Situated between two bustling streets – New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road, Sago Lane was a thriving location in the 19th Century for the Chinese migrant community. It was the place of trade for the export of Sago flour and other biproducts with multiple factories belonging to the Europeans and Chinese being set up along Sago lane and Sago Street, giving its name. As the Chinese migrant population started ageing, Death Houses started appearing in the 20th Century with ancillary shops being set up to facilitate the business for the afterlife.

At the heart of Chinatown’s history in Singapore, the activities along Sago Lane and its neighbouring streets played a crucial role in the rise of commerce. At its peak, the area was central to the economic and social development of the Chinese migrant community. Factories, entertainment complexes, provision shops, and street hawkers brought life to the neighbourhood. As the Chinese migrant communities matured in the 20th century, Death Houses began to appear on Sago Lane to prepare the elderly for the afterlife. Shops offering funeral provisions and services sprang up, and death rituals and processions took place in the streets, catering to the lower-income members of the community and the superstitious — many believed it was bad luck to die at home, and cleansing ceremonies after the passing of the deceased could be costly.

The presence of Death Houses along Sago Lane and the daily funeral processions earned the street the nickname “Street of the Dead” (Sei Yan Kai in Cantonese). Though grim, the funeral industry on this street served an important social function, especially since it was located near the Chinese Burial Ground, where Maxwell Food Centre stands today. As funeral processions continued through the night, wet market operators transformed their stalls into night-time hawker stands to serve meals to attendees of these processions. However, Singapore’s modernisation and gentrification efforts led to the cancellation of licenses for housing the sick, which disrupted these businesses. By the 1970s, the shophouses were demolished to make way for Kreta Ayer Square and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum.

In 2024, My Community Festival will host an exhibition on funeral rites from various cultures and religions in Singapore at Kreta Ayer Square, where these Death Houses once stood. The exhibition aims to highlight the importance of preserving these rituals and how Singapore’s society has adapted traditions and customs over time. Titled Navigating Piety: Customs and Practices for the Afterlife, the exhibition will commemorate time-honoured traditions across cultures and religions in Singapore, while embracing modernity.