The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association

Location

102 Lor Ah Soo

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The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association (新加坡后港海南同乡会) was registered in 1958 and officially opened in 1962 to represent and serve the Hainanese community at Lorong Ah Soo. Before the 1980s, Lorong Ah Soo was commonly referred to as Hai Lam Hng (“Hainan Garden” in Teochew and Hokkien), as the road was home to a few hundred Hainanese families.

The association’s primary role is to foster closer ties among and provide mutual aid to the Hainanese community. It also used to champion Hainanese opera, and in 1964, it founded the former Yi Guang opera troupe. Many of the troupe’s talents went on to become established opera artistes in Singapore.

There were other important Hainanese institutions in Hai Lam Hng such as Twee Boey Teng Niang Temple (后港水尾圣娘庙) and Wah Mong School (化蒙学校), with strong links to The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association. The temple is dedicated to Shui Wei Sheng Niang, a goddess known as protector of seafarers. The school was founded in 1937 and held classes on the temple’s opera stage during its early years. Together, the three institutions catered to the social, educational and spiritual needs of the Hainanese community in the area.

In 1984, The Serangoon Khiung Jai Co-Villagers Association relocated to its current site from its previous location along Lorong Ah Soo. The association remains active in fostering ties among the Hainanese community in Singapore.

From National Monuments to memories of diverse communities who call Hougang home, these three thematic trails are designed to bring you on a journey of discovery. Explore Hougang beyond its modern housing estates, trace its stories through its built heritage, and get to know how it transformed from kampongs into the suburb it is today.