 The present Bugis Street, developed from New Bugis Street. Bugis Street, in the city-state of Singapore, was renowned internationally from the 1950s to the 1980s for its nightly gathering of transwomen, a phenomenon which made it one of Singapore's top tourist destinations during that period. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
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Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
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A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ...
Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...
In the mid-1980s, Bugis Street underwent major urban redevelopment into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots mixed with regulated back-alley roadside vendors. Underground digging to construct the Bugis MRT station prior to that also caused the upheaval and termination of nightly transgender sex bazaar culture, marking the end of a colourful and unique era in Singapore's history. Bugis MRT Station (EW12) is located on the East West Line. ...
Today, the original Bugis Street is now a cobblestoned, relatively wide avenue sandwiched between the buildings of the Bugis Junction shopping complex. On the other hand, the lane presently touted as "Bugis Street" by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board is actually developed from New Bugis Street, and is billed as "the largest street-shopping location in Singapore". An attempt by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to bring back the former glamor was unsuccessful. Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
The Singapore Tourism Board is a government agency in Singapore, tasked to promote the countrys tourism industry. ...
The Singapore Tourism Board is a government agency in Singapore, tasked to promote the countrys tourism industry. ...
History
 South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, home of the Bugis or Buginese people - expert sailors who put their skills to good use in the past.
Archival pictures of a coastal settlement of the Bugis people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
 Transwoman sashaying down Bugis Street, being ogled at by tourists, circa the 1980s. Bugis Street lies in an extensive area which was commonly referred to in the past, by the Chinese-educated community, as Xiao Po (小坡; little slope). The latter stretched all the way from Tanjong Pagar, through Singapore's Chinatown, to Jalan Sultan. The whole vicinity was thriving and crammed with merchants and traders, making it one of the most vibrant economic zones of old Singapore. Image File history File links province of Indonesia File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links province of Indonesia File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1378x1144, 231 KB) Summary Archival photos of a settlement of the Bugis people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1378x1144, 231 KB) Summary Archival photos of a settlement of the Bugis people from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. ...
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Tanjong Pagar Road The characteristic spiral staircases at the back of shophouses in Tanjong Pagar. ...
Pre-1950s According to knowledgeable long-term residents of the area, before the arrival of the British, there used to be a large canal which ran through the area where the Bugis, a seafaring people from South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, could sail up, moor their boats and trade with Singaporean merchants. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Map showing South Sulawesi province within Indonesia South Sulawesi (Indonesian: Sulawesi Selatan) is a province of Indonesia, located on Sulawesi island. ...
It was these people after whom the thoroughfare was named. The Bugis, or Buginese, also put their sailing skills to less benign uses and gained a reputation in the region as being a race of bloodthirsty pirates. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Buginese (locally Basa Ugi, elsewhere also Bahasa Bugis, Bugis, Bugi, De) is the language spoken by about four million people, mainly in the southern part of Celebes (Sulawesi), in Indonesia. ...
During the early colonial era, there also used to be low mounds of whitish sand in the area, earning the street the familiar Hokkien moniker of Peh Soa Pu or Bai Sha Fu in Mandarin (白沙浮; white sand mounds). The Cantonese, however, referred to the street as Hak Gaai or Hei Jie in Mandarin (黑街; black street) as there were many clubs catering to the Japanese invaders in the 1940s. During the first half of the 20th century, commuters could conveniently travel from Bugis Street to anywhere else in Xiao Po via a tram service which ran along North Bridge Road, which was referred to by the Chinese-educated as Xiao Po Da Ma Lu (小坡大马路; little slope main road). Hokkien is a Min nan word corresponding to Standard Mandarin Fujian. It can refer to: Min Nan, a Chinese language/dialect, also called Minnan, Min Nan or Minnanyu (meaning Southern Fujian). ...
Mandarin (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally speech of officials), or Beifanghua (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Northern Dialect(s)), is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. ...
Cantonese is a major dialect group or language of the Chinese language, a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ...
North Bridge Road at Kampong Glam. ...
1950s-1980s After World War II, hawkers gathered there to sell food and goods. There was initially also a small number of outdoor bars set up beside rat-infested drains.
