Was it once a pontianak hotspot? Today, we explore the former Nee Soon Rubber Estate. It is now a place where the Nee Soon mansion once stood.
Lim Nee Soon was a prominent businessman. He was also a philanthropist. He built factories. He expanded rubber plantations across Sembawang, Yishun, and Seletar. This happened in the 19th century. Rubber was booming then. His contribution was immense. The village was renamed Nee Soon Village.
Did you know Yishun equals Nee Soon? The government changed it. This happened in the 1950s. They wanted to standardise village names.
The plantation’s expansion meant booming business. It also meant planting rubber trees. Rows upon rows of them. Superstitious folks know pontianaks love rubber trees. These are female ghosts. They are said to have died during childbirth. This is according to Malay folklore.
Most horror stories were lost to time. But that doesn’t mean the hauntings have ended.
Villagers resettled. Roads developed. Forests and plantations were cleared. HDBs and industrial buildings replaced the plantation. Pontianaks are restless spirits. They don’t move on easily.
The spirits found their way into buildings. This happened after the rubber trees disappeared. Residents have reported pontianak sightings. They see them from their balconies. They hear their names whispered in the wind. This happens when they walk past the estate’s canals and Sembawang Park.
Nee Soon Rubber Estate may be gone. But its spirit lives on. Be careful walking alone in the dark. Whether you believe in superstitions or not. Run if you smell frangipani or jasmine flowers.
Nee Soon was one of Singapore’s oldest Chinese kampongs. It was named after Lim Nee Soon. He was a rubber magnate. It was in the northern part of the island. Rubber plantations and pineapple farms surrounded it. Life was simple and rustic. Residents lived in wooden houses on stilts.
They shared wells, toilets, and kitchens. They practiced gotong royong. This is a spirit of mutual help. Kampong dwellers fished. They farmed. They tapped rubber. They sold fruit.
Coconuts, bananas, papayas, pineapples, and rambutans grew abundantly. Some sold their fruits at nearby markets. They also sold them along roadsides. Nee Soon was multicultural. Chinese, Malay, and Indian residents lived there. They celebrated festivals. They shared their food. Chickens, dogs, and cats wandered. Children were washed under roadside taps.
Biscuit factories stood next to the rubber plantations. Thye Hong produced Marie Cream Crackers. It also made Horlicks biscuits. It produced Jam De Luxe cookies. It employed over 200 workers. Khong Guan was another biscuit maker. It produced 10,000 tins of biscuits daily. It became famous for cream crackers and lemon puff biscuits. We bought biscuits in large tins. Little iced gems were a favourite. They are still made today. You can buy them around the world.
Grocery shop houses were common. This was especially true in rural areas like Nee Soon. They were both a home and a business. The shop houses were one or two storeys tall. They had a five-foot way. It sheltered pedestrians and customers. The ground floor sold groceries. The upper floors were living quarters. They reflected Singapore’s multicultural society. They ranged from timber hovels to Chinese to Peranakan to Art Deco. Some had pintu pagar. They also had ceramic tiles. They had plaster mouldings. Grocery shop houses were important. Modern supermarkets replaced them later.
Chinese New Year was most important. The Chinese residents decorated their houses. They exchanged red packets. They enjoyed pineapple tarts. They ate bak kwa. They enjoyed yusheng.
Pongal was a harvest festival. Indian residents celebrated it. It involved cooking rice with milk. They offered prayers to the sun god. They wore new clothes. They shared sweet dishes.
Hari Raya Puasa marked the end of Ramadan. Malay residents celebrated. They attended prayers at mosques. They visited graves. They sought forgiveness. They wore new clothes. They feasted on ketupat. They enjoyed rendang. They ate kueh.
The Mid-Autumn Festival involved admiring the full moon. Chinese residents celebrated it. They carried lanterns. They solved riddles. They ate mooncakes.
Now only ruins remain of the Nee Soon mansion. Yet its stories linger. They whisper on the wind.