If one is asked about the little red dot – ie Singapore, one might envision a modern city full of skyscrapers and shopping malls… glitzy gardens etc. Sure. And for those who dig a little you might know that Singapore was ‘founded’ in 1819 by a British gentlemen whose name grace places, hotels, road names all over our little red dot.
But did you know that this was just the modern founding of the island?
For did you know that the trading of exotic goods was already a booming business for this little island well over 600 years ago? Heheh… betcha that you did not know that! To the point that the island was already an entrepot like its modern founder envision it today, except waaaay back.
So today our post is about a hill. Or more importantly, a fort on a hill. Simply because when you have a good thing going, it might invite envy. Someone might want to either take over your turf or destroy it… that is was the way that nation states handled it back then. The age of mercantilism, talk about business empires…
Thus coveted real estate have to be defended right? How else but from a vantage point. That’s why the word is used – vantage. Good to have an ad-vantage over your potential adversaries right? (Ok the word count for this post is achieved… phew). You might know that Singapore was the most fortified asset of the British empire in its heyday. So you can expect quite a few forts and pillboxes all over the island.
We shall not dive too much into history and leave you to find out more on your own. Take a peek here at how you can enjoy a walk on this monumental hill of our little red dot! Have you been here before? If so, what struck you the most?
Thanks for including a little spot of Singapore in your blog Mel&Suan!! As a native Singaporean, the fort that’s mentioned in your post here is called “Fort Canning Hill”. A little slice of history here:- before it was named Fort Canning Hill, it was called “Bukit Larangan”, where in Malay, it means, “The Forbidden Hill”. Why was it called Bukit Larangan? Because the hill used to be exclusive to the former royal rulers of Singapore. Call it their own little backyard where their kids will play, and it served as a private space out of peering eyes of their subjects. And….. did you travel up the fort to find the hidden door somewhere at the top of the hill?
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That’s a good piece of history to add. Because most people will only recall the British era. Have you something we can link to for this?
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Hey Mel & Suan, unfortunately no, its like a forgotten history that only the oldies like my parents know about. Let me craft something up, and i’ll drop you guys a link very soon! ☺️
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Thanks!
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Hi Mel & Suan! I finally got the article together! Soooo sorry it took a long time to get it together! Here it is! http://www.thelittleredblog.sg/blog/fort-canning-hill/
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Oh thanks! We shall repost it soon!
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Thanks Mel & Suan! I’ll keep updating my end of it if there any new developments 😉
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It’s been a while since I have been in Singapore, Suan— in fact about 40 years. 🙂 Mainly I remember a mandatory trip to the Raffles Hotel to down a Singapore Sling or two. –Curt
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LOL. Well that’s still what alot of people do today!
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Glad to hear it is still around. 🙂
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This actually reminds me of the recent debacle over the word ‘Syonan’ being in the name of a certain World War 2 gallery in the country. Preserving a fort seems to be a rather noble thing to do. But how do we know what would be offensive to survivors or not when it comes to the narratives we craft and the vocabulary we use?
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You know, history is oftenmost written by the victors. And the narrative would be different depending on who won. But as a general rule, we cannot be responsible for the actions of earlier generations. We can only pledge not to repeat the same, by learning from history.
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Nice vestiges of the fort. I remember the statement of the British army, “Singapore will not fall,” yet it did…. It would be interesting to see this if I travelled there again. Maybe you could shate one of the fort’s photos for my MmPhoto? It would be a good test for my followers!!
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Well not much remains of the fort these days except for some guns and a few buildings… we’ll try to see if there is anything worthy to be shared. Happy 2018!
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Likewise, Mel & Suan
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