The image of our landscape, are images documented in the form of photographs, prints and even paintings by people who came to Singapore in the 19th century. They are the people holding different occupations, such as official surveyors, artists, administrators and even leisure travelers who stopped at Singapore in their journey around the world.
On the path of our exploration of Singapore through 19th Century, I felt like I was picturing the 19th century olden Singapore from far ashore to walking deeper and inside of the history and structure of Singapore. From the paintings and drawings of the travellers’ 1st impressions of Singapore, I can see that their drawing pattern is very similar. All of the travellers see Singapore as a good harbour with a number of English steamships and Tua Kow, moreover with a good view of the Forbidden Hill (aka Fort Canning Hill). There are a number of Paintings that presented a perspective taken from ships anchored at sea, a distance from the coast.
Through these exhibit pictures, we viewers can get to have an understanding of what are the modes of transports in the earler days. Twakow, a Chinese ship is a mode of transport that brought hundreds and thousands of Chinese coolies and immigrants from China to Singapore. The immigrants are all packed like sardines on the ship. There were even death counts results from such ill hygiene condition. This situation can’t be seen in today’s times anymore. However, it reminds me of the cases of packed foreign workers on the vans, the mean of transport to send them off and to work. Even though Singapore are said to be a first class country, our treatments to our foreign labour doesn’t seem to differ too much from the past. Similarly, our ill-treatments of maids are infamously around here.
From photographs and paintings, we can even get to interpret the “Raffles Town Plan” and how Singapore is shaped before and after the town allocation Before Raffles town allocation, Singapore is like a small village which lived a number of sultans and malay fish-villagers. Most of them stay in slums or kampongs. With Raffles development of Singapore being a good port base, boat quay became one of the key areas along the Singapore River in 1823 that held a lot of economic trading activities there. Now our Singapore River has been transformed. Our government has reversed everything to changing Boat quay and Clarke quay into pubs and restaurant hangouts, including clean-up of the river. Gone are the days.
Paintings taken from forbidden hill also illustrate the landscape of the past Singapore. From Forbidden Hill, we can even see the town structure in the Chinatown area and Little India area. I realize that from the English paintings, it is always depicted that the westerners are always the enjoyer (either having a picnic or view gazing) while the Chinese and Indian are always the servant character (helping the western carry luggage etc).
I love the art piece of the whole Singapore view by Percy Carpenter the most. It was acknowledged as the best art piece that illustrates the whole landscape of Singapore drawn from the Forbidden Hill. Through the paintings, I can even find the location of the current LAU PAT SAT on the painting (by the guidance of the tour volunteer) and even the location of Chinatown. Contrasting to the current Singapore outline and map, I can recognize that Singapore is no longer the same as before. There is a lot of reclaimed land, including those in Raffles place. In the past, the location of LAU PAT SAT is lying along the border of the sea. Hence now when I go to Raffles place or anywhere near or beside LAU PAT SAT, I will also ponder where am I standing? On a reclaimed land or the real Singapore land ground. The tour instructor even made a joke that it may be because Raffles place is on a reclaimed land, hence people working there are able to feel the slight impact from Indonesia earthquake.
And did I ever know that Singapore was once a plantation ground for cultivate vegetables pepper and gambit which are important articles of export. The Raffles town allocation has gone to the extent of cutting down the dense jungle to build the plantation. What they sacrifice were the best beauty nature of Singapore, in which Singapore with its valleys, plains, grand trees and undulating hills was indeed very beautiful in 1846. However, now all Singapore’s nature was cut down for the sake for modernization and housing development. Now that’s all left are just tourists and environmentists’ critiques of Singapore’s fake nature and diminishing culture. Singapore has no mountains and hills, maybe what we Singapore do acclaimed as our only hill is the Bukit Timah Hill and Fort Canning Park. Although Singapore is well-known as a greenery city with flowers and trees everywhere, it is saddening to know that most of them are relocated there. The Singapore orchid is even planted in charcoal to sustain its life and colour in the humid Singapore. However, what sacrifices again is the fragrance (nature) again.
Many paintings’ emphasis of Esplanade also illustrates Esplanade area during the 19th century as a popular meeting place for residents to interact and engage in recreational activities. The architecture and bungalows during the 19th century also creates sensational historical memories. The government house (aka angsana), national library and the national museum (where I was standing at when viewing the exhibition) were all the landmarks that made its stand on Singapore since the 19th century. What differs may be the external structure and designs add to it in today times.
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