Tua Jia Kar is a fountain in Hougang, Singapore. Located at the site of the former Somapah Serangoon Village, the fountain is a commemorative replica of a well that was popular among the villagers and the origin of the village's Teochew name, Tua Jia Ka. The replica is similar in size to the original well and has a granite tablet that details the history of the village.
The original well was popular among the residents of the Somapah Serangoon Village as a social spot and a source of clean water; the Singaporean government demolished the village and the well in the early 1970s and replaced them with a neighbourhood centre. Tua Jia Kar was unveiled in 1998 as part of a project to redevelop the neighbourhood centre, and was added to a heritage trail of the Hougang area in 2020.
History Somapah Serangoon Village was a Teochew village in Hougang. The village's Teochew name, Tua Jia Kar, originated from a well located at the village entrance that was, according to one resident, "quite deep".. "The area was once home to a Teochew village called tua jia ka, which means 'the foot of a big well'. ... It was the site of the former Somapah Serangoon Village, where there was a large Teochew community." The village's name translates to "Foot of the Big Well" and possibly originated from the well resembling the calves of a fat woman. The well was the village's main source of water as it consistently provided clean water, even after piped water was installed in the village. The well was also a popular social spot; street operas, street hawkers, and Chinese medicine men set up their businesses near the well. However, the Singaporean government demolished the village and the well in the early 1970s to build public housing projects,. "The old village and the well were demolished when the Housing Board started building a neighbourhood centre in the early 1970s. Renamed Kovan City in 1998 ..." and the Hougang Street 21 Neighbourhood Centre stood on the site of the former village.
In 1996, the Aljunied Town Council and Hougang South Merchants' Association initiated a project to redevelop Hougang Street 21 Neighbourhood Centre to attract more shoppers. Ker Sin Tze, a member of parliament (MP) for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, suggested to Tan Kim Huat, the chairman of the Hougang South Merchants' Association, to build a landmark inspired by the area's past as part of the project. Tan, who had visited Somapah Serangoon Village and its well as a child, stated that a replica of the well "seemed to be the obvious choice" for the landmark. The replica was presented at a ceremony celebrating the project's completion on 4 October 1998. The National Heritage Board added the replica to its Hougang Heritage Trail, which was unveiled in October 2020, and titled it as Tua Jia Kar. In a review of the heritage trail, Olivia Ho of the The Straits Times stated that her visit to Tua Jia Kar was "not worth it", as it was a replica instead of the original well.
Details Tua Jia Kar is a fountain and a replica of the Somapah Serangoon Village well. The replica is located next to Block 203 on Hougang Street 21, the former site of the Somapah Serangoon Village.. "Built some 12 years ago, the fountain-shaped structure, in the open space next to Block 203 in Hougang Street 21, ... The area was once home to a Teochew Village called tua jia ka" The location of the original well, which was deemed too close to the planned Kovan MRT station, was closer to Block 205. Tua Jia Kar has a diameter of and is sized similarly to the original well. A granite tablet, documenting the history of the village in English and Chinese, is placed above the well.. "A granite tablet at the site gives a brief history of tua jia ka, or da jing jia in Mandarin."
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