Telok Ayer Street

Telok Ayer
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	直落亚逸
• Pinyin	zhíluòyǎyì
• Malay	Telok Ayer
• Tamil	தேலோக் ஆயர்
Telok Ayer Street, one of the earliest thoroughfares in downtown Singapore.
Country	Singapore

Telok Ayer Street is a street located in Singapore's Chinatown within the Outram district.

Telok Ayer Street, was named after Telok Ayer Bay, located at the foot of Mount Wallich. The Malay name refers to "bay water" because Telok Ayer Street was the coastal road along the bay.

Telok Ayer Street appears in George Drumgoole Coleman's 1836 Map of Singapore as Teluk Ayer Street. The Chinese name for Telok Ayer Street refers to the Chinese temple on this street — da bo gong miao jie.

Telok Ayer Street was also known colloquially under two names. The area nearer Merchant Street was called Guan Soon Street because there was a firm located here called Chop Guan Soon that brought in Indian labourers. Guan Sun is also the name of one of the five divisions of Hoklos (Hokkien) which took part in the Chingay procession once every three years.

The other colloquial name for Telok Ayer Street is called the "front street" of Mah Cho Temple in Hokkien because the street is in front of the Thian Hock Keng Temple, dedicated to Goddess of the Sea, Mah Cho or Matsu.

In 1822, Telok Ayer Street was the primary area set aside by Sir Stamford Raffles for the Chinese community. As the main landing site for Chinese immigrants, Telok Ayer Street become one of the first streets in Chinatown and formed the backbone of development of the Chinese immigrant community in early Singapore. Thus, Telok Ayer Street was the original focal point of settlement in Chinatown.