Smith Street lies between South Bridge Road and New Bridge Road, located at the centre of Chinatown. It is well known for its good eats and unique Chinese produce sold there. The street is believed to be named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor and High Commissioner of the Straits Settlements between 1887-1893. Smith Street is also said to be the birthplace of Cantonese opera in Singapore.
History
In the early days, Smith Street was popularly referred to as hei yuen kai or "theatre street", a reference to the 834-seat Chinese theatre Lai Chun Yuen, which was located at No. 36 Smith Street. The theatre was built in 1887 and was very popular among the Cantonese community in Chinatown for Cantonese opera. The popularity of the theatre gave rise to colloquial names for the streets surrounding it; Temple Street was hei yuen hau kai or "theatre back street", and Trengganu Street was hei yuen wang kai or "side street". Between the 1910s and 1920s, performances would play to a packed audience, and among the Cantonese stars to have performed at the theatre were Mai Si Chang, Hung Sin Nui, Hong Xiannu and Luo Pin-chao.
After World War II, street hawkers and traders selling household goods occupied the street. They were relocated to Kreta Ayer Complex in 1983.
Smith Street had a darker side, serving as a red light area between 1901 and 1930. There were at least 25 brothels on the street. It was only in 1930, after the Straits Settlement Ordinance No.15 entitled Women and Girl's Protection had come about, that prostitution was brought under control. The street was also popular as a place for those seeking jobs. Job seekers would congregate at this street for hire by prospective employers.
Recent developments
The southern end of Smith Street has been converted into an outdoor eating area known as the Chinatown Food Street which officially opened on 13 November 2001. This was part of the Chinatown redevelopment project spearheaded by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and supported by various government and grassroots agencies. The attractions on this Food Street are the hawker kiosks and shop-house restaurants offering a variety of Chinese delicacies. This section of the street is closed to traffic in the evening.
Variant names
Chinese name: Hei yuen kai or "theatre street", a reference to the Lai Chun Yuen Theatre located at No. 36 of Smith Street. It is also referred to as gu chia chwi hi hng koi in Hokkien and ngau che shui hey yun kai in Cantonese which means theatre street in Kreta Ayer.
Author
Heirwin Mohd Nasir
References
Archives and Oral History Department. (1983). Chinatown: An album of a Singapore community (pp. 88-99). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no: RSING 779.995957 CHI)
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 284). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
Firmstone, H. W. (1905, January). Chinese names of streets and places in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 4, 128-129.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5 FIR-[IC])
Leong, W. K. (2001, November 24). Return to Lai Chun Yuen. The Straits Times, Life, p. 4.
Tee, H. C. (2001, December 9). Smith Street's colourful history. The Straits Times, Sunday Plus, p. 4.
Singapore Tourism Board. (n.d.). Chinatown Food Street open. Retrieved December 20, 2002, from www.stb.com.sg/media/press/20011113.stm
Singapore Tourism Board. (n.d.). Smith Street closes to traffic. Retrieved December 20, 2002, from www.stb.com.sg/media/press/20011130b.stm
The information in this article is valid as at 2005 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2005.
