Before our group started preparing for our Fort Canning (Ancient) trail, I had always thought Fort Canning Park was just like most other parks in Singapore - merely a place filled with flora and fauna where people could go to to relax or exercise. Never did I realise that it has such a rich history or even had anything to do with the heritage of Singapore. Furthermore, I had almost no knowledge of what Singapore was like before Sir Stanford Raffles founded her, and never gave much thought to it.
While preparing to embark on this expedition, our group first established the storyline upon which we would base the trail. We then conducted extensive research on the various stops of the trail, looking into their significance, sourcing for more relevant information and even planning how we would take our photos. This was so that we would have some background knowledge beforehand, to allow us to make the necessary preparations and reduce time wastage.
Walking through this trail has given me much insight as to what Singapore was like (or could have been like) during the 14th century. I was most intrigued by the idea of Singapore being ruled by kings and the existence of a Royal Palace on that very hill! I have always associated the governance of Singapore with democracy, so learning about her under monarchy rule really sparked my interest in her history during that period.
Some of the stops also provided some evidence with regards to the culture of Singapore in the past. These include the mural wall and various locations at which artefacts that were found. Looking at the glass beads and porcelain, it finally hit me that Singapore did have a past, even before the arrival of the British.
At certain points in time, I felt that it was a pity we could not see many things that would have been around in the past. Some of these include the forbidden spring, the parit Singapore and the Singapore stone. There were usually only information boards at these stops, making things feel less authentic. Sometimes, we even had to rely on our imagination, to visualize things such as the ancient garden and royal palace.
Overall, I am glad that Singapore has preserved this historical site and should continue to do so in order for people to be educated about Singapore’s history. I can now better appreciate Singapore and the Forbidden Hill!
- Cheryl Lim
While preparing to embark on this expedition, our group first established the storyline upon which we would base the trail. We then conducted extensive research on the various stops of the trail, looking into their significance, sourcing for more relevant information and even planning how we would take our photos. This was so that we would have some background knowledge beforehand, to allow us to make the necessary preparations and reduce time wastage.
Walking through this trail has given me much insight as to what Singapore was like (or could have been like) during the 14th century. I was most intrigued by the idea of Singapore being ruled by kings and the existence of a Royal Palace on that very hill! I have always associated the governance of Singapore with democracy, so learning about her under monarchy rule really sparked my interest in her history during that period.
Some of the stops also provided some evidence with regards to the culture of Singapore in the past. These include the mural wall and various locations at which artefacts that were found. Looking at the glass beads and porcelain, it finally hit me that Singapore did have a past, even before the arrival of the British.
At certain points in time, I felt that it was a pity we could not see many things that would have been around in the past. Some of these include the forbidden spring, the parit Singapore and the Singapore stone. There were usually only information boards at these stops, making things feel less authentic. Sometimes, we even had to rely on our imagination, to visualize things such as the ancient garden and royal palace.
Overall, I am glad that Singapore has preserved this historical site and should continue to do so in order for people to be educated about Singapore’s history. I can now better appreciate Singapore and the Forbidden Hill!
- Cheryl Lim
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