Page 67 Chinese Heritage Centre Located in the Nanyang Technology University campus, the Chinese Heritage Centre building was built in 1953.  It was originally the Administration Block of the former Nanyang University, the first Chinese university outside China. This historical four-storey building is a living remnant of the contributions of the overseas Chinese to tertiary education in Singapore.  Its distinctive Chinese architecture features a green-tiled roof and red bricked walls.  The building overlooks a beautiful Chinese-style pond and garden. On 17 May 1995, this building found a new lease of life when it was officially opened as the Chinese Heritage Centre (CHC).  This National Monument also houses the Wang Gungwu library which contains various materials and resources related to overseas Chinese communities.  The CHC is the first centre to focus on the research of Chinese communities outside China. The Chinese Heritage Centre building was gazetted as a National Monument on 18 December 1998. Page 66 Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building The Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry was founded in 1906 as the Chinese Commercial Association by leading Singapore businessman like Seah Liang Seah, Tan Jiak Kim, Tan Yong Siak, Tan Keong Siak and Goh Siew Tin. At its inception the Chamber functioned from a room in the Thong Chai Medical Association in Wayang Street.  Later, it leased the old house of pepper merchant Wee Ah Hood (1828-1875) which occupied the site on which this present building was built.  In 1917, the Association was renamed Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. The foundation stone of the present building was laid by Dato Lee Kong Chian on 15 September 1962. The building was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 20 September, 1964. The architecture of the building is a mix of Chinese and western styles.  A nine-dragon mural in glazed ceramic tile is found on the wall outside the building.  The two-part mural is based on the model of the mural on the North Bank of the North Sea Park in Beijing.  Six colours are used. Page 65 Civilian War Memorial The Civilian War Memorial along Beach Road was built in memory of the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who perished during the Japanese Occupation.  This striking war memorial is made up of four pillars, which represent the four racial classificationis in Singapore – the Chinese, Indians, Malays and others.  In the centre of these white pillars stands a black urn representing the remains of the war victims.  Numerous huge urns containing the remains of unidentified civilians, who were massacred during the Japanese Occupation, have been placed beneath this war memorial. When the Civilian War Memorial was erected in 1967, it was the tallest structure in the city.  This 61 metres structure designed by Swan and Maclaren was first unveiled by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 February 1967. Every year on the 15th of February, which is known as the Total Defence Day in Singapore, a commemorative memorial ceremony is held at this Civilian War Memorial Park.  This solemn service is attended by national leaders, diplomats, war veterans, business and religious leaders, as well as citizens, school children and members of the public. Page 64 Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall This building was the base of Chinese revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat Sen.  It was built in about 1900 by wealthy Chinese merchant Boey Chuan Poh for his mistress, but he later sold it to rubber magnate Teo Eng Hock who named it Wan Qing Yuan.  In 1906, Sun came to Singapore and Teo, a passionate supporter, offered him the use of this villa which became the regional centre of Sun’s revolutionary Tong Meng Hui in Southeast Asia.  He last stayed at this villa in 1910. Later, this property was sold to an Indian merchant and used as a private home.  In 1938, it was bought by six former comrades of Dr Sun, and put in the care of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.  During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as the Japanese Communication Centre and Kempeitai Branch.  In 1964, it was renovated and renamed the Sun Yat Sen Villa.  It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1994.  In 1997, it was closed for extensive renovations.  It reopened in 2001 after the $8 million renovation as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. Page 63 Thong Chai Building Though some landmark buildings are conserved, their original usage has changed.  