New World Amusement Park

The New World Amusement Park (Chinese: 新世界) was the first of three amusement parks, along with Great World (estd. early 1930s) and Gay World (estd. 1936), that wooed Malaya and Singapore night crowds from the 1920s to the 1960s. New World was a prominent landmark along Jalan Besar, in modern-day Kallang planning area, as it occupied a large area of 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) in size. Before the arrival of televisions and radios, it attracted people from all walks of life from labourers to Europeans with its exciting attractions such as striptease, cabaret girls, opera shows and boxing matches during its heyday. Of all the artistes and athletes who have performed at the New World through the years, four have left a lasting impression – striptease queen Rose Chan, wrestler King Kong, strongman Mat Tarzan, and boxer Felix Boy. With the advent of shopping centres, discos and, particularly, television in the ensuing decades, the park business gradually became poor, and it was finally closed for good after being sold to a property developer for redevelopment in 1987.