Chinatown Street Market
The narrow streets of Smith Street, Trengganu Street, Temple Street, Sago Lane and Pagoda Street offer Singapore's best street shopping experience, centered on what used to be the island's opium district.
The Street Market was first introduced in 2004 as an attempt to recreate (and clean up) the old-school street hawkers of Chinatown, minus the street trash and the cheats. About 140 stalls line the streets, offering great deals on gray-market electronics, traditional crafts, fashion rip-offs, and antiques of questionable provenance.
Great hawker food can be sampled on Smith Street, known alternatively as “Chinatown Food Street”. The hawkers along this al fresco space serve up Singapore's most famous foods, from laksa to roast duck to char kway teow to Hainanese chicken rice.
Stalls start selling by 10am and close for the day at 10pm. Avoid visiting during high noon, and come instead at dusk as the street lights and stall illumination turn the Street Market into a magical sight.
People's Park Centre
For many locals, People's Park is a repository for old Singapore nostalgia through stores selling old photos and Chinatown memorabilia. Travel agents and massage parlors also call People's Park Complex home.
There are a fair number of cellphone and cellphone-related stores in the complex, though those stalls have a reputation for dishonest service, going by its dubious distinction of “most complained-about shopping center”.
China Square Central
On Sundays (9am to 6pm), the China Square Central Flea Market sets up shop in the main atrium, hawking kitsch and retro goodies in excess – comic books, retro appliances like rotary telephones and grandfather clocks; antiques; and toys – all taking up two floors of the mall.
Chinatown Point
Of particular interest is the four-level Podium B within the store, a series of shops known collectively as the Singapore Handicraft Centre selling a wide range of handicrafts, including (but not limited to) porcelain, bronze artifacts, wood carvings, paintings, antique furniture, Chinese musical instruments, and traditional embroidery.
Other bargains within the building include watches, cosmetics, shoes, and cosmetics. Speaking of cosmetics, Chinatown Point also houses a number of good-value beauty salons.
Colonial houses on Ann Siang Road, Singapore
The decades-old shophouses along Ann Siang Hill now carry retail brands banking on the strong retro vibe of the neighborhood, from noted haberdashery Aston Blake to Aster by Kyra’s Peranakan-inspired ceramics. Stay till after dark, and flit between the bars that come to life at night.
See more: 6 must-try restaurants in Chinatown, Singapore
Source: Internet
