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Whampoa | |
|---|---|
Subzone ofNovena Planning Area | |
 Panoramic shot of Whampoa. The NKF centre and theMasjid Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau can be seen in the bottom left corner. | |
 Interactive map of Whampoa | |
| Coordinates:1°19′29.38″N103°51′24.96″E / 1.3248278°N 103.8569333°E /1.3248278; 103.8569333 | |
| City |  Singapore |
| Region | Central Region |
| Planning Area | Novena |
| Area | |
• Total | 131.5 km2 (50.8 sq mi) |
Whampoa (locally/ˈwɑːmpoʊ/WAHM-poh) is a housing estate located in the subzone ofBalestier, which is a part ofNovena planning area in Singapore, as defined by theUrban Redevelopment Authority. Within the context of theHousing and Development Board (HDB), however, Whampoa forms part of theKallang/Whampoa New Town, together with the various housing precincts located in the adjacentKallang planning area. This makes Kallang/Whampoa the only HDBnew town that encompasses two planning areas, namely Novena and Kallang.[1]
The name "Whampoa" is the nickname ofHoo Ah Kay, a Chinese immigrant and later a prominent Singaporean businessman and member of theLegislative Council of Singapore who was known for having fluent multilingual skills as well as his contributions to the economy of early colonial Singapore.[1][2] His nickname is a romanization of the Chinese wordHuángpǔ, which is a district inGuangzhou.[2]
Being a housing estate, Whampoa consists mainly of modernHousing and Development Board (HDB) flathouses. Whampoa is one of the older housing estates and hence some of the flathouses are constructed in an older, outdated style.[1]
Whampoa has several eateries, the most prominent being theWhampoa Makan Place, a large hawker centre which also contains a wet market. There is also a7-Eleven outlet located along Kim Keat Road.
The Whampoa Park is a park located in the heart of Whampoa. It has recreational facilities, for example a playground for children and a fitness area.[1][3] Historically, there used to be a large park adjacent to Whampoa Drive but it had to be cleared in order to make way for the construction of the Central Expressway.[4]
A kidney dialysis centre owned by theNational Kidney Foundation Singapore is located along Kim Keat Road.[5] There is also a clinic known as Whampoa Clinic located at Block 88 of the Whampoa Drive area.[6]
Whampoa has a few religious sites. The Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong Temple, a temple dedicated to the Chinese deityTua Pek Kong, was established in 1847 by Hokkien immigrants and then renovated between 1920–1928.[7] For the Muslims, there is only one mosque,Masjid Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau, situated along Kim Keat Road, built in 1984 to replace a smaller mosque.[8]
TheSaint Michael's Bus Terminal is located in Whampoa and serves a limited number of bus services.[9]
At some point of time, Whampoa became known for having lime plantations. This resulted in a small two-storey mosque in Whampoa having the name Kebun Limau which means "lime fruit plantations" in Malay.[8]
TheWhampoa Dragon Fountain is a fountain with a sculpture of a largeChinese dragon was completed in 1973. The fountain is the only remaining portion of a large park that was cleared for the development of the Central Expressway.[1]
The Whampoa area has been part ofJalan Besar GRC since 1997. However, it wasWhampoa SMC between 2011 and 2015. The current Member of Parliament (MP) isHeng Chee How.
