I guess every Singaporean has a story to tell in one way or another… of the place he or she was born and raised. Each story is an unique memory. I’m no exception. My hometown was Ang Mo Kio. If the life expectancy of a Singaporean male is around 79, I’d have spent almost one third of my life living in Ang Mo Kio.
Ang Mo Kio and My Family
My parents moved to Ang Mo Kio in 1979 when I was 3-plus. Previously, we lived in a rental flat at Toa Payoh. The successful balloting came as a delightful surprise as Ang Mo Kio was then an upcoming new town. Costing $13,000, our three-and-a-half room flat was located in a favourable location along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, where there were convenient amenities such as hawker centre, wet market and schools within short walking distance.
Most of my peers, including me, grew up living in HDB flats. Not for my parents though, who had lived in kampong during their younger days. My father grew in a humble Hakka village off Old Holland Road, while my mother was from Chia Keng, a Teochew kampong that was formerly located near the present-day Yio Chu Kang Stadium and was demolished in the mid-eighties. Imagine their delight when they moved into a new unit with ready supply of water, electricity and modern sanitation.
Ang Mo Kio… Tomato or Bridge?
For years, there were misconceptions that the name of Ang Mo Kio was derived from the Hokkien term for tomatoes. However, no tomato farms were ever grown in this vicinity.
Thus, the more likely origin of the name came from the bridge purportedly built by the British Government Surveyor John Turnbull Thomson (1821–1884) at the junction of Upper Thomson Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Upper Thomson Road was also named after him. Another saying was that there were nine, instead of one, bridges in Ang Mo Kio. They were built by the British military, and therefore being termed “ang mo kio“, which means “Caucasian’s bridge” in Hokkien.
The final explanation was that there were actually two major bridges in the old swampy Ang Mo Kio. One was a wooden bridge and the other was made of concrete. The locals called the bridges as “pang kio” (“wooden bridge” in Hokkien) and “ang mo kio” (“ang mo” here refers to “ang mo huay“, which means “concrete” in Hokkien).
Whether it was one, two or nine bridges, they, along with the swamps, farmlands and villages, had long vanished in the development of Ang Mo Kio New Town.
Ang Mo Kio Districts and Avenues
The earliest plan to build a residential estate at Ang Mo Kio began in 1971. It was initially intended for the small car repair shop owners who had been relocated from the city area. By 1973, it was decided to develop Ang Mo Kio into a new town with self-sufficient facilities. It would be the seventh housing estate in Singapore built by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Ang Mo Kio was designed with six neighbourhoods with streets that run perpendicular to each other. As such, it was the first new town in Singapore to be designed in metric dimensions.
There is a total of ten main avenues in Ang Mo Kio. The avenues in odd numbers (Avenue 1, 3, 5 and 9) run from east to west in ascending order, whereas the even-numbered avenues (Avenue 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) run from north to south.
However, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 7 is missing in the map, which logically should be parallel between Avenue 5 and 9. Did the town planners make a mistake last time? Ang Mo Kio Avenue 7 was mentioned in some history context but its exclusion remains a mystery till today. There is also no Ang Mo Kio Avenue 11 because Yio Chu Kang Road is already running parallel to the north of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9.
The smaller streets in Ang Mo Kio, on the other hand, are numbered according to the clusters of flats they lead to. Ang Mo Kio Street 52, for example, runs through the neigbourhood with the block numbers began with 500-plus, where Ang Mo Kio Street 44 leads to the 400-plus-numbered flats. This concept is also used in other new towns such as Bishan and Jurong East/West.
The six neighbourhoods in Ang Mo Kio are categorised as Kebun Baru/Mayflower (with blocks numbered 100- and 200-plus), Teck Ghee (block 300-plus), Chong Boon (block 400-plus), Cheng San (block 500-plus), Yio Chu Kang (block 600-plus) and Town Centre (block 700-plus).
Cheng San, in particular, was named after Kampong Cheng San, also known as Cheng Sua Lai (青山内, “Green Hills Interior” in Hokkien), a dominant village that existed in the area between the fifties and seventies. It was made up of many clusters of Hokkien and Teochew villages, as well as some Malay and Indian families. A long track known as Cheng San Road once cut through the vegetation and farmlands in old Ang Mo Kio to link between Upper Thomson Road and Serangoon Gardens.
Other villages included Jio Sua (石山, “Stone Hill”) and Kow Tiow Kio (九条桥, “Nine Bridges”). Jio Sua was an early Hokkien village existed from the late 19th century till the mid-seventies. It was located at present-day Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West and was likely to named after a red sandstone that was found in the vicinity. Farming and quarrying were the main activities then.
Named after the nine bridges built by the British to link Lorong Kinchir over the Kallang River, Kow Tiow Kio was a settlement along present-day Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 that housed mainly Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese families. The villagers engaged in vegetable and fruit farming, pig rearing and rubber and coconut plantations. They were resettled in the seventies to Sin Ming, Toa Payoh and other parts of Ang Mo Kio.
There was another smaller village, known as Lak Xun (六巡), located between Track 14 and 16 (both were defunct today) of Yio Chu Kang Road.
Amoy Quee Camp is the only military camp based in Ang Mo Kio. Formerly a British army camp, its name was derived from Kampong Amoy Quee that once dominated this area. The name of the kampong itself arose from the nickname given to the British and Australian soldiers by the locals.
During the pre-independence days, the military personnel living at the Serangoon Gardens would drive through the kampong as a shortcut to the Seletar and Sembawang camps. Their reckless drivings sometimes killed the villagers’ chicken and other livestock. The angry locals thus nicknamed the Caucasians as “ang moh kwee” (“red-haired devils” in Hokkien).
There is also a small housing estate located along Yio Chu Kang Road, considered part of Ang Mo Kio New Town. It is the Teachers’ Housing Estate, completed in 1968 by the Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU). The project aimed to provide affordable housing for the teachers. More than 250 terrace houses were built and priced at around $24,000, which was still a large amount for the teachers then. Eventually only 70% of the houses were sold to teachers.
An interesting trivia about Teachers’ Estate is that all its roads are named after famous poets and philosophers.
Some examples are Li Po Avenue, Tu Fu Avenue, Tung Po Avenue (named after ancient Chinese poets Li Bai 李白, Du Fu 杜甫 and Su Dong Po 苏东坡), Iqbal Avenue (named after Muslim poet Muhammad Iqbal) and Omar Khayyam Avenue (named after Persian poet Omar Khayyam).