The Thong Chai Medical Institution moved into this building (left) at 50 Eu Tong Sen Street in 1892. Rich Chinese merchants established the clinic to provide free medical help to the poor in Chinatown, regardless of race and religion.  The building is typical of South China architecture except that the roof ridge is straight instead of curved.  After its preservation, it has been used by various commercial companies and is now owned by an American multi-level marketing firm.  The Thong Chai Building was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973. Page 62 House of Tan Yeok Nee Tan Yeok Nee, a wealthy Chinese Teochew businessman, built his residence in Clemenceau Avenue in the style of a Chinese mansion in 1885.  He died at the age of 75, outliving his sons.  Subsequently, the government acquired the house and it was leased to different organisations.  Older Singaporeans tend to associate the house with the Salvation Army as it occupied the premises for about 50 years from 1938 to 1991.  The house of Tan Yeok Nee, with its elegant curved roof ridge, now serves as the Singapore campus of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.  It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1974. Page 61 Cavenagh Bridge Near the mouth of Singapore River, there is a beautiful small bridge, built in 1868.  It is named after Governor Sir Orfeur Cavenagh.  It has the distinction of being Singapore’s oldest cast-iron bridge.  An interesting fault in design emerged at high tides – the barges could not pass under the bridge. To cope with the ever-increasing volume of land traffic a bigger bridge (Anderson Bridge) was built in 1909 parallel to Cavenagh Bridge.  A sign was then put up on Cavenagh Bridge forbidding “vehicles, cattle and horses” from using the bridge.  The sign can still be seen to this day. Coleman Bridge George Dromgold Coleman designed many important structures and is regarded as Singapore’s first architect. Down Singapore River, a bridge is named after him.  It links New Bridge Road and Hill Street.  The present steel-girded bridge was built in 1883 replacing the earlier wooden structures built in 1840 and 1865. Quaint lamps reminiscent of Singapore’s colonial days can be found on Coleman Bridge.  The new Clarke Quay MRT Station is located next to the bridge. Page 60 Elgin Bridge A wooden bridge linking North Bridge Road and South Bridge Road was first built in 1822.  In 1863, the wooden bridge was replaced by a steel one.  This bridge was named after Lord Elgin (1811-1863), the Governor-General of India from 1861 to 1863. The present elegant form of a reinforced-concrete bowstring design consisting of three parallel arches was built in 1929. From Elgin Bridge one can get a grand view of the new Parliament House, the historic Singapore River and the skyscrapers of the city. As this was the first bridge to be built across the Singapore River, it was often used as a geographical reference point.  As such, the roads on either side of the bridge were, from the earliest days, known as North Bridge Road and South Bridge Road. Page 59 BRIDGES Benjamin Sheares Bridge The longest bridge in Singapore is the Benjamin Sheares Bridge.  Completed in 1981, it is built on reclaimed land and connects the East Coast Parkway (ECP) to the city and the west coast, spanning both the Kallang and Singapore Rivers.  The bridge is named after Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares, President of Singapore from 1971-1981.  Before assuming office as President, Sheares was a world-renowned gynaecologist.  The bridge gives its name to a popular annual sports event – the Sheares Bridge Run. Page 58 From Tongkangs to Canoes Up till the early 1980s, small bumboats, referred to as tongkangs brought cargo from large ships anchored offshore.  These bumboats (depicted on the stamp on the left) would bring the goods up the Singapore River and off-load them at the various warehouses or godowns located along the river’s edge.  Most of Singapore’s top merchants had warehouses along the Singapore River.  Nowadays, the Singapore River is no longer important as a means of transporting goods inland. By the late 1980s, the bumboats that hugged the shores of the river were moved to Serangoon.  The smelly river, with its floating debris, was cleaned up and its shores reinforced. Today the Singapore River is better-known as a recreational area.  Two important lifestyle hubs have sprung up on both sides of the river – Boat Quay and Clarke Quay – where bars, restaurants and eateries have replaced old godowns and warehouses. Page 57 Page 56 Page 55 Page 54 The Singapore River Water is essential to life and life around a river marks the beginning of a community.  