House of Tan Teng Niah
House of Tan Teng Niah
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Little India
With a strong local Indian community, this pocket of Singapore can feel like another place and time. Wander past traditional barbershops while local residents in brightly colored saris patronize retailers from decades past. Peruse streets lined with colorful shops as the aroma of curry tempts you to indulge. Listen to the Bollywood music echoing from storefronts and take in the stalls selling bright flowers, fabrics, and spices. At the 24-hour, four-level Mustafa Shopping Center, you can shop through the night and find everything from pharmacy and grocery items to Bollywood DVDs and diamond necklaces. Singapore’s Little India offers a colorful, lively taste of the subcontinent and is well worth the visit.
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7,158 within 3 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
44 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
25
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
0
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Grover R
Pensacola, FL22,409 contributions
Feb 2020
Along with the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and Serangoon Road, this is one of the must sees in Little India. From the pictures it is easy to think the reason is its multi color paint scheme. While that is great for pictures, the real significance is this is the last remain Chinese villa homes in Little India. It was built is a style used by many Chinese merchants who lived and operated businesses in the cattle and rattan businesses of Little India. The upstairs was the home while the downstairs the business. It has now been fully embraced as Indian with its many colors looking like a temple. Anyways this place is great to see and get a picture.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,766 contributions
Mar 2020
This house used to belong to Tan Teng Niah, a Chinese businessman who lived in what is now the Little India neighbourhood. This house is also known for being the last Chinese Villa in the area. While some of the architecture of the building retains Chinese elements, the restoration has given the building a very colourful look. The mixture of bright colours seem more South Indian tha Chinese to me. Nevertheless, it’s a very photogenic building and this was pretty much the only building that was of interest to me in LIttle India.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pernellevoyage
Valence, France6,195 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
The Former House of Tan Teng Niah, located in Little India, is a brightly coloured Chinese house, a rare vestige of Singapore’s traditional residential heritage. Built in 1900 by a wealthy Chinese industrialist, it stands out for its unique architecture, merging Chinese and colonial influences, making it a popular photo spot for tourists. Although charming and photogenic, the tour is quick and limited to the outside of the house.
Automatically translated
Written October 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle M
Fully, Switzerland53 contributions
Sep 2019 • Solo
Such a happy place to be. Colourful old houses retain their charm with vibrant paint and authentic Architecture style. Totally love it. Extremely easy to get to. Take the MRT to Little India Station n take exit E. As soon as you got to the top of the escalator, look left n you will see part of a colourful building. Just turn left and follow it. Enjoy!
Written September 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Travelling Ambivert
London, UK265 contributions
Oct 2018
If you’re in the Little India area, the house of Tan Teng Niah is one of the stop-off points to take in a little piece of Singaporean history and a few cheeky snaps. Instagrammers and photographers have an affinity with this spot. As a historic location in Singapore, a guide can be hired to learn more about the location.
Written September 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dining outlets
8 contributions
Jul 2019 • Business
A historical Chinese building found in the heart of an Indian enclave. It imprints the legacy of the Chinese contributions to the Indian community more than 100 years ago.
A great reference point for students and tourist alike to learn about inter-racial harmony in Singapore
A great reference point for students and tourist alike to learn about inter-racial harmony in Singapore
Written July 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John Jackson
Singapore, Singapore1,091 contributions
Sep 2020
Always a good vibes and memories are coming from there!
IF you are fan of street photography graffiti or history of Singapore then you are going to love it! remember it!
Cheers!
IF you are fan of street photography graffiti or history of Singapore then you are going to love it! remember it!
Cheers!
Written September 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oylin65
Singapore, Singapore87 contributions
Oct 2017 • Family
A visit to Singapore's Little India is a sensory experience of culture and heritage. A house owned by a Chinese businessman in an India enclave is an interesting cultural phenomena but being so colourful makes it an interesting place for photo. The house of Tan Teng Niah is located a short walk from the Little India MRT station. Tan Teng Niah had built the house in the 1900s for his wife. Besides a southern China architectural style, there are Chinese characters on the main door. It was evident that the colourful house was greatly influenced by the colours found in Indian temples.
The best time to visit to capture the vibrant colours is around noon (no shadow casted) but it can be extremely hot and scorching, If photography is not critical, visit during the cooler part of the day in the morning or early evening. If you visit in the evening, you can also dine alfresco and order from a restaurant that now occupies the building or from a hawker across the street.
As the premises house several business, it is not possible to visit the interior of the house, it is definitely a colourful visit.
The best time to visit to capture the vibrant colours is around noon (no shadow casted) but it can be extremely hot and scorching, If photography is not critical, visit during the cooler part of the day in the morning or early evening. If you visit in the evening, you can also dine alfresco and order from a restaurant that now occupies the building or from a hawker across the street.
As the premises house several business, it is not possible to visit the interior of the house, it is definitely a colourful visit.
Written November 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yuli Sidharta
Jakarta, Indonesia66 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
Herritage building with pop art culture, nearest with MRT little India. One of the tourist spot that you need to visit
Written August 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ujang Sapri
125 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
Colorful historical land mark. It's a good place to stop by and take picture. If you happen to be around the place, it's worth a visit.
Written June 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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