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Gay World was an amusement park built in Singapore before World War II, and from the 1920s to the 1960s, Singapore's nightlife revolved around it. Gay World featured various forms of entertainment such as shopping, movies, operas and many more.

This location is significant because it greatly impacted people's lives in Singapore, especially the Chinese community. Leading up to World War II, Gay World served as a place for many fundraising activities for mainland China's war efforts. The China Relief Fund Committee held many events there, for example, charity badminton matches and plays. Shortly before the Japanese Occupation, the Aihua Musical Society, which supported the anti-Japanese resistance, promoted concerts by the Wuhan Choir from China and performed them to packed audiences at Gay World.

This left a strong impact on people's lives in the Chinese community as Gay world allowed them to support their home countries and relive the experiences they had back at home.

- Ang Yi En (01)

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In 1823, Sir Stamford Raffles proposed to have an educational establishment. He decided that a library would help support the educational aims of college. The building was completed in 1837, with Dr Robert Morrison - an eminent missionary, philanthropist and educator - as its first librarian.

On 12  October 1887, a new building was opened and the Raffles library got combined with a museum. They were in the same building and thus was renamed ‘Raffles Library and Museum’.

During the Japanese Occupation, the library was used as a Regimental Aid Station by British and Australian forces. When the British fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, the library was closed. However it was officially reopened on the Japanese Emperor's birthday, 29 April 1942.

Apart from being a place that was used in war and a place where people read, Raffles Library also helped foster a sense of community among Singaporeans. Singaporeans went through the process of influencing and being influenced by others upon joining the library community. Moreover, frequent contact and high-quality interaction created a shared emotional connection within the community.

- Geleanne Chen (02)

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253 Jln Besar, Singapore 208926, Singapore

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New World Park was a famous nighttime hang-out in Singapore from the 1920s to the '60s. Opened in 1923, it was the primary of three renowned amusement parks called the "Worlds". New World Park was located at present-day City Square Residences. In its heyday, New World had open-air cinemas, cabarets, opera halls, shops and restaurants. It was the oldest amusement park in Singapore when it closed in 1987. It is historically significant due to the sheer number of attractions and the crowds of visitors daily over 64 years of running.

Within three months of its opening, New World had hosted 16 first-class boxing contests, wrestling matches, variety shows and operas. Within two years, New World's City Opera was hailed as the best in Malaya. Singapore's first air-conditioned cabaret was completed in 1938 and could allow 500 couples could dance comfortably at a time. These cabarets, which were highly raved about, remained popular until the 1950s.

The Bunga Tanjong dance hall attracted the lovers of joget (modern Malay dance). Patrons could buy a dance with a taxi-dancer for 50 cents for one joget or opt to dance the ronggeng (traditional Malay dance), cha-cha or rumba accompanied by a band of Malay musicians. On some nights, Bunga Tanjong could pack up to 500 people.

New World Park had two locations for Peking opera: Bajiao Ting (Octagonal Pavilion) and an indoor stage named Wa Wutai (Great Stage). One for Fujian opera and another for Chaozhou opera called Bai Lao Hui, frequently presented Lau Sai Thor Guan Teochew Wayang, one of Singapore's most popular Chaozhou opera troupes. Cantonese opera was performed at Riguang Tai (Sunshine Stage), which was its biggest theatre.

- Awba Hein (09)

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8 Jln Ampas, Singapore 329508, Singapore

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The Malay Film Productions studio at no. 8, Jalan Ampas, was the birthplace of the Malay film industry. A historical landmark that holds a lot of pride for the Malays, its golden era spanned the 1950s and 60s. Established in 1947 by the Shaw brothers, the old films not only entertained audiences in Singapore, Malaya and Indonesia, but also provided valuable insights into the social history of the Malays.

The most prominent films featured the legendary actor-director P. Ramlee. To  this day, he is still seen as a prodigious talent who charismatically raised Malay cinema from simply being entertainment to becoming a realist commentary on Malay society and modernity. Films like Penarek Becha (1956) and Bujang Lapok (1957) were important in portraying class divisions and poverty within the Malay society during his time. P. Ramlee and his contemporaries promoted social reform through their films. They influenced their massive audience through their social ideas of modernity, identity and independence.

- Adam Hirzan (08)

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History PT Malay Film Productions Studio