Geylang is a neighbourhood in the city-state

City-state

A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...

 of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

. It is located to the east of the Singapore River

Singapore River

The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...

, an area that locals have associated, from the days of Sir Stamford Raffles, as a Malay kampong opposite facing two islands Batin and Rokok (where the former National Stadium used to stand), reclaimed to make space for Singapore's first commercial airport opened in 1937. The airport control tower has been preserved that served, in its day, as an observation deck and is today used by the People's Association. The location of Old Airport Road bears witness to the fact that Geylang, under the British administration, was thought to be outside the limits of the city proper and, therefore, suitable for the siting of Singapore's first commercial airport. The hangars for repair for the light aircraft can still be seen today that have been slated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for redevelopment into commercial and shopping precincts linked by the nearby Kallang MRT station.

The development of Geylang through the next 50 years through to the contemporary era can best be observed along the main trunk road that leads eastward toward Paya Lebar (military) Airbase, in a straight line that terminates at Changi (International) airport. Micro-businesses founded by Malay, Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs seized start-up opportunities as mechanics in bicycle or motor repair workshops, suppliers of wood for making boats, houses, furniture and as merchants in iron, of floor and roofing tiles, in rubber and later plastics for all kinds of marine, industrial, factory and home use, including the mosaic of temples, mosques and churches in Geylang that have its roots serving local worshippers in search of spirituality and the divine.

One of the distinctive hallmarks of Geylang architecture is the preservation of its shophouses used by the clan (kinship) associations, set up as a (first) point of contact for newcomers in the migrant wave between 1840 and 1940 for the purpose of integrating the newcomers into the ways and customs of locals. At present the Geylang neighborhood accurately reflects demographic changes in Singapore (2011) where out of every four Singaporeans, one is a foreigner (Goh, Mar, 2011 paper on PRC Immigrants', Social Work Dept, National University of Singapore).

As a strategic and military outpost for the British, the sea lanes off the Straits of Malacca were important to be kept free from pirates and open for shipping. As the British expanded in influence and power, so Singapore stood in the gap between East and West interests as a natural deep-harbour destination that played host to the French, Portuguese, Dutch and other European navies and their men. Other seaports in Asia, from Shanghai to Calcutta, also played a role in the traffic of women and girls for prostitution.

James Francis Warren has studied the death (coroner's) reports in that colonial era that attest to the lives of the Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka and other dialect groups cast out of the Chinese mainland due to famine and abject poverty. His research tells the story of illiterate Chinese migrants working as coolies and rickshaw pullers and gives an accurate description of what life might have been for the poorest of the poor living in Singapore under the British and immediately before the Japanese Occupation.

In his 2008 edition of Pirates, Prostitutes & Pullers, the author traces the roots of prostitution in Singapore and gives an explanation of the eastward shift of Singapore's red-light district from Chinatown that was east of the Singapore river, toward the Hylam Street– Beach Road locality where many Chinese, Japanese and European girls were pimped, and finally across the Kallang river to its present location in Geylang. Warren's research gives an accurate ethno-social background to prostitution of the young men and women who came to Singapore a hundred years ago, having little or no education, who could not converse, read or write in English and resorted by any and all means to survive the ravages of war, hunger and privation back in the country of origin.

After the war, the heart of the city centre expanded rapidly outward with residential shophouses, hotels and restaurants making their mark on the history of this area including the Gay World amusement park situated just outside the main gate of the old Kallang airport. Remnants of this pre-war history survive to this day that can be seen in the stereotypical Singapore shophouses along and just off the main Geylang thoroughfare. It is in this context of the Asian settlers that stumbled off boats and sampans into mosques, temples and churches to give thanks for journey mercies, that the history of Geylang's red-light district must be read and understood.

Peter Neville, British author of The Rose of Singapore (Monsoon, 2006) writes a novel of Lai Meng, a once famous prostitute in the Geylang area, that falls in love with an R.A.F. serviceman and through marriage crosses over and out of the street communities that were off-limits to the British troops stationed in Singapore during the second world war. The detailed account of life in Geylang during and immediately after the war, the visits to Haw Par Villa

Haw Par Villa

Haw Par Villa is a Chinese mythological theme park in Singapore, located along Pasir Panjang Road.The park contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism...

, the types of food and services available among the main truck road toward Changi and all of its varied businesses (including the sex trade) stands at back of the reasons why prostitution, while officially illegal and outlawed in the Singapore constitution, is nevertheless seen as an accessible, public expedient and necessarily so in view of the large numbers of single male foreign workers and expatriates on the island.

