Jul 4, 2010
It's CHINAtown again
With more Chinese nationals setting up businesses in Chinatown, has the enclave lost its Singaporean flavour?
Mr Huang Da Liang from Shengyang (right, with his brother Huang Feng), who owns Japanese restaurant Jiang Hu Chuan in Smith Street.
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Ask Singaporeans for their impressions of Chinatown and you would probably get some tired responses about how it has become an over-commercialised tourist trap, or an artificial representation of Chinese culture manufactured by the tourism authorities.
But a walk through Chinatown, one of the city's oldest ethnic enclaves comprising landmarks such as People's Park, People's Park Complex and a bustling warren of street stalls, now tells a different story.
Over the past two to three years, a new wave of mainland Chinese immigrants have staked a claim on the area, setting up eateries, souvenir stalls, foot reflexology outlets and other businesses with authentic Chinese flavour.
Feeling peckish? Snack on spicy duck innards from Wuhan. Want a qipao? A dressmaker from Nanning can design one for you.
Along the Smith Street food hub alone, there are at least six China-owned restaurants hawking cuisine from places such as Sichuan, Hunan and Xian. The lone Japanese restaurant has a Chinese name, Jiang Hu Chuan, and is owned by two brothers from Shenyang.
It seems the 'China' has come back to Chinatown.
'You see Chinese people everywhere. Out of 10 people you meet here, at least three are Chinese nationals,' says Shanghai native Annie Xiao, 28, who owns Aramis Beauty House in People's Park Centre.
A permanent resident, she set up her beauty parlour in Chinatown because of the 'high human traffic'. She adds: 'I can still run a profitable business though there is a lot of competition here.'
With about 100 regular customers, she makes enough to cover her $9,000- a-month rental, salaries for five workers and other expenses.
'I started my own business as I don't like working for Singapore bosses. They look down on China people,' she says.
While no official figures are available, anecdotal evidence suggests that with the recent influx of Chinese nationals into Singapore, many see Chinatown as a place where they can flourish in the company of like-minded compatriots.
It is a development welcomed by heritage lovers such as Mr Tony Tan, 37, a committee member of Singapore Heritage Society. He says: 'Without a doubt, Chinatown had lost its vibrancy. People at the grassroots level were taken out of the loop in the large-scale planning of the area.
'We always felt that the planning should be more organic.'
'Organic' best describes what has happened in the district of late. The Chinatown Business Association, the main landlord for about 200 street stalls in Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Sago Street, sees more Chinese nationals spotting business opportunity there, says its general manager Victor Ong.
He has no specific figures but adds: 'The number of Chinese nationals taking up the 200 stalls has gone up while the number of Singaporeans has fallen.'
Most of them are in the food and clothing business. And given that permanent resident status is required to apply for a stall under the CBA, many are not entirely new to Singapore.
Mr Ong says Singaporeans 'are shying away from street business' because of the long hours and hard work. Foreigners and Chinese nationals, in particular, have come in to fill the void.
'Actually, most of us have been here for many years,' says Shanghai-born Madam Chen Diaozhen, 57, who owns a street stall selling magic tricks in Sago Street. 'It's just that our China accents don't change.'
Over at People's Park, Chinese nationals are now dabbling in cooked food, fruit and textile businesses, says People's Park Traders Association chairman Chia Sai Im.
The Singapore Tourism Board sees this as 'a result driven by market forces'. Mr Andrew Phua, its director of precinct development, says: 'So far, these establishments are primarily restaurants which will contribute to the area's vibrancy and to its evolution as a living heritage precinct.'
Business owners gave LifeStyle many reasons for setting up base there. A ready stream of customers is one, with Chinatown the one-stop shop for mainland Chinese seeking remittance services, money changers and travel agencies.
Many seek comfort in what appears to be a familiar environment. Fujian native Zheng Dehang, 43, who has been running a street stall selling made-in-China trinkets for the past six years, says: 'My English is not very good but everyone in Chinatown speaks Mandarin, so it's okay.'
For a while now, the red light district of Geylang has been touted as Singapore's real Chinatown, with a large mainland Chinese community working, living and playing there. But fierce competition and government crackdowns there have thinned crowds, forcing businesses to look elsewhere.
Mr Huang Da Liang, 31, who owns Japanese restaurant Jiang Hu Chuan in Smith Street, says: 'My friend who has a restaurant in Geylang says business has gone down there.'
A former chef at the Swensen's chain of eateries, he took over the Chinatown business from a friend last year. 'The clientele here is much better than in Geylang, more tourists and executives. In Geylang, you get mostly blue-collar workers.'
Singapore Heritage Society's Mr Tan says: 'Chinese immigrants see something in Chinatown that is meaningful to them, emotionally and emotively.'
Their arrival, he says, is simply part of a cycle of development. 'This is how Singapore will always be, a big melting pot where people come to try to make good for themselves.'
With foreigners muscling in, however, undercurrents of rivalry and bitterness between them and local businesses are beginning to show.
Chinese nationals, eager to eke out a living, are known to work longer and harder than their local counterparts, says Madam Chia of the People's Park Traders Association.
At the Chinatown food centre, where there are about five to six stalls owned by Chinese nationals, a worker at a Singaporean-owned zi char shop told LifeStyle that business has been affected by about 30 per cent. 'They sell their food cheaper, by about 20 cents,' she says.
