Bugis Street lies in an extensive area which was commonly referred to
Xiao Po (小坡; 'little slope') by the Chinese-speaking community in the past. It stretched from
Tanjong Pagar, through Singapore's
Chinatown, to Jalan Sultan. It was crammed with merchants and traders, making it one of the most vibrant economic zones of old Singapore.
Pre-1950s Before the arrival of the
British, there used to be a large canal which ran through the area where the
Bugis, a seafaring people from
South Sulawesi province in
Indonesia, would sail up, moor their boats, and trade. It was these people after whom the thoroughfare was named. The Bugis put their sailing skills to less benign uses and gained a reputation in the region as pirates. Many of them migrated to the present area from
Tanjungpinang in January 1820 fleeing a battle between 400 Buginese and Dutch artillery soldiers in retaliation for the death of a chieftain murdered in a violent scuffle that ensued due to the Dutch captain apprehending several Bugis men
opening shots celebrating a wedding of said chieftain's cousin. During the early colonial era, there used to be low mounds of whitish sand in the area, earning the street the familiar Hokkien (
Min Nan) moniker of
Peh Soa Pu or
Bai Sha Fu in
Mandarin (白沙浮; 'white sand mounds'). The
Cantonese, however, referred to the street as
Hak Gaai or
Hei Jie in Mandarin (黑街; 'black street') as there were many clubs catering to the
Japanese in the 1940s. During the first half of the 20th century, commuters could travel from Bugis Street to anywhere else in
Xiao Po via a tram service which ran along
North Bridge Road, which was referred to by the Chinese-educated as
Xiao Po Da Ma Lu (小坡大马路; 'little slope main road'). Prior to the
Second World War, Bugis had a high proportion of Japanese prostitutes,
Karayuki-san, highly concentrated within the area of Bugis Street, Malabar Street, and Hylam Street. Overcrowding and hygiene issues became a problem due to the lack of space in the early-style, two storey, shophouses. With many people using the same latrines and drinking water sources, diseases started to spread. A
cholera outbreak occurred in 1896 in Bugis, Malabar, and Hylam Streets, leading to them being zoned off. The bad hygiene and poor ventilation due to overcrowding of the sites led to the
Singapore Improvement Trust's attempt to demolish those buildings and rebuild the properties. This led to the infamous "
Bugis Street Case" which over the course of multiple courts decisions, decided that it was not legal to commandeer a building and only pay the price of the land, which had been going on previously and the decision was made by 1937, that new houses should be built to alleviate overcrowding and problems that are associated instead of tearing it down and rebuilding, expecting change to occur. This established a new form of slum clearance in Singapore that was more closely tied to the rights of the citizen and the owner.
1950s–1980s After World War II,
hawkers started gathering around the place to sell food and goods. There was initially also a small number of outdoor bars set up beside rat-infested drains. When
transvestites began to rendezvous in the area in the 1950s, they attracted increasing numbers of Western tourists. Due to this sudden boom in business, Bugis Street became a lively and bustling area, forming the heart of
Xiao Po. It was one of Singapore's most famous tourist areas from the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned internationally, especially for the transvestites. Veterans recall that the notorious drinking section began from
Victoria Street to
Queen Street. Halfway between Victoria and Queen Streets, there was an intersecting lane parallel to the main roads, also lined with
al fresco bars. There was a public toilet with a flat roof with archival photos available, where jubilant rooftop transvestites would perform. Sojourning sailors would perform the ritualistic "
dance of the flaming arseholes" on top of the toilet's roof. Compatriots on the ground would chant the signature "''Haul 'em down you Zulu warrior''" song whilst the sailors performed their act.While many were concerned about the public image and embarrassment that went along with it, the global concern of
HIV/AIDS became more prevalent, with a growing suspicion of the activities that took place. Bugis Street was demolished as a way of not only controlling the population to become more orderly and normative, but also to prevent an HIV
epidemic. There was also a fear that through
homosexuality, the society and culture's perception would limit the island's growth, especially post independence. Allowing a site like Bugis Street would go against the idea of Singapore's nuclear family. This prompted the Singaporean authorities to see it as dissenting. By using an HIV scare and the economic benefits of inserting an MRT station and eventually a mall, the amount of resistance from most Singaporeans was expected to be minimal. In the mid-1980s, Bugis Street underwent major urban redevelopment into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants, and nightspots mixed with regulated back-alley roadside vendors. Underground digging to construct the
Bugis MRT station prior also caused the upheaval and termination of the nightly transgender sex bazaar culture, marking the end of a colourful and unique era in Singapore's history. Tourist and local lamentation of the loss sparked attempts by the
Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) to stage some "
Ah Qua shows" on wooden platforms, but these failed to pull in the crowds and were abandoned after a short time. == In popular media ==