Etymology

The word Geylang is found early in Singapore's history and also in early topographical maps showing marsh and coconut plantations beside and adjacent to the mouth of the Kallang river, home to the Orang Laut (sea gypsies). One possible etymological link in the stock vocabulary of the Malay is 'geylanggan' meaning to 'twist' or 'crush' a reference to the process of extracting the coconut meat and milk used by the locals to thicken curries in Malay-Chinese (Peranakan) cuisine. The idea persists to this day, of the process of heartache and desperation associated with the broken and hurting lives of those involved in buying and selling of sex and drugs on the streets and in the registered brothel in the area. In fact, the word "Geylang" can also, in the Chinese dialect Hokkien "鸡笼“, mean chicken cage.

Contemporary Geylang

See also Prostitution in Singapore

Prostitution in Singapore

Prostitution in Singapore is legal, but various prostitution-related activities are not. This includes public solicitation, living on the earnings of a prostitute and maintaining a brothel. In practice, police unofficially tolerate and monitor a limited number of brothels. Prostitutes in such...

The Geylang area is composed of north and south sections that are divided by Geylang Road which stretches for about three kilometers. Throughout the length of Geylang Road, there are lanes (or "lorongs" in the local Malay language

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

) that extend perpendicularly from the main road. The lanes in the north are given odd numbered names (i.e. Lorong 1, Lorong 3, Lorong 5 and so on), and the lanes in the south are given even numbered names (i.e. Lorong 2, Lorong 4, Lorong 6 and so on).

Partly untouched by urban projects and developments and so far spared by the gentrification process that has changed the face of Singapore since the 1970s, Geylang's combination of shophouse

Shophouse

A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...

 scenery and hectic day and night life, including a red-light district

Red-light district

A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...

 (particularly the even numbered lanes or Lorongs), foreign worker

Foreign worker

A foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. The term migrant worker as discussed in the migrant worker page is used in a particular UN resolution as a synonym for "foreign worker"...

s quarters and karaoke

Karaoke

is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...

 lounges provides an alternative view of elements the rest of modern Singapore generally does not have. Shophouses along Geylang Road

Geylang Road

Geylang Road is a major trunk road linking Singapore's central business district with the eastern suburban areas. Deriving its name from the area of Geylang where the road cuts through, it is fronted on both sides by low-rise shophouses protected statutorily from urban redevelopment in keeping...

 are protected from redevelopment, and several famous eateries have sprung up along the major road.

Geylang is also a red-light district of Singapore. Thousands of Asian prostitutes mostly from other countries like Thailand, Indonesia, China and Malaysia work in Geylang, and visitors and locals alike flock to the area each evening and stay till morning. The district is home to hundreds of brothels. Some are regulated, while others operate behind the scenes illegally. The houses in Geylang operating in sex practices are easily identifiable; their house numbers are large and bright red. As many as a dozen girls work out of each house, and the operating hours tend to be 14:00-3:00.

Transport

To get to Geylang Road, there are several MRT

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...

 stations in the vicinity of Geylang Road: Aljunied

Aljunied MRT Station

Aljunied MRT Station ' is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit station on the East West Line in Singapore. It serves the urban neighbourhood of Aljunied. Its livery is blue....

, Kallang

Kallang MRT Station

Kallang MRT Station ' is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit station on the East West MRT Line in Singapore. It is located just next to the Kallang River, which is famous for its water sports, and serves the urban planning area of Kallang...

, Dakota

Dakota MRT Station

Dakota MRT Station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Circle Line in Singapore. The station is served by 2 exit and entry points. The station was opened on 17 April 2010 along with the rest of Stage 1 & 2 of the Circle Line...

, Mountbatten

Mountbatten MRT Station

Mountbatten MRT Station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Circle Line in Singapore. It is operated by SMRT Corporation....

 and Paya Lebar

Paya Lebar MRT Station

Paya Lebar MRT Station is a Mass Rapid Transit interchange station on the East West Line and the Circle Line in Singapore. It is the first station complex in Singapore that serves both an above ground line and an underground line . The livery of the East West Line and the Circle Line portions...

 stations. There is also the Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal situated in the Kallang

Kallang

Kallang is an urban planning area and a subdivision located in the southeastern part of Singapore.It is probably best known for being the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium & the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub...

 planning area.

TV shows about Geylang

• Living in Geylang, a 20-episode drama aired on MediaCorp Channel 8
  MediaCorp TV Channel 8
  MediaCorp Channel 8 is a 24-hour free-to-air Mandarin Chinese general entertainment television channel in Singapore...
  
   in 1998.
• Pleasure Factory
  Pleasure Factory
  Pleasure Factory is a 2007 docudrama film set in Geylang, the red-light district of Singapore. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the film was selected for the Un Certain Regard competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival....
  
  , a 2007 Singaporean-Thai docudrama film was set in Geylang.