Ang Mo Kio and My Schools
My ten years of primary school and secondary school life were spent within Ang Mo Kio. Make it twelve if I included the kindergarten. Unlike today, there were few or no nurseries or pre-education classes in the early eighties. Kids spent most of their time playing with masak-masak (“cooking” in Malay but it generally means “playing with toys” in Singlish context) instead of learning violin, piano or ballet. The financial means of a middle class family then could hardly afford these courses anyway.
My primary school, Chong Li Primary School, used to stand side by side at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 44 with Chong Boon Primary School and Anderson Secondary School, which was also my secondary school.
Anderson Secondary School was formerly located at Steven Road, before moving to Ang Mo Kio in 1984. A decade later, it was shifted to another site at Ang Mo Kio Street 53. By 2000, Chong Boon Primary School was merged with Da Qiao Primary School, while my primary school also vanished after its 2003 merger with Teck Ghee Primary School. The large premises are now occupied by Chong Boon Secondary School.
Other primary schools in Ang Mo Kio that had also vanished were Li Hua Primary School (formerly Lee Hua Chinese School, 1970s-2000), Ang Mo Kio North Primary School (1981-2000), Chong De Primary School (1982-1998), Hong Dao Primary School (1982-2000), Chong Shan Primary School (1982-2001) and Kebun Baru Primary School (1983-2002). Meanwhile, Ai Tong Primary School was located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 between 1981 and 1992.
The current primary schools in Ang Mo Kio include Da Qiao Primary School (formerly Tai Keou School, founded in 1936 at North Bridge Road. Relocated to Ang Mo Kio in 1982), Jing Shan Primary School (formerly Cheng San School, established in 1945 at Kampong Cheng San), Ang Mo Kio Primary School (since 1978), Mayflower Primary School (since 1979), Townsville Primary School (since 1982) and Anderson Primary School (since 2000).
The days of primary school had got to be the best moments in my life. Those were the happy memories in playing gor li (marbles) and hantam bola during recesses, exchanging Panini stickers with classmates, catching guppies in nearby longkang and doing projects in order to earn that Zoologist science badge. We also had school excursions at Sentosa (riding the monorail) and Haw Par Villa (which gave me nightmares for many nights).
Ang Mo Kio Town Centre
Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, or fondly known as Ang Mo Kio Central/Centre, is a bustling self-sufficient neighbourhood since its development in the late seventies. Also one of the largest town centres in Singapore, it was built on a low-lying location in-between small hillocks on the eastern and western flanks. The hilly parts of Ang Mo Kio are still visible today at Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East and Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West.
In the eighties and early nineties, residents from the neighbouring Bishan, Yishun and Sembawang would flock to Ang Mo Kio to shop, dine and catch movies, because the shopping facilities in their respective housing estates were not fully developed yet.
Beautifully lit up at nights, the large fountain was perhaps the most famous landmark of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre in the eighties. Its water, however, was drained away sometime in the nineties, leaving the fountain emptied and unmaintained. Slowly forgotten over the years, it was eventually demolished.
The Oriental Emporium dominated the local retailer sector in the eighties. Being one of the largest and upcoming housing estates in Singapore, Ang Mo Kio was unsurprisingly chosen by the departmental giant for the location of one of its outlets. It had a grand opening at the town centre on the 28th March of 1980. Selling a large variety of products, Oriental Emporium became one of Singaporeans’ favourite shopping destination in the eighties.
Owned by the Emporium Holdings Group, the former Oriental Palace Restaurant was also a popular venue in Ang Mo Kio for the hosting of wedding and birthday celebration dinners. To enjoy yum cha (morning tea in Cantonese) at the restaurant on a Sunday morning was a treat then; something that I looked forward to if my parents had a lucky strike in 4D.
One of the my favourite places at the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre during my childhood was the children’s traffic garden. It was like a mini version of the Road Safety Park at East Coast. Beside small bicycles, there were the more popular battery-powered “motorbikes” and “cars” for kids. I could not remember the cost of each ride. It was probably 50c for a 10-minute ride.
After the traffic garden was demolished, the vendor still operated his business elsewhere at the town centre. The kids were then free to roam around in their miniature vehicles. Such vendors could still be seen today at other places such as the Bukit Merah Town Centre.
There used to be four cinemas at the Ang Mo Kio town centre. The earliest was the Ang Mo Kio Cinema, but it was gone by the mid-eighties and its premises was converted into the Big Mac Centre today.
The other three cinemas, Broadway, Jubilee and New Crown/New Town, had found their ways into Ang Mo Kio heartland in the eighties and nineties. Owned by Cathay, Eng Wah and other cinema operators, they provided cheap and convenient access to the popular Hong Kong and Hollywood movies for the residents and students.
I could not remember how many Stephen Chow and other Hong Kong movies I had watched at those cinemas. Broadway Cinema was located just opposite the Ang Mo Kio Central Market and Food Centre, which served delicious satay beehoon, carrot cake, Hokkien mee and other local delights.
There was also a popular second-hand book store beside the Ang Mo Kio Central Food Centre that had been around for some twenty years. However, it was shut down for good after the renovation of the hawker centre a few years back.
During my school days, I used to patronise the arcade game shop at the building which housed the New Crown/New Town cinema. The Korean buffet restaurant Seoul Gardens used to run its business at its premises too. After the cinema ceased its operation, the entire building was painted red and became known as the New Crown Building. It was then demolished in mid-2012.
Jubilee Cinema was the smallest of the trio in the nineties. Its building was easily identifiable with the large Pizza Hut logo. Located next to it was (and still is) the large S11 kopitiam, ensuring the late night movie-goers would not go home with hungry stomachs. The building is now a little shopping mall called Jubilee Square.
The Ang Mo Kio Public Library was officially opened in August 1985 after four years of planning and two years of construction. Formerly known as Ang Mo Kio Branch Library, it was the fifth branch library to be built in Singapore. Before the completion of Ang Mo Kio library, a small mobile library was temporarily set up at Block 528 for the residents. Otherwise, the residents had to travel to the Toa Payoh library for books and other materials.
Filled with many retail shops, the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre was the favourite destination for me to hang around after school. I could spend hours walking around hunting for cassettes (and music CDs in the later times), comics, shoes and “friendly” versions of PC games. Or playing Virtua Striker at the arcade. Or simply enjoying a frosted mug of root beer float at the A&W restaurant with friends.
Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange and MRT
Feeder bus service 261 that loops around my old home has got to be the most frequent bus service in Ang Mo Kio. However, in the eighties and early nineties, it was the only bus service within short walking distance from my flat. It was only many years later before they added Service 55 which linked up Hougang, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan.
The old Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange was opened in 1980 and expanded in 1983 to cater for the growing population in the new town. The feeder buses would stop before the traffic light (shown in the photo above) at the bus interchange for the commuters to alight. Lasted more than twenty years until 2002, the old interchange was then shifted to a temporary location near the Ang Mo Kio Public Library while the new Integrated PT (Public Transport) Hub was constructed. The new air-conditioned interchange was finally opened in April 2007.
An underpass link was constructed between the old bus interchange and the Ang Mo Kio MRT Station when the latter was opened in November 1987. The first section of the North-South Line consisted of only five stations (Toa Payoh to Yio Chu Kang) over six kilometers. In the following year, 15 more stations were opened, allowing the Ang Mo Kio residents to travel conveniently to Yishun, Orchard and City Hall.
HDB Flats in Ang Mo Kio
In 1973, the blocks, numbered 213-216, were the first ever flats to be completed in Ang Mo Kio. Three years later, the new town’s first market and hawker centre were added to Block 226. Soon, the first community centre, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in Ang Mo Kio were also established in the same neighbourhood.
The design template of such classic HDB slab blocks and point blocks had been duplicated at new towns built in the late seventies and early eighties, including Ang Mo Kio, Bedok and Clementi.
The photos here show an en-bloc HDB flat along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. The blocks have been emptied since early 2012. The design were similar to my old Ang Mo Kio flat at Avenue 10, with its recognisable reinforced glass and aluminum window panes, small double-stepped doorway and symmetrical metal door grilles.
The slab block design typically consists of rows of two-room or three-room, three-and-a-half room and four-room units. The four-room units are usually located at both ends of the long common corridors. Before the upgrading scheme, the lifts of these flats do not stop at every level.
Void decks are multi-functional spaces for the residents living in the HDB flats, which can be used to hold Malay weddings or Chinese funeral wakes. For the kids, a void deck is also ideal for a game of football, despite the no-football sign. The mounted table tennis tables served as a free facility for ping-pong lovers; it also served as a “playground” when someone creatively invented the game of “crocodiles” using the table tennis table.
For approximately every ten slab blocks in each neighbourhood, there is a point block made up of five-room units.
In 1981, a circular block of flats was constructed by the HDB at the end of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. It was an experimental attempt to break through the design of the classic slab and point blocks. Nicknamed the “Four Leaf Clover Flat” due to its shape from the top view, it has 96 five-room units with interior curved walls. Even the water tanks at the rooftops are customised to suit the circular shapes.
When it was launched, each unit cost more than $110,000, significantly higher than other five-room flats during the early eighties. The reviews were mixed, as the residents found the curved designs impractical, having to spend more on renovations and customised furniture. The HDB stopped building such designs since then, thus making the “Four Leaf Clover Flat” the one and only circular flat in Singapore.
Ang Mo Kio Hawker Centres and Wet Markets
There is a total of nine hawker centres in Ang Mo Kio; the most in a new town in Singapore. The first hawker centre and market began at Block 226 along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. As the new town expanded with addition of housing districts, more hawker centres were built to cater for the growing population.
The nine hawker centres and wet markets within Ang Mo Kio are: Ang Mo Kio Central Market and Cooked Food Centre, Cheng San Market and Cooked Food Centre, Chong Boon Market and Food Centre, Kebun Baru Market and Food Centre, Mayflower Market and Food Centre, Teck Ghee Court Market and Food Centre, Teck Ghee Square Market and Hawker Centre and Yio Chu Kang View Market and Food Centre.
The Sembawang Hill Food Centre along Upper Thomson Road is also listed within the administration of Ang Mo Kio constituency.
There are many good food found in Ang Mo Kio. Many of the stallholders have been operating here for more than twenty years. The laksa, Teochew fish ball noodle (Chong Boon hawker centre), Hokkien mee (Teck Ghee Square and Cheng San hawker centres), bak chor mee (Ang Mo Kio central kopitiam), Penang prawn noodle (Ang Mo Kio central S11), satay beehoon (Ang Mo Kio Central hawker centre) and roti prata (Mayflower kopitiam) are some of my favourites.
Ang Mo Kio Places of Worship
Masjid Al-Muttaqin is the only mosque in Ang Mo Kio, and is the fifth mosque in Singapore to be completed under the Mosque Building Fund Scheme.
In the seventies, a place of worship was essential for the Malay Muslim residents who were resettled in Ang Mo Kio. Most of them were previously from the kampongs at Jalan Kayu, Buangkok and Tongkang Pecah (present-day Fernvale, Sengkang), who had to travel to Upper Serangoon and Thomson Road for their religious activities.
After two years of fund-raising by the devoted Muslims, it was decided that the new mosque was to be built at a 3,000 square meter site along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. At a cost of $1.8 million, it was officially opened in September 1980 with an accommodation of 2,700 worshippers. It has since became a distinctive landmark at the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre.
There are many Chinese temples in Ang Mo Kio, one of which is the Potong Pasir Joint Temples Association. As its name suggests, the temple originates from Potong Pasir. It is made up of five Chinese temples that were formerly located at Kampong Potong Pasir. Due to the development of Potong Pasir in the seventies and eighties, the five temples decided to join as one. The association was established in 1982, and was shifted to Ang Mo Kio Street 44 five years later.
Another combined temple is Ang Mo Kio Joint Temple. It comprises of three older Chinese temples that joined together as one in 1978. One of them was Kong Lim Kong Temple (檺林宫), who has its roots traced back to the late 19th century at Fujian province of China. The other two were Leng San Giam (龙山岩) and Kim Eang Tong (金英堂), established in the fifties and sixties at Cheng Sua Lai and Jio Sua respectively.
The third and fourth joint temple are Liuxun Sanhemiao Temple (六巡三合庙) and Chu Sheng Temple (聚圣庙) respectively. The former is made up of three kampong temples, Hong San Chin Huat Temple Association (凤山堂进法殿全盛宫), Sam Ann Fu (三安府) and The Longxuyan Jinshuiguan Temple (龙须岩金水馆), that once served the Lak Xun village. Chu Sheng Temple, completed in 1981, houses three old temples from Yio Chu Kang, namely Ji Fu Gong (集福宫), Hua Tang Fu (华堂府) and Long Quan Yan (龍泉岩).
