Traditional cobblers repaired footwear. Most cobblers were Chinese although a few Indian and Malay cobblers also plied the trade in old Singapore. Cobblers were found throughout the island and many worked along the five-foot-ways of shophouses. Some cobblers later ...

Tinsmithing, a vanishing trade in Singapore, involved the manufacture and repairing of a variety of containers made out of metals such as tin, zinc and aluminium. Tinsmiths in Singapore were mainly from the Hakka community. Their shops-cum-workshops were located ...

Travelling hawkers or itinerant hawkers were a common sight in Singapore during the 19th century to mid-20th century. They were frequently found along busy streets and intersections, peddling food, drinks, vegetables, poultry and sundries. Street hawking was a ...

Chinese seal carvers are traditional craftsmen who make Chinese seals by carving characters and designs onto the base of blocks of stone, wood, ivory, jade and other solid material. Seal carving was a lucrative trade in the past as seals were used in Chinese business ...

Tukang urut is a Malay term for masseuse. The art of urut is a pioneering trade practised by both men and women. A tukang urut provides therapeutic and soothing body massages to provide relief for a range of muscle aches, cramps, pain and even strains. Female tukang ...

Parrot astrologers are fortune tellers who use green parakeets to aid them with their craft. Acting as a medium, the parrot will pick a “lucky card”, presumably based on the customer’s name and birth date. The astrologer then reads the customer’s future from this ...

Snake charmers are street performers who “hypnotise” and coax their snakes to “dance” and sway to the music they play on their flutes. Snake charming is a traditional Indian folk art. In Singapore, this art is mainly performed by Indians although some Malays and ...

Letter writers made a living out of writing letters. Their services were sought after by those who were semi-literate as well as illiterate. The letters that they wrote were in calligraphic Chinese script and were used by the Chinese migrants living in Singapore ...

Roadside barbers used to be a common sight in Singapore, operating mainly out of makeshift sheds with walls of wooden planks, and wooden roofs or awnings. Also known as street barbers or five-foot-way barbers, they offer fuss-free trims in back alleys.

Chinese laundry shops are colloquially termed dhobi shops, after the Indian dhobi man who operated a similar business in an Indian neighbourhood. The sign on the door is usually in Chinese, coupled with English the words "washing and dry-cleaning". The shops were ...

Indian jewellers or Indian goldsmiths designed and hand-crafted gold jewellery that was sold either in shops or directly by them to their customers. They were Indian men who worked mainly around Little India especially in shophouses along Upper Dickson Road and ...

Traditional furniture makers are highly skilled carpenters who make furniture pieces using Chinese furniture-making methods. The older generation of craftsmen mostly came from China within the last century. Some of these craftsmen were Japanese who arrived in Singapore ...

Clogs were the preferred form of footwear in Singapore before World War II. Clog shops were commonly found in Temple Street in Chinatown, Sultan Street and Fraser Street.

Five-foot-way traders were craftsmen who conducted their businesses along shophouse walkways that were five feet wide. These traders were immigrants of various ethnicities who came to early Singapore and could be found in areas such as Chinatown.

Shoelast makers made shoelasts or shoe trees, on which shoes were built. A completed pair of shoes were placed on the shoelasts, and the shoes’ uppers were dressed to form a finished product. Shoelasts were made of wooden bases or moulds and carved into different ...

Idol carvers were craftsmen who carved Chinese deities out of wood for worship. They were usually Cantonese and Hokchew working in the Chinatown area. Their work involved not only fine craftsmanship but also an understanding of Chinese gods and goddesses.

The jaga are traditional watchmen or guards who used to stand vigil outside banks, godowns and shops to prevent theft and damage to property. The position was initially filled by Sikhs in early Singapore and eventually came to be associated with the Sikh community. ...

Carwashers were commonly seen in carparks throughout Singapore during the 1970s to ’80s. They were usually of Indian ethnicity and provided manual carwashing services for a monthly fee.

Joss carving is the fashioning of joss paste or joss sticks into figurines and idols from Chinese mythology, opera and history. These joss sticks can be 1.2 to 1.5 m high, and elaborately carved with dragon and phoenix motifs, or embossed with colourful divinities. ...

The China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) marks Singapore as the first Asian country to have a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China. This is a major milestone in Singapore’s relationship with China since diplomatic ties were officially ...