Geylang - Heritage & Cultural Walk

For many in Singapore, Geylang is either blessed (or cursed) with the social stigma of an incandescent sex industry. But it wasn’t always like this. Today, we’ll take a morning walk focusing on Geylang’s more respected everyday nuances. We’ll trace Geylang’s once decent history and discuss how it fell into her current days’ image. Life here began in the early/mid-1800s. Singapore was a prospering trading port then. Many of the Malays were living off the sea around the Singapore River.

At Singapore River, with burgeoning trade exploding almost at the bream, entire communities were moved up to the Geylang/Kallang areas. And thus, the entire Geylang/Kallang areas burst into life. Most were simple folks. The Malays concentrated east of the rivers (Geylang/Kallang Rivers). Others, example the Chinese, went west of the rivers – (because Chinatown was becoming crammed). Almost all were simple folks, living of the ground by means of farming or fishing.

In 1926, Ong Sam Leong and family kicked off The New World Amusement Park. The Great World Amusement Park followed suit two years later. In 1937, George Lee started Happy World at Geylang, and life was never the same again. But the culture, heritage and history are still here. One only need to look beyond the facade. Eateries, temples, clan associations, old and modern architecture exist side by side together with the sex industry.

The sex industry at Geylang, is but just another avenue to rake in a few dollars, (but which later turned into multi-million-dollar business). Today, we’ll take a morning walk and look into other mainstream careers available for the people at Geylang. It is also an opportunity to take a look at the red-light district in the morning hours, as opposed to the glitzy nighttime colours.

Meet me, 9am, at Kallang MRT (at control station after exiting), on the 1st February 2024 (THURSDAY). We’ll see Geylang in a different light.

Note:

• We do the worldwide practice of tipping at the end of the tour.
• We also reserve the right to accept or reject habitual late cancellations and no-shows.

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Host or Publisher Uncle Chris Walking Tours