For Singapore, the river was the Singapore River.  This landmark river features prominently in many stamps.  Among the landmarks and monuments shown on our stamps, the Singapore River has been featured the most times. The Singapore River was a hive of activity for cargo-laden barges for more than a century.  Today this river is now a placid waterway for tourist boats. In June 2000 a special set of stamps entitled ‘Singapore River: Reflecting on a Century’ was issued (see next page spread). The earliest stamp of the Singapore River appeared in 1955.  The picture of Queen Elizabeth II on the $2 stamp shows that Singapore, and Malaya (now known as West Malaysia), was still under British control at that time. Among the Singapore River stamps shown here are scenes of river life (next page) painted by three famous artists; Georgette Chen (top right), Poh Siew Wah (bottom left) and Lee Boon Wang (bottom right). Page 53 Telok Ayer Market Some landmarks have stayed true to its original purpose.  An example is the Telok Ayer Market near Raffles Place.  Popularly known as ‘Lau Pa Sat’ (the Old Market), it was built in 1894.  Situated in the heart of the Central Business District, Telok Ayer Market still sells food today, although most of the food is cooked.  It is a popular food centre catering to both locals and tourists. The watercolour picture of Telok Ayer Market shown on the 2004 stamp was painted by Ong Kim Seng, who was awarded the Singapore Cultural Medallion in 1990.  The Telok Ayer Market was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973. Page 52 Singapore Post Centre Singapore’s postal history is a rich one and the buildings that housed its main post office were some of the most important and outstanding in their time. The building depicted on the stamp on the left is the Post Office and Exchange Building which stood on the site of what is now the Fullerton Hotel.  The Post Office was originally located near Empress Place but moved to this site in 1874.  This building was designed by William Daniel Bayliss and opened in 1879 and remained the home of the Post Office till 1924 when it was demolished to make way for the Fullerton Building. Singapore’s current postal headquarters is the Singapore Post Centre (SPC) in Paya Lebar.  Besides being the corporate headquarters of Singapore Post, this futuristic-looking Centre has shops, restaurants and a supermarket to cater for non-postal needs. Page 51 Plans to build the Fullerton Building were made since about 1920 but due to the lack of funds, construction did not commence till 1924.  The grand building was designed by the Shanghai-based firm of Keys & Dowdeswell and when it was completed, it was the largest building in Singapore.  The Fullerton Building was totally renovated and re-opened in 2001.  It stands on the site of one of Singapore’s earliest fortifications – Fort Fullerton – which stood at this site from 1829 to 1873. Page 50 Fullerton Building This red-roofed building was completed in 1928 and named after Robert Fullerton, first Governor of the Straits Settlements.  It sits on the site of an earlier General Post Office (see next page) which was torn down to make way for the larger building. Located at the mouth of the Singapore River, the Fullerton Building also housed various government offices.  The General Post Office (GPO) was located in that building up to 1996.  It was then totally renovated and is now the elegant five-star Fullerton Hotel.  In its early years, the Fullerton Building dominated the Singapore skyline.  Today it is dwarfed by its surrounding skyscrapers. Page 49 Raffles Hotel Raffles Hotel was the brainchild of four visionary Armenian brothers:  Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak Sarkies.  The Sarkies brothers were well-known hoteliers having earlier opened the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang and The Strand Hotel in Rangoon. The Hotel opened in 1887 and was originally housed in a sombre-looking old bungalow known as the Beach House.  It was later renamed Raffles Hotel, after Singapore’s founder.  One of its earliest guests was the famous novelist Joseph Conrad. The main building of Raffles Hotel as we know it today was opened in 1899.  Over the years, the hotel played host to numerous celebrities including Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Chaplin and Noel Coward. The main building was gazetted as a National Monument in 1987.  Thereafter, the hotel underwent massive renovations and a whole new wing on North Bridge Road was added.  It reopened in 1991 to great acclaim and retains its status as Singapore’s premier address. The Raffles Hotel is world-famous for one other thing: The Singapore Sling.  