AND

With your examiner, go on a short walk of your choice in your local area and describe to him local points of historical interest. 

Note: A description and/or pictures of places of historical interest according to the map above will qualify as a second task.

Document: Bedok Heritage Trail

Other transcription(s)

 • Malay

 | Kampung Gelam

 • Jawi

 | كامڤوڠ ڬلم

 • Chinese

 | 甘榜格南

 • Pinyin

 | Gānbǎnggénán

 • Tamil

 | கம்ப்பொங் கிலாம்

Masjid Sultan (Sultan Mosque) and Bussorah Pedestrian Mall at Kampong Glam.

Istana Kampong Glam at the Malay Heritage Centrein Kampong Glam

The name of the area is thought to be derived from the cajeput tree, called "gelam" in Malay.^[1]"Kampong" (modern spelling "kampung") simply means "village".

Prior to colonisation by the British in 1819, the area was home to the Malay aristocracy of Singapore. It became prominent and more populous after the signing of a treaty between the British East India Company, Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor and Temenggong Abdul Rahman in 1819. The company was given the right to set up a trading post in Singapore under this treaty.

During the colony's early history, under the Raffles Plan of 1822, the settlement was divided according to different ethnic groups which included European Town, Chinese, Chulia, Arab and Bugis kampongs. Kampong Glam was designated for the Sultan and his



A Chinatown (Chinese: 唐人街; pinyin: Tángrénjiē; Jyutping: tong⁴ yan⁴ gaai¹) is an ethnic enclave of Chinese or Han people located outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Asia, Australia, the Americas, Africa and Europe.

Chinatown

Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, in Manila

 | 唐人街

Literal meaning

 | "Chinese Street"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin | Tángrénjiē
Wu
Romanization | Daon^平 nin^平 ka^平
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization | Tòhngyàhngāai
Jyutping | Tong² yan² gaai¹
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ | Tông-jîn-ke
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUC | Tòng-ìng-kĕ

Alternative Chinese name

 | 中國城

 | 中国城

Literal meaning

 | "Chinatown"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhōngguóchéng
Wu
Romanization | Tson^平 koh^入 zen^平
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization | Jūnggwoksìhng
Jyutping | Jung¹ gwok³ sing⁴
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ | Tiong-kok-siânn
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUC | Dŭng-guók-siàng

Second alternative Chinese name

 | 華埠

 | 华埠

Literal meaning

 | "Chinese District"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin | Huábù
Wu
Romanization | Gho^平 bu^去
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization | Wàfōw
Jyutping | Wa⁴ fau⁶
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ | Hôa-bú
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUC | Huà-pú

The development of most Chinatowns typically resulted from mass migration to an area without any, or with very few Chinese residents. Binondo in Manila, established in 1594, is recognised as the world's oldest Chinatown. Notable early examples outside Asia include San Francisco's Chinatown in the United States and Melbourne's Chinatown in Australia, which were founded in the mid-19th century during the California gold rushand Victoria gold rush respectively. A more modern example, in Montville, Connecticut, was caused by the displacement of Chinese workers in the Manhattan Chinatownfollowing the September 11th attacks in 2001.^[1][2]

People

The national coat of arms, also known as the state crest, symbolises Singapore as a self-governing and independent state. Like the national flag, the state crest was designed by a committee headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye.¹ Singapore’s state crest consists of a red shield bearing a white crescent moon and five white stars, supported by a lion and a tiger. Below the shield is a banner inscribed with “Majulah Singapura” (Malay for “Onward Singapore”).² The state crest was launched on 3 December 1959 at the installation of Yusof bin Ishak as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State).³

Symbolism
The state crest consists of a shield emblazoned with a white crescent moon and five white stars on a red background. Below the shield is a banner with the words “Majulah Singapura”. Supporting the shield are a lion on the left and a tiger on the right.⁴

The colour red symbolises universal brotherhood and equality of man, while white signifies pervading and everlasting purity and virtue. The crescent moon signifies a country eternally young, and the five stars represent the ideals of Singapore – democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. The lion represents Singapore, while the tiger symbolises the close economic and political ties between Singapore and the then Federation of Malaya.⁵

