It was certainly not my first time stepping into Chinatown People Park Complex. I had accompanied my parents here a number of times during Chinese New year period to shop for New Year goodies. Sometimes I would also come to the People Park Food Centre for meal. However, this time is certainly the first time I see People Park Complex in a different light. Never did I think about its architecture and history background every time I came here. I had just thought of People Park Complex as an old and “ready to be extinct” shopping mall that can only attracts elders to come here shop here. However, I was wrong.Through the architect, Dinesh Naidu's explanation, I finally realized what the elders always quoted ‘Everything was built for a reason”. The 31-storey high People's Park Complex building is certainly not the first shopping mall in Singapore; however it is certainly the first shopping centre of this structure in Southeast Asia and has set the building design pattern for most of today’s retail developments in Singapore. The shopping centre was completed in October 1970, while the residential block, in 1973. The residential block accommodates a variety of apartment sizes, and access to them is through a lift that is independent of the shopping centre. The roof-level of the block previously was a common area contained shared amenities, such as an open-air play space, built for communal use. That was told to us by the accompanying Naidu that the concept was just like today’s neighbouring playground corner and open space. However, it is a pity that such thing is all history. Now what is left is that the open space serves as a dormitory and hangout for those foreign workers. The people park complex itself is made up of an outer shopping area and an inner shopping area. The shopping centre had incorporated the first "city room" or atrium in Singapore, a concept that was introduced under the Metabolist Movement in the 1960s. The shops in the shopping mall surround the large internal space, which consists of two multi-storey interlocking atriums. The "city room" serves to retain the busy character and atmosphere of the olden Chinatown Street.
Today People Park Complex seems no different from when it is just built. The varieties of the shops there are more than what we found in most shopping malls. Most new shopping malls have spa, fashion, food court and gifts place. However in People Park Complex, there is far more choices of needs. Where do you go when you need a good cheap travel deal? Yes, it is People Park Complex. Moreover, we may be surprised at what shops we can find here. There is authentic foot reflexology, massage shop, acupuncture, Chinese medicated shop, fortune telling and even ghost buster. However as Chinatown becoming an elderly populated place where elderly get seated around playing chess and chats, many under the blanket activities started to creep into the People Park Complex. Many massage parlors begun to open in mass. There are a number of small massage places offering "other" services. The KTV and karaoke clubs are also providing more than "singing". There is a whole big group of freelancers with regular customers and spread of word through mouth. There was a period that prostitution is even more active than the standing ladies in Geylang or Desker Road area. Finally, the police raids become frequent and People Park Complex had tarnished its reputation. When I was there with my guy friend, I do not know that there are these kinds of activities going on. Initially I just thought that it was kinda of weird that why the massage parlors are mainly standing outside the entrance and they are wearing very skimpy clothing. More badly, they are making eyes to my guy friend when I was not looking. The feeling is awkward and I was feeling naked with their eyes scanning all over us. I can only take a couple of pictures before a security guard asked me to stop taking photos. I suspect that the security and the authority know about this kind of obscene business, but they do not wish further new reports on this. It is really sad that such thing is moving into one of the Singapore world-class architecture. I feel that People Park Complex may be on the chopping block in the near future. So now, we should really appreciate People Park Complex and try to keep the building from future demolition. In our rush to rebuild Singapore, the government had knocked down many old and quaint Singapore buildings. Only after years later that Singapore realise we were actually destroying a valuable part of our cultural heritage that we were demolishing what tourists found attractive and unique in Singapore. That is exactly what Gibson condemns Singapore about.
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