This market was opened in 1983 as the Kreta Ayer Complex and was renamed Chinatown Complex but still retained its mandarin name Niu Che Shui Da Sha with Niu Che Shui being the local name for Chinatown which literally means Bullock Cart Water, It was built to house the last of Chinatown street hawkers and is still home to a number of hawkers who have been plying their trade in the area since the 1950s. Consequently, it has earned a reputation as the destination for traditional Chinese hawker cuisine. It also features design elements such as clay-tiled pitched roofs, column bays and small balconies which pay tribute to the architectural facades of Chinatown. With around 700 stalls the Chinatown Market is Singapore's largest hawker centre and the market today.