The history of Swee Kok Guan Temple (水沟馆葛岸馆庙) went back to the early 20th century, when it was set up by the Chinese immigrants of the surname”Ang”. The temple began at Buona Vista, before moving to Holland Road and Choa Chu Kang. In the late sixties, there were three Swee Kok Guan temples in Singapore; the other two were located in Yio Chu Kang and Sembwang. In 1977, all three temples were combined to form one Swee Kok Guan Temple at Ang Mo Kio Street 61.
Chek Sian Tng (积善堂) at Ang Mo Kio Street 44 is a temple devoted to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (观音). Its history went back to the early 20th century, and was located at Kramat Road until the early eighties, before it found its home at Ang Mo Kio in 1984. Chek Sian Tng is also a temple specially for female devotees who wish to commit an ascetic life.
The services of Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church was originally held in 1976 in a rented house at Mayflower housing estate. As the number of its followers grew, it decided to build its own building together with two other Methodist conferences (Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church and Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference). The church was completed at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 in 1981, and was upgraded several times over the years.
The barren ground in front of the church shown in the photo has been developed into Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
Other churches in Ang Mo Kio are St. Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral (built in 1983), Bethesda Hall at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 (1984) and First Evangelical Reformed Church at Yio Chu Kang Road (1994).
Catholic Church of Christ the King, the only Catholic Church in Ang Mo Kio, was opened in September 1982 at a cost of $3 million. In the seventies, the Catholics living in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio had to travel to Upper Thomson (Church of Holy Spirit) or Serangoon Gardens (Church of St Francis Xiavier) to call their parish.
In 1999, its old building was demolished and replaced by the current church.
Community Centres and the Swimming Complex
The first ever community centres in Singapore were the Serangoon and Siglap Community Centres, both opened in May 1953. The initial objectives were to encourage participation in grassroots activities and to promote grassroots leadership. Today, there are as many as 105 community centres or clubs in Singapore.
Ang Mo Kio has five community centres, namely Ang Mo Kio CC, Cheng San CC, Kebun Baru CC, Teck Ghee CC and Yio Chu Kang CC. The first community centre in Ang Mo Kio, however, began in the mid-seventies at a humble corner of Block 226B, along Ang Mo Kio Street 22.
Opened in December 1978, the original Teck Ghee CC was located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. In 1991, the former Chong Boon CC at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 was renamed as Teck Ghee CC after Teck Ghee became part of Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
Chong Boon CC itself was originally housed in a small room at the void deck of Block 408 of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. A nearby venue was later chosen to build a new $3 million building with modern facilities such as basketball, tennis and squash courts, library and multi-purpose rooms. At its groundbreaking ceremony in September 1982, various religious leaders were invited to bless the project. The new community centre was officially opened in 1983.
An interesting trivia about Teck Ghee CC is that in 2008, actress Gong Li received her pink identity card (IC) at a citizenship ceremony held at the community centre.
Like Teck Ghee and Chong Boon CC, Ang Mo Kio CC and Kebun Baru CC were also built in the late seventies and early eighties respectively. Meanwhile, Yio Chu Kang CC and Cheng San CC have their histories traced back to the fifties and sixties.
I have forgotten how much time I had spent playing basketball at these community centres.
The construction of Ang Mo Kio Swimming Complex by the HDB in 1982 was welcomed by the residents of Ang Mo Kio, who otherwise had to travel to Toa Payoh if they wanted to enjoy a dip in the water.
The prominent red-tiled swimming complex with triangular roofs, situated off Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, even won the Singapore Institute of Architects’ Architectural Design Award in 1986.
Ang Mo Kio’s Dragon and Merlions
One of four remaining dragon playgrounds in Singapore can be found standing at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Avenue 10, with its sand box refurbished with rubber mats and its metal body repainted.
There used to be many sand-based playgrounds scattered around Ang Mo Kio during the eighties. After 1993, these old playgrounds were slowly replaced by the newer and safer plastic playgrounds.
At the entrance of the carpark to the blocks of 216-222 stand a pair of Merlions. They were built by the Ang Mo Kio Residential Committee in 1998 at a cost of $13,000. The pair was almost forced to be removed because of the infringement of copyrights, due to the fact that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) owns all intellectual properties of Merlion.
In the end, the Ang Mo Kio Merlions managed to stay on, and have become the iconic features along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
The Gardens of Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East is the new town’s first town garden. Built in the late seventies, it was formerly part of Kampong Cheng San. Rubber trees and nutmeg groves used be grown all over the small hill. Today, some old rubber trees still stand in Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East, witnessing the tremendous changes in its surrounding environment in the past few decades.
Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, on the other hand, was developed in the eighties at the hillock on the other side of the town centre.
It was designed and developed by a Japanese contractor company at a cost of $2.7 million. The fascinating part about Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West is that it still contains the secondary forest and its original vegetation and terrains. Certain stretch of the former Cheng San Road was also incorporated into its current footpaths.
National Day Parade, Chingay and VIP Visit
Between 1975 and 1983, the National Day Parade was held in alternate years between centralised and decentralised locations. The centralised locations referred to the National Stadium and Padang, while the decentralised locations were the residential neighbourhoods such as Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Redhill and Queenstown.
The Ang Mo Kio residents were delighted when the National Day Parade in 1983 was chosen to be held at Ang Mo Kio. That was the last time the National Day Parade was held at a decentralised site. In the nineties, some of the mobile column of military trucks and tanks would drive past Ang Mo Kio as part of their routes through the heartlands.
Chingay was another annual parading event celebrated by Singaporeans. I remember as a kid, I waited enthusiastically by the roadside to watch the likes of lion and dragon dances, and beautifully decorated floats (mounted on top of those old trucks) drove past.
Chingay, literally means “art of masquerade” (妆艺) in Hokkien, was originally a street celebration of the Chinese New Year festivals with the addition of the celebrating the birthdays of Chinese Taoist deities. Its local history went back to the 19th century, but the annual event, deemed as financially extravagant and culturally backward, was abolished in 1906.
When the firecrackers were banned in Singapore in 1972, there was unhappiness among the local Chinese, as it dampened the festival mood of the Chinese New Year celebrations. As an alternative, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew proposed the revival of Chingay in Singapore. Hence, the first Chingay parade was held successfully in 1973, and subsequently it was organised annually at Toa Payoh (1974), Marine Parade (1978) and Ang Mo Kio (1984). In the late seventies, Chingay had evolved into a multicultural event with the participation of the Malay and Indian cultural performance groups.
