With just less than four days before the year of the rat; i think it's high time i should stop procrastinating and proceed to publish the 100 over photographs i took in Chinatown (Singapore) almost two weeks back!
2020 marks the start of the new zodiac cycle; the year of the rat and as explained in my post here, this year's 12-meter tall centrepiece didn't attract any negative feedback with its portrayal of a happy rodent family although it appeared that there were two "wives".
My annual pilgrimage for the lunar new year festive light up and bazaar started officially in 2012 and since then, i have covered the dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. To be frank, most stalls remained the same throughout the years and i feel like i am repeating myself sometimes!
Only difference is really the decoration which will centre mainly on the zodiac animal that's 'on duty' for the coming lunar year. Hence, you would likely see lesser words or a collective of photos in this posting rather than my usual one-picture, one-narrative format.
So let's now proceed with the rest of the pictures; this year, i visited Chinatown with Alex and another friend who is a real photograph enthusiast! I didn't manage to take BETTER pictures as i forgot to bring along an important piece of equipment; the troublesome tripod.
Anyway, i have always maintained my status as an amateur and so long the photos are natural looking and able to show what i need them to show; i would be fine. For example, this side view of the centrepiece.
The front and back views!
Lanterns in the shape of golden coins hung across New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street. According to mainstream media, there were 1,388 lanterns, including 200 were in the form of rat.
Why would there be other animals in the rat year?
Because it's the start of the new zodiac cycle and you can see the line of zodiac animals at the back that's waiting for their turn to take over when their time comes, in the 12 years ahead.
Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa - before the queue started! As compared to 10 years ago, technology has brought much convenience as i heard from a friend that you can even pre-order for delivery now!
See the crowd right behind the SBS Transit staff - let's be kind to all the working staff okay? They have a job to do so the least we can do is just to be more considerate and cooperative.
More photo opportunities on the overhead garden bridge connecting New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street. It's good to see the space being decorated nowadays; in the past, there's nothing to reflect the new lunar year!
Level view of the hanging lanterns; one minor gripe of mine is that the lanterns hung across the two major roads don't seem to exhibit much creativity over the years.
Come; the exploration of the street bazaar shall start now and as usual, i would begin with the pagoda street which is the busiest given the prime location of being the closest to the Chinatown mrt station's exit!
It's literally a sea of red and orange as the Chinese sees red as lucky and vibrancy as auspicious! Many stalls were decked out in the festive decorations that are also for sale! Thankfully i don't have the habit of adorning my house with them even though they do result in a festive atmosphere.
Loving these lovely lanterns on top of some of the stalls. I guess they were adopted and recycled from past light-ups. Aside from the lunar new year festival, Chinatown also has light-ups during the mid-autumn festivals. To get a feel of the festive programmes in Chinatown, click here!
Our professional photographer friend goofing around as we asked him out quite last minute and he didn't bring his precious cameras. Why i said he is professional photographer? Because people go overseas for photography expeditions!
Rat plushies!
Bee Cheng Hiang - an international bak kwa brand did a marvellous job in decorating their shop front with lanterns! I sure hope more shops would do the same; aside to contributing to the atmosphere, it's also eye catching.
I actually went down a day after the opening ceremony. If you are making your way down to Chinatown these few days, the same spot would likely have a stage built up for the countdown this Friday night.
More rat lanterns, including baby mice on a rotating ferris wheel!
Temple Street is honestly the best section for the street bazaar. It has the longest stretch of temporary stalls and you can sometimes see new / popular / unique products for sale.
Many photographers; amateurs, professionals and wannabes!
The items on sale; you would see the pinwheels from Wong Tai Sin temple in Hong Kong, the wide variety of nuts, dried fruits, festive biscuits, seaweed crisps etc!
Sampling is a must to attract customers and you can see for yourself how dirty the floor was! Singapore is a clean city not because of the civil-mindedness of its residents; it's mainly due to the diligent cleaners who clean up after us.
Luggage tags?! Seriously? To be fair, there were a number of permanent brick and mortar shops that submitted a bid for the stall and their businesses might not cater as much for the lunar new year.
One particular product that i see quite often, even in pasar malams and those pop-up events in shopping malls, is the nano screen protector for your phones. At S$10, they are not very pricey too. I wasn't as attracted as i prefer privacy protectors.
Sampling for instant noodles which can added to steamboat, fried and can be served as soup based, dry form and even be chilled cold like soba! I didn't try as i want to cut down on carbohydrates.
Madeleine's Portuguese egg tarts; like many food fads in Singapore, this brand was popular for a while and resulted in a lot of imitation before dying down. What's the current food fad in Singapore? I think it's bubble tea (which sees a resurgence from over 20 years ago) and taiwan-style chicken cutlet.
My friend said the lemongrass oil under the brand "黑灰蚊" is super good in repelling cockroaches. One bottle doesn't come cheap though at over S$25.
Mala bak kwa! Straitstimes just had an article last Sunday on the new types of bak kwa and this is one of them. Other interesting ones include red wine flavour, coffee flavour, lobster meat, crocodile meat.
