We got a glimpse into Kampong Lorong Buangkok’s history, the current status quo, and what’s to become of the last village in Singapore.
A lot has changed in Singapore’s short history. We’ve seen the loss of one too many historical buildings like Pearl Bank and Golden Mile Complex, reclaimed to become modern developments to add to our cityscape. It’s a bittersweet feeling as the old paves the way for the new, and while these locales may be memorialised in textbooks and articles like ours, nothing beats experiencing them firsthand in all their glory. To that end, I decided to visit a little spot that has, so far, stood the test of time – Kampong Lorong Buangkok.
Kampong Lorong Buangkok: What you need to know
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be part of a tour group to enter Kampong Lorong Buangkok (although we’d highly recommend it if it’s your first time). Members of the public are free to enter the village if you’re keen just to take a quiet stroll through the area.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that Kampong Lorong Buangkok isn’t a museum. It’s still a place of residence where people live their everyday lives. Don’t enter their homes or climb the fences to get access to anything (apparently this has happened more times than you would expect). Be mindful of where you explore, and avoid visiting at night so you don’t disturb the peace. We’re looking at you, ghost hunters.
It can get pretty hot if you visit in the later parts of the day, so bring water and dress comfortably for the occasion. Or drop by in the morning when it’s a little cooler. Bugs are aplenty, so arm yourself with insect repellent to avoid the mosquitoes. And if you’re not comfortable with a squatting toilet, we suggest making sure your bladder is extra empty before visiting.
There are also a couple of options to get there besides taking a cab. For those who are driving, the multistory carpark at 998 Buangkok Crescent is a short five-minute walk to the entrance of Kampong Lorong Buangkok. There are also lots of bus stops nearby, and you can hitch a ride from Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Serangoon, or Yio Chu Kang MRT to get to any of them.
Our last kampong, with some modern touches
Since it was my first time visiting Kampong Lorong Buangkok, I decided to sign a colleague and myself up for a tour with Let’s Go Tour Singapore. The promise of old kampong stories and the development of the village drew me immediately. And with a ton of burning questions in my back pocket, I figured why not enlist the help of experts who should know way more about the locale than I could Google about.
In the cab ride on the way there, we cut through the flats in Buangkok before traversing through a small road with a little fork that led to the village. Greeted warmly by our tour guide, Yap, he takes us through the long pathway leading up to the heart of Kampong Lorong Buangkok while telling us stories about the village he’s learned over the years thanks to the countless conversations he’s had with the residents.
As we ventured further in (briefly attacked by huge bugs on the way), it got noticeably quieter. The usual sounds of construction and traffic that I’m so used to become replaced with the low hum of buzzing insects and people strolling through the village. Yap greets some people along the way, speaking familiarly to an adorable makcik (auntie) who smiles at us and tells him about how she’s about to head out for a doctor’s appointment.
The village is rustic, and everything I imagined a kampong would look like – with the exception of some modern tweaks. You’ll spy air conditioning units and televisions in some living rooms, woven into this simple way of life over time. I even spotted a Mercedes parked in the yard of one of the homes. Quite the juxtaposition, I’d say.
Kampong Lorong Buangkok’s history, at a glance
Originally owned by traditional Chinese medicine seller Sng Teow Koon in 1956, the previously 21,460 square metre land was used to grow herbs and plants for his business. A community started to blossom as Malay plantation workers asked Mr Sng if they could rent small areas of the land to set up houses for themselves. At its peak, over 40 families made the kampong their home.
After Mr Sng passed away, ownership of the land was passed along to his youngest daughter, Sng Mui Hong. The mix of Chinese and Malay families in the village pay $6.50 to $30 in rent, depending on the amount of land they occupy. Before anyone starts getting excited about potentially snagging a kampong holiday home for cheap, we’ll have to pump the brakes on that. As of now, only direct family members of the original tenants get to rent the homes in Kampong Lorong Buangkok.