Like Queenstown, Ang Mo Kio also has a VIP block. It is Block 710 at the Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, where foreign dignitaries visited during their tour to Singapore’s model housing estate in the eighties. In 1989, on her second visit to Singapore, Queen Elizabeth II was brought to Block 710 to enjoy a panoramic view of Ang Mo Kio.
In 2004, I moved to Sengkang after living in Ang Mo Kio for 25 years. I still returned there every now and then; for a haircut, a game of basketball, or simply enjoy a meal at the hawker centres or kopitiam I am familiar with.
Editor’s Note: This article is specially dedicated to all the current and former residents of Ang Mo Kio. 
Published: 12 December 2012
Updated: 28 December 2012
Thank you for writing this.
I like your research especially about the origin of names. How fascinating!
Wow you spent a lot of time and love on this post! This is such a wonderful detailed look at Ang Mo Kio–thank you! My grandparents have lived there for over 30 years and I have fond memories visiting them there and walking around Town Center.
Thanks for the memories.
The library.. what a memories it brings. Dropping off the kids, picking them up etc. Now kids are all grown up and looking back at the pics. is to relive those days gone by.
I wonder, there is this tip top curry puff, my family favorite and if it’s still there.
Thank you for sharing, awesome job! A+!!
Tip Top is still around. In fact, they open a few more branches in Tampines and Plaza Singapura.
Thank you!
From the bottom of my heart. Thank you for piecing the history together. What a walk down memory lane. One of these days, I have to take my kids to show them where I watch movies, my first date etc. Thanks again.
Not much has changed in my old neighbourhood in the last 20 years
except the demolition of the small sand pit for the kids
Thank you for the memories!
Thank you for bringing back al those sweet memories. I’ve migrated to Bali since 1995 and I’ve not been back to AMK area since then. My parents are still in Singapore, but they are staying in down town (Chinatown area). When I read about your favourite food at the hawker centres, you really make me go hungry, as I can’t get all those food over here. I really miss all those food. Hope to go back soon…..
Come back home to Singapore !
Beautiful! I used to live in Block 102 @ AMK St 11. It was a rental flat from 1978 to 1984. You should make a mention about Fitzpatrick’s that used to occupy the space that is now Jack’s Place and Courts. It was the place to go to shop for groceries back then.
Thanks for sharing this!
I wasn’t aware that Fitzpatrick’s Supermarket had previously opened its business at AMK
The wonderful memories….I stayed in the same neighbourhood as you, in blk 405 but I moved to Sengkang much earlier in the 2000.
For what you know, we may have play together before when we were young at the Dragon playground between my blk and blk 406…:P.
Great piece of work! My memories of olden days Ang Mo Kio just came flooding back!
Chong Li is actually now Pathlight School, not Chong Boon secondary!
Err… actually Pathlight School has moved to a new campus of the junction of Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 and Ave 10 in 2009
The buildings of Chong Li Pri and old Anderson Sec were redeveloped into the current campus of Chong Boon Sec in the early 2000s
I believe there is an error in the map shown here (http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_6693/travel_site_100941/)
Pathlight School was formerly situated in the building of Chong Boon Pri, not Chong Li Pri
Pathlight is still located at the former Chong Boon Primary.
I too thought they completely move to the new Campus but apparently the few times my CT8 Bus go pass the Area, I see that the Sign showing the way to Chong Boon Secordary also indicate Pathlight School Campus 2.
A check their website confirm this: http://pathlight.org.sg/main/contact.php
I was from Chong Li and Anderson Sec(Street 44). The information provided Remember Singapore is accurate. Pathlight had occupied Chong Boon Primary campus, not Chong Li Primary Campus. Pathlight has got 2 campus. The new big campus of Pathlight occupies the old field shared by Chong Shan and Chong De Primary. The field is often filled with pink flower petals from March onwards. Those were the days…
It is Pathlight school campus 2!
That is my school!
Pathlight school started in 2004 until 2009 term 2!
THis year 2012, PL school have increased want to find space for PL buildings! so, my school used old PL buildings! NOw is PL campus 2! Used old CHong Li primary school again!
It’s old Chong Boon Primary Building
Chong Li is the building that was in the middle, between Chong Boon Primary and Anderson Secondary (whose building was previously occupied by Ang Mo Kio North Primary I think).
I remember the building well cause when I got to Anderson Sec, finally get to see what my brother called our Primary School (Teck Ghee Primary) “rival” in AMK; cause both schools have the same School Building! XD
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was borned in Sept 1980 and lived in the same AMK flat all my life until I migrated. Mom & Dad are still living there, and I am always dismayed by the changes, causing extensive ‘injuries’ to my childhood memories. Your pictures almost brought me tears just recalling my happy days at those iconic landmarks.
wow, we actually went to the same primary and secondary school. Can I know which batch were you? I’m from the 1981 batch. =/
I’m from the 1982 batch
Arcade shop at New Town/New Crown? Wasn’t the biggest hangout Paco Funworld at the Mac building?!
The Queen also visited Townsville Primary where I was there to welcome her.
Strikers’ Bowl was on the top floor. Speaking of Paco Funworld, do you remember the bumper cars at Level 1 and the miniature slot-car track on Level 2? We might have bumped into one another at Paco for all we know!
Once again, as what others have mentioned, thank you for the fond memories you brought back to mainly 70s, 80s babies !
I still stay in Amk though! 
))
A piece of good writing. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
The British had named the vast region of old Ang Mo Kio as Amokiah since the late 19th century (till late 1960s)
The name probably means ang moh kia (Caucasian kids in Hokkien)
Notice the name Kallang in the map, which was actually Upper Kallang in the late 19th century, the area where Sungei Kallang (Kallang River) ended… It’s present-day Bishan
Anyway not sure why the name Amokiah was used (perhaps heard the name from the locals but the British did not really go and interpret the meaning?) but it certainly was better than Ang Moh Kwee (which is quite derogatory)
This is amazing my friend. I have lived in Ang Mo Kio , the same flat all my life – from 1981. I can send you some photographs as well if you would like that.
You can email to me at yesterdayom@gmail.com, so I can embed the photos here
Thanks for sharing
Great Piece of work.. I remembered clearly the National Day parade at the AMK.. And Yes i schooled at Chong Boon.
