The travel book we read recommended Chinatown as the number one must-see destination in Singapore. Then, it listed the Buddha Tooth Temple as a place to visit. As it turned out, the temple was also the central place that was close to everything.
"Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law." -- Buddha
Visiting the temple gives people a chance to witness how Singaporeans practice Buddhism and gives an insight into their culture:
"Buddhism is the largest religion in Singapore with 1.1 million followers (representing 42.5 percent of the adult population). There are an estimated 400 million Buddhists worldwide."
"Buddhists do not believe in a personal god. They believe that all life is interconnected and that compassion is a way of life. Buddhists believe in karma (the concept that one's life is conditioned by one's past actions) and in rebirth/reincarnation (the concept that consciousness continues after death and finds expression in a future life)."
https://catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2139:understanding-buddhism&catid=102:june-2007&Itemid=473&lang=en
Pagoda Street is the corner where you will find the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore.
The gold signage explains, "Since its construction in 1827, it has played an important role in the lives of Hindus here. In the early years, it provided shelter for Indian immigrants, and was the only Hindu temple whose priests were vested with the authority to solemnise Hindu marriages."
Of course, Chinatown is a shopping mecca more than anything. Visitors will find bargains everywhere although product quality can also be compromised. So it's best to inspect the goods.
For artists, there are a few calligraphy stores with a whole range of Chinese brushes and ink sticks. This is a big deal because it is not very easy to find artist quality brushes.
A paintbrush costs roughly SGD10. But it's still important to check the brush as you will find various quality levels.
There is also an assortment of brushes such as goat hair (white) that is a soft brush and is often used to paint flower petals or wolf hair (dark brown) that is used to paint bamboo stalks or leaves.
There are many food options in Chinatown. But one of the places that Anthony Bourdain used to rave about is Maxwell Food Centre where Tian Tian chicken rice can be savored. I wrote about the experience in the following link.
http://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2018/03/singapores-chicken-rice-tian-tian-vs-ah.html
For snack foods, you can try the durian ice drop (or popsicle) at Hu Zhen Long. We also sampled their Golden Crispy Salted Egg Fish Skin that at the beginning tasted ordinary until we reached the bottom where most of the flavor was concentrated. Perhaps, we did not shake the canister enough.
According to their website, they are better known for the Traditional Bak Kwa that is usually given during Chinese New Year. They have Crocodile Meat Bak Kwa that they say helps ease asthma and coughing. BBQ Lobster Meat Bak Kwa is another unique flavor.
If you missed this one, you can still catch the snack food in Manila stores.
