Keat Hong Hall
Keat Hong Village was one of the selected village in the early sixties under the early rural centre concept, when it was redeveloped under the Master Plan of zoning from an agricultural sector to a settlement zone with a rural centre. Rural centres were also common in Malaysia, a term that was coined as early as the fifties, but they appeared to be more of training facilities that aimed to develop the rural areas and train the locals on agriculture such as padi planting and rubber tapping.
Most of Singapore’s agricultural areas, in the seventies and eighties, were concentrated at the country’s north-eastern and north-western parts. They were mostly vegetable, fruit, poultry and pig farms. The HDB-built rural centres were therefore meant to be “centralised” locations at the different agricultural areas to provide basic amenities, such as shops, markets, hawker centres, clinics and small residential units, to the populations living around the farms. This would provide convenience to the residents and allowed them to be self-sustaining, reducing the need to travel frequently to the more urbanised parts of Singapore to buy the basic necessities.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from “Remember Singapore” website
Keat Hong Village
Keat Hong Village
Map of Singapore
Lam Soon Auditorium
In the late eighties, many of these kampong were demolished for the development of Choa Chu Kang New Town. By 1992, rows of new colourful high-rise HDB flats had replaced most of the attap houses.
Lam Soon CC was originally situated near Lam Soon Village and Nam San Village. Later, it became one of the few void deck Community Centres in Singapore when it relocated to Blk 421 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 in 1990s. Lam Soon CC is a void deck CC which offers a 'Kampong Style' TV viewing area where residents enjoy their favorite TV programmes together. The CC is also home to one of the largest Petanque courts in Singapore.
In order to make rural roads more accessible, many Gotong Royong Road Construction or Road Repair Projects were carried out with the help of the PWD, Army and the rural residents. Lam Soon CC, being the key CC in the Constituency, was chosen to host the yearly National Day Dinners, National Servicemen send-off Parties and other important events. The Keat Hong CC Chinese Orchestra Troupe was formed in 1974. It became famous after winning many prestigious cultural awards.
When the CCs in the urban areas started to raise funds through the “A Dollar A Brick” campaign and other fundraising projects for building of modern CCs, that was the time when we began to find more good reasons to justify for the need to close down rural CCs in Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah, Pasir Panjang and Jurong Constituencies in the West Region in the late 1970s and early 1980s to give way for new developments.
Content extracted from Community Centres in Chua Chu Kang blog and “Remember Singapore” website
Construction of a CC in the 1960s
Lam Soon CC in the 1960s
Lim Chu Kang Culinary Room
In the past, the people of Choa Chu Kang were farmers who lived in Kampungs near the plantations they worked in. These pioneers usually belonged from either the Teochew or Hokkien clans. It was this pioneering group that gave the neighbourhood its name, which is derived from the Teochew word “kang chu" (Lord of the River).
Lim Chu Kang Village was another kangchu system located along the river banks of Sungei Kranji. It was headed by a Lim clan, but the founder was Neo Tiew (1883 – 1975), who made massive contributions to the development of this region, such as education, healthcare, social security and power supply. Neo Tiew Road and Neo Tiew Estate are named after him.
The areas at present-day Lim Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang and Yio Chu Kang were formerly the kangchu systems headed by the Lim, Choa and Yio (Yeo) clans.
In the early days, like other kangchu systems in Singapore, the villagers in Lim Chu Kang specialised in Gambier and pepper planting. Rubber plantations were later set up, with investment by the wealthy Irish Cashin family. In 1979, along with Punggol, Lim Chu Kang was one of the two designated districts in Singapore for pig rearing, after the government passed the law to prohibit pig farms in other parts of the island.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from “Remember Singapore” website
The Kangchu Systems in Singapore 1851
Lim Chu Kang Village in 1979
Teck Whye Conference Room
Since Independence, there have been plans to bring modernization and development to Singapore. In the 1980 Master Plan for Bukit Panjang, Teck Whye Estate was the first to be planned out.