Thanks. I studied in Mayflower Primary. Unique octagonal buildings. Now demolished. What a pity.
i found an exact same building at redhill, just behind the mrt at alexandra rd . It is still there. I suppose it is the same designer – mayflower primary 1980 batch
I studied at MFPS too year 94 – year 99…Yeah! Now it became AMK Primary School!
We were in the same neighbourhood
I went to Teck Ghee Primary School – it’s still there but only in name as the logo, motto, school song and even uniform have all changed.. I went to Anderson Secondary School as well – still remember moving flower pots during the move to its current site!!
I commented on this before in one of your other posts but since this post is on AMK, I just like to remind everyone reading this about the giant tomatoes in the town centre around Big Mac Centre in the mid 2000s – cute!
Thanks for bringing back my best memories of AMK and sharing things I never knew about it!
Hi, don’t mind I borrow your photo and attach it here
(Photo Credit: http://gnoofyem.blogspot.sg/2006/03/certainly-not-kind-you-eat.html)
Do you know where the giant tomatoes have shifted to? or are they demolished already?
Don’t mind at all. I haven’t seen them since 2006/2007, don’t know what happened to them…
They are now located in between McDonald and Block 700C, before Central Heights. Thanks so much for the forgotten history of AMK. I am a new comer to Ang Mo Kio.
Cool! Which batch were you from for both schools?
Hey Anarien, I graduated in 1992 and 1996 respectively
Hey Am, that’s what I heard from a friend still living in AMK too! I can’t wait to go see them!
OMG! We’re from the same batch from both schools!
I graduated from 6B at TGPS and 4/6 at Anderson Sec
So qiao
I was in 6A and 4/1
a series of vintage photos of the AMK traffic playground
(thanks to JoePilot @Hardwarezone forums)
Thanks… Nice photos!
I saw the good old AMK A&W restaurant in the background of the first photo…
PS: Photos from tinypic.com sometimes cannot be displayed properly, so have to re-embed them using wordpress domain
Ah yes, that good o’ A&W Restaurant over there in the 80s? I remember the place was always very packed then, and it was my 1st time tasting root beer with ice-cream (float) wth my sisters. Initially I thought it was beer until I tried it
Thanks for the good o’ memories!
Thanks for giving me those memories
When I was in Primary 1 in 1981, all the schools are still under construction, so they housed everyone in what was Mayflower Secondary School, beside where Ai Tong Secondary. And I remember the classes were named from 1AA all the way to 1YY!
Thanks… your article brought back wonderful memories for me… I was from Chong Boon Primary and Anderson Sec so I guess we could have known each other.
I move in to ang mo kio in 1979 from yio chu kang kampong next to amoy quee camp and now i’m still living in here. I love this place so much and will stay forever!!!
I am from Chong Li Primary & Anderson Sec as well. 1977 batch. Still living in Ang Mo Kio since moving there when I was 5. Got married and bought my place in the same block..I cannot imagine myself staying somewhere else…So much have changed and thanks for the nice pictures and reminders, especially the fountain and traffic park!
yeahhh.!! thanks for bringing back the memories…..i used to lived where the Merlions entrance along ang mo kio ave 1,block 218…i’m an ex Mayflower pri batch 1986-1989 and Da Qiao pri student batch 1990-1994… still remember the old Mayflower pri building..unique octagon shape where old Ang Mo Kio pri were just beside with Mayflower pri and Bowen Sec…..
thanks for letting me know about ang mo kio one things missing is I need to know the population of ang mo kio back in the 1970s. I have been living in Ang Mo Kio since birth.
Thanks for the memories.
I lived in Block 109 at the junction of Avenue 3 and 4 from 1978 up to 2001. The estate brings back a lot of memories, both good and bad.
Great work.
I like
Brought back so many memories! I have been living in Ang Mo Kio since I was born in 1980, and I can identify so many of the landmarks. I miss the huge fountain outside Oriental Emporium and the cinemas that issued pink/yellow slips of paper as movie tickets.
Thank you for all these wonderful old photographs. Must have taken you quite some time.
Very interesting story! As I understood, Hokkien is a dialect of Chinese language. Is this true?
Yes, you are right
The dialects used by Singaporean Chinese are mainly Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka, Hainanese and Hockchew. This is because most of the ancestors of Singaporean Chinese came from the Southern provinces of China between the 19th and early 20th century.
However, many of our younger generations are unable to converse to each other in dialects now, due to the Speak Mandarin Campaign in the 1980s and the widespread usage of English as first language in our society today.
Is there a big difference between the dialects? So I mean – if someone is talking in Cantonese, you will easily or hardly understand it?
Actually the dialect of Hokkien is similar to Teochew, while Hakka and Cantonese sound closer to each other. I’m not sure about Hockchew (It may be similar to Hokkien as well)
Therefore, for example, a Hakka person is likely to have difficulties understanding what a Hokkien person is talking about, even though they are both Chinese
Who formerly lived at Blk 454 or 455 at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 and Avenue 3?
After so many years, it still remains an empty plot of land… then why en-bloc the blocks in the first place?
Same thing happened to the former Lakeview flats along Upper Thomson Road
I was at HDB Hub a couple of weeks ago. That spot has been earmarked for a few 40 storey blocks. Seen the models.
WOW…Great to see the pic..remind me of my childhood… Any ppl from Ang Mo kio North Primary sch years 81-84?
Thank you for the memories. Im also an AMK resident for 30 years. Good to know you.
Awesome! I was looking for PA’s kindergarten program in the CCs during the 80′s (not much info found) which was different from the PAP’s kindergartens, when I came across your website. Thanks for providing insights to the origin of the places and names.
Thank you for the memories and nostalgic photos. I moved into Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 in 1980 and lived there until 2000 when I moved to Seng Kang too. I went to Chong Li Pri & Anderson Sec as well, so we might have crossed paths along the corridors outside our classrooms. I can still remember packing books in the Anderson library for its move from the old campus to its current one in AMK Ave 5.
Thank you for bringing back all my childhood memories. I still remember having fish ball and char bee hoon after swimming in AMK swimming pool. I lived in AMK for almost 30 yrs. My family move twice, but still within AMK. I’m now living in Shanghai with my own family while my mom has moved to live with my brother in Yishun.
Excellent site and thoroughly enjoyed the writeup and photos. Kudos to you. It’s very good to read about the history of AMK. We moved into YCK near AMK Avenue 4 in early 90s and were always fascinated to earn more on the history of AMK. One can find very little of the old in AMK these days, so good effort on your part to collect the old photos and do the writeup.
