Our Reflections

When I first got to know the heritage trail that we are about to set on, I was a little puzzled. It had never occurred to me that Fort Canning was a significant place in the 14th century. For my limited knowledge, I had only heard about the Fort Canning during colonial days in 18th century, where the British were stationed at and it was also the place they decided surrendered to the Japanese. Hence, I was baffled about what Fort Canning was like during 14th century. It seemed to me that I could learn more about the pre-colonial days from this heritage trail and indeed it proved to be a fruitful one!

Prior to embarking on the 14th century trail, we did our research on the various stops and stations. It was then that we realized the many historical significance of the various parts of Fort Canning. One of which is the Keramat. Though I have been to Fort Canning for numerous visits, I have never visited the Keramat before. It was during the trail that I finally got to visit this old structure, located in a deserted corner of its own. With the knowledge in hand, we could better appreciate the designs on the pillars and roof. In addition, the archaeological dig area is one captivating exhibit. Through the artefacts on display and the accompanying information boards, we learnt more about the lives in the 14th century. On the other hand, there were several other stations that do not exist now, for instance the Parit Singapore and Forbidden Spring. It was left to our imagination to visualize how these features in Fort Canning look like.

This heritage trail has been a wonderful experience, from reading up on the background information to finally seeing it for ourselves the preserved structures from ancient days although some do not exist today. It was undoubtedly a productive trip with much knowledge gained and a fun-filled day for the seven of us!

- Xin Ying

Our Reflections

When we received our location for the heritage trail, my initial reaction was “What?! Ancient Fort Canning – that’s even before Raffles arrived in Singapore!” I thought that this was going to be a difficult topic to do research on as there would probably be very few resources dating back to that period. Moreover, I imagined that Singapore was probably a really boring place then, full of jungles and wild animals.

All this changed when I started doing research on Fort Canning Hill. I found out that before Raffles arrived, the hill was actually known as Bukit Larangan (the Forbidden Hill). This was because the hill was said to be a scared place where the royals lived. This was an interesting piece of information to me – other than Sang Nila Utama, I did not know that other members of royalty lived in Singapore. This made me more interested in knowing more about Fort Canning. After doing research, I found out some interesting facts, like how Singapore’s first botanical garden was situated there and that it was called Government Hill before it became Fort Canning.

Fort Canning Hill was actually a very significant and important part of Singapore’s history, as it was the heart of ancient Singapore!

It was sad to see that most of the sites listed along the trail route did not exist anymore. Hence, most of the time, we had to use our imaginations and think about what could have been there 200 and more years ago! We also had to consider how to present everything in a blog when most of the sites were not there anymore. The information boards along the way were very helpful in giving us an idea of what went on in the past. I am sure that they would also be helpful for others embarking on this trail. It is fortunate though, that during Singapore’s development, Fort Canning Hill was not levelled to make room for office buildings or shopping centres.

In particular, I was amazed to find out that five Kings had ruled in ancient Singapore. Also, legends such as Badang and the Singapore Stone were stories I had never heard of before. This sadly, showed how much I was lacking in knowledge about Singapore’s history and I resolved to make a trip to the National Museum to brush up on it.

Overall, information from the lectures and embarking on this trail has allowed me to understand more about the ancient history of Singapore. Furthermore, I have gotten to know and imagine the way of life of people during that time. These are all stuff that I had not learnt from my Secondary School History textbooks and probably would never have known about! Singapore and Fort Canning Hill in particular, was definitely not a boring place during that time.

- Pearl

Our Reflections

Before starting on the trail, what I knew about “ancient Singapore” was only that there was a prince called Sang Nila Utama, who saw a lion on the small island and thus named the island Singapura. I knew neither about the 5 Kings, nor the history behind Fort Canning. When our group received the topic on the ancient Fort Canning trail, I was wondering to myself, what would be so historic about Fort Canning? My narrow view of ancient Singapore remained unchanged for many years, until I started on this Heritage Trail activity. Only after doing my research and walking along the trail at Fort Canning did I realize that Singapore’s history is not as simple as I thought. For example, I’ve learnt that Singapore has been quite a big trading port even in the 14^th century, long before the arrival of Raffles! Knowing this information made me realize that Singapore has not changed much in terms of what drives her economy, although her current physical landscape is much different from what it was then. There were also other interesting information I gathered about the culture and Malay Kings who were present in the early days of Singapore. Although not all the information I have learnt were from the signboards on the trail, I still feel that the National Parks Board has done a good job presenting Singapore history in the ancient Fort Canning trail.

-Serena

Our Reflections

When I first got to know that my group had been assigned to do on Fort Canning, my first thought was “Why?!” Out of so many other trails, we had to do on Ancient Fort Canning and that didn’t excite me at all.  I have been to fort canning park for various events so many times and I thought there was nothing much for us to explore. However, after some initial research before our trail, I was proofed wrong! I realised that Fort Canning that there are still a lot of sites in Fort Canning I never know off.