When transvestites began to rendezvous in the area in the 1950s, they attracted increasing numbers of Western tourists who came for the booze, the food, the pasar malam shopping and the "girls". Business boomed and Bugis Street became an extremely lively and bustling area, forming the heart of Xiao Po. It was one of Singapore's most famous tourist meccas from the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned internationally for its nightly parade of flamboyantly-dressed transwomen and attracted hordes of Caucasian gawkers who had never before witnessed Asian queens in full regalia. For a discussion of the history and current usage of the term transvestite, see transvestism. ...
Picture of traditional Malaysian Pasar malam, it starts from 6pm to 11pm mostly on Saturday. ...
This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ...
Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
The latter would tease, cajole and sit on visitors' laps or pose for photographs for a fee.
Others would sashay up and down the street looking to hook half-drunk sailors, American GIs and other foreigners on R&R, for an hour of profitable intimacy. Not only would these clients get the thrill of sex with an exotic oriental, there would be the added spice of transgressing gender boundaries in a seamy hovel. The abbreviation G.I. or GI is most commonly used to shorten government issue, and has different meanings depending on the part of speech in which it is used. ...
R&R can mean: Remove and refit; to remove a component from a vehicle to repair it or to gain access to other components, and then re-install it. ...
There was an adage amongst Westerners that one could easily tell who was a real female and who was not - the transvestites were drop-dead gorgeous, while the rest were real women. The amount of revenue that the transwomen of Bugis Street raked in was considerable, providing a booster shot in the arm for the tourism industry. Some Americans referred to it as "Boogie Street" in the wake of the 1970s disco craze. For a discussion of the history and current usage of the term transvestite, see transvestism. ...
Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
Boogie is swing blues rhythm (Burrows 1995, p. ...
Disco is a genre of dance-oriented pop music that blends elements of funk and soul music. ...
Veterans recall that the notorious drinking section began from Victoria Street west to Queen Street. Halfway between Victoria and Queen Streets, there was an intersecting lane parallel to the main roads, also lined with al fresco bars. There was a well-patronised public toilet with a flat roof of which there are archival photos, complete with jubilant rooftop transwomen. Victoria Street is the name of several streets in various countries: In Australia: Victoria Street, Sydney, New South Wales Victoria Street, Melbourne, Victoria In Singapore: Victoria Street In the United Kingdom: Victoria Street, London, England In the United States: Victoria Street, Carson, California See also: List of places named after...
Queen Street can refer to: Queen Street in Brisbane, Australia Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand Queen Street in Ottawa, Canada Queen Street in Toronto, Ontario. ...
Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
One of the "hallowed traditions" bestowed upon the area by sojourning sailors, eg. from Australia, was the ritualistic "Dance Of The Flamers" or "Dance Of The Flaming Arseholes" on top of the infamous toilet's roof. Compatriots on the ground would chant the signature "Haul 'em down you Zulu Warrior" song whilst the matelots performed their act.
Over the years this became almost a mandatory exercise and although it may seem to many to be a gross act of indecency, it was generally well received by the sometimes up to 100s of tourists and locals. The Kai Tais or Beanie Boys, as the transwomen were referred to by Anglophone white visitors, certainly did not mind either. By the mid-70s Singapore started a crackdown on this type of lewd behaviour and sailors were arrested at gunpoint by the local authorities for upholding the tradition. By this time those sailors brave enough to try it were dealt with severely and even shipped home in disgrace. Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
Look up Anglophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
The earliest published description of Bugis Street found by Yawning Bread as a place of great gender diversity was in the book "Eastern Windows" by Ommaney, F.D. (1960. London:Longmans. pp. 39-45). Ommaney did not date specifically his description of the street but his book made clear that he was in Singapore from 1955 to 1960. Read a first-person account of Bugis Street in the 1950s by Bob, a visiting Australian sailor:[1] Alex Au Wai Pang, equally well known by his electronic nom-de-plume as Yawning Bread, is regarded by many to be the founding father of the Singaporean struggle for gay equality. ...
In the mid-1980s, Bugis Street underwent major urban redevelopment into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots mixed with regulated back-alley roadside vendors. Underground digging to construct the Bugis MRT station prior to that also caused the upheaval and termination of nightly transgender sex bazaar culture, marking the end of a colourful and unique era in Singapore's history. Bugis MRT Station (EW12) is located on the East West Line. ...
