Eng Tiang Huat has witnessed Singapore’s journey from colonial trading post to global metropolis. The shop opened almost 90 years ago, in 1938, at 15 Merchant Road, and takes its name from its founder, Mr Eng Tian Huat, a Teochew migrant from Chaozhou, China.
For third-generation owner Jeffrey Eng, Eng Tiang Huat is more than a Chinese culture shop started by his grandfather—it is history that can be lived, touched, and breathed. The shop is now located at 10 Lorong 24A Geylang, Singapore 398534.
We sat down with Jeffrey to discuss his passion, his craft, and why keeping these traditions alive matters more than ever.
How did your grandfather’s business in importing Chinese goods begin?
He started with tailoring at 15 Merchant Road in the 1930s. When competition increased, locals who traveled to China asked him to bring back items like embroidery and musical instruments. Musical instruments like pipa and Ye Hu (a string instrument made from a coconut shell), Teochew wedding dowry items, religious embroidery and various goods sourced from different regions of China—Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, and Hainan. Today, visitors to our shop can still find these items here, and we call them Chinese cultural goods.
How does Teochew tea culture relate to mindfulness? How do different Chinese diasporas compare in their cultural practices?
The process of preparing tea is an act of mindfulness. You brew the tea, discard it, refill the pot, and brew again — five or six times over. Nothing is rushed. Teochew people carry a particular calm, a sense of “why hurry?” that runs through the whole ritual.
What makes it mindful is the elegance built into every gesture. The pour, the discard, the refill — each movement is spare and deliberate, with nothing wasted. You must have a quiet mind to brew tea gracefully, rather than rush through it. The elegance isn’t decorative; it’s what allows presence to happen. It sets the tone for the room, slowing conversation to match the rhythm of the pours.
Tell us how important preserving your family’s history is to you.
I keep everything very carefully — the land title deeds, receipts from 1937, the old sewing machine. These documents are the most precious things, more valuable than any products I sell.
I tell my children that I would want them to preserve the signboard with my grandfather’s name and the sewing machine because that’s where the business started. I don’t want to throw things away or hand them to someone to clear out. I want people to understand the story behind each piece.
What was your process for learning the family trade?
My journey to learning was very hands-on and self-taught. I grew up watching my father work and I gradually learnt by experimenting. My dad was never formal about teaching—I’d just observe, try things, and he’d correct me when I went wrong. I didn’t know how to play any instruments, but I would learn to repair the traditional musical instruments by listening to how they sound.
What’s the difference between Western and Chinese business approaches?
The Western style (“ang moh”) is direct and puts you on the spot — it can be very stressful. The Chinese way is different. You don’t talk business at dinner. Instead, you talk about food, family background, and where you’re from. You learn to understand the person first. Only after dinner, when you’re back, do you say the business is settled — without even discussing it directly.
How do you approach sharing your knowledge with visitors, especially younger people?
I ask them first: how much time do you have? If they’re free, I let them speak without interrupting — and I expect the same from them, to listen when I speak. That’s when it stops being a transaction and becomes a sharing session. I once had a group of tertiary students come to film and interview me, more interested in getting footage than actually connecting. So I decided to teach them manners first, and reminded them that using words like “thank you” and “please” were important. They quickly realized I was pointing out something they’d overlooked — that courtesy comes before the interview, not after.
Real kindness is listening to both sides before speaking, showing manners, and asking permission. When young people come without that basic courtesy, that’s the first thing I address.
What does “harmony” mean to you?
You see it everywhere once you start looking. Take embroidery — India has this deep tradition of it, intricate and layered. Then you look at a church and notice something strikingly similar: that same layered, paper-like skirt design showing up in an entirely different cultural context, on the other side of the world. That’s harmony. It is also culture and arts — all connected, whether people realize it or not.
Through my sharing, I hope to draw attention to our sense of shared beauty and connection across cultures. It is so easy to miss out on the details when we stop paying attention to what’s actually in front of us.
Any advice on how different generations can find common ground?
I like to host mixed groups here at the shop. We have kids, teenagers, elderly – and I like to let sharing sessions unfold naturally. Even shy people speak up once they hear others go first. Everyone leaves having learned something. That’s harmony in action.
It is important to listen first. Hear both sides before you speak. Most people talk past each other — one person talks while the other just waits for their turn. Real conversation is a give and take, back and forth, not two monologues running in parallel.
When you listen properly, you create harmony — and that harmony is where common ground actually gets found. It rarely comes from winning an argument or proving a point; it comes from each side feeling genuinely heard. That harmony also spreads. Even people who are naturally quiet or reserved will open up once they hear others doing the same. Listening isn’t passive — it’s what makes space for everyone else to speak honestly, and that’s usually where the real overlap between generations shows up.
Heritage Journey with Eng Tiang Huat: A Teochew Living Museum (SOLD OUT)
Mindfulness educator Ms York Cheng TAN, founder of Mindfulnests has partnered with Jeffrey Eng to organise a culture appreciation workshop at Eng Tiang Huat Chinese Cultural Shop. An event supported by Our SG Fund, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), participants will discover the meanings behind Teochew cultural treasures, and connect with history through mindfulness, music and conversations.
The ticketed event is fully subscribed, and a second workshop is currently being planned. For more details, and to know more about mindful culture appreciation events, visit York Cheng’s website here.
