Heritage Trail - Hougang Heritage Trail (2020 1112-13)
Length: 13.40Km
Getting There:
MRT Hougang Exit B> Hougang Bus Interchange > walk toward Jalan Nauang (Open Field)> Heritage Tree – Binjai (68 Jln Naung, Singapore 537730)>
Jalan Naung> along Upper Serangoon Road> Cross Hougamg Avenue 4> Cross Upper Serangoon Road (Traffic Lights Crossing)> Hougang Avenue 3
Block 25 (25 Hougang Ave 3) 1°21'57.5"N 103°53'29.5"E (1.365975, 103.891517)
Block 25 is part of the first generation of buildings built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) during Hougang’s redevelopment in the 1980s. Certain blocks throughout the town were planned and painted with murals to add colour and interest to the buildings. There is a mural of the bright and sunny sky painted on the façade of Block 25, welcoming visitors to Hougang Town.
Along Upper Serangoon Road/ Nativity Church Centre (2 Lorong Low Koon, Singapore 536449)
Cross Lorong Low Koon/Holy Innocents' Primary School (5 Lorong Low Koon, Singapore 536451)
Cross Hougang Avenue 5 (Traffic Lights Crossing)/Cross Upper Serangoon Road (Overhead Bridge)
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1259 Upper Serangoon Rd)
Cross Upper Serangoon Road (Traffic Lights Crossing)> Hougang Avenue 7/Hougang Avenue 5
Chang Tien Kong长天宫 / Tian De Temple天德圣庙 / Poh Teck Siang Tng报德善堂 (109 Hougang Ave 5, Singapore 538819) 1°21'55.4"N 103°53'44.4"E (1.365386, 103.895671)
Chang Tien Kong Temple长天宫was founded in the 1960s. Due to land acquisition for urban redevelopment, Chang Tien Kong Temple长天宫collaborated with Hougang Twee Boey Teng Niang Temple后港水尾圣娘庙, Zhong Tou Gong Temple钟头宫and Poh Teck Siang Tng报德善堂to build Tian De Temple天德圣庙, which was completed in 1985.
Hougang Avenue 7> Rainbow Block 316 - 1°21'53.6"N 103°53'46.6"E (1.364897, 103.896277)
Hougang Avenue 7/Hougang Street 32> Neo Kian Guan Confectionery and Cakes梁建原饼家西果店 (7 Hougang Ave 3)
1°21'44.8"N 103°53'37.1"E (1.362455, 103.893635)
Neo Kian Guan Confectionary & Cake was founded in 1932. The first shop was located at Yio Chu Kang, near Jalan Kayu. As Jalan Kayu was a Hokkien enclave, our initial focus was mainly on Hokkien confectionary.
Gradually, Teochew confectionary became secondary business as walk-in customers were mainly Teochew Chinese who passed by Upper Serangoon Road to get to Pasir Ris and Tampines Road.
Hougang Avenue 3/Tampines Road/Cross Tampines Road> Masjid En-Naeem (120 Tampines Rd, Singapore 535136) 1°21'40.0"N 103°53'33.3"E (1.361104, 103.892578)
It has its box-like structure and tall minaret that stands out prominently, next to the high-rise residential flats build in 1983.
Zi Yun Kai Ji Gong朝云宮 (56 Hougang Ave 3, Singapore 538841) 1°21'31.9"N 103°53'33.5"E (1.358871, 103.892648)
Zi Yun Kai Ji Gong was built in 1996 with 3 constituent temples linked to Quanzhou in Fujian, which include Kai Hock Tong, Chao Ying Kong and Keat Sun Beo.
Chee Tong Temple慈忠坛 (62 Hougang Ave 3)
1°21'32.5"N 103°53'31.6"E (1.359029, 103.892117)
Chee Tong Temple (ci zhong tan) was founded at the foot of Fort Canning in 1961, and moved to Bukit Timah 3rd milestone in the late 1970s. In 1987 the temple was rebuilt in Hougang, adopting unconventional pyramid-shaped design, which was the brainchild of well-known architect Mr Tay Kheng Soon.
Chee Tong Temple is one of the Huang Lao Xian Shi Famen temples in Singapore that worships Huang Lao Xian Shi, Qi Tian Fo Zu and Tai Shang Lao Jun, which represent the three Chinese religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Hougang Avenue 3/Tampines Road> Cross Upper Serangoon Road/ Simon Road> Phoh Kiu Siang Tng普救善堂 (15 Simon Lane)
1°21'46.6"N 103°53'03.6"E (1.362935, 103.884330)
Phoh Kiu Siang T’ng is one of the three shantangs or charitable halls in Hougang, which are strongly affiliated with the Teochew community. Phoh Kiu Siang T’ng was founded in 1929 at Upper Circular Road and relocated here in 1953. During the Japanese Occupation, the shantang was also one of the founding members of the Chinese Charitable Institutions Union.
Corner of Simon Road> Former Simon Road Market Statue (939 Upper Serangoon Rd)
The popular Simon Road Market aka -"Lark kok jio pasat" was built in August 1948, initially at the nearby Lim Ah Pin Road before moving to Simon Road, or fondly known as “ow gang lark kok jio” (Hougang sixth milestone).
