Who was Smith Street named after?
Smith Street was named after an European, Sir Cecil Clementi Smith. He was a hugely popular Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner between 1887 to 1893. He being an accomplished scholar of the Chinese Culture, allowed him to communicate effectively with leaders of the growing chinese community during those days. He was well - known for his efficacy with quelling the Chinese secret societies in the Straits Settlements.
What was it associated with?
As mentioned previously on one of the blog posts, Smith Street was also popularly known as Hei Yuen Kai, or Theatre Street, due to the famous Chinese Theatre, Lai Chun Yuen which I introduced earlier. Apart from being associated with famous Cantonese Operas, street hawkers and traders, Smith Street had a darker side which is explained in the ‘Red Lanterns’ information board below which we managed to find amongst the bustling street. Smith Street served as a red light area between 1901 and 1930, where the street was lined with brothels. It was only till 1930 when the Straits Settlement Ordinance no. 15 entitled Women and Girl’s protection came about, prostitution was brought under control and subsequently subsided.
