Five-foot-way traders



Singapore Infopedia

by Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala




Five-foot-way traders were craftsmen who conducted their businesses along shophouse walkways that were five feet wide.1 These traders were immigrants2 of various ethnicities3 who came to early Singapore and could be found in areas such as Chinatown.4

History

The five-foot way was a unique feature of Malaya’s shophouses.5 Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, stipulated that shophouses must have a covered walkway of about five feet along its street front.6 These walkways were meant to protect pedestrians from the hot tropical sun as well as rain.7 However, with the influx of immigrants, work became increasingly difficult to find.8 Many of the old and unemployed thus began using these corridors to set up small businesses instead. The Hokkiens began referring to these businesses as gho kha ki (“five-foot way” in the Hokkien dialect).9


Job scope
The five-foot-way trades provided inexpensive commodities and services.10 They required little capital investment and had flexible working hours. They operated wherever space was available and could shift easily to other places. Five-foot-way traders included: knife sharpeners,11 roadside barbers,12 mask makers,13 fortune tellers,14 locksmiths,15 letter writers, traditional “medicine men” (known as bomoh in Malay), newspaper vendors, storytellers,16 tinsmiths, hair-bun makers, stool makers,17 garland makers, stamp dealers and food vendors.18 Trades were either brought over from their homelands or acquired locally.19

Development
The hustle and bustle of businesses used to overflowed onto the streets in early Singapore.20 Despite the cramped conditions of some of these shophouses, the owners allowed a peaceful coexistence with the traders. Some of these traders later became itinerant as they began to travel with their equipment21 to provide their services door to door or because they found more profits as travelling hawkers. By the mid-1970s, some five-foot-way trades had disappeared although some of these professions are still practised in a modern setting today.22



Author

Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References
1. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
2. Raffles ordered the provision of five-foot-ways. (1987, March 16). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Ong C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, pp. 13–14. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
4. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
5. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL); Tan, S. S. (1998, April 10). Eat, drink on 5-foot ways. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV); Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
7.Tan, S. S. (1998, April 10). Eat, drink on 5-foot ways. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
9. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
10. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV); Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
11. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, pp. 9, 33–35. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
12. Singapore days of old: A special commemorative history of Singapore published on the 10th anniversary of Singapore Tatler. (1992). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine, p. 115. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN); Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
13. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 37. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
14. Singapore days of old: A special commemorative history of Singapore published on the 10th anniversary of Singapore Tatler. (1992). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine, p. 115. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN); Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 28. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
15. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, pp. 31–32. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
16. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, pp. 13–14, 22–23, 96, 101. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
17. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, pp. 33–36. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)
18. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, pp. 39–76, 87. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV); Raffles ordered the provision of five-foot-ways. (1987, March 16). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
19. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
20. Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 5. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
21. Sullivan, M. (1993). ‘Can survive, la’ cottage industries in high-rise Singapore. Singapore: Graham Brash, p. 37. (Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL); Ong, C. S., & Tan, B. L. (Eds.). (1985). Five-foot-way traders. Singapore: Archives and Oral History Department, p. 9. (Call no.: RSING 779.9658870095957 FIV)
22. Singapore days of old: A special commemorative history of Singapore published on the 10th anniversary of Singapore Tatler. (1992). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine, p. 115. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN)



Further resources
Chinese expo will have a window to the past. (1989, November 2). The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Lee, V. (1985, August 16). Nostalgia for some. The Straits Times, p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Lim, S. K. (Producer). (1983). Chinatown in transition [Videotape]. Singapore: Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.
(Call no.: RAV 959.57 CHI) 

The five-foot-way hawkers are turning the district into a fairy land of bright lights. (1960, October 26). The Singapore Free Press, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

The vanishing trades [CD-ROM]. (1997). Singapore: Daichi Media.
(Call no.: RAV 338.642095957 VAN)



The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

 

Rights Statement

The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.

More to Explore

Raffles City

ARTICLE

Raffles City is a complex which consists of two hotels, a convention centre, a shopping centre and an office tower. Built in the early 1980s, Raffles City was planned and constructed over a period of 17 years, and was the single largest commercial development built in that time. The complex...

Chinese New Year taboos

ARTICLE

Chinese New Year celebrations are accompanied by specific rites and rituals with strict prohibitions and taboos....

Singapore's first motorcycle trip around the world

ARTICLE

Michael and Sonya Fong were Singapore's first couple to set out on a world motorcycle trip, which they called "Baby Quek's Big Adventure", on 17 September 1995. They travelled for nearly two years, returning on 14 May 1997. Riding their 1,000 cc BMW motorcycle, Baby Quek, their trip managed to...

Feng shui

ARTICLE

Feng shui literally means “wind and water”. It is a study of man’s position in the environment, combining various disciplines such as astrology, geography, ecology, psychology, architecture and aesthetics. Singapore has an active community of professional geomancers who practise feng shui. ...

Milenko Prvacki

ARTICLE

Milenko Prvacki (b. 1951, Yugoslavia–) began his artistic career in his native country, the former Yugoslavia, and had established himself as an artist in Europe before moving to Singapore in 1991. The prolific artist has deeply enriched the local visual arts scene and has been widely consulted on various issues...

Singapura cat

ARTICLE

The Singapura cat a.k.a. Kucinta (Kuchinta) is regarded as Singapore's Tourism Board's mascot, although claims of it having originated from Singapore remain questionable. The Cat Fanciers Association in the US gave the Singapura cat pedigree status in 1988....

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

ARTICLE

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (BTRTM) is a religious and cultural institution located in Chinatown, which houses a relic said to be a tooth from Buddha. The BTRTM was built for the veneration of the relic, to promote Buddhist culture and education and provide welfare services to the...

The inaugural Asian Youth Games 2009

ARTICLE

The inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) was a regional multi-sport event held from 29 June to 7 July 2009. Hosted by Singapore, the games saw the participation of 43 National Olympic Councils (NOCs) from the Asian continent. A total of nine sports were contested by 1,321 athletes. ...

Gasing

ARTICLE

Gasing is a term that refers to both the Malay spinning top and the game of top spinning. Gasing was a popular game played in the kampongs (“villages” in Malay) of Singapore and Malaysia, especially among members of the Malay community. Competitive gasing is still played in Malaysia today....

Chinese birth rituals

ARTICLE

For the Chinese, the family is regarded as the primary unit of society. A birth within the family therefore holds special significance for the community, and is associated with a number of rituals. Although traditional birth observances have largely given way to practical concerns, the importance of this event continues...