Simon Road was named after prominent Eurasian of Portuguese descent Simon Aroozoo (1850-1931) (who also had the nearby Aroozoo Avenue named after him), a close friend of Gan Eng Seng.
Kovan MRT (NE13)/Cross Upper Serangoon Road/Hougang Street 21> Tua Jia Kar大井脚 (Outside, Blk 203 Hougang Street 21)
1°21'27.7"N 103°53'05.0"E (1.357687, 103.884714)
Tua Jia Kar大井脚 (“foot of the big well” in Teochew) is a commemorative replica of a large well that once supplied clean water to the kampong residents of the area. The communal well was originally sited at the former Upper Serangoon Somapah Village (now Kovan City). Although piped water was later installed in the village, it was said that many villagers still preferred to draw water from Tua Jia Kar. This well was so important to long-time residents that a replica with a commemorative plaque was installed here in 2005.
Cross Upper Serangoon Road> St Pauls Church (839 Upper Serangoon Rd)
1°21'29.6"N 103°52'56.9"E (1.358226, 103.882457)
Built in 1936, St. Paul’s Church’s origins could be traced back to the 1930s when a group of Anglican Christians began meeting for worship in the house of one of the congregants located along Upper Serangoon Road. Most of the early congregants were from the families of British military personnel deployed to the north-eastern part of Singapore.
The Girls' Brigade HQ (795 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534667)
Masjid Haji Yusoff (2 Hillside Drive)
1°21'20.3"N 103°52'47.2"E (1.355632, 103.879777)
Built in 1921, Masjid Haji Yusoff is the oldest mosque in Hougang. The land on which it was constructed was donated by Gujarati merchant and philanthropist, Ahmad Mohamed Salleh Angullia. Born in Singapore in 1874, Angullia was also prominent in civic affairs. He was a Justice of the Peace, a member of the Municipal Commission and a trustee of various mosques and Muslim organisations.
Hougang Tou Mu Kung后港斗母宫 (779A Upper Serangoon Rd)
1°21'18.4"N 103°52'44.4"E (1.355098, 103.878995)
Hougang Tou Mu Kung (后港斗母宫) is the oldest temple in Singapore dedicated to the Nine Emperor Gods. The deities are known in Hokkien as Kew Ong Yah, which also gives rise to believers referring to the temple as the Kew Ong Yah temple (九皇大帝庙). The temple started in 1902 as a shrine at Lim Loh Village (present-day Wolskel Road), with incense ash brought from another Nine Emperor Gods temple in Penang. The temple’s early records showed that its worshippers were from various Chinese dialect groups including Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese and Hakka.
The temple was completed in 1921 and originally designed in traditional Hokkien architectural style, with features such as pronounced curvatures of the roof ridges. Teochew architectural features such as straighter roof ridges were added in subsequent renovations and a permanent opera stage was erected in 1925.
In 2005, Hougang Tou Mu Kung was gazetted as a National Monument in recognition of its historical and social significance for both Hougang and the nation.
Cross Upper Serangoon Road (Overhead Bridge)> Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre> Walk along Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre> Walk between block 156/157> Chin Fook Temple 锦福庙>
Walk backward cross Upper Serangoon Road> Cross Yio Chu Kang Road> Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee SPACE@KOVAN (9 Yio Chu Kang Rd, #01-56, SPACE@KOVAN 545523)> Lim Tua Tow Road Gor kok jio Market Makers (5th milestone)
Today, the only remnants of old Lim Tua Tow Road are the two rows of shophouses still standing in the vicinity. In recent years, there are plans to turn this place into a F&B enclave but the results are not encouraging.
Cheong Ann Watch Maker昌安鐘錶 - Lim Tua Tow Road
Opened in 1947 along Upper Serangoon Road, Cheong Ann Watch Maker specialises in clocks and gramophones and is now run by the second and third generations of a Hokkien family. In the 1980s, as Cheong Ann saw more expatriate customers who were sourcing collectibles, the business evolved from providing mainly repair services to selling antiques and collectibles. The family also expanded its network from Singapore to Malaysia in its efforts to acquire vintage timepieces.
Ah Seah Teochew Porridge亚城潮州粥 (31 Teck Chye Terrace)
Ah Seah Teochew Porridge is a family-run business that has been serving Teochew porridge, a well-loved staple in the Teochew enclave of Hougang, since the 1960s. The founder set up his first stall in the former Lim Tua Tow market in 1964. Today, the second generation of the family has taken over the business.
Teck Chye Terrace
1°21'11.0"N 103°52'35.3"E (1.353063, 103.876467)
Teck Chye Terrace was built in 1928 by Chinese businessman Lim Teck Chye. A landmark of the former Lim Tua Tow market area, Teck Chye Terrace and Lim Tua Tow market have long been known as a food haven for people living in the vicinity. Until the 1990s, itinerant hawkers peddling fares from fried carrot cake to beef noodles used to throng the market grounds. Today, Teck Chye Terrace is still reputed for its food offerings, housing eateries such as Ah Seah Teochew Porridge.