Before being renamed, the village was known as Kampong Selak Kain (to hitch one’s skirt), alluding to the flood-prone nature of the land. Yap tells us that the floods were often devastating, and recounted stories of how Ms Sng had to carry children out of the area to ensure they were out of danger. Thankfully, the installation of canals helped to lessen the frequency of floods. With that transformation, Ms Sng then renamed the village to the Kampong Lorong Buangkok we know today.
As generations of children grew up and moved from the tranquil countryside to lofty HDBs, the number of families residing in the village dropped. However, there’s no denying how close everyone still is to this day.
An ode to Kampong Lorong Buangkok’s fiercest protector
We were previously warned that we might not get a chance to see Ms Sng, as visits are dependent on her mood. Lucky for us, she seemed to be in high spirits.
Despite being in her 70s, Ms Sng isn’t afraid of hard work. She’s spry and energetic, raking up leaves in her front yard when we walk by. She asks me about my race (my Indonesian roots must’ve made this answer a bit hazy), and I laugh while replying in broken Mandarin that I’m Chinese. We were also tickled with a brief rundown of her very colourful life. Did you know, she used to be a canteen helper, bus conductor, and even a getai singer?
After some small talk, she asked if we wanted to take some bilimbi – a type of sour fruit – home with us. Before we could even respond, she eagerly whips out her bountiful harvest, dropping handful after handful of bilimbi in front of us, then moving on to entertain a group of students who stopped by for a morning of volunteer work.
The youngest of four siblings, Ms Sng is truly a force to be reckoned with. In honour of her father’s wishes to keep the village alive, she’s kept the current status quo up for years, refusing to raise rent prices or allow outsiders to reside in the village. She ignores the multi-million dollar price tag people have put on her land, insistent that she will never sell it. Filial, loyal, and fierce, she protects the peace with an iron fist.
A land not frozen in time
Despite its tranquillity in comparison to the rest of our buzzing metropolitan city, Kampong Lorong Buangkok isn’t shielded away from the typical issues that arise in everyday life. The old kampong spirit has been lost with time and the interference of unwanted visitors. Gone are the days when the villagers could safely leave their gates open and doors unlocked for all to come and go as they please.
I imagined a bustling kampong, passing by older villagers sitting on their porches, making loud and unabashed conversations from one yard to the next. Hearty greetings, animals running amock, and friendly residents were all part of my (perhaps overly naive) perception of what this village would look like.
But nothing is as rosy as it seems. Locked doors, closed curtains, and fences that separate and arbitrarily demarcate which land belonged to who told me a different story. Our preconceived notions of what kampong life looks like will have to be parked aside for reality. Over time, I imagine disagreements and upsets popping up, especially when your home is opened up to prying eyes and tourists who view this way of life as a novelty and spectacle.
The future of our little village
My major burning question for Yap was how Kampong Lorong Buangkok managed to escape being reclaimed over the years. And the answer turned out to be more utilitarian than I thought. With the amount of land Kampong Lorong Buangkok currently occupies – about 1.2 hectares right now – it’s too small for any major development plans. In essence, it’s been left alone because there’s no use for it. Pretty heartwrenching if you ask me.
On the flip side, there’s a lighter note. After conversations about its redevelopment started in 2017, previous Ang Mo Kio MP Intan Azura Mohktar began pushing for the preservation of the village instead of tearing it down. By putting Kampong Lorong Buangkok in this new spotlight, the hope is that like St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Lau Pa Sat, and various shophouses, the village can be conserved as part of our history.
Yes, I could’ve Googled for all this information on my own time. But I’m thrilled to have gone for a tour instead. Deep diving into Kampong Lorong Buangkok’s history is so different when you actually get to see the location for yourself. And thanks to the wonderful relationship the tour team has built with the villagers over the years, we even got the opportunity to enter spaces you normally wouldn’t have access to.
While discussions about reclaiming Kampong Lorong Buangkok will inevitably resurface, we can comfort ourselves knowing that the situation will likely be years down the road. So if you’re thinking about visiting, this little slice of island paradise will be here for a long time. Just don’t let the opportunity pass by.
