Singapore is not the same place today as it was 50 years ago. Our ah mas and ah gongs are always telling us their stories about how our little red dot has changed, like how kampungs were a thing. While we are busy hustling, it’s good to take a pause and reflect on how we’ve come as a nation, sharing in our nostalgic memories of things in the past.
Our Singaporean way of life has taken many shapes and forms, from improvements in our transportation to changes in technology that didn’t exist back then. Let’s take a trip back in time and look at some of the most iconic changes in Singapore.
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To kick-start this list, our EZ-Link card is proof of how far Singapore’s transit passes have evolved over the years. Back during the 1970s and 80s, SBS used to issue physical bus and train tickets. These tickets will be hole-punched by bus drivers so that they cannot be used beyond each ticket’s value.
Image credit: @eden_corner via Carousell
The EZ-Link cards we use today were launched 22 years ago, in 2002, changing the way we pay for public transport. Transitioning to the SimplyGo account-based system, we are now able to top up our cards on our phones and link our bank accounts as an e-payment method.
If you remember, Singapore used to issue Standard Tickets which were paper ticket stubs for single trips paid for in cash. However, it was discontinued in 2022 due to it being phased out by EZ-link cards and passengers using bank cards. You would be lucky to have one, as Singaporeans now collect those tickets as a form of memorabilia.
Image credit: Long Cha 龍茶 Facebook
A popular drink that has withstood the test of time is bubble tea. The tea that was strongly associated with our local cuisine has been around for 25 years, ever since it was introduced in 1992.
Back then, the OG bubble tea sold in neighbourhood shops was made up mainly of ice, coloured water, and tapioca pearls. The iconic flavours included Oreo and coral milk tea, which can now only be found in places such as Each-A-Cup and Long Cha 龍茶.
Image credit: Eatbook
Moving away from the neighbourhood scene, there is now a wide range of Taiwanese, Chinese, and local BBT stores occupying our malls such as Gong Cha, KOI Thé, HEYTEA, LiHO, CHICHA San Chen, and the list goes on.
These stores offer a variety of flavours and toppings that we can customise now. Celebrity-owned bubble tea shops are also on the rise, with Jam Hsiao, a Taiwanese singer opening multiple outlets of AtTea 署茗職茶 in Singapore.
Image credit: random_avocado via Reddit
If you think about what items make up our national identity, having the iconic red-coloured passport is sure to come to mind. However, Singaporeans used to have another passport that took on a different look back then.
Image credit: random_avocado via Reddit
Back in 1967, there were Singapore Restricted Passports (SRPs). The passport was blue in colour and only allowed travel between Singapore and West Malaysia following our separation in 1965.
Singaporeans would carry two passports, the blue SRPs for travel to Malaysia and the red passport for international travel. The SRP was phased out in 1999, paving the way for the Singapore International Passport to be our main travel document.
Image credit: ICA
Then, biometric passports were introduced in 2006, with embedded chips that contained personal information so we could breeze through e-gates around the world.
Through technological advancements, our country will have passport-free immigration very soon, using only facial and iris biometric recognition.
Image credit: Vasoliner via Reddit
With Singapore’s humid weather, we have to be grateful that our public transport is integrated with air-conditioning blasting the heat away all year round. However, our grandparents weren’t as fortunate to enjoy the same comfort of air-conditioned buses in the past.
During the 1950s and 60s, buses were not air-conditioned, and the quality of the windows was questionable. The windows on the buses could not be properly opened or shut, so many Singaporeans were either sweating under the sun or being soaked in rain. Buses would also often break down, with over 400 buses out of service in 1974.
We have come a long way since then and today, we have reliable public transportation with air-conditioning, charging ports, and screens that inform passengers what our next stop will be.
Image credit: Vanessa Yuen via Pinterest
Watching movies has been a long-established staple activity that we love and enjoy, but the cinematic experience back then was a much different story.
Image credit: NewspaperSG
During the 1970s-80s, there were no multiplexes with most theatres only showing different movies on a single screen, at different times of the day. As there was no internet, you would have to rummage through newspapers to find movie listings. Physical tickets were the only way to enter the cinemas, without QR codes or digital tickets to scan.
