Geylang
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| English | Geylang |
| Chinese | 芽笼 |
| (Pinyin | Yálóng) |
| Malay | Geylang |
| Tamil | கேலாங் |
Geylang, also known as Geylang Serai, is a neighbourhood in the city-state of Singapore east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. It is located to the East of the Singapore River.
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Etymology
The word Geylang is found early in Singapore's history.
The other possible origin to the word "Geylang" is Chinese Hokkien "鸡笼“, which means chicken cage.[citation needed]
Contemporary Geylang
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 scenery and hectic day and night life, including a red-light district (particularly the even numbered streets or Lorongs), foreign workers quarters and karaoke lounges provides an alternative view of elements the rest of modern Singapore generally does not have. Shophouses along Geylang Road 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 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 lot of several MRT stations in the vicinity of Geylang Road: Aljunied, Kallang and Paya Lebar stations. There is also the Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal situated in the Kallang planning area.
TV shows about Geylang
- Living in Geylang, a 20-episode drama aired on MediaCorp Channel 8 in 1998.
- Pleasure Factory, a 2007 Singaporean-Thai docudrama film was set in Geylang.
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References
- Peter K G Dunlop (2000), Street Names of Singapore, Who's Who Publishing, ISBN 981-4062-11-1
- Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
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