Where is the physical location of the town on the map of Singapore?
Near to Bugis Junction(:
[http://www.jdt.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/img/jdt_location_map.gif]
Who were the early settlers of the area?
People gathered in the area who came to Singapore to work, like the hawkers and the transvestites
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugis,_Singapore]
What were the various economic activities that thrive in the town?
Hawkers set up their stores there to sell goods and food. There were a number of outdoor bars set up as well. It was also well known for its transvestites which attracted many Western tourists who came for the food, the bars, the bargains as well as for the girls. There were nightly "parades" by the transwomen, showing off their figures and attracted much attention. They would sashay along the street, looking for half-drunk sailors to hook up with. The transvestites could be easily differentiated from the normal woman as they were extremely gorgeous unlike the normal women found on the streets.
Many shophouses could be found and most offered al fresco dining serving local food until early in the morning. Business therefore boomed and Bugis Street became a lively area, bustling with activity, becoming one of Singapore's most famous tourists spots from the 1950s to the 1980s.
In the mid 1980s, Bugis Street went through major urban redevelopment into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots mixed with regulated back-alley roadside vendors. The construction of the Bugis MRT Station caused the termination of nightly sex bazaar culture, marking the end of a colourful and unique era in Singapore's history.
Now with its new facilities and shopping complex, Bugis Street guarantees a memorable street-shopping experience.
When did the town assume its official name?
Pre-1950s, before the arrival of the British, there used to be a large canal which ran through the area where the Bugis, a seafaring people from South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, could sail up, moor their boats and trade with Singaporean merchants, therefore leading to the name of the street. The Bugis, or Buginese, also put their sailing skills to less benign uses and gained a reputation in the region as being a race of bloodthirsty pirates. During the early colonial era, there also used to be low mounds of whitish sand in the area,therefore the name of a Hokkien (Min Nan) moniker of Peh Soa Pu or Bai Sha Fu in Mandarin.After World War II.
It was referred as the "Boogie Street" to several Americans due to the disco craze in the 1970s.
THE PICTURE OF TAN QUEE LAN STREET(:
