Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival

Straits Times

18 hours ago

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Mr Stanley Ng (left), secretary-general of the Huang Clan Association's youth committee, and his father, Mr Ng Poh Wah, the clan's former chairman.
SINGAPORE – For 78 years, the Huang Clan Association was housed in Jiangxia Tang, a two-storey bungalow with distinctive yellow shutters and red grille gates in Lorong 35 Geylang.
The clan was established in 1924 following a merger of several clans whose members had the surname 'Huang' or its variants.
Today, its headquarters are spread over a two-storey space in Sixteen35 Residences, an eight-storey condominium that was completed three years ago on the 2,220 sq m site of the original clan house.
The association's name runs down a street-facing wall in seven silver Chinese characters beside a private entrance to the clan house, complete with its own private lift.
The association occupies three levels of a dedicated section of the building. On level 2 are lushly carpeted air-conditioned rooms, a multi-purpose hall, library, meeting rooms and an office. A climate-controlled cultural and heritage exhibition room houses antique furniture and artworks from the original bungalow.
The transformation of the Huang Clan's premises was three decades in the making.
'Since the 1990s, we were already discussing the deteriorating state of the building and ageing membership,' says Mr Ng Poh Wah, 67, the clan's former chairman.
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'But our plans to revamp the clan house never came to fruition, because the main issue then was, where will the money come from?' adds the businessman.
An opportunity emerged amid the condo development boom in Geylang in the 2010s. In 2013, Mr Ng – then the association chairman – established a task force to bring about the building of a new clan house.
In 2018, the clan sold a 99-year leasehold estate to Oxley Holdings, while retaining ownership of the land. As part of the deal, the property developer would transfer a portion of the units back to the Huang Clan to form part of the new clan house.
The old clan premises and an adjacent house made way for the new condominium, which now sits on a 23,800 sq ft plot of land.
'People have told us it doesn't look like a clan house at all, but we think of it as an entirely new model of the clan house. So there's not much regret over losing the old clan house, because we've gained something,' says Mr Ng .
'Clan events have shifted from the previous open-air grounds to a modern ballroom, which can be booked for activities by non-clan members,' says Mr Steven Huang, 60, the clan's former vice-chairman.
The third floor of the clan's premises is currently rented to a Buddhist association, which took over the lease from a yoga studio.
'Now, the clan is entirely self-sustaining and we don't have to keep relying on donations,' says Mr Stanley Ng, 37, secretary-general of the youth committee and Mr Ng Poh Wah 's son.
Since the new clan house opened in 2022, youth membership has increased by 30 per cent. Now, half of the clan's executive committee is under 45. To complement existing efforts to increase youth engagement, the clan used the premises to host youth wing activities and even added a karaoke room on the second floor as part of the renovations.
The younger Mr Ng says: 'The old building was reminiscent of an old men's club, it was difficult to attract young people… It's so much better now – it's more comfortable, and there's a more conducive space for our youth wing activities. '
'With the renovation, Huang Clan has fortunately transcended the issues of lack of funds, due to the sustainability of the premises and its attractiveness to our youth members.'
Opposition to the redevelopment
The redevelopment was not without its difficulties.
'Normally, you see mixed residential and commercial developments , but this was the first time anyone wanted to mix clan associations with residential use,' says Mr Stanley Ng.
The unique nature of the deal saw his father engaging in extensive talks with potential developers, legal advisers, and clan members.
'We are the first clan in Singapore to have done anything like this. Originally, our lawyers thought that it wouldn't even have been possible,' says Mr Ng Poh Wah.
'I spent every weekend meeting developers, it was a very long and draining process. I spent more time on the negotiations than on my own business,' he adds.
The Huang Clan Association's headquarters are spread over a two-storey space in Sixteen35 Residences.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Internally, some clan members opposed the redevelopment, arguing for the original clan house to be gazetted as a cultural site. This was especially since it was where the renowned Chinese painter Xu Beihong created some of his works during his visits to Singapore between the 1920s and 1942 , when the island fell to the Japanese .
