Hainan Street (South)

Hainan Street (South) - Crab Land

Singapore has several special lands known as the land of crab. The big crab at World Trade Centre, Mount Faber and Sentosa has already been introduced. Another crab can be found near Kiung Chow Hwee Kuan and Shaw Towers in Beach Road.

The section of Beach Road near Raffles Hotel where the three streets meet - Hainan Street Three, Hainan Street Two and Hainan Street One, was where most Hainanese in Singapore congregated. From 1900 to 1930, the Japanese operated many hotels and shops here, including the Marlborough theatre that stood on the present site of Jade Theatre in Shaw Towers.

When the world economy took a nosedive at the end of the 1920s, Japanese businessmen left Singapore in drives. The Hainanese took the opportunity to take over their business at a very low cost. It was the Hainanese's very first stab at business before the way. They have since gone on to display their business acumen in spectacular ways.

Golden Pincer Crab Land Discovered by Feng Shui Master

There is an interesting anecdote behind this. At the beginning of the 20th century, the older Hainanese were troubled by the hardships then and their fellow villagers faced when they first arrived. They had no status in society and very few made it big.

They thus resolved to work very hard and look for a land with good feng shui to build their foundation. They invited an expert geomancer from Hainan, who then combed through Penang, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. Finally at Malacca, they found two children reading in the land of unicorn - the perfect spot for burying their ancestors. Continuing southwards, they came to Singapore. When they set their eyes on the land where Kiung Chow Hwee Kuan is today, they believed it to be a golden pincer crab land.

The hainanese are a hardy lot, and are industrious, loyal and responsible in whatever they do. Those in business are diligent, see to every little detail themselves and are highly gregarious. As such, they tend to have lots of friends, which accounts for their success today. The hainanese also place great importance on their children's education, which is why their contribution to education is so significant now.

According to feng shui, the crab at Kiung Chow Hwee Kuan has two pincers. One is at the army camp (the former headquarters of volunteer resistance fighters during the Japanese Occupation), the other at Jade Theatre. One of the pincers was broken during urban redevelopment, but strangely the remaining pincer is as powerful as ever.

Normally a crab likes green and avoids red. Coating tall buildings on a crab land in red paint is not suitable because a red crab is a cooked crab. Therefore, I suggest hanging a pair of green lanterns at the top of Kiung Chow Hwee Kuan. Only then will the crab regain its vigour