfathomable evil; it was home to people rolling in immense fortunes or struggling in abject poverty. Famous doctors, professors, cheats and robbers have lived next to each other.

Chinatown's previous feng shui formation was an old buffalo drawing a cart - that was how it got its Chinese name. Being a buffalo land, many of its residents are hardworking and persevering. Fortunately, the cart that the buffalo was pulling carried a padlocked treasure chest guarded by a group of imps.

This buffalo was at Banda Street, while the group of imps could be found in Sago Lane, better known as Chinatown. The treasure chest was located in Trengganu, Smith, Pagoda and Mosque Streets.

Those familiar with Chinatown's past will tell you that people once came to these streets to splurge. This was especially so at Pagoda Street, the axis of the cart, and near an Indian Temple, where the cart's wheel was located. In the past, Chinatown teemed with visitors and stalls were packed side by side. At the beginning of the 20th century, this place was also a red-light district, more heavily polluted by brothels, gambling houses and opium dens than any other spot in Singapore. It was the perfect showcase for all vices. Therefore in feng shui, this was a place of extravagance and wealth.

Chinatown was once also referred to as imp pushing a stone grinder. The imp did so in the hope of earning some money. Frankly, this is the case with all ordinary folks.

Normally, work is rewarding when it is compensated appropriately. However, it is terrible when one remains in straitened circumstances despite a lifetime of hard work. This second scenario sometimes occurs when people lose all their earnings on gambling. Just as some people are rewarded with great windfalls, others have had their fortunes wiped out overnight.

As Chinatown is a buffalo land, it is not surprising that vices have made their home in Chinatown. Some children who grew up in this area were exposed to these vices and readily picked up bad habits. Many became robbers and thieves due to a lack of parental guidance.

On the other hand, there were many poor people who, having experienced hardship in life, did not lost hope and instead devoted all their resources and energy to bringing up the younger generation. The old Chinatown has gone through many changes and so has its feng shui. The new formation is now a locked treasure chest. The land of extravagance has slowly disappeared, while the funeral parlous at Sago Land has shifted away. Even the group of imps have dispersed and the buffalo has retired, the padlock is still around at Banda Street. The land of padlock is the Chinatown Complex.

Although the chest remains locked, the treasures are still inside. The chest will only be opened during the Lunar New Year, when the area comes to life and gets even more crowded then Orchard Road.