Candied Hawthorn Stick (冰糖葫芦) - i tried before and can't say the taste appealed to me as the fruit itself can be relatively sour. I only like to lick the exterior, sweet layer.
Non-edible one would be more appealing to me!
阿胶糕 - even by its Chinese name, you would suspect that the key ingredient (阿胶) is "gelatin obtained from the skin of the donkey"! Said to be used heavily by Empress Dowager Cixi; its nutritional benefits include better complexion, tonics for the liver and kidney, replenishes the blood etc.
Interesting aroma stones! These would be good for Christmas presents actually.
My favourite stall and one that i would always look forward to visiting every festive bazaar for the lunar new year! It's the place where i get the king kong peanuts and phoenix eye melon seeds for my mom.
The staff on duty were always so energised and friendly; especially this uncle! Furthermore, their pricing for the nuts and seeds is always the cheapest around. Do go and support!
Other products on sale along the street! Candied fruits, bamboo charcoal nano fiber towels, prosperity plants, more nuts, plushes, mochis and jellies (S$1.80 per 100 grams two weeks ago), more festive biscuits (prices to be slashed massively as CNY nears) and much more!
It's the durian season now and while you can get your fix in Chinatown; i would very much prefer my usual durian stall in Ang Mo Kio. Pity Ah Di is closed for the lunar new year and would only be back after the holiday!
You know what i am always craving for nowadays? The Queen of Fruits; mangosteens! As they are not in season now, the prices have gone up. The cheapest i ever paid for is S$7 for 3 kilograms!
Easy to make chawanmushi (of various flavours) having a presence again this year! I love it so much; i ever contacted the seller to deliver 10 packs to me! Maybe it's time for me to blog about it soon!
Another brand for the coral seaweed jelly! There was one period of time i am a loyal customer of the jelly under the Arkon brand as it's not difficult to make and my mom loved it! Now, my beloved mom had elevated to osmanthus jelly with red dates and chinese wolfberries!
Another stall offering nano screen protector.
Floor mats with cute rat designs! Maybe i should get one for my parents; not for my house though as my concept is predominantly black, white and gray.
Taiwan whole grain oatmeal - with flavours like sweet potato, Chinese yam and walnut, the snacks are supposedly high fiber and low sugar. My sister got a few packs before and they were real addictive!
What's pedole seaweed?
I found the facebook page here.
Remember to sample before deciding to buy! Go on an empty stomach as there's just so much to try and i always feel guilty eating so much....
The African stall with its African-made bags and shoes! Remember, 40% of its sales goes to charity and you can get shoes made from camel leather!
Street photography with one showing the iconic People's Park Complex; there's already the demolition of the circular Pearl Bank Apartments and next to go is rumoured to be the People's Park Complex.
Crowd surrounding this particular stall.
It's the Coffee Hock stall where you can get a cup of kopi O for free! I am a bigger fan of 3-in-1 but the 2-in-1 kopi o and kopi o kosong from Coffee Hock do appeal to my taste buds. The original prices wouldn't break a hole in your pocket and it's amazing you get discounts when you buy from their pop-up stall along Temple Street!
Flower lantern decorations along South Bridge Road.
More lanterns featuring the zodiac animals on display! Can you guess their location? Hint, it's a temple and it housed a relic from a very important person.
Yes, you can find the lanterns near the entrance of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple!
Sago Lane - a pedestrian street that's the least crowded among streets covered under the festive bazaar which is perplexing as it's next to the popular Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and near Kreta Ayer Square where performances are often held.
My primary objective, in addition to phototaking, would be purchasing nian gao from tai chong kok for my mom! They are heavy and now that the brand has a branch in Northpoint City; maybe i can buy in Yishun instead.
Christian-themed lunar new year paper cut decorations!
Other random photos taken along Sago Lane; the CNY Lucky Coin (迎春吉祥币) vending machines attracted my attention. Read here to find out more!
Trengganu Street and Smith Street - Japanese mushrooms, the Cantonese style waxed products and dried persimmons! Personally, i feel that prices of items sold in the bazaar were slightly higher this way and i can't also buy in smaller quantity.
Take for example the dried persimmons, i can still buy 500 grams last year but this year; a minimum of one kilogram is required. The price of S$10 remains unchanged from 2019 though.
Rediffusion Singapore (丽的呼声) - is this a permanent shopfront for the radio station that used to command over 100,000 subscribers?
Shopee was having live auctions and as expected, it generated a lot of curiousity from bystanders. Some may argue there's nothing related to lunar new year but you can't deny its popularity with the younger generation. To me, tradition is as good as dead if it's not relatable to the youth.
Can't imagine the crowd on lunar new year's eve! I am likely going to sweep up clearance deals as my reunion dinner would be at the nearby clarke quay area.
Do check out my post on Chinatown Street Light Up at night!
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Festive Street Bazaar
From 03 to 24 January 2020
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