Heritage Trails :: Jalan Besar Trail :: New World

New World was a prominent landmark in Jalan Besar, as it occupied a large area bounded by Serangoon Road and Kitchener Road. First opened in 1923, the New World attracted people from all walks of life from labourers to European merchants with its exciting entertainment programmes.
They included boxing and wrestling matches, variety shows and a small cabaret with Filipino artistes.There were Teochew and Hokkien operas, Bangsawan or Malay opera shows, as well as a fair which sold everything from trinkets to clothes to canned food. It was the source of popular entertainment in an era without televisions or even radios, all the way up till the 1950s.

In the 1930s, the Shaw Organisation expanded their leisure business with a 50% joint venture with Ong Sam Leong Ltd, the original owner. Eventually, the Shaw Organisation bought out their partner and owned both the New World at Jalan Besar and the Great World at Kim Seng Road.

When war spread to Singapore, business at the New World temporarily closed until the Shaws were instructed to re-open the park under Japanese military control. Unlike the Great World which was sold in 1978, the New World only closed its doors in the mid-1980s.

The original gate of the New World was relocated to City Green, City Square Mall's urban park in December 2010. The reconstructed gate now stands at the junction of Serangoon and Kitchener Roads and features the words "The New World" on its gateway arch to symbolize the interconnectivity of Singapore's past, present and future.