Singapore chef-owner Wong Seng Wai, 45, who runs Lan Zhou La Mian in Smith Street, has seen many China-owned eateries spring up over the past 10 years.
But he says he stays competitive with his menu of 'hand-made' noodle dishes.
The restaurant business should be about quality rather than 'mass appeal', he adds. He laments that many Chinese hotpot restaurants, for instance, go for the latter, using cheap ingredients that require little skill in preparation.
Chinese restaurateur Flora Zhao, 45, who owns Wuhan Food House at Chinatown Point, disagrees.
'A lot of China restaurants have failed because they don't know Singaporeans' tastebuds and add too much oil and salt,' she says. 'I know what Singaporeans like. In fact, about 70 per cent of my customers are Singaporeans.'
Ironically, another question has reared its head now with the precinct's renewed vibrancy: With Chinatown now dominated by Chinese nationals, how Singaporean is it?
Heritage expert Mr Tan counters that over the years, the local Chinese population has done little to reclaim Chinatown.
He says: 'If you don't want to get involved, do you expect the state to develop your culture?
'And where does Chinese-ness end and start? I think we need to relax our thoughts on what makes a Chinese person Chinese.'
Additional reporting by Veronica Koh
What do you think of the changes in Chinatown? Write to suntimes@sph.com.sg
'The clientele here is much better than in Geylang, more tourists and executives'
Mr Huang Da Liang from Shenyang, who owns Japanese restaurant Jiang Hu Chuan in Smith Street
Jul 4, 2010
Nanning: Backless qipao
-- ST PHOTOS: DESMOND FOO
LI QI YING, 43
Owns two dressmaking shops at People's Park, specialises in qipao
Since she set up shop three years ago, Madam Li has gained a following for her qipao, selling up to 300 outfits a month.
She puts a contemporary twist on the dress by making backless versions or using floral patterns that are popular in fashion chains such as Topshop.
The 43-year-old, who was born in Nanning, Guangxi, says: 'I make qipao for everyday wear, not just for Chinese New Year. Customers say they love my designs as they are so versatile that they can be worn for work or shopping. Some of them even buy 20 qipao at one go.'
Her customers include 18-year-old girls and she has also custom-made qipao for two-year-olds.
She once owned a small factory making dresses in Shenzhen. Six years ago, she came here to source for business and married a Singaporean who works as a driver, so she decided to settle down here.
A year after she set up shop, she added another branch on the same level of the shopping mall. In March, she expanded her business to include evening gowns.
She had originally offered her dressmaking services from home, but moved to Chinatown after being persuaded by her regular customers. The low rental cost there was a deciding factor.
She says: 'Actually, if not for the language barrier, I would have set up shop in Orchard Road. But Chinatown is a good place for my business because it is also a tourist spot that attracts even Caucasians to my shop. And with so many other China-owned businesses here, it's almost like a second China.'
Veronica Koh
Jul 4, 2010
Wuhan: Spicy snack attack
WAN LEI, 23
Owns a food stall outside People's Park Complex
He left his Wuhan hometown in Hubei three years ago to set up his own food business in Singapore.
He was persuaded to do so by friends who were here. They told him Singaporeans were crazy about food and that a food business here would be profitable.
He sells spicy innards, as well as handmade buns at his stall in Chinatown. Prices range between 30 cents for a duck's heart and $5 for pig's ear.
He says: 'What I sell are common snacks in China that have been around for generations. Customers from China tell me they are grateful that I've set up this stall, as they can have their favourite snacks in a foreign land. I don't try to be innovative or come up with new recipes, I stick to serving what I know they like.'
His parents, who funded his start-up here, run two restaurants in Hubei.
While he declined to reveal how much he earns, he says he gets about 1,000 customers every day. There are six full-time workers manning his stall and he has another shop in Geylang selling zi char dishes.
Although there are eight other food stalls on the street where his stall is located, some of which also hawk street snacks from China, he is not worried about the competition.
'Competition is inevitable in business. On a more positive note, this variety in food stalls adds flavour to Chinatown. You get all kinds of authentic foods from China that you don't find anywhere else in Singapore.'
Veronica Koh
Jul 4, 2010
Liaoning: Therapy massage
WANG XIAOHONG, 41
Runs a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) parlour at People's Park Centre
The Liaoning native came here to study English about 15 years ago and met her Singaporean husband who was her neighbour at that time.
They have two children, a 12-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl. The rest of her family still live in China.
Madam Wang, who studied TCM for three years in Liaoning, says: 'It's more practical to have my business here in Chinatown. There is high human traffic and the rental is lower compared to other shopping malls.
'Also, the people who come here are more receptive to TCM treatment. I wouldn't be sure of that if I had set up my business in Orchard Road.'
The prices for her acupuncture and therapy massage services range from $20 to $40.
She declines to say how much she earns a month, but says that she has a steady stream of business despite many other TCM parlours popping up nearby in recent years.
Most of her customers are Singaporeans. She said: 'My customers say they trust me more because I was trained in China.' She is certified by the Ministry of Health here as a TCM physician.
She keeps herself up to date by attending TCM courses at various TCM hospitals in Singapore.
She says: 'The human traffic in Chinatown is increasing daily. I definitely see myself continuing my business here, even in 20 years, if I still have the stamina.'
Veronica Koh
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