• Waterloo Street was originally named Church Street; its Chinese name during this period is not known (Church Street might have been transliterated as “丘奇街”, or paraphrased as “教堂街” in Mandarin). The Mandarin name “四马路” means “fourth road”, and originated from Waterloo Street being the fourth in a series of parallel roads that run through the North Bridge Road area. As this area was known to the Chinese as “小坡” (sio po), Waterloo Street was also referred to as “小坡 四马路” (“fourth road of sio po”).
• In 1858, the Municipal Council renamed the road “Waterloo Street”, to avoid confusion with another Church Street near Raffles Place. The new name was chosen to commemorate the Duke of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo.
• In 1998, the Urban Redevelopment Authority designated the stretch of Waterloo Street from the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple to Rochor Road as a pedestrian street.
• Waterloo Street is home to many famous landmarks, including the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, the Sri Krishnan Temple and the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.

Although Waterloo Street, commonly known as “四马路”, is famous for being home to the mostvisited Guanyin temple in Singapore, it also reflects the different races and religions coexisting in harmony in Singapore. (Lianhe Zaobao, 28/2/2018)