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Exploring 14th Century Temasek 

Part 1 - Dragon’s Tooth Gate or Long Ya Men 

 According to the chronicles of Wang Dayuan, Long Ya Men was mentioned twice as a reference to the sites oftwo settlements that he found in Temasek.

1. How were the two settlements described, with Long Ya Men as a point of reference?The 2 settlements were „Banzu‟-- a peaceful trading port city under the rule of a local chief (Chinese also livedhere) and „Long-ya-men‟ which was occupied by ferocious pirates who attacked frequently on passingmerchant ships.2. What was the significance of Long Ya Men to 14th century traders or visitors?The Long Ya Men served as navigational aids to ancient mariners sailing through the swift waters of thenarrow channel between them.3. Has there been any structural or physical changes to the Long Ya Men stone crop? Explain your

response.4. What can be done to educate Singaporeans about this legendary structure?We can include a section for this structure in the National Singapore Museum and hold activities at the nationapark to encourage Singaporeans to visit the park and see the legendary structure.

Part 2: The “Landing” Site of Admiral Zheng He 

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 Zheng He is China's most famous maritime explorer. His extraordinary ability and vision found brilliantexpression in the great achievements of his life, including maritime exploration, foreign diplomacy, and militaryaffairs. There is evidence of Zheng He's visits in over thirty Asian and African countries and regions. Theseseven voyages, unprecedented in size, organization, navigational technology, and range, demonstrated notonly the power and wealth of the Ming Dynasty, but also Zheng He's extraordinary command ability. AdmiraZheng He led what was known as the Seven Voyages of the Treasure Fleet.

1. Did Admiral Zheng He land in Temasek or simply sail past it? Surface contrasting evidence in

response to this.2. What were evidence that Temasek had economic connections with the Chinese dynasty? List the

various sources and artifacts.

Part 3: Fort Canning 

Fort Canning Hill, originally known as Bukit Larangan (or "Forbidden Hill" in Malay) has been a local landmarkin the city since Singapore's earliest recorded history.

It has been the exclusive address of many of Singapore's rulers and colonial leaders dating back to the 14thcentury when it was the site for the palatial resort of former Majapahit kings, then in colonial times became thelocation for the residence of colonial governors starting with Sir Stamford Raffles.

Located at the junction of Canning Rise and Fort Canning Road in Singapore's Central Business District, it isonly slightly more than 60 metres high but has a long history intertwined with the city-state – not least due to itslocation as the highest elevation within walking distance of the civic district.

Key historic events have taken place upon this hill, including the establishment of the infant Botanic Gardensand the surrender of Singapore to the Japanese by Lieutenant General Percival.

It was recorded as Bukit Larangan prior to the arrival of Stamford Raffles in 1819, which means "ForbiddenHill" in Malay. Raffles was told of how local settlers were wary of ascending the hill as they believed it was thesite of palaces built by their ancestral kings. The Keramat Iskandar Shah at the foot of the hill was believed tobe the resting place of the last Malay king of the island, and was venerated by Muslims.

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When some of the vegetation was removed, ruins of ancient brick buildings were revealed, validating these folklegends. Little could be known from these ruins, however, or that of the hill's ancient history.

Contemporary archaeological excavation has, however, built up more evidence of its role, and that ofSingapore as a whole. Relics were uncovered on the hill suggesting the existence of a regional trading hubprior to their destruction by invading foreign forces since the 14th century, and the possible site of the hill asthe centre of this trading post.

Impressed by the historic significance of the hill, and the commanding view it offered over the colony he had

established, Raffles built his first residence on the hill. Completed within two weeks, it was a wooden bungalow100 ft long and 50 ft wide with venetians and an attap roof and verandas at both the front and back.

Part 4: Reading - Remembering and Forgetting. Nusantara Malays in the Singapore NationaImagination Read the extract (take about 20-30 mins) and work in your groups to respond to the related question for eachsegment.

Grp  Question  Response 

1 Narrativesand myths: Describe whatare theelements ofthe nationalnarrative thatSingaporeanshave beenexposedto/taughtwhen it comesto the historyof the country.

 AndreaLow,NicoleLim, CherylLee, Han YaWei, KangYuxing

- The persistence of colonial historiography as exemplified by the by the veneration ofthe British imperialist Stamford Raffles.

- Raffles was gr888- PAP leadership heroically combatting radicals, communists, communalists and

Islamists in the anti-colonial and post-colonial struggle for political survival- Colonial era depicted in positive terms, celebration of colonial rule- Imperialism and immigrants(Chinese) mostly responsible for the transformation of

singapore from sleepy fishing village to metropolitan city- People arrested in operation cold store were dangerous communists (supported by

communist party of malaya)- I read somewhere that PAP ushered in operation cold store as they feared the

communists would resort to violence in achieving their aims but when interviewed,one of the exiles mentioned that they had never intended to use violence on thepeople.

