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Old Thong Chai Medical Institution (Originally built 1892)

The Thong Chai Medical Institution, located at 50 Eu Tong Sen Street, was founded in 1892 to provide free medical advice and assistance to the Chinese community. The organization had originally been established as the "Tong Chay Ee Say" in 1867 by seven Chinese merchants who served as benefactors, operating out of a rented shophouse on Upper Pickering Street. The move to Eu Tong Sen Street helped diversify the institution to serving business needs as well. For example, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce first set up headquarters in this building, and Chinese clan associations also established their headquarters here. During the early 20th century, pro-China elements in Singapore held meetings here to protest and gather public support against Japanese attacks on China. Although the building is still in use today, it has been converted to the headquarters of a cosmetics firm (Forever Living Products) but remains open to the public.

The building is notable as a prime example of Southern Chinese residential architecture. Its layout comprises three halls aligned along an axis with courtyards and light wells located in between. Its roofs are decorated with plaster friezes in Southern Chinese style.

Location

The approximate location of the institution is 1.287373' N, 103.845449' E (WGS 84 map datum).