Cross Boundary Road> Paya Lebar Methodist Church 巴耶黎峇卫理公会 (5 Boundary Rd, Singapore 549954)
1°21'09.5"N 103°52'33.9"E (1.352637, 103.876072)
Paya Lebar Methodist Church was established in 1932 by the Methodist Church in Singapore. However, the Methodist presence in Hougang can be traced back to 1916 when the Methodist Church acquired a plot of land at Boundary Road to establish a school.
Along Upper Paya Lebar Road/ NEX Shopping mall (23 Serangoon Central, Singapore 556083)
/ Chong Hock Tong崇福堂 (9 Wolskel Rd, Singapore 357961)
Chong Hock Tong Temple was founded in 1964 by the Heng Hwa community originated from Loutou village in Wutang, Putian, Fujian.
Cross Upper Paya Lebar Road> Finest Song Kee Fishball Noodles (532 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534547)
Turn Left onto Bartley Road> Bartley Christian Church (4 How Sun Dr, Singapore 538526)>
After How Sun Drive> MRT Bartley (CC12)> Ramakrishna Mission (179 Bartley Rd, Singapore 539784)
Ramakrishna Mission Singapore is a branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India, worldwide spiritual and welfare organization. Like the other branches in Asia-Oceania, North & South America, Europe and Africa, the Center is a self-sustaining unit that looks to the Ramakrishna Order for spiritual guidance.
The Center bases its teachings on the System of Vedanta, which combines both the religion and philosophy of the Hindus, especially as explained by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), his wife and spiritual companion Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (1853-1920) and his disciple Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) and demonstrated in their lives.
Vedanta teaches that every soul is potentially divine, and that its divinity may be manifested through worship, contemplation, unselfish work, and philosophical discrimination. According to Vedanta, Truth is universal and all humankind and all existence are one. It preaches the unity of the Godhead, or ultimate Reality, and accepts every faith as a valid means for its own followers to realize the Truth.
Bartley Road/MRT Bartley (CC12)/Upper Paya Lebar Road> Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church巴耶黎峇卫理公会 (299 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534932)>
Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church长老会伯大尼堂 (301 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534934)> Geylang Prawn Noodle (327 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534947)
The Original Katong Laksa Since 1950s (Janggut Laksa)正宗加东叻沙 (331 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534949)> The Singapore Ants Museum蚂蚁博物馆 (359 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534961)>
Bethany Presbyterian Church (364A Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534965)> Tian Kong and Kanacanarama Buddhist Temple (2 Lor Ong Lye)
1°20'55.2"N 103°52'47.1"E (1.348663, 103.879760)
Tian Kong & Kancanarama Buddhist Temple is a joint complex housing a Taoist temple and a Thai Buddhist temple. Both temples were founded by a deeply religious devotee known as Kan Chee Yin, who also donated the land upon which the complex stands. Kan Chee Yin first set up Tian Kong Temple (year unknown), before she invited Thai monks to establish Kancanarama Buddhist Temple in 1960.
Cross Upper Paya Lebar Road (Overhead Bridge)> Bethany Presbyterian Church长老会伯大尼堂 (364A Upper Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 534965)
Lorong Ah Soo> The People's Bible Church/Logos Christian Church (20 Lor Ah Soo, Singapore 536698)> Semi- Circle HDB>
The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association新加坡后港海南同乡会 (102 Lor Ah Soo)
1°21'03.7"N 103°53'01.5"E (1.351036, 103.883753)
The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association (新加坡后港海南同乡会) was registered in 1958 and officially opened in 1962 to represent and serve the Hainanese community at Lorong Ah Soo. Before the 1980s, Lorong Ah Soo was commonly referred to as Hai Lam Hng (“Hainan Garden” in Teochew and Hokkien), as the road was home to a few hundred Hainanese families.
The association’s primary role is to foster closer ties among and provide mutual aid to the Hainanese community. It also used to champion Hainanese opera, and in 1964, it founded the former Yi Guang opera troupe. Many of the troupe’s talents went on to become established opera artistes in Singapore.
There were other important Hainanese institutions in Hai Lam Hng such as Twee Boey Teng Niang Temple (后港水尾圣娘庙) and Wah Mong School (化蒙学校), with strong links to The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association. The temple is dedicated to Shui Wei Sheng Niang, a goddess known as protector of seafarers. The school was founded in 1937 and held classes on the temple’s opera stage during its early years. Together, the three institutions catered to the social, educational and spiritual needs of the Hainanese community in the area.
In 1984, The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association relocated to its current site from its previous location along Lorong Ah Soo. The association remains active in fostering ties among the Hainanese community in Singapore.
Return board bus 113 at The Minton Stop ID: 62229 and alight at Kovan Stn Exit B Stop ID: 63031 to MRT Kovan (NE13)
Or Board bus 53/53M Opp The Minton Stop ID: 62221 and alight at S'Goon Stn Exit B Stop ID: 66351 or S'Goon Stn Exit C/Blk 201 Stop ID: 66359 to MRT Serangoon (NE12/CC13)
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