Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East was originally part of a larger area known as Cheng Sua Lai (“inside the green hills” in Hokkien) or Cheng San (“green hills” in Hokkien). Prior to the 1970s, Cheng San used to extend along the former Cheng San Road, which ran from Sembawang Hills to Serangoon Gardens, parallel to the present Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.
Cheng San was mostly covered by rubber plantations and farms, with dwellings scattered every few hundred metres. The area was so inaccessible that former villagers, who were mostly Hokkien and Teochew, recalled that in the 1960s, political parties would drop campaign pamphlets from small airplanes to canvass for support during elections. The present-day Jing Shan Primary School was founded here in 1945 as a Chinese-medium school to provide education for children in the villages.
In the 1970s, Cheng San underwent redevelopment, and its residents were relocated to housing estates in Ang Mo Kio and surrounding towns. Part of Cheng San was repurposed into a park, Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East, which was completed in 1981 and was designed and landscaped by Housing & Development Board to retain much of the area’s natural hilly terrain and vegetation.
Today, visitors can still find rubber and fruit trees in the park from Cheng San’s kampong days. Rubber seed sculptures also dot the walking paths, harking back to the area’s past.
Explore the Suggested Short Trail Routes:
- Iconic Landmarks, 1.5 hours with public transport (5.5km)
- Hidden Heartland Gems, 1.75 hours with public transport (7.5km)
- Scenic Fringes, 2.5 hours with public transport (12km)
Downloads
Ang Mo Kio Heritage Trail Booklet
Ang Mo Kio Heritage Trail Map - English