History
Immediately after Singapore gained self-government in 1959, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew assigned the task of designing the state flag and state crest to a committee headed by Toh.⁶

Toh wanted the national symbols to portray the unique identity of Singapore – the unity of a multiracial and multicultural country. With this foremost in his mind, Toh and his committee completed the design of the state flag and state crest in two months.⁷

The bill for the state crest, national flag and national anthem was moved by then Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam and approved by the State Assembly in November 1959.⁸ The national symbols were unveiled on 3 December 1959 during the installation of Yusof bin Ishak as the Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore at the City Hall Chambers.⁹

EducationEdit

Chan had her early education at Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Catholic Junior College.^[2] She went on to complete her B.ASc. (Hons) in Materials Engineering degree at Nanyang Technological University in 1999.^[3] She also obtained a master's degree in Business Management from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in 2004.^[3]In 2016, Chan was also awarded the Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award.^[4]

CareerEdit

Chan is currently Head of Secondary Industries at The Linde Group (Gas & Engineering).^[3] She oversees a group that provides market insights of the industry, develops growth opportunity areas and supports development of the company’s strategies for various industry sectors.

Prior to joining Linde in 2007, Chan worked at Kulicke & Soffa, a design and manufacturing company for semiconductor, LED and electronic assembly equipment.^[2]She spent several years in technical roles and as a process engineering manager before becoming a product marketing manager.

On 27 August 2015, the People's Action Party (PAP) announced that Chan would contest in the revived Fengshan SMC in the 2015 general election.^[5] Chan was elected into Parliament when she defeated Dennis Tan Lip Fong of the Workers' Party and clinched 57.5% of the electorate valid votes.^[6]

She now serves as member of parliament for Fengshan SMC as well as adviser to Fengshan Grassroots Organisations (GROs). She is also the vice-chairperson of East Coast-Fengshan Town Council.^[7]

Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941; Chinese: 吴作栋; pinyin: Wú Zuòdòng, Wade–Giles: Wu2-tso4-tung4) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he became Singapore's second Prime Minister on 28 November 1990, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, and served in the role until 12 August 2004, when he stepped down and was succeeded by Lee Hsien Loong. He subsequently served as Senior Minister until May 2011, and as Chairman of the Monetary Authority Of Singapore (MAS). He continues to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency and holds the honorary title of "Emeritus Senior Minister".

Mr Tan has been an elected MP in the Marine Parade GRC since 7 May 2011. He served as the Minister for Social and Family Development from 9 April 2015 until his election as Speaker on 11 September 2017. He had also been the Minister for Manpower from 1 May 2014 to 8 April 2015.

Prior to his election to Parliament, Mr Tan had served in the Singapore Armed Forces for nearly 24 years. He holds a Master’s Degree in Defence Studies from King’s College in London and a Master’s Degree in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Mr Tan is married with two children. He enjoys running and photography. In 2014, he published a book capturing his travel photographs and has auctioned his prints in support of charitable causes.

Most of the villagers were plantation workers, farmers and fishermen, or worked in industries that serviced the British army based out of Changi. Some worked as hawkers, restaurant staff, construction workers, tailors and hairdressers. Many villagers planted tapioca, vegetables and corn. They also collected coconuts from coconut and nipah palms scattered around the kampong (“village” in Malay) and sold them to coconut wholesalers as an additional source of income.

In the 20th century, the rubber tree plantation that was previously Kampong Bedok Darat became a vibrant centre of Malay life, with street names reflecting the community uses for these streets. For example, Jalan Kathi is derived from the Malay term for “solemniser of marriages” and Jalan Greja from the Malay word for “church”. The Masjid Al-Taqua along Jalan Bilal served as a hub for Muslims while Chinese vegetable farmers in this area used its morning call to prayers to tell the time.

Jalan Haji Salam, a neighbouring street, is where the grand 1920s residence Villa Kahar still stands. This villa was owned by and named after Haji Kahar Abdul Ghani, a rich businessman from Palembang, who made his fortune from plantations and property. It was later sold to Dr Lee Choo Neo, Singapore's first female doctor, who was also wife to prominent businessman Teo Koon Lim and aunt to Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. The villa retains an elegant symmetry with a kampong-style outhouse fronting Bedok Avenue. The villa was known as a venue for parties, operas and other post-regatta entertainment.