Tourist and local lamentation of the loss sparked attempts by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) to attempt to recreate some of the old sleazy splendour by staging contrived "Ah Qua shows" on wooden platforms, but these artificial performances fell flat on their faces and failed to pull in the crowds. They were abandoned after a short time. The Singapore Tourism Board is a government agency in Singapore, tasked to promote the countrys tourism industry. ...
The Movie The transwomen of Bugis Street were immortalised in an English-language film made, ironically, by a Hong Kong film company which did employ some local talent in its production. (For more details, see Singapore gay films: Bugis Street). Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ...
Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ...
Transwomen or trans women are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned male sex at birth (or, in some cases of intersexuality, later) and feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ...
The Song Leonard Cohen has also written a song called "Boogie Street" on his album "10 New Songs" (2001). In an interview with Brian D. Johnson in Maclean's Magazine in October 15, 2001 Cohen said of Boogie Street: Leonard Norman Cohen, CC (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian poet, novelist, and singer-songwriter. ...
Macleans is Canadas leading weekly news magazine. ...
"...during the day Boogie Street is a scene of intense commercial activity... And at night, it was a scene of intense and alarming sexual exchange."
Later he goes on to talk of its metaphorical meaning: "Boogie Street to me was that street of work and desire, the ordinary life and also the place we live in most of the time that is relieved by the embrace of your children, or the kiss of your beloved, or the peak experience in which you yourself are dissolved, and there is no one to experience it so you feel the refreshment when you come back from those moments....So we all hope for those heavenly moments, which we get in those embraces and those sudden perceptions of beauty and sensations of pleasure, but we're immediately returned to Boogie Street."
Contemporary The fame of the original Bugis Street has spawned many namesakes eager to capitalise on the brand, even though many tourists, as well as some young Singaporeans, have no inkling as to the reasons for its erstwhile 'glamour'.
Amongst the new places, buildings and companies which carry the name of 'Bugis' are New Bugis Street, Bugis Square, Bugis Village, Bugis Junction, Parco Bugis Junction, Bugis Junction Towers, Bugis Cineplex, Bugis MRT station, Bugis Pasar Malam, New Bugis Food Village, Bugis Music World, Bugis Money Changer, Bugis City Holdings, Bugis Health Centre, Bugis Store Trading, Bugis Backpackers, and Bugis Street Development. Original Bugis Street, presently located within Bugis Junction. ...
Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
Bugis MRT Station (EW12) is located on the East West Line. ...
This cacophony of 'Bugis'es clamouring for a spot in the limelight, reminiscent of the transwomen who gave the original its glory, leads to great confusion when trying to locate Bugis Street itself.
Bugis Street: original The original Bugis Street is now a cobblestoned, relatively wide avenue sandwiched between the buildings of Bugis Junction. Midway through its length is the new entity of Bugis Square, a granite-tiled plaza containing a dancing fountain and surrounded by the food, shopping and entertainment outlets of the Bugis Junction complex on all sides. Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
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New Bugis Street The lane presently touted as 'Bugis Street' by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and advertised from August 2005 onwards, actually developed from New Bugis Street, the latter having been created after the whole area was redeveloped in the mid-1980s. The Singapore Tourism Board is a government agency in Singapore, tasked to promote the countrys tourism industry. ...
After major redevelopment works, Bugis Street was transformed from a street with only 26 push carts to "The Largest Street-Shopping Location in Singapore". With over 600 concept shops, Bugis Street guarantees a memorable street-shopping experience.
It stretches from its entrance along Victoria Street facing the original Bugis Street and Bugis Junction to its other entrance along Queen Street facing the entrance to Albert Street. Victoria Street is the name of several streets in various countries: In Australia: Victoria Street, Sydney, New South Wales Victoria Street, Melbourne, Victoria In Singapore: Victoria Street In the United Kingdom: Victoria Street, London, England In the United States: Victoria Street, Carson, California See also: List of places named after...
Bugis Junction Tower as seen from Rochor Road. ...
Queen Street can refer to: Queen Street in Brisbane, Australia Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand Queen Street in Ottawa, Canada Queen Street in Toronto, Ontario. ...
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Bugis MRT station
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See also - List of transgender-related topics
Transgender is a very complex topic, where consensual and precise definitions have not yet been reached. ...
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