 The first Chinese Protectorate was in a shophouse on Canal Road.As the protectorate’s responsibilities and staff strength grew, its office was first relocated to the Upper Macao Street (present day Pickering Street), followed by a new shophouse at Boat Quay, and finally to a newly constructed two storey building at the corner of New Bridge Road and Havelock Road in 1886.Under Pickering, the Chinese Protectorate did much to improve the welfare of the Chinese community, which made Pickering a popular figure among the Chinese community.