The nearby Bedok Food Centre, completed in 2005 to replace another hawker centre built in 1971, features architecture in the Minangkabau style (which comes from the highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia) such as distinctive steeply pitched roofs. The food centre’s interior is arranged around a central courtyard and recalls the communal life of Bedok's kampong past.

The "King" of Bedok

Longtime residents of Bedok may have heard of a grand residence that was once owned by the “king” of Bedok.

It was the Villa Haji Kahar, located at Jalan Haji Salam, off Upper East Coast Road. The grand private residence was named after its first owner Haji Kahar Abdul Ghani (1863-1940), also known as Haji Kahar Palembang due to his birth place in Indonesia.

Haji Kahar arrived at Singapore at an age of around 20. He took up many odd jobs before starting a barter trading business at North Bridge Road, establishing a trade relationship with his brother at Palembang. It took Haji Kahar 20 years before he had amassed enough wealth to venture into property, coconut and nutmeg plantations, and other businesses.

Haji Kahar even became the first Malay to clinch a distribution license to sell HMV-label albums in his other shop at Muscat Street. In the expansion of his business, Haji Kahar sent his son Haji Mohamed to Jakarta to establish a “triangular” trade between Singapore, Palembang and Jakarta.

In the 1900s, Haji Kahar bought 30 acres of land at Bedok from a Chinese nutmeg plantation owner. The parcel of land, completed with small houses and fruit orchards, cost him about $7,000. Earning a generous $1,000 per month collected from the leasing of his properties, a 50-year-old Haji Kahar decided to dedicate more of his time in the religious study. He would later become active as a Qur’anic teacher at Masjid Al-Taqua at Jalan Bilal, a short distance away from his grand Bedok residence.

At the peak of his business, Haji Kahar was known as the “Raja” (“King” in Malay) of Bedok. He was one of the largest landowners in the vicinity, and had two horse-drawn carriage to ferry him between Bedok and the city. He would later spend $1,190 to replace his carriage with Ford cars.

Despite being extremely wealthy, Haji Kahar was a humble and low-profiled person. The rich entrepreneurs, in the early 20th century, tend to own large parcels of lands and have roads named after them. Haji Kahar, however, refused to accept the renaming of Jalan Haji Salam to Jalan Haji Kahar due to the respect he had of the eldest and most respected villager at Kampong Bedok. Haji Kahar had a total of 16 children; three with his wife at Palembang, and 13 with his Singapore wife. The decision to build the grand Villa Haji Kahar was motivated by his wishes to bring the family close together. Haji Kahar died in September 1940 at an age of 78, after three years of illness.

After his death, his family did not stay in Villa Haji Kahar for long. In 1942, the Japanese forced the family to sell the estate for $22,000. When the Japanese surrendered three years later, the family’s fortune vanished overnight as the Japanese currency became worthless.

Today, Villa Haji Kahar still stands proudly at Jalan Haji Salam, hidden among the new semi-detached houses. The villa was likely to have changed hands many times after it was sold by Haji Kahar’s family in the 1940s. Compared to Singapore’s other grand private residences built in the early part of the 20th century, Villa Haji Kahar’s history is relatively less well-known. The Bedok Corner, referring to the sharp bend between Bedok Road and Upper East Coast Road, has been a favourite hangout for the older generations of Singaporeans and also perhaps the British military veterans who had once stationed in Singapore in the fifties and sixties. Many still have fond memories of the place, where the iconic Bedok Rest House was located. 
However, subsequent land reclamation projects would alter the appearance and scenic views of Bedok Corner. In 1963, a small-scaled land reclamation project was carried out by the government at the 14km East Coast Road to add 19 hectare of land.

A much larger project called the East Coast Reclamation Scheme was launched in April 1966. This massive land reclamation project, undertaken by the Housing Development Board (HDB), would take almost 20 years and a total cost of $613 million to complete. More than 1,525 hectare of land and 1km of coastline were added, using sand, soil, gravels and rocks taken from the hills at Siglap and Tampines.