Skip to main content
A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg
Secure websites use HTTPS
Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
National Library Board
Story Maps

Chinatown

15 December 2021

Learn about the historical buildings and landmarks of Chinatown

Busy street scene in Chinatown with red and yellow lanterns, buildings, and the text "CHINATOWN START YOUR JOURNEY."

Chinatown is the largest historic district in Singapore gazetted for conservation. Possessing buildings of great historic significance and architectural value, it was identified by Sir Stamford Raffles as an enclave for the Chinese community.

Take a trip back in time in this story map to learn more about the history of the iconic landmarks in Chinatown and immerse in the rich cultural heritage these buildings reflect.

View the story map in full screen (opens in new tab) or on your mobile device by scanning the QR code below.

A QR code with the logo of GO.gov.sg in the center.
Image Credit

Photo by Kok Leng Yeo via Wikicommons (opens in new tab) (CC BY 2.0)

Notes

  1. This story map does not show a comprehensive coverage of the historic landmarks found in Chinatown.

  2. The base map used in this story map is the Singapore Land Authority's OneMap (opens in new tab).

  3. This story map used related Infopedia articles and other NLB digitised resources in NL Online (opens in new tab), BiblioAsia (opens in new tab), and Roots (opens in new tab) as references. It also consulted the following books: Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics (opens in new tab) (2013), Kampong Glam: A Heritage Trail (opens in new tab) (2012), What’s in the Name?: How the Streets and Villages in Singapore Got Their Names (opens in new tab) (2018), Ray Tyers’ Singapore: Then & Now (opens in new tab) (2018), Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places (opens in new tab) (1988), In Granite and Chunam: The National Monuments of Singapore (opens in new tab) (1996), and Singapore: A Pictorial History 1819-2000 (opens in new tab) (1999).