Mr Ng explained to them that constructing a new clan house was a hard but necessary step.
He says: 'We tried to preserve the original facade of the house, but the architect told us that it would not be possible because the piling works would affect the structural quality.'
Mr Stanley Ng adds: 'If it was gazetted for preservation, then who would take on the cost of making the building safe and revamping the building? We had to think of what was in the best interest of the clan.'
His father recalls: 'At the end of the day, the clan had a lot of cash flow problems. My committee members and I had to donate our own money to keep the clan running. When I was the chairman, I think I donated more than $100,000 of my own money for things like scholarships and banquets. If we continued, it would not be sustainable.'
To obtain zoning approval for the redevelopment of the site, it had to give up the traditional practice of burning incense and paper offerings during the Chinese New Year and Hungry Ghost Festival.
Moreover, as the entire clan house is now indoors, the clan's lion dance troupe had to disband as the noise would affect condo residents. But Mr Ng Poh Wah adds: 'It would have happened sooner or later, because more condominiums are popping up in the area.'
Despite the sacrifices and initial resistance, the turnaround in the association's fortunes – in terms of finances and its youth membership – has made it a model for its peers.
Mr Stanley Ng says: 'Now, other clans who are trying to replicate what we did (have) approached us in private for advice.'
A photo on display showing the clan's former premises in a two-storey bungalow.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Consolidations and closures
'What Huang Clan did was very special,' says Ms Lynn Wong, 32, a heritage consultant. 'Many clans have been closing down because there is nobody left to take over, or they cannot sustain their finances.'
Just over 200 of Singapore's 500 clan associations of the past still exist, she notes. In Geylang, that figure has dwindled from 108 in 1998 to 74 today.
Nevertheless, the area remains home to the largest concentration of clan associations in Singapore.
A 50ha zone in Geylang was designated for clans in 1992 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The area, which stretches from Lorong 7 to 35, and Lorong 6 to 20, was designated 'commercial/institution' zoning, the only one of its kind in Singapore.
Clans islandwide whose original premises had been acquired by the Government for redevelopment or which had been priced out of their original locations were encouraged to move into the area, with the promise of fast-track zoning approval for their premises.
One of those clans that made use of the scheme is Char Yong (Dabu) Association. In 1988, the clan – one of Singapore's oldest clan associations – moved from its original premises in Cairnhill Road to its current location in Lorong 22 Geylang.
The clan has been increasing its presence in Geylang steadily. It completed the construction of its Hakka village in Lorong 18 Geylang in December 2024. The building's temporary occupation permit is expected by July or August 2025.
Four floors of the building will be leased out to commercial tenants while the rest of the building will be used for clan activities. The association bought the 17,000 sq ft freehold site for $37 million in August 2020.
The site, which was formerly occupied by 11 shophouses, is a key part of the clan's future.
'It helps that it's close to our current location, and there's a very rich culture and heritage of clans in the area,' says Mr Lee Hong Ping, 55, head of the association's heritage committee.
While Char Yong (Dabu) and the Huang Clan leveraged their locations in Geylang to launch redevelopment plans, smaller clans in the neighbourhood have not been immune to the broader decline of Chinese clan associations in Singapore.
'Other clans in Geylang are not as fortunate as they are still renting their premises, and they move out once rents rise,' says Ms Wong, who has documented the closure of several clans, many of which have shuttered for good or merged with larger ones.
For the Huang Clan, the sacrifices that came with reconstructing its premises were necessary for the larger purpose of renewal.
The elder Mr Ng, who also chairs the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations' Member Affairs Committee, says: 'Not all clans are able to replicate what we did due to constraints like land. However, the most crucial issue still lies in getting people on board with change.'
He says: 'There are clan elders who want things to stay on as they are forever. We have to make progress as times change so that succession can happen.'