This photograph is part of a series which depicts the sights and scenes of 19th and 20th century Singapore.The Great World Amusement Park opened in 1930. Its patrons then were largely members of the affluent classes and British servicemen. It also played host to trade fairs organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Shaw Brothers took over proprietorship of the park in 1941. It reopened after the Second World War in 1958 catering to the wider masses. Apart from movie screenings, Great World also offered Chinese opera performances, cabarets, carnival rides, market stalls and restaurants. Park attendance dwindled with the advent of television in the 1960s and the park closed in 1964. In its place today stands the Great World City shopping complex.