The first high rise flats in Choa Chu Kang Constituency were built in Teck Whye Estate in 1980 (pictured above). Over the next two decades, more high rise flats began developing in more areas in Choa Chu Kang. By 1997, the latest zone, Yew Tee, was added to Choa Chu Kang.
As Singapore developed and quality of life soared, residents asked for improvements in the design and architecture of their homes. In response, HDB improved on the design of their buildings. In Choa Chu Kang, the evolution of HDB flats can be witnessed by strolling through the neighbourhood and observing the changes in the design and layout of the buildings!
Content extracted from Regent Secondary School website and “Remember Singapore” website
Source of Map: URA and OneSG
Modernization of Choa Chu Kang
Map of Choa Chu Kang dated 1980
Map of Choa Chu Kang dated 2015
Nam Hoe Dance Studio 1
Neo Tiew Estate, or Lim Chu Kang Rural Centre, was built in 1979. It is located at the junction of Lim Chu Kang Road and Neo Tiew Road. A number of HDB estates from that period were known as “Rural Centres” as they housed relocated farmers who were allowed to continue with their farming activities. This housing scheme was stopped soon after to encourage Singaporeans to take up non-agricultural related jobs.
Neo Tiew Estate was named after Mr Neo Tiew (梁宙), who contributed greatly to the development of the village in the early 1900s. He contributed to the paving of the road (which would later be named after him), set up the first mini-mart in Lim Chu Kang (Nan He Mini-Mat at Nam Hoe Village, or 南和村 in Mandarin, located along New Tiew Road, near Turut Track) and started the Kay Wah Chinese School (公立启化学校). He also risked his life to protect the settlement from the invading Japanese during WWII.
The main school of Kay Wah Chinese School, for upper primary levels, was located at Thong Hoe Village (通和村). Branch I (启化第一分校) was at Ama Keng Village (阿妈宫村), and Branch II (启化第二分校) was at Nam Hoe Village. The 2 branch schools were for lower primary levels. The 3 schools have since been reunited as Qihua Primary School (启化小学; “Kay Wah” was the Hokkien pronunciation) and is currently located in Woodlands.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from Singapore Lost & Filed blog and “Remember Singapore” website
Lim Chu Kang Rural Centre
Used as a location for urban warfare training, the place was not maintained
Nam Hoe Dance Studio 2
Three large Chinese kampong once flourished at Lim Chu Kang. They were the Ama Keng Village (亚妈宫村), Thong Hoe Village (通和村) and Nan Hoe Village (南和村). Located between the 17.5 milestone of Lim Chu Kang Road, Ama Keng Village was filled with attap and zinc-roofed houses and single-storey shophouses that provided the basic needs for a self-sufficient rural community. Thong Hoe Village was situated a short distance away at the 18.5 milestone of Lim Chu Kang Road, while Nan Hoe Village stood along Neo Tiew Road.
Flanked by thick canopies of Angsana and Mahogany trees, the rustic Lim Chu Kang Road was gazetted as a Heritage Road by the National Parks Board in 2001. Four other Heritage Roads elsewhere in Singapore are Arcadia, Mandai, Mount Pleasant and South Buona Vista Roads.
Content extracted from “Remember Singapore” website
Lim Chu Kang Road gazetted as a Heritage Road
Lim Chu Kang Road in 1930
Lim Chu Kang Road in 2008
Kranji Activity Room
Kranji Road gets its name from a local tree, the Kranji or Keranji tree (scientific name: Dialium indum), which was found in abundance all over Singapore in the first half of the 19th century. The Kranji area developed from the early 1900s onwards when the Singapore-Kranji railway was laid in 1903 extending from Tank Road to Kranji. The establishment of the Johor State Railway in 1909 and the opening of the Causeway in 1923 led to further development of Kranji. A Malay village, called Kampong Kranji, used to be located here and was found marked on a 1946 railway map.