- Singapore was expelled from malaysia- Downplay of pre-colonial Malay heritage- Victimised narrative of independence- Singapore was in a hostile geopolitical region, “a Chinese island in Malaysia sea”  - Singaporean chinese community credited with also pan-chinese nationalism (link to

republican revolution in china)- Alienization/marginalisation of malays- Only a handful of local inhabitants when raffles landed- Pre-colonial history/sources are scant and unreliable, but post is very reliable- PAP members and bodies pushed singapore to great economic heights eg.

industrialisation

2 Narratives

and myths: Explain whatare theassumptionsmade by therulinggovernment inallowingSingaporeansto learn of thehistory of the

 Assumptions:

- Singaporeans will not look for and believe alternative sources of history- Prof. Miksic‟s findings 

- Keep the government in power (legitimises them)- Lets the government shape Singaporeans‟ perceptions of history and affirm

the prowess of the government- Deliberate construction of Singapore's history for nation-building and to gain

people's trust- Other Malay sources are not credible

- Perhaps they truly believe this- Or they just want to keep themselves consistent with their narrative and be

convincing at the same time- A neighbours will not mind

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countrythrough sucha narrative.MelissaSyahadahJasinthaJia En

- They will not be offended to the extent that they will be a threat to ournational security

- Give credit to the British so that we are distanced from the region in terms ofideology

- Other Malay countries in the region had tried to distance themselves from thecolonial masters

- Interactions with surrounding Malay countries will not bring any benefits and thuswanted the population to believe that too

- LKY believed of a general socio-economic and political malaise confrontingthe Singapore Malay community (with regards to the deterioration of theIstana Kampong Glam) and generalised his understanding to cover theMalay neighbours in the region as well

3 Curiouscelebrationofcolonialism: Singapore‟sdepiction ofRaffles as the„founder‟ of

Singapore isunlike whatmost post-colonial statesnarrate totheir people intheir strugglefor nationalindependenceand identity.What are thepossible

(political/social/economic)motivationsfor this?

Si HuiShu LiVernonicaCharmainCharmaine

Singapore portrays the British imperialists and Raffles in a positive light as thegovernment (PAP) holds the belief that British imperialism, together with immigrants, arethe main drivers responsible for the economic transformation of modern Singapore, andthus the British are viewed with high regard. Raffles is also conferred the status of“founding father” as from PAP‟s point of view, he spearheaded the transformation ofSingapore from a “sleepy fishing village” into one of the world‟s busiest ports and  aglobal services hub. Politically, by depicting Raffles and the early British leaders in sucha manner, Singapore can associate with Western powers and sustain good international

relations with them.

The national narrative of Singapore has long been es tablished as one of “struggle forsurvival”, and this highlights the colonial historiography as exemplified by the positivedepiction of Raffles as a leader who successfully guided Singapore in its development.This allows the drawing of a parallel that the government (PAP) has successfully guidedSingapore in its development and further strengthens the people and their “belief” in thePAP government, ensuring they remain the ruling party.

The government is trying to make a claim that we have never had a success story asunprecedented as Raffles‟. The narrative of Singapore transforming from third world tofirst within a single generation is unparalleled, and for the government to compareourselves to the times during Temasek, they are showing that nothing else can come

close to what we have today. The government celebrates Raffles as he recognised theeconomic importance of the Chinese and he paved the way for further economic growth.

The government (PAP) downplayed the role of indigenous Malays in the history ofSingapore and their contribution to the economic development of Singapore. By placingthe British in the role as a key driver of that economic development instead of the earlyMalay community, the PAP government is also able to ensure that the view that we arein a hostile Malay environment is not disrupted. The Singapore government wanted tofocus more on proving our sovereignty in the region and spearheading economicallyamidst the Malay world, hence the government portrayed Raffles in a different lightcompared to other nations which depicted colonial rule as the “age of darkness” in orderto escape memories of the colonial era and work towards full independence fromcolonialism.

Evidence from passage:“According to PM Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore‟s lack of historical depth constitutes aweak selling point for tourists and strengthens the case for the highly controversialpromotion of casinos in the city-state.” → Ironic

4 Colonialhistoriography and themyth ofRaffles: 

It has always been taught that Raffles was the „founding father‟ and „guiding genius‟ ofSingapore‟s early development. -He was interested in and respectful of the Malays, and actually dissed the Chinese.-He was manipulative of the sultans of Singapura/Johor (but this is depicted to us as himbeing smart)

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What were the„myths‟ thatSingaporeanshave learnedof Raffles?What could besome of theactual

depiction ofSingapore‟s„founder‟? 

