Arab Street lies between Victoria Street and Beach Road in the Kampong Glam area, and was part of the Rochor Planning Area of Singapore’s Central Region. Sir Stamford Raffles had designated the Kampong Glam area as the most appropriate area for Arabs to live in. ...

The Armenians are a small ethnic community who established themselves in Singapore, with no more than 100 Armenians ever living here at any given time. Vestiges of the importance of this community can be seen in the presence of place-names such as Armenian Street ...

Lim Boon Keng (Dr) (林文庆; Lin Wenqing) (b. 18 October 1869, Singapore–d. 1 January 1957, Singapore) was an eminent figure of the Straits Chinese community. Trained as a medical doctor, Lim was also a public intellectual and writer who championed Confucianism and ...

Founded by Ang Chek Meng, Ng Yu-Ying, Leslie Tan and Lionel Tan in 1992, T’ang Quartet is the first professional string quartet formed in Singapore. Noted for its precision and balance, the quartet’s musical repertoire is a skilful and contemporary blend of both ...

Eu Tong Sen (b. 23 July 1877, Penang, Malaya –d. 11 May 1941, Hong Kong ) was a businessman and philanthropist who established his fortune in Malaya, and subsequently Hong Kong and southern China. The foundation of his business empire was established through tin ...

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Singapore is located at 1 Orchard Road. Founded on the same Christian principles as its parent in Britain, the YMCA was officially established in Singapore on 30 June 1903. In its early years, the organisation was ...

Chen Su Lan, Dr (b. 1885, Fuzhou, Fujian, China–d. 5 May 1972, Singapore) was one of Singapore's first local medical graduates and is best remembered as a philanthropist and social reformer. In the 1920s and 30s, Chen led a campaign against opium addiction, which ...

The Gunong Sayang Association, or Persatuan Gunong Sayang in Malay, is a Peranakan (Straits Chinese) social club that aims to promote Peranakan performing arts. It has played an instrumental role in preserving the Peranakan version of dondang sayang, the singing ...

The Javanese are one of the larger Indonesian ethnic groups that migrated to Singapore in various waves starting from the early 19th century. People of Javanese ancestry in Singapore are now regarded as part of the larger Malay/Muslim community.

The Sikh community is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Singapore and is usually considered part of the larger North Indian community. According to the 2010 census, there are about 12,952 Sikhs in Singapore. The Sikhs first came to Singapore in 1819 as sepoys, ...

The Bugis were among the first groups of people to arrive in Singapore after the British established a trading settlement on the island in 1819. Many of the early Bugis settlers came as maritime traders and made significant contributions to the development of Singapore ...

The Eurasian community is a small but influential ethnic group that has been present in Singapore since the early 19th century. Eurasians are persons with mixed European and Asian lineage. Most Eurasians in Singapore can trace the European part of their ancestry ...

The Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) is a self-help group for Singapore’s Indian community. It supports education, assists families in need and fosters collaboration with related organisations. Its mission is to “build a well-educated, resilient ...

Naraina (Narayana) Pillai (Pillay) first came to Singapore in May 1819 together with Stamford Raffles. Attracted by Raffles’s persuasive ideals of Singapore, Pillai left Penang, Malaysia only to find he had to start from scratch. Pillai began as chief clerk at ...

The Jewish community has been in Singapore since the early years of British colonisation, and has contributed significantly to Singapore’s development as a nation.

Lee Seng Gee (b. 25 June 1921, Singapore–d. 10 May 2016, Singapore) was the former chairman of Lee Foundation and Lee Rubber Group. He was known for his charitable and philanthropic contributions towards education, the underprivileged and the arts, continuing the ...

Tan Kah Kee (b. 21 October 1874, Jimei, Tong’an, Quanzhou, Fujian, China–d. 12 August 1961, Beijing, China) was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist, nicknamed the “Henry Ford of Malaya”. He contributed extensively to the financing of schools and ...

Kartar Singh Thakral (b. 22 September 1933, Bangkok, Thailand–) is the chairman of Thakral Group of Companies and executive director of Singapore-listed Thakral Corporation. An active community leader, he serves as a trustee to the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation ...

The Hakka community is the fourth-largest Chinese dialect group in Singapore. According to the 2010 Singapore census, the Hakkas made up about 8 percent of the Chinese resident population. riginating from southern China, the Hakkas were already in Singapore by ...

Gan Eng Seng alias Yen Hsi K’un (b. 1844, Malacca, Malaysia–d. 9 September 1899, Singapore) was a Chinese ethnic leader, labour contractor, and a landed proprietor of early Singapore who contributed considerably to charities as well as hospitals and schools. He ...