Simei Streets Were Once Named After Ancient Chinese Beauties, Portraits Still Found At Several Blocks

Simei Paintings Of 4 Beauties Still Found In Blocks

Did you know that the four main streets in Simei were once named after the legendary Four Great Beauties of Ancient China?

The small estate is known for being the location of Changi General Hospital, but most people draw a blank when thinking of anything else about it.

The streets, now simply named Simel Street 1 to 4, were renamed due to perceived difficulty for its non-Chinese residents.

While the streets have been retitled, unique portraits of the four beauties can still be found in blocks in their former areas.

Simei translates to ‘Four Beauties’

The Facebook group The Singapore Conscience made a post on 6 Aug explaining the history behind Simei’s name.

According to them, the four main streets were named after the Four Great Beauties (四大美女) of China, four women of legendary beauty. They were Xishi, Diaochan, Zhaojun, and Guifei Roads.

In fact, the name Simei directly translates to ‘Four Beauties’ (四美).

Remember Singapore argues, however, that Simei came from the original name ‘Jalan Soo Bee’. Jalan Soo Bee’s naming connection to the Four Beauties is unknown.

In mid-1987 officials renamed the streets, deeming the names too difficult for the non-Chinese residents. They were renamed to the simpler but blander Simei Streets 1 through 4.

Portraits are still found in void decks

Residents and passers-by can, however, still spot the beauties’ lingering influence in the form of portraits of the four in the void decks of blocks.

Xishi’s portrait can be found at Blocks 116 and 123 of Simei Street 1.

Xishi (西施) was chronologically the oldest of the four, living in the Spring and Autumn Period around the early 400s BC.

She was said to have been so beautiful that fish that saw her would be so stunned that they forgot to swim and sunk to the bottom of their ponds. Her name is the inspiration of the Shih Tzu dog, which translates literally to “Xi Shi dog”.

Diaochan’s painting can be found at Blocks 141 and 146 of Simei Street 2.

Diaochan (貂蝉) was arguably the most famous of the Four Beauties, said to have lived during the beginnings of the Three Kingdoms Era around the late 100s AD.

She is likely a fabrication of the famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Diaochan was said to be so beautiful that the Moon paled in comparison.

Simei portraits cost $800 each

Guifei’s portrait is located at Blocks 101 and 107 of Simei Street 3.

Yang Guifei (杨贵妃) was the imperial consort of a Tang Dynasty Emperor around the 700s AD.

She was said to have a face that put all flowers to shame. Guifei was also noted to have a plump figure, back when such body types were preferred.

You can find Zhaojun’s painting at Blocks 226 and 229 in Simei Street 4.

Wang Zhaojun (王昭君) was a concubine in the Han Dynasty around the 50s BC. Her attractiveness was such that birds would fall out of the sky at the sight of her. Zhaojun was a master at playing the pipa instrument (drawn holding one), the board game Go, as well as calligraphy and painting.

Together, the Four Beauties gave rise to the idiom ‘沉鱼落雁，闭月羞花’, or ‘sinks fish and fells birds, eclipses the moon and shames flowers’, used to describe a woman’s good looks.

The portraits were painted in late 1987 for $800 each, according to the Singapore Infopedia.

Interesting trivia

Although Simei has blander street names now, it’s nice to know that the legacy of the four beauties remains there.

Are you aware of the portraits in Simei or are intending to visit them? Let us know in the comments.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from The Singapore Conscience on Facebook.