SamEllaMichelleLeanne

-He was credited for the Raffles Town Plan, but the underlying motivations for theRaffles Town Plan were racist and economically driven (still racist). (In our textbooks,especially primary school textbooks, it was written that the town plan was established toreduce racial conflict and seen in a good light. Given that Temasek probably already hada social structure in place and people were already living side-by-side to make Temasekthe thriving port that it was, it is debatable whether or not these conflicts would haveeven existed)-Raffles is credited for being the man who made Singapore start to thrive, and seeing thepotential in Singapore that made it thrive (primary school textbooks: deep harbour,strategic location). But having known about the Sejarah Melayu, he didn‟t really discoverthe potential, but instead was just recreating the golden age of Temasek. Also, the Dutchwere fighting for Singapore so he wasn‟t the only one who saw potential. -He is elitist to his own kind, as well as the mostly Chinese immigrants and was racistagainst the indigenous people. (This is not justified because given that Temasek was athriving port and mostly occupied by indigenous people, they must have beeneconomically good and not useless like what Raffles thought they were)-Raffles is credited for creating a social structure and law and order and givingSingapore its affluence, but prior to him colonizing Singapore, he had to work with theMalay chiefs of the region and of Singapore which means that he just made use of theexisting Malay social structures and didn‟t create it. 

5 Raffles:conspiringfor control ofSingapura How did theacquisition ofSingapore tothe Britishchange/alter/contribute tothe socio-cultural and

socio-politicalwell being ofthe peoplethen andnow?

Before Raffles came, Singapore was under the jurisdiction of the Sultan of Johor, but theBritish pressured the Sultan and the Temenggong to sign a treaty which ceded theirpolitical power in Singapore to the British.

Sultan Hussein was basically powerless over the British, and his excesses,incompetence and weak leadership skills diminished his standing amongst local Malays.

- He was unable to stop the British from breaching a wall in Kampong Glam tobuild a public road

- He got so unpopular he had to move to Malacca- His son‟s position was an empty honour  - Sultan Hussein‟s estate was declared state land 

The Singapore royals had little influence (Sultan Hussein‟s estate was declared state

land, Ali‟s status as Sultan was an empty honour), and as such the Singapore Malayswere left without a strong, independent and visionary leader with the political resourcesto represent their interests in the predominantly Chinese but British ruled society.

- Jolyne, Hui Yun, Ziyue, Siyuan

6 Singapore’spre-1819Malay history What were thedisputessurroundingthe differentsourcesdepicting thehistory ofancientSingapura?Why is itimportant thathistory is not

 just written bythe victors?

.. to be used as the powerful tool in projecting singapore as a land of immigrantsWhat were the disputes surrounding the different sources depicting the history ofancient Singapura? 1. The Government- sponsored documentaries The Singapore Story and Homelandsproduced in the 1980s and 1990s. Pre Colonial Singapore is portrayed as a little morethan a swamp mud flat and sleepy fishing village renewed by British imperialism and thedynamism of immigrants. However it is actually a devoid of a verifiable pre-colonial

history and according to the Malay Annals, pre-modern Singapore was a cosmopolitanstate in its Golden Age.

Based on artefacts pieced together from excavations during the 1994/1995, on BukitLarangan, Miksic concludes that Singapore was not simply an outpost dependant ontapping long-distance maritime trade passing by its shore. In fact, it was also an importerof raw materials and exporter or a producer and consumer of finished artefacts. Thisshows that there was social and economic development at that time, contrary todepictions of Singapura being a sleepy fishing village. To attain that level ofdevelopment, it had to be a brimming settlement.

2. Malays have been commonly referred to as immigrants despite their recognised

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 Beatrice,Yun ShanClaudiaShuningYihan

status as the indigenous people of Singapore in Section 152 of the constitution. AllSingaporeans are referred to as immigrants from „faraway lands‟ even though Johor andmany of the Indonesian islands south of Singapore are a swim or a short sampan. EvenRaffles knew the history and culture of the Malay world played an important role inSingapore‟s past. Many of Lee‟s narratives celebrates the contributions of Britishimperialism and immigrants in transforming the island into an international dinancial huband First world economy, Singapore‟s Malay origins and the contributions of indigenousSingaporeans have been downplayed. This narrative portrays them as „impediments toprogress, a burden to be shouldered, or as a threat to national unity‟, instead of adefining part of our culture.

Why is it important that history is not just written by the victors?  Accounts of history are overwhelmingly influenced when written by the victors, and aremost likely to be biased and not the whole historical truth, written in their ownperspectives. When history is only written by the victors, there will be 2 inherent parties -the glorious heroes(victors) and the worst villains (those who “lost”). As such, the victorspresent themselves in such a way that people will gullibly believe every word they say,even though there is no truth in it. For example, in the article, there was a paragraph thatmentioned about how the “...PAP have consistently led Singaporeans to believe thatthose detained without trial in the early 1960s were communists engaged inunconstitutional means to attain political power.”Yet, in truth, those detained were merely

an opposing political power that threatened the stability of the PAP.When written by the victors only, certain factual historical events are downplayed orwholly covered up to deceive the public, and to allow the advantage of public support.