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Love Lane, or Ai Chieng Hang in the local Hokkien dialect, is a former red-light district of brothels and gambling dens. The short lane, bounded by Chulia Street, Stewart Lane and Muntri Street, is now known for its guesthouses. In the old days, the rich staying in the mansions at nearby Muntri Street were said to have kept their mistresses at Love Lane. However, the Love Lane that Choon Ghee knew and came to adore as a painting subject, was remembered for its old Straits Eclectic buildings with louvred windows on top, and the ground floor shaded by bamboo blinds. There will always be a push-cart hawker stall or two outside, and of course, the idle trishaw (the artist’s favourite).

As always, for Choon Ghee, it is really his fascination with the ordinary people - whether it is going about their chores or plainly doing nothing - that give meaning to these places.