Singapore had about 20 Dragon kilns built by immigrants from Southern provinces of China in the last century. By the 1990s only two of them survived: Guan Huat and Thow Kwang Dragon Kilns, both in Jalan Bahar.
Guan Huat Dragon Kiln was built in 1958 by Mr. Lee Yong Lee and his friends. Mr. Lee acquired his skill to build the kiln when he worked as a pottery worker at the Goh Hak Soon Pottery Factory after the Second World War.
Guan Huat Dragon Kiln measures 43 metres long, 2.2 metres high and 2.5 metres wide. In the past the dragon kiln was fired fortnightly to meet the demand for latex cups needed by the rubber plantations, which surrounded the area around Jalan Bahar. Other wares fired in this kiln included water containers, pipes, plant pots and crockery. Plant pots became very saleable in the early 1970s. Decreasing demands for such wares was the main reason for its closing down.
Since 2005, the premises of Guan Huat Dragon Kiln is home to Jalan Bahar Clay Studios (JBCS) run by Focus Ceramic Services as a pottery and ceramics centre as well as an arts education venue.
JALAN BAHAR CLAY STUDIOS 