A trip to singapore river !

done by Beatrice(4) and Jiayi(16) and Abigail(1)

After a twenty minute bus ride, we stepped out of the bus and trudged towards Singapore River. It was situated at the Central Business District. Near Singapore River we could see the well-known ferris wheels located at Marina Bay and also we see Merlion while walking around Singapore River.

The Cavenagh Bridge is the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest bridge in Singapore, spanning the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the Downtown Core. Opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore's new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status in 1867 , it is the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form. 

The bronze sculpture located along the Singapore River also near the Cavenagh Bridge show 5 kampong boys jumping into the river for a swim.
This sculpture captures the simple and happy lifestyle of people living along the Singapore river.

The strong big bird in Boat Quay symbolises great desire for peace, serenity, joy and optimism.

The statue of Stamford Raffles was located at the heart of the river and it was the place where Raffles first landed at Singapore. Most of the tourists was also there taking pictures of the statue and the day we went to the Singapore river there's also a few school there too to take pictures around Singapore River.

Another part of the sculpture shows the hard life of coolies. They load the heavy rice bags onto a bullock cart.

Singapore River in the present.

Harris Ismail (28), Ian Yek (30), Nicholas Low (36), Hakeem Azman (38), Kenneth Quek (39)

Most Singaporeans have been to this place and enjoyed the incredible scenery. But what some of them didn't think of is about the past of Singapore River... 

The Fullerton Hotel : Its a hotel now but before this it was a one of the oldest post office building! And before it became the oldest post office building in Singapore, it was a hospital during the World War II! 

WANT TO LEARN MORE??? 

The northern end of the building covers the site of Fort Fullerton, a fort built in 1829 to defend the settlement against any naval attacks. In 1843, the fort was extended after a sandstone monolith, the Singapore Stone, with an inscription possibly dating back to the 13th century was demolished. A fragment of this monolith was salvaged and preserved in the collection of the National Museum at Stamford Road. The fort gave way to the first General Post Office and the Exchange Building in 1874. Plans to erect Fullerton Building were drawn up in 1920. However, due to a lack of funds, construction only began in February 1924.Built at a cost of $4.1 million and after delays of a few months, the building was completed in June 1928.

This is used to be Singapore's National Museum till early September 2006, they changed its name to The Asian Civilization Museum and they got a new slogan which is "Where Asian Cultures Come Alive!". The museum first opened its doors at the Old Tao Nan School building on 22 April 1997 at Armenian Street, with exhibits largely centred on Chinese civilisation.

Coolies in the olden days resting after carrying huge sacks of rice back and forth  from the warehouse .

Not everything could be carried by hand at that time so they trained bulls to pull the wagon full rice sacks. Maybe there were 10 - 15 sacks of rice in the wagon. 

SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES, one of the founders of modern Singapore and made Singapore protected by the British rule. He was respected at that time because he made Singapore grow exponentially in such a short time.Raffles took direct control with a heavy hand. In 1823, Raffles instituted a code of settlement for the populace, and soon followed with laws regarding the freedom of trade. He also quickly instituted a registration system for all land, regardless of ownership, and the repossession of the land by the government if land remained unregistered. This act greatly asserted the power of the British government as it covered land previously owned by the Sultan as well. A police force and magistrate was then set up, under British principles. In a very short period of time, Raffles had turned a semi-anarchic trading post into a proper city with some semblance of order.

Singapore River Trip!. Rachel Heng(10), Nurrina Liyana(15),Siti Nur Haziqah(18),Valerie Jane(20)

         

After a long-25 mintues bus ride, we, Rachel,Rina,Haziqah and Valerie reached our destination , the Singapore River. We walked through a magnificent bridge called Elgin bridge. This bridge was named after Lord Elgin, the governer-general of India. Its a very nice place to have a nice view of the the Singapore skyline and take beautiful photos from there. We also could see the tall buildings, and the beautiful Marina Bay Sands!

This is a sculpture of Homage of Newton that discovered the law of gravity. This sculpture shows that the origin of the fundamental physical law was initiated by the falling apples. Sir Isaac Newton had discovered the origin of the fundamental physical law was initiated by falling apples. This sculpture is make of bronze materials. It is located outside the ‘UOB’ Plaza  because most of the tourist will visit ‘UOB’ Plaza and they will see this wonderful sculpture.

This is a sculpture of a fat bird resting at the river bank as The artist, Fernando Botero, is a fat artist; therefore, the sculptures that the artist makes are all look fat. it represents a common scene of bird resting at the river bank. The bird is resting at the river bank and looking for food. This bird is three- dimensional bird. The bird is traditionally associated with peace and serenity. This sculpture is made of bronze material. It is located after the Fullerton Hotel and it is near the ‘UOB’ Plaza along the Singapore River.