The drink was created by Ngiam Tong Boon for the Raffles Hotel Bar sometime in 1910s.  It was also reputed that a tiger was shot under the billiard table at the Bar & Billiard Room in 1902. Page 48 The Merlion The Merlion is mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.  This sculpture was designed for the Singapore Tourist Board in the 1960s.  The original Merlion statue was sculpted by Lim Nang Seng.  It is 8.6 metres high, and weighs 70 tonnes.  It was installed near the mouth of the Singapore River on 15 September 1972.  In 2002, it was relocated to the Merlion Park, nearer to mouth of the Singapore River.  There is an even larger Merlion statue on the resort island of Sentosa. Page 47 Raffles Place Located off the Singapore River is Raffles Place, which has always been connected with trade and commerce.  In the early days, it was known as Commercial Square.  In 1858, the square was renamed Raffles Place.  The stamp shows a painting of what Raffles Place looked like in 1905.  The horse carriage and the jinriksha were the popular modes of transport at that time. In modern day Raffles Place there is a MRT train station underground.  Above ground are many skyscrapers.  These skyscrapers house the headquarters of many well-known banks and international companies which have made Singapore an important centre of finance and commerce.  When the British founded Singapore, they developed the city and administrative centre around the Singapore River.  In this present era, the major government buildings are still located near the river. Page 46 Elizabeth Walk The stamp above depicts  Elizabeth Walk in the early 20th century.  This was before land reclamation pushed the mouth of the Singapore River out towards the sea.  Elizabeth Walk (named after Queen Elizabeth II) was popular with families and courting couples strolling by the waterside. Queen Elizabeth Walk is still popular with tourists and locals alike.  Along Elizabeth Walk, you can see a few other prominent landmarks.  The first landmark, located neares the Esplanade is the Tan Kim Seng Fountain.  This fountain commemorates the contributions of Chinese pioneer philanthropist Tan Kim Seng to the development of the waterworks and piped water in Singapore.  Another historical landmark along the route is the Cenotaph which commemorates the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during World War I and World War II.  The other landmark on the other end of Elizabeth Walk is the Lim Bo Seng Memorial.  This Chinese pagoda style structure reminds the people of the bravery and sacrifice of the military leader and World War II hero Lim Bo Seng. Page 45 Raffles Statues There are two statues of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, modern Singapore’s founder.  The earlier bronze statue in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall (depicted in the stamp on the left) was erected in 1887.  It was done by English artist, Thomas Woolner (1825-1892).  This statue was originally placed in the Padang but was moved to its current location in 1919. The white marble statue, standing between the Old Parliament House (now Arts House) and the Empress Place Asian Civilisations Museum was erected in 1972 at the spot Raffles supposedly first landed on 29 January 1819. Page 44 THE CIVIC DISTRICT The Padang After Sir Stamford Raffles discovered Singapore and decided to establish a British trading port on the island, he signed a treaty with the Malay ruler, Sultan Hussein.  This important treaty was signed under a tent in this spacious and prominent field known simply as the ‘Padang’ (meaning ‘field’ in Malay).  The stamp on the next page (top right) is an artists’ impression of the Padang from 1851. The stamp on the left shows what the Padang was like in the old days a hundred years ago.  In the early 19th century, it was a popular meeting site for picnics, sports and informal gatherings.  Today, this field is also used for sports as well as National Day celebrations. The stamp on the right shows a rugby game in progress in the foreground and the landmark buildings of City Hall and Supreme Court in the background.  The Padang is a popular venue for rugby and cricket.  Often, these games are organised by two clubs: the Singapore Cricket Club and the Singapore Recreation Club.  These clubs are located on the opposite sides of the Padang. Page 43 CHIJMES The Convent of the Holy Infant Jeseus (CHIJ) School in Victoria Street was started by the Jesuit priest Father Jean Marie Beurel in 1854. The beautiful CHIJ Chapel in the school grounds was built in 1903.  The school moved to Toa Payoh in the 1980s.  