Singapore Snippets

Discovering Items of Interest on the Red Dot

by Marta Ferrer Lubeck

The Hidden Village Reclaimed by the Forest

Not far from the fast-paced lanes of Upper Thomson Road lie the ruins of what used to be a vibrant Hainanese village. The village was established in the 1930s to accommodate new immigrants from Hainan, China. The inhabitants yearned for a life away from poverty, and they built farms and small businesses that grew and prospered over time.

Jungle Reclaiming Abandoned House

The village ruins are located inside the 50-hectare Thomson Nature Park. During its heyday, the village used to be accessible via two main roads that are no longer functional but are still demarcated by street signs: Lorong Pelita and Jalan Belang. Today, the main entrance is accessible from Upper Thomson Road. There are a few trails that help the visitor navigate the 3.8 km walking circuit, and they provide a good sense of what life was like in the kampung or village. The Rambutan trail, for example, highlights the story of Mr. Han Wai Toon, an immigrant from Hainan who planted as many as 400 Rambutan trees. The Ruins and Figs trail takes the visitor around many of the village’s ruins. You may be surprised to find a dilapidated kitchen counter in the open with teacups, saucers, and jugs!

Steps to Mr. Han Wai Toon's Farmhouse

Kampung Family Stories

In addition to Mr. Han Wai Toon’s story, signposts throughout the park feature some of the families that lived in the village. Mr. Foo had no formal education and migrated from Hainan to Singapore, where he worked as a bartender and waiter. In 1957 he was able to buy a piece of land as a means of livelihood and to raise a family. The family of 2 adults and 9 children moved to House 21 on Jalan Belang. There they kept a farm and residence.

Abandoned House

Han’s Café chain traces its humble beginnings to the Hainanese village, home of the Han family. One of the Han brothers was a very talented baker, and that inspired his brother Han Choon Fook to open a small bakery on Upper Thomson Road. The bakery was very prosperous, and the family opened more branches throughout the island. Today, the Han’s chain comprises 25 establishments in Singapore.

As the Hainanese village grew, immigrants from other ethnic backgrounds moved to the village as well. By the 1960s, there were about 100 residents of different ethnic backgrounds. The Fox family, of Eurasian ethnicity, owned a two-story house. The head of the family used to drive a mobile library that would bring new books—and knowledge—to the village children.

In the 1980s, the village inhabitants were moved to public housing and the village was abandoned to allow for nearby development works.

Ceramic Detail

Nature and Biodiversity

NParks opened Thomson Nature Park in October 2019 to provide more green spaces for Singaporeans and to complement other existing buffer parks to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The park provides a forest habitat to numerous wildlife, including the critically endangered Raffles’ Banded Langur, of which about 60 remain in Singapore today. The trail network includes the Macaque and Langur Trails, and the Stream & Ferns Trail, all of which allow the visitor to explore the rich biodiversity of the park as well as to appreciate the ruins of the village that existed here some three decades ago.

Macque Family

How to Get There and Some Tips

Thomson Nature Park is a three-minute walk from Aft Tagore Dr bus stop on Upper Thomson Road. There is a carpark in the main entrance, and there are two walking entry points from Old Upper Thomson Road. After all the walking and exploring, you can enjoy delicious roti pratas at Casuarina Curry, a local favorite located on Casuarina Road off Upper Thomson.

Marta moved to Singapore with her husband and two children in July 2020. She loves to explore Singapore with the AWA walking, hiking and photography groups.