My parents were both teachers and they could not afford a house in teachers’ estate so they rented one in Sembawang Hills, where there was a grand prix, and weekly pasar malams on Old Upp Thomson road. Later we moved to AMK Ave 2 (Ave 2, the road, had not yet been built but our address was Ave 2). Beside our block (now vacant and being demolished) were big open fields where people caught grasshoppers and flew kites, some were later made into open air carparks (there were no HDB multi-storey car parks). Beside our block was Shang gri la estate, for some years it lay unfinished as the developer ran out of funds, and further up the valley behind there were still kampongs and farms. We could smell the pig farm smell from farms somewhere around. Bishan park was a cleared wasteland of thorn bushes and orange mud. Once a year a big expo/fun fair would set up shop there, selling all kinds of things and with rides for kids. There were still streams in the area containing guppies, catfish, eels, snakeheads, and goramies. There were provision shops that sold fishing tackle and rubber tapping lamps, and kept change in a tin on a pulley. Most of them had to pay protection money to gangsters who would sometimes fight with rival gangs.
Very detailed description of old Ang Mo Kio and Upper Thomson! Thanks
a bangladeshi student, lived in singapore for 6 years. studied, worked. now in my 40s. lived in beautiful ang mo kio with my native friends. now don’t know where they are and what they are doing. life just goes on. 1991~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2013……….long 21 years…….. when i saw n read this article. tears just came out without informing me. suddenly i went back to those good old dayz. i had a friend named VINCENT TAN from that block. he was 50+ at that time…..still i have photos of him and also some faded beautiful memories of my loving singapore. i wish i could visit that beautiful country once again with my family……..don’t know why singapore is there in my memory that much!!
lost friend: DANIEL PAUL, CHARLES, SALLY HO, JUDIE, RAHMAN (SINGER) ARE U THERE? VASANTA ARE U THERE? AUNTY LINDA, HOW R U? JACK, UNCLE JERRY………..I MISS U ALL, EDWIN HOW R U MAN?
if any singaporean can help me to find RAHMAN the singer? he’s a singaporean indian. will be thankful if anyone can give his email address.
LONG LIVE SINGAPORE………..
My cousin lived in avenue 10, block 539 when I was a kid. I remember it was always nice visiting him at ang mo kio because I would get to shop at Fitzpatrick Supermarket. I remember eating thai food for the first time at Chao Pharya (spelling probably wrong) restaurant. If you dont mind me asking, how old are you?
I’m 36, born in 1976
I fondly remember my music class at Chong Li Pri, where the teacher (forgot her name) taught us many classic 70s songs such as The Carpenters’ “Top of the World”
Eh? I learnt that in school too!
(Oops, I’m back stalking one of my fave posts on your blog…)
I learnt that too. My P1 form teacher was Mrs Lim, P2 was Zheng Lao Shi, P3 was Ms Kaur, P4 was Ms Seah, P5 and P6 was Ms Leong. I missed them. Wonder how they are
everytime when i see these articles i just get nostalgic. even though i was there in ang mo kio for some years but i don’t know why those memories are so vibrant n painfully beautiful. i remember the adjacent part. it was quiet but splendid. singapore is really a peaceful country i must admit. love you singapore………..
THANKS for the great recollections. I’d wanted to do a write-up way back 2008 or so, but other priorities took over.
I started collecting photos of the temporary bus terminals at Avenue 6 ( beside Block 302 ) and Street 22 ( beside Block 205 ? ), etc for the write-up…… you beat me to it ! Well done !
The rows of shophouses at Seletar Garden (near Amoy Quee Camp), with many eateries and zi char restaurants, look likely to be demolished soon…
The whole area was already vacated since last month
I am looking for Vincent Tan, a Malay Singaporean from Ang Mo Kio. But very difficult to find him. How? Could you plz help me to find him? I remember back in 1993-94 a gloomy evening I went with him for a walk from Ang Mo Kio to Yishun. Then somewhere at the outskirt of Singapore there was field surrounded by jungle. We sat there for some time. Then it was almost late evening when we came back and for a while on the way back we lost. He was my elderly friend. It was nothing but a true but unexplained relation. Was that love? Was that time pass? Still I don’t know. Vincent, and Ang Mo Kio will be there somewhere deep inside my heart. I used to work part time some where in High Street and on my way back to Ang Mo Kio I used to see him inside the bus every evening. A tired stressed out face looking at me. He was a stranger and later my friend. One evening luckily I got a place to sit in the back seat where suddenly I discovered him sitting right beside me. It was a hot n humid evening. I was sweating and all on a sudden I was offered to use a tissue paper from him. That day we had a small talk and we went out of that bus together. Slowly he became my friend, I went with him to so many places, came to know Chinese culture…Really I am enjoying to recall my memories when I receive new posts. Life goes on. No need to stick around with past. Let the time go. We are heading towards a new day everyday. Thanks to all……
MY FRIEND…………VINCENT
THERE IS THE STREET WHERE YOU WALKED A THOUSAND MILES
THERE IS THE PARK WHERE YOU TOOK NAP FOR MILLION MINUTES
TIME FLIES AND LIFE GOES ON
I remember you my friend
Sharing my loneliness with you
You were tired old man with burning memories.
You had only a daughter
And you had nothing to do but frawn…….
Some intangible memories
Revolving only in my mind……….
Unexplained, without logic
A deep shade of pain surrounded with happiness
Hearing your complaints in Singlish
Missing those LAAssss
Missing Curry Puffs
and Boat Quay………..and those faded memories
Materialistic Singapore
Robotic kids and expressionless people
Late night shows at LIDO or JADE Classics
Beautiful Marina Bay
Cha QUE…………….forgetting those sumptuous food
MRT…….Dhoby Ghaut or Commonwealth
Singapore was there in my grip for 6 years?
Why I had to come?
I lost Vincent
I lost Ang Mo Kio
I lost many multi racial faces
Still life goes on
It has no other way but has to go
Now?
Preparing myself for final destination………………
Thanks for the memories!I am now 32 and I spent my childhood days when I was growing up in AMK!Me and my family moved to Yishun when I was 10 years old.Me and my family would occassionally go to AMK for shopping or to have a walk.I still miss the AMK Library-its much bigger and more spacious than the one in Yishun Northpoint!
And also,I still miss those days when I was studying at Ang Mo Kio North Primary School(1988-90). Too bad,that school does not exist anymore.If I am not wrong,it is now replaced by Tao Nan school.
