SHOE SELLER

Ah Ngoh Chieh lived alone in this small room, with barely enough space for her to sleep or eat. Every day, the shoe seller would drag her sacks of shoes down the stairs when it was time to open her stall.

PAINTER'S FAMILY

House painter Mr Cheong had a family of five girls and three boys, a typical family in Chinatown. This cubicle portrays the life of the Cheong family sisters, who shared the room with their mother.

MAJIE (FEMALE SERVANTS)

A group of four or five servants rented this cubicle. As uniformed 'black-and-white' servants, they lived with their employers, returning only twice a month to read letters from their homes in China and to catch up with friends.

THE SEAMSTRESS

See Cheng, a seamstress, was adopted by a majie (female servant) when she was young. This cubicle is recreated from her memory of how her family's room was like.

TAILOR'S WORKSHOP (L1)
Behind the shop front was the main workshop where assistants did the sewing, ironing and other tailoring work. Successful tailors may have had more than one shop and a small army of assistants and apprentices to help out.

TAILOR'S QUARTERS (L1)
More affluent than the other occupants in the building, the tailor had his own rooms, one of which was occupied by his apprentices. He also had his own kitchen and the exclusive use of the airwell where his clothes could be hung out to dry.