The Quarters is the fifth Malaysian production by MediaCorp Studios Malaysia. Filming began in September 2011 and took place in Muar, Johor, Malaysia and its rural surroundings. It debuted in Singapore on 3 September 2012. The series is set during an era of samsui women, opium dens, pulled rickshaws and the laid back "kampung" lifestyle. It was also a time when waves of migrant workers and coolies from China settled in Singapore. Many of them were housed in large buildings such that as depicted by Zhu Zai House and multiple tenants would occupy a single room usually meant for one or two persons.