Sago Lane the dead", but it's actually on Sago Lane. Sago Street was where brothels were located. Sago Lane is known as "ho ba ni au koi" in Hokkien, which literally means "the street behind Ho Man Nin". Ho Man Nin is the "chop" of a well known singing hall in neighbouring Sago Street. 19th century: The lane received its name because during the 1840s, there were numerous sago factories in both Sago Street and Lane. The sago was then taken from the powdery pith of the trunk of the rumbia palm and processed into flour that was used to make desserts,
Sago Lane and the areas surrounding Sago Lane and Street soon became a hub for many traders, coolies, hawkers, peddlers, shops and brothels. Early 20th century: As the area developed in the 1920s, most of the sago factories began to disappear in both streets. In the 1920s, the lane was used as a jinriksha station in Chinatown where apanese and Chinese brothels moved into Sago street. The lane's famous Chinese death houses or funeral homes came into existence in the late 19th century. This was the place where people near death will be left to die, with the funeral parlour prepared below.