Kranji also served as a military camp before the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1942, and is now the home of the Kranji War Cemetery and Kranji War Memorial, commemorating the 30,000 Commonwealth personnel who died in Singapore, Malaya, Java and Sumatra during World War II.
On 14 December 1963, Kranji Community Centre was open by then Political Secretary to Prime Minister’s Office Mr Lee Khoon Choy. It was closed down in 1988.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from “National Library Board” website
Back in the old days
Sungei Kadut Activity Room
In the Malay language, Sungei refers to river and Kadut refers to sack cloth. In the 1900s, around Sungei Kadut is a mangrove swamp that stretches to the now Kranji Reservoir. During World War II, Sungei Kadut was one of the first sites where the Japanese soldiers entered Singapore. It was later developed into an industrial site.
In the 1970s and 1980s, furniture making and milling factories sprung across the estate. These clusters of factories housing perishable combustibles subsequently become a source of fire hazard in the region that a fire post is set up in the region. Several years ago, blazing fires have even caused MRT trains along North South MRT Line to stop operation. On August 3, 2008, the worst blaze occurred in a factory. Initial attempts to control the blaze failed as it spread to several stacks of wooden pellets and tires nearby. It required more than 4 hours and 100 firemen before the fire was being put out. As several factories were not insured, many companies suffered huge losses.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from “Revolvy” website
Sungei Kadut Village Community Centre
Sungei Kadut Village Community Centre
Sungei Tengah Activity Room
Kampong Sungei Tengah, together with Kampong Jurong Tanjung Balai, Tong Seng Village (东成村) and Lam San Village (南山村) was a series of small coastal village location in the district of Old Chua Chu Kang Road.
In the late eighties, many of these kampong were demolished for the development of Choa Chu Kang New Town. By 1992, rows of new colourful high-rise HDB flats had replaced most of the attap houses.
Kampong Petempatan Melayu or Kampong Tengah was a Malay Settlement which was established in the 1960s on some 16.5 hectare of land acquired by the Government from the Bukit Sembawang Group. It was a group of three coastal villages just east of the Naval Base which also included Kampong Tanjong Irau to its east and Kampong Wak Hassan to its west. A mosque, touted as the “last kampong mosque in Singapore”, the Masjid Petempatan Melayu, was built in Kampong Tengah which still stands today, despite the disappearance of the village.
Content extracted from “Remember Singapore” website
Lim Chu Kang Road gazetted as a Heritage Road
Lim Chu Kang Road in 1930
Lim Chu Kang Road in 2008
Thong Hoe Activity Room
Located at 18 ms Lim Chu Kang Road and Neo Tiew Road respectively, Thong Hoe Village (通和村) and Lam Hoe Village (南和村) were both named after the shophouses set up by Pioneer community leader, Mr Neo Tiew, OBE to cater to the daily needs of the workers in the early periods of development.
Neo Tiew (1883-1975), came down from China as a young former Colonel in the Chinese Army. He built his house in the jungle far away from the city which grew into a travellers' inn and later after the war grew into a village of Thong Hoe which grew into the kingdom of Neo Tiew that comprise of Neo Tiew Road, Neo Tiew Lane, Nam Hoe Village and Thong Hoe Village at the end of Ama Keng Road.
Neo Tiew who had the estate and road named after him, was a pioneer in the development of Lim Chu Kang. He was heavily involved in developing roads and setting up schools, power stations and clinics in the area. He was also honoured by the late King George VI with a certificate in recognition of his loyalty and work in keeping peace in Thong Hoe Village in Lim Chu Kang Road in 1951.
Thong Hoe Community Centre, located near Thong Hoe Village, was opened in 1961. It was one of the six community centres located at old Lim Chu Kang vicinity and was closed down in the late 1980s.
Pictures from “National Archives of Singapore” website
Content extracted from “Wan Bao” website and “Remember Singapore” website
Thong Hoe Community Centre