If you are a 90s kid, you would remember kacang puteh stands outside the cinemas selling nuts in cones and prawn crackers to snack on.
Image credit: Capitaland
The multiplex GV and Shaw theatres we have today are much improved, giving us the convenient options of booking seats online and buying popcorn at the counter. A fun fact is that Cathay was the first cinema to screen a 3D movie in 1952, with IMAX subsequently being introduced in 2011.
Image credit: goh_gerard via Instagram
Back when Don Don Donki was not a thing yet, mama shops laid with biscuit tins and packaged cuttlefish would be a common place to find your snacks.
These shops sold old-school snacks like gem biscuits, biscuit piring wafers, eyeglass chocolate candies, and wheel crackers. The mention of these names would conjure up memories of you indulging in one of these snacks back in primary school. You could also find cheap toys or play “Tikam-tikam”, a lucky draw where you stand a chance to win money.
If you want to revisit your childhood, there are still a handful of these mama shops around, but they are less common in neighbourhoods now. Convenience stores and supermarkets such as FairPrice have largely taken over today. Specialised grocery stores like the Thai Supermarket are trending now as they offer overseas products without the cost of travelling.
Image credit: fbtent via Reddit
You will be surprised to learn that there is plenty of cultural history behind the production of Singapore’s notes and coins. Before we reached our current Portrait Series with our first president’s face printed on it, Singapore went through 3 versions of its dollar bills.
The theme for each series was based on a culturally significant object in Singapore, such as the third Ship Series paying tribute to the foreign merchants who traded in Singapore with its ship designs.
Image credit: 123rf
The polymer notes that we are used to today were only introduced from 2000 onwards, as Singapore was still using paper notes before that.
If you’ve also noticed, our coins are now made of multi-ply coated steel, a change from the copper-plated zinc used in the previous series. Another fun fact for the younger ones: the $1 coin once used to be smaller than our 50-cent coin, but it was made larger in 2013.
Image credit: Land Transport Authority
Ask any Singaporean what is a momentous change they remembered growing up, and chances are many would have witnessed the building of the Circle Line.
Taking a total of 9 years to be fully built in 2012, the Circle Line is our longest underground MRT, covering 35.5km and 31 stations. Its significance comes from the fact that it was the first to connect the North-South, East-West, and North-East Lines, providing greater connectivity.
With the recent additions of the Downtown Line and Thomson-East Coast Line, we are also looking at the opening of the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line by 2030.
Image credit: HKiTalk
With the new wave of Gen Alpha kids coming along, many of us are beginning to forget that TVMobile and Teletext used to exist.
From 2001 to 2010, TVMobile was a device on buses that played Mediacorp shows and news channels. Singaporeans would often watch that mini screen hanging in the bus on their way to work, catching up on the latest episode of Police and Thief.
Image credit: Teletext
If you wanted to check the latest TOTO results or view the weather forecast, Teletext would have been your go-to back then. From local channel listings to information on stocks, you would’ve seen your parents navigating around Mediacorp’s Teletext service.
With the introduction of the internet and smartphones, our sources of information and entertainment slowly transitioned to Google and streaming platforms such as Netflix.
Image credit: Pink Dot SG
In celebrating the biggest milestones Singapore has achieved, we have to mention the repeal of Section 377A.
S377A is a decade-old law that has convicted several individuals for homosexual acts from 1988 to 2007. The law was officially repealed on 27th December 2023 when President Halimah Yacob consented to the Bill.
This was a historical moment for our homeland, as it marked the beginning of Singapore becoming more inclusive of the LGBTQ community. The revoking of the law would mean that Singaporeans would be given liberty in expressing their sexualities, and it is a step toward a more progressive nation.
From the improvement in the efficiency of our public transport system to technological changes that made our country more globalised, Singapore is definitely unrecognisable today from how it was 50 years ago. We have certainly come a long way, and there is much to take pride in being a Singaporean.
For more articles on iconic things in Singapore:
Cover image adapted from: @eden_corner via Carousell
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