This sculpture show a group of merchant from different racial discussing about trade. This sculpture represents the way of trade that people trade in the past. I believe that in man wearing the Malay traditional costume is the translator for both the merchant. The sculpture is call River Merchant maybe is to show how merchant does their trade along the river.

This is a bronze sculpture.It shows a group of naked boys jumping into the Singapore River. They are playing in the river, because in the past, there was no television or computer games.This sculpture is located near the Fullerton hotel.

The cats are made of copper. This sculpture shows three cats sitting and resting beside the Singapore River. The cats are looking for food too! It is located near the Cavernna Bridge near the Fullerton hotel.

These bronze sculptures were commissioned to honour the pioneers who set foot on the island centuries ago.
Sitting in the middle is an Indian chettiar. The European banker on his right and a Chinese moneylender to his left. They were the forefathers of modern banking in the island.

The picture above shows a few coolies and a kepala or labour gang leader sitting on a sack of rice. The long plait of hair on their backs make me think that the labourers who came here to work were mostly from China.

Ng Bing Fu(35),EDMUND SIM (25),Geriant(26),TianYuan,sarveish(41)

DONE BY: Ng Bing Fu(35),EDMUND SIM (25),Geriant(26),TianYuan,sarveishwaran(41)


A day trip to the Singapore river.





Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (6 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore (now the city-state of the Republic of Singapore). He is often described as the "Father of Singapore". He was also heavily involved in the conquest of the Indonesian island of Java from Dutch and French military forces during the Napoleonic Wars and contributed to the expansion of the British Empire. He was also an amateur writer and wrote a book entitled History of Java (1817).The statues of Raffles standing beside the old Parliament House and in front of the Victoria Concert Hall are reminders of his role in founding the settlement of Singapore.His founding role is reflected in books,journals and articles on the history of Singapore.



The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the northernmost part of the watershed becomes River Valley. As the Central Area is treated as a central business district, nearly all land surrounding it is commercial. It is one of about 90 rivers in Singapore and its islands. It is the place where Raffles made as the 1st trading port in Singapore. The Singapore River is the most famous river in Singapore.Tourists often visit Singapore river to learn more about Singapore history.The Singapore river is also known for the statue of Raffles and the sculpture of Bird by famous South American sculpter Fernando Bertero.

A Brief History of Boat Quay

Boat Quay used to be the hub of commerce and trade in the 1860s that stretches from Elgin Bridge to Cavenagh Bridge. Though it occupies only a small section on the south bank of Singapore River, it was the centre of trade along the river.


The row of shophouses here were once occupied by wholesalers as offices and godowns. Bumboats or lighters were used to transport cargo between the ship in the harbour and the quay. The cargo were then carried by the coolies from the bumboat, which moored along the river, to the shophouses.


Today bumboat plying along the river carrying tourists instead of cargo on sightseeing trip. The shophouses were also being converted into pubs and restaurants. The area comes alive at night when the lights come on and people gather at the pubs and restaurants to chill out.

Boat Quay Photos

Shophouses along Boat Quay

Cross the bridge, there is a row of shophouses along the river bank. This mark the starting point of Boat Quay, where a number of good restaurants, bars and pubs were located. Read Boat Quay Restaurants and Bars Reviews to choose a restaurant that suit you best before making a reservation.

the bird sculpture when you are approaching the UOB Plaza. The bird, symbolishing the joy of living, was created by South American sculptor, Fernando Botero.


Another sculpture The River Merchants was located near the Cavenagh Bridge. It looks like merchants were negotiating a deal where the coolies were busy loading goods onto a bullock cart.

The sculpture First Generation showing five boys jumping happily into the river, a common scene in the old days.

                 THIS STATUES SHOWS HOW CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE EARLY YEARS.

                             THIS SHOWS THE MERLION AT THE SINGAPORE RIVER.

                           THIS SHOWS AN OVERVIEW OF THE SINGAPORE RIVER.

The Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the northernmost part of the watershed becomesRiver Valley. As the Central Area is treated as a central business district, nearly all land surrounding it is commercial. It is one of about 90 rivers in Singapore and its islands. It is the place where Raffles made as the 1st trading port in Singapore. The Singapore River is the most famous river in Singapore.

History

The mouth of the Singapore River was the old Port of Singapore, being naturally sheltered by the southern islands. Historically, the city of Singapore initially grew around the port so the river mouth became the centre of trade, commerce and finance. To this day, area around the old Singapore River mouth, the Downtown Core, remains the most expensive and economically important piece of land in Singapore.

At one time, Singapore River was the very lifeblood of the colony, the trade artery, the center of commercial activity, the heart of entrepottrade, the vessel of importance, the capillaries of life and the place which was frequented by the secret societies, the swaylos (Cantonese forcoolies who worked on a boat) and the coolies who worked for the philanthropist Tan Tock Seng at Ellenborough Market and the towkay(Hokkien for business owner) Tan Kim Seng who was busy filling his godown with the riches of the East.

