Sin Po Po Bar: Singapore's last Chinese hostess bar

Sin Po Po, which was in the news recently over a crime committed in 1980, is the last true Chinese hostess bar in Singapore

(Above) Chinese New Year decorations, an odd sight in April, are the owner's indulgences - she cut the paper pineapples and styrofoam "fu" (Chinese for fortune) characters by hand. There is no drinks bar to speak of at Sin Po Po. Customers head direc
A previous owner of Sin Po Po put up the Tricycle Nite Lounge sign to honour his old job pedalling a trishaw.ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
(Above) Chinese New Year decorations, an odd sight in April, are the owner's indulgences - she cut the paper pineapples and styrofoam "fu" (Chinese for fortune) characters by hand. There is no drinks bar to speak of at Sin Po Po. Customers head direc
The windowless space is dark, darker than any cinema.ST PHOTO: LEE JIA WEN
Film Correspondent
Published: 
Apr 8, 2018, 5:00 am SGT
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Where do lounge hostesses go when the bloom of youth is gone? Where can they turn when cheeks become a little hollow and laugh lines appear, and customers drift away in search of younger companions?

They might come to where I am now: Sin Po Po Bar.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on April 08, 2018, with the headline 'The last of its kind'. Print Edition | Subscribe
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