Tua Jia Ka, also spelled Tua Jia Kar, is a commemorative replica of a historic communal well that once served the former Somapah Serangoon Village (also known as Tua Jia Ka) in Singapore. The replica is located at Kovan, Singapore, on the site of the former village and adjacent to the Hougang Street 21 neighbourhood centre (renamed Kovan City).
Description
The structure, erected in 1998, resembles the original well and measures approximately 2.5 metres in diameter. It is fashioned from stone and features a granite tablet that provides a brief history of the village and the well’s role in the community. The coordinates of the replica are 1°21′28″ N, 103°53′05″ E.
Historical Context
Somapah Serangoon Village was a Teochew‑speaking settlement in the Hougang area of Singapore. The original well, referred to in Teochew as “Tua Jia Ka” (meaning “foot of the big well”), supplied clean water to local residents, hawkers, and nearby markets before the advent of piped water infrastructure.
In the late 1990s, as part of an urban renewal project for the Hougang Street 21 neighbourhood centre, the National Heritage Board and local authorities installed the replica to commemorate the village’s heritage and to preserve the memory of the communal well that was central to daily life in the kampong (village). Newspaper reports from The Straits Times (27 October 1998) and Lianhe Zaobao (6 October 1998) documented the dedication ceremony and highlighted the cultural significance of the well to former residents.
Cultural Significance
The replica functions as a tangible reminder of Singapore’s pre‑modern water supply practices and the social fabric of Teochew villages. It is part of the broader Hougang Heritage Trail, which includes other markers of the area’s historical development.
References
- National Heritage Board, “Tua Jia Kar”. Roots. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- Leong, Weng Kam. “The well returns to Tua Jia Ka”. The Straits Times, 27 October 1998.
- Leong, Weng Kam. “Welling with memories”. The Straits Times, 9 August 2010.
- “现代高文城述说‘大井脚’历史”. Lianhe Zaobao, 6 October 1998.