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Singapore · Mysteries & legends

Opium, Fire and Sea Goddesses: the Secrets of Chinatown

Beneath the red lanterns and souvenir shops, Chinatown hides a far darker and more fascinating past: opium dens, the trade in labourers, houses where immigrants went to die, and temples raised by those who survived the voyage. This walk carefully separates what the records say from what tradition tells.

  • 5 stops
  • 1.1 km
  • 1 h 30 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The gopuram of Sri Mariamman Temple covered with figures of deities

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Pagoda StreetBehind the souvenir stalls there were once opium dens and a market in labourers.
  2. 2 Sri Mariamman TempleSingapore's oldest Hindu temple, where every year devotees walk across burning coals.
  3. 3 Buddha Tooth Relic TempleA new temple, a sacred tooth in doubt and a lane the Chinese called "the street of the dead".
  4. 4 Ann Siang HillTelok Ayer's last hill: nutmeg plantations, letters home to China and a millionaires' club.
  5. 5 Thian Hock Keng TempleWhere Chinese sailors thanked Mazu, goddess of the sea, as soon as they set foot on dry land.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Opium, Fire and Sea Goddesses: the Secrets of Chinatown

The port's dark side

The coolie trade, opium and the "death houses" that gave some streets a grim reputation.

Faith and legend

A walk across burning coals, a disputed relic and a goddess who calmed the storms.

Fact and folklore

At every stop we clearly separate documented facts from tradition.

Keep exploring

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