Singapore River is where the colourful and romantic history of the river and the myths and legends can still conjure up memories of thelighters, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampans of yesteryear. This is where the Malayanprinces once sailed and this is where the bullock carts plodded their way up and down each bank as the river found its way to the formerrocky river mouth. This is also where an early civilisation was conquered by the Javanese Majapahit Empire, in the year 1376.

It was here that the Chinese lived, on the south bank, the Malays in kampongs further upstream, and the Indians used to reside until the Chinese forced them out to Rochor, Kallang and Geylang.

Some of the temples, shrines and other places of worship still stand in the vicinity of the river. So too are the godowns, the bridges such asAnderson Bridge, Elgin Bridge and Cavenagh Bridge, the Merlion, the shophouses, and the large trees such as Banyan and Madras Thorn. Some parts of this area include quays such as Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, which generated trade and extensive demand for services with the boats that landed at the quays. Boat Quay itself was handling three quarters of the shipping service in the 1860s. Shophouses andwarehouses flourished around the quays due to their proximity to trade during the colonial era, but presently house various bars, pubs and restaurants, as well as antique shops.

The river still borders places where seamen and others, for example, near Raffles Landing Place, made offerings and burned their joss sticks. Poles with streamers flying were once used to tie up the barges as the water lapped against the old stone steps and walls.

Sir Stamford Raffles lost no time after January 1819, when he landed on Singapore River among the orang laut and the human skulls, the victims of river pirates, in bargaining with the Temenggong, the Johor chief who then ruled the place, having settled in 1811. At the very moment of landing, Raffles must have realised the importance of the river for, in the same year of 1819, the north bank was drained for government buildings and, in 1822, the south bank was reclaimed and a retaining wall and steps were built.

With the expansion of trade came congestion and pollution. Through lack of knowledge or foresight, the bridges were constructed too low and the river was too shallow for the demands that were to be made on its use. This historic river, which Raffles had fashioned from salt marshes,sand bars and mangrove swamps, has witnessed the British rule and the Japanese occupation, and has supported years of economic activity by the Chinese, Malays, Indians and others.

]

Old maps of the river state that it actually originates from Bukit Larangan (currently Fort Canning Hill).

Pollution and cleanup

Starting in the 1880s, there was heavy traffic on the Singapore River due to rapid urbanization and expanding trade. At the same time, it brought in water pollution caused by the disposal of garbage, sewage and other by-products of industries located along the river's banks. The sources of water pollution into the Singapore River and Kallang Basin included pig wastes from pig and duck farms, unsewered premises, street hawkers and vegetable wholesaling. Riverine activities such as transport, boat building and repairs were also found along the Singapore River. Some 750 lighters plied along the Singapore River and Kallang Basin in 1977. Waste, oil spills and wastewater from these boats and lighters added to the pollution of the rivers.

In 1977, Lee Kuan Yew, then the Prime Minister put forth an ambitious goal for the government to clean up the Singapore River and Kallang Basin: and in ten years let us have fishing in the Singapore River and Kallang River. It can be done.

By October 1977, an action plan on "The Clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin" was submitted to the Prime Minister. By late October 1977, the government was starting to take action to clean up the river. The plan involved the development of infrastructure such ashousing, industrial workshops and sewage; massive resettlement of squatters, backyard trades and industries and farmers; re-siting of streethawkers to food centres; and phasing out of pollutive activities. Industries located by the river were removed and squatters were resettled intoflats. Refuse was collected daily for incineration, while hawkers were issued licenses and provided specified areas with proper sewerage amenities. The dredging of the river bed and the removal of hundreds of tons of debris which had been piled up over the years helped marine life to return to the tidal river.

Ten years later in 1987, the clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin was completed. In September 1987, the Ministry of the Environment together with other government ministries and statutory boards celebrated the success of the clean-up with an event called the "Clean Rivers Commemoration". After the massive clean-up, people can now engage in activities such as wayang performances on a bumboat, variety shows staged on pontoons anchored in the river, and boat races. Today, speedboats, dragon boats, pedal-boats andsampans can be seen plying on the clean waterways of the Singapore River.

Singapore River today

The river is now part of the Marina Reservoir after damming the Singapore River at its outlet to the sea to create a new reservoir of freshwater. While damming this area would create a valuable source of fresh water for the tiny city-state, it would have prevented the docking of ocean-going ships at the Singapore River which was arguably the original reason Singapore came into existence. The dam is known as Marina Barrage.

Whereas the original mouth of the Singapore River emptied into Singapore Straits and its southern islands before major land reclamation took place, the Singapore River now empties into Marina Bay - an area of water partially enclosed by the reclamation work. The Port of Singapore is now located to the west of the island, using most of the south-west coast, and passenger ships to Singapore now typically berth at theSingapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront. Thus the Singapore River's economic role has shifted away from one that of trade, towards more a role accommodated for tourism and aesthetics for the commercial zone which encloses it.