After our initial research on our stations in Fort Canning, there were a few stops that got me really interested in knowing more. One of the stations is the Keramat. I have actually walked pass the Keramat before but never take notice of the meaningful cravings on the pillars and the roof. We also had our fun at the spice garden and the picnic terrace. We came across several other interesting stories, such as the five kings, Singapore stone and the forbidden spring, in which I never know until we embarked on this heritage walk.

Many of times, we could only use our imagination to think about how Fort Canning and life would have been back then because most of these historical sites are not physically there for us to see anymore. However the information board placed at the possible locations did help us in understanding the history and stories better.

The Forbidden Hill - a familiar place where there are still more waiting for us to explore further. It was indeed an enjoyable trail with my friends. 

- Andrea

Our Reflections

When I first knew we were given ‘Fort Canning- Ancient Trail’ as our heritage trail assignment, I was quite intrigued, mainly because the ‘ancient’ conjured up some promise of exploration. Despite having made many school trips to the cultural and historical places in Singapore, surprisingly I have never actually been to Fort Canning.

Probably at first mention, I associate Fort Canning with the Registry of Marriage and some outdoor music concerts (that I’ve never been to). In terms of historical significance, I think Fort Canning had some role in the defence of Singapore during WWII? Not too sure about that; I was more familiar with the Labrador and Kent Ridge areas.

I like to think of myself as being quite proficient in ‘topo’ and map readings skills. So it was on to the nparks and gothere.sg websites to figure out a plan. Was a bit disappointed at the trail was listed as only 2.68km. Still, managed to find the very user-friendly walking guide from nparks. Reading it was interesting, since some of the new stuff I’ve learnt in the AAH lectures were mentioned, such as the 14th century happenings.

For our trail itself, we arrived at mid-morning. I would like to come by in the early morning or late evening, but that would make it rather difficult for taking photos! The thing about the ancient trail is that most of the structures are gone! What remained are mostly preserved/ conserved from the colonial past. There was a cooking school and ballet school at the Fort Canning Centre and some restaurants around the area.

The trail itself was a pleasant experience and the walking route was well shaded by the vegetation. However I do believe things were much different in the past; I would imagine it to be quite exciting to traipse through the jungle undergrowth amidst the flora and fauna. At the lookout point towards the Singapore River, I felt the new, somewhat gaudy looking high rise buildings marred the view. It just seemed quite out of place. Then again, I realised maybe Fort Canning was the one that did not belong – a little sanctuary in the midst of our concrete jungle.

From the trail I did learn a bit more about the historical facts of Fort Canning but more importantly, I had a deeper appreciation of our heritage. Cliché as it sounds; I left Fort Canning feeling a greater sense of rootedness to this land. So many unlikely, unfathomable and unimaginable events had to happen for Singapore to come into being today.

- Cheryl Tay

Our Reflections

Having to embark on a heritage trail for this module came as a surprise for me and having picked ‘fort canning ancient history’ as our trail did not excite me much. My first thoughts were that ‘Fort canning? Didn’t everyone visit Fort Canning in Secondary school?’ Ironically, after I looked at the map provided, I realized that I actually did not know much about Fort Canning at all. All I remembered was of the battle box where Lieutenant General Percival and the allied forces surrendered to the invading Japanese troops during World War II. Not forgetting the cannons and several photographs snapped around it during the excursions that I have been on in the past.

A closer look at the map brought my attention to several interesting stations, in particular, the archaeological dig and exhibition area as well as the forbidden spring. I was curious to see the artefacts that were uncovered and of course have a look at the place where the wife and consorts of the king supposedly took their baths! After doing some preliminary research and planning, we finally set aside a day to go on the trail.

In order to avoid the sun, we decided to go on our trail in the morning. Armed with my sun block, snacks (meant for our picnic during the trail) and props to be used for our photographs, I thought I was all ready to start the trail! My group members and I were very excited, especially after thinking of ways to snap the different photographs. Shortly after we started on our trail, I realized what I was missing- Insect repellent! The mosquitoes at fort canning were definitely having a good breakfast that day!

Despite the mosquitoes, everyone was in high spirits and definitely very creative in posing for photographs at the various stations. When we reached the site of the archaeological dig, I was quite surprised as I did not imagine it to look like that. We spent quite some time reading the information boards and looking at the artefacts as well as peering into the site. While the artefacts reflected some history about how life was in the 14th century and what kind of activities the people were possibly engaged in, it would definitely provide a new perspective of Singapore’s colonial history if more work is done to uncover new artefacts. Thereafter, we carried on with our trail and as we explored more stations, I was constantly trying to fit the pieces together to make out a rough sketch of how the area was in the 14th century.

While the entire trail took shorter than expected, I definitely gained a better idea of how life in the 14th century as well as the kind of activities the people were involved in back then. On the whole, I enjoyed the trail very much and I not only learnt about ancient Singapore, but also had a fun morning with my friends. The presence of the various heritage trails by the National Parks such as the one we embarked on is indeed useful in educating the public about Singapore’s history and heritage. However, for this case, much of what was here in the 14th century has either been blown up or demolished due to the war. In addition, some of the information presented was based on myths and legends told. As such, a question that left me thinking after the trail was, ‘how accurately has ancient fort canning been portrayed?’

- Shannon

Our Reflections

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