I missed the old arts centre (that innovative spiralling part,
now demolished) of Chinatown Point. Arts is very important, it is
“food” for the soul. The old building was my weekly dosage of
“chicken soup for the soul”. I find therapeutic to stroll up from
level 1 spiralling up all the way to the top level, looking through
the various art items for sale; jade carving, tibetan jewellery,
gemstones, painting... Occasionally I do buy one or two items. It
was more than an art exhibition for me, I felt fully refreshed at
the top level. One in a while, there would be interesting
exhibitions of painting, porcelain and all held at level 1.
As the building was getting advanced in years, I was hoping it does
not become another “revamped” shopping mall like the new PS (I love
the old PS very much)! Chinatown needs to retain the old flavour of
their buildings or it becomes another orchard road! Chinatown
Point, People’s Park Complex and People’s Park Centre are like that
small precious dot of Yang amid the Yin half of the Taiji.
My nightmare came true when I saw the building scaffolded and
slowly broken down, demolished for the new building.
After the revamp was completed, the new Chinatown Point is
literally like old Heerens, except instead being full of CD shops,
it is full of repetitive restaurants which are also available in
all other shopping malls around the island. Sure, it draws in the
crowds (and cash, and pays the rent) no doubt, as Singaporeans
always love to eat around the clock, but it is only food for the
stomach. To say Singapore is a food paradise is way too nice. To
put it bluntly, Singapore is a nation of gluttons. I’m a
Singaporean born in KK myself by the way. I’m not a
foreigner.
High rent in retail make sure only the top cash cows stay in the
industry, that means seeing the same shops and restaurants in all
other shopping malls. You know how serious this is when even the
annual GSS has become a campaign in the online cyberworld where
there is no rent.