Thank you so much for all the lovely memories. You made me come back to your website for more each day. I lived in Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 and 4 for 16 years and studied in Hong Dao Primary School from 1991 – 1996. Every now and there I still make occasional trips my lovely childhood places. Keep this website alive and continue the good work
Yes, everyone loves AMK.
thanks for the photos its show how singapore was beautful country back in the 80 s
Thanks for the memories. I do not live in AMK, but has friends in AMK. Used to “torn” in AMK till the first bus home is available. The HDB point block near Oriental was our fav spot. Still can remember and visualized the fountain, Oriental, A&W, the gardens and without MRT….. Brought back a lot of good memories. Thanks again for all the hard work.
I am now intrigued about the missing Ave 7 and Ave 11.
Any further insights? There must be a good story in there!
With many thanks to one of the readers Andy Tan, we have solved the mystery of the missing AMK Ave 7!
In Andy’s old map of 1978, Ave 7 was clearly listed among one of the proposed roads (together with Ave 9 and the extension of Ave 8) in the expansion of AMK new town. And it was designed in the parallel order between Ave 5 and 9.
However, the road was never built. The extension of AMK Ave 8 was linked directly to AMK Ave 6 instead.
Map of AMK 1978 (Credit to Andy Tan)
Map of AMK 1984 (Credit to Andy Tan)
Thanks for this. It’s so cool to find out more about my estate. I have some scans of maps of AMK from old street directories. If you like, I can email / dropbox them to you. Once again, thank you for this wonderful post.
Thanks!
You can email them to yesterdayom@gmail.com and I can embed the pictures here
Thanks for the memories. The old interchange toilet is always the standard meeting place when we have no pagers n handphones during our era. Thanks for the effort!
yes, mine too!
Convenient location as it was just beside the alighting place of my feeder bus 261
Hey thanks ! Great memories! Spent my childhood,remember A&W,ate my first waffles ice cream,buy groceries,shopping.Everything can be found at AMK! Stayed there at Blk 103 ave 3 for 13 years,went to PAP kebun baru and Mayflower Pri (year 94 – 99 ).
Thank you for posting this! Brought back fond memories of growing up in AMK and hanging out in what was then a very cool town centre with Emporium, cinemas, library and A&W. And tip top curry puffs! I studied at Chong Li Primary too, and I still live on Street 44. Great read.
this is amazing. thanks for the research and hardwork for going into this. AMK North is my primary school!
Jack’s Place at AMK Central, beside the library, is a cornerstone since 1980s!
Amazing write up! All my fond memories of AMK came to mind as I see all the old photos. Oh my! A&W, BK, the stand-alone music shop at the open area near the large S11 (to buy cassettes), Emporium, old bus interchange, the mini road safety park, kachang puteh mobile kiosk outside Broadway Cinema, etc etc. At one time, there used to be 3 supermarkets in AMK central, Shop N Save, NTUC and “top” something (off hand can’t remember the name).
Yes! I used to buy cassettes from that shop too, when I was in secondary school…
Interestingly, came across an article from MyPaper featuring one of the few remaining cassette shops in Singapore
(Source: MyPaper)
Very nice write up,it brings back so much memories..live in amk from 1978 to 1995,before I move to bedok. Till date, I still think amk is the best town in Singapore!! Studied in Mayflower primary from 1985- 1990 n amk sec from 1991-1994..many many memories and friends from the place…y did they tore down the unique building and Yes,I saw the same building design along Delta road..
I used to live in Block 102 at St 11 from 1979 to 1984 on the 11th storey. It was like a mini kampong there. The family that we were closest to was a Chinese family. I spent alot of time in their home during the day. They even fed me my meals. I remember a gentle lady whom I called Kak Lily and her brother Abang Ah Kwang. They called me Boboi. Their family was truly an embodiment of the kampong spirit. They moved to Hougang Ave 1 after 1985. I wonder how they are doing nowadays.
The big old tree at Ang Mo Kio central, with its small shrine that also functions as a cozy chit chat corner for the market’s stall holders today
Tua Pek Kong Shrine
Near the Block 724 market, there is a Chinese shrine housed under a tree. This shrine is taken care of by the market and hawker centre stall holders. According to them, a statue of Tua Pek Kong was found in the early 1980s by a stall holder under this tree. Finding the statue unusual, the stall holder installed it in the market and worshipped it. Other stall holders also began worshipping the deity. One week later, the statue was stolen though the urn remained. The hawkers thus installed another statue of the deity and built an altar for it. In 2004, the market underwent upgrading, and the statue had to be shifted. The stallholders thus came together and constructed a shrine for it, under the tree where the story began.
(Source: Ang Mo Kio, A Heritage Trail)
Thank you for the wonderful journey down memory lane. Hong Dao Pri Sch, 1985 – 1990. Blk 649, 1981 – 2000.
I used to stay in AMK for 17 yrs since 3 at st 64, block 644. I went to Hong Dao Pri and Anderson Sec, am a 1976-er too! I still frequent AMK a lot although I’ve moved as my mum still has a shop there. Nice article, brought back lotsa memories! Thanks!
I used to live in Blk 633 since 1981 and we are neighbours!
I loved this.
Have lived in AMK for 20 years now, spent my pimary and secondary days within here too. My parents, and many close relatives lives within walking distance… I fully intend to beat your record of 25 years!
Thanks for bringing back all the chidhood memories. i shifted to AMK when i was 6 and have been staying there till now i am 40 . My Primary school Chong De Primary no doun’ts already gone but those days were just like yesterday to me and also my secondary school Anderson Secondary when it was at AVE 10 where the present Choon Boon secondary school is. Times flies 34 years of sweet memories of AMK !
Hi there! I’ve been staying in AMK my entire life (since 1977), and I still remember all those places you described and in those pictures too! Was the old AMK bus interchange upgraded sometime after 1980? I seem to remember the location of the bus berths differently.
I have enter memory lane
Where long ago
I have made many a friend
And so real close one
All contact loss
When I move and time pass
Visit once but it was a long time back
All these pictures have made old memory resurface
Some good, some bad
Thanks for this detail report
I have stumble upon it
And like it very much
Amazing photo of Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, possibly in the late 80s, with MRT, non-aircon double decker bus, yellow top taxi, NTUC taxi, private car, motorcycle, bicycle and trishaw
(Photo Credit: http://www.nestle.com.sg/growing_up_with_sg/growing_up_with_singapore.aspx)