peranakans moved into joo chiat when their traditional enclave, telok ayer, became overcrowded. they built colourful shophouses which date back to the 1920s and 1930s. the shophouses are now what joo chiat is best known for and people can associate joo chiat with peranakans.
schools and churches were established. the roman catholic holy family church attracted a predominantly catholic eurasian community to the area, so not only peranakans lived there. seaview hotel and the singapore swimming club were also opened in the 1930s, and it provided the wealthier residents in the area with leisure facilities. as joo chiat developed into a small town, the east coast was no longer solely a weekend retreat for the europeans, rich chinese and europeans who owned seaside bungalows there.
residents who lived at the east coast referred to the area verbally as katong because of its close proximity to tanjong katong. therefore, katong was born out of joo chiat.
references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joo_Chiat
http://joochatters.com/joo-chiat-heritage/
http://images.travelpod.com/users/fatkidfrogs/1.1251095676.preserved-shophouses.jpg
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