The convent was deconsecrated and the entire complex was converted into a commercial development known as CHIJMES.  It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1990. Armenian Church of St Gregory At the foot of Fort Canning hill, sits Singapore’s oldest surviving church – the Armenian Church.  Located at the junction of Hill Street, Coleman Street and Armenian Street, it was built by the Armenian community in 1835 and it was designed by George Dromgold Coleman. The tombstone of Agnes Joaquim, after whom our national flower Vanda Miss Joaquim is named, can be seen in the church grounds. School children interested in plants may like to know that there is a Saga Tree and an Assam Tree in the church grounds.  The Church was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973. Page 42 St Andrew’s Cathedral An important religious landmark in the Civic District is St Andrew’s Cathedral. It stands on St Andrew’s Road between City Hall and modern Raffles City.  An earlier church on the site has been built by George Dromgold Coleman in 1835.  However, the building was damaged by lightning strikes in 1845 and 1849.  The present Anglican cathedral was built in 1856. It was designed by Colonel Ronald Macpherson, Executive Engineer and Superintendent of convicts.  To cut cost, Indian convict labour was used.  The Church’s foundation stone was laid by Reverend Daniel Wilson, Lord Bishop of Calcutta, on 4 March 1856, and the first service was held on 1 October 1861.  It was consecrated by Reverend GEL Cotton on 25 January 1862.  St Andrew’s Cathedral was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973. Page 41 Thian Hock Keng Temple On Telok Ayer Street is the Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of Singapore’s oldest Chinese religious landmarks.  Originally a simple prayer house dedicated to the sea goddess, Ma Chu, the present temple complex was constructed in 1839-1842.  The biggest donation for its construction came from the well-known philantropist Tan Tock Seng (depicted in the stamp on the left) who also donated generously towards building a pauper’s hospital.  The Tan Tock Seng Hospital bears his name.  The Thian Hock Keng Temple has been featured on stamps twice.  It was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973. Page 40 Hong San See Temple A number of landmarks have been preserved in the face of many changes in the area.  An example is the Hong San See Temple off Mohamed Sultan Road.  The predecessor of this temple was built in 1829 in Tras Street in the Tanjong Pagar area but it was demolished to make way for road expansion in 1907. The new temple was then built on high ground in Mohamed Sultan Road overlooking the Singapore River.  The Temple was built by the Lam Ann (Nam Ann) Clan Association and was constructed between 1908 and 1912 at the cost of $56,000. In recent years, the Mohamed Sultan Road area has become better known for it pubs, eateries and night spots than for this magnificient temple.  When you visit the temple, look out for the beautiful ornate carved pillars. The Hong San See Temple was gazetted as a National Monument on 10 November 1978. Page 39 Sri Perumal Temple The Sri Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road lies in the heart of ‘Little India’.  The original temple was a simple building put up in 1855.  The 20-metre high Gopuram was built in 1966 at a cost of S$300,000.  The five-tier Gopuram was donated by P Govindasamy Pillai, who is shown in the stamp above.  Pillai had a heart for poor children and, in particular, orphans.  He made substantial donations in support of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ Home, an orphanage for boys.  The temple was gazetted a National Monument in 1978. Page 38 Sri Mariamman Temple The Sri Mariamman Temple (below) is Singapore’s oldest Indian temple.  It dates back to 1827 when a simple building put up by Naraina Pillai.  The two streets next to the temple are named Temple Street and Mosque Street.  The ‘Temple’ refers to Sri Mariamman while Mosque Street is named after its neighbour, the Jamae Mosque. A fire-walking ceremony is held annually in the Sri Mariamman Temple.  This takes place about a week before the Festival of Lights known as Deepavali.  The building was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 July 1973. Sultan Mosque The original Sultan Mosque (above) in the Kampong Glam was built between 1824 and 1826 by Sultan Hussain Shah as part of his palace complex.  In 1924-1928 a big new mosque was designed by the architectural firm Swan & MacLaren to replace the old one.  Other than the renovations and an annex added in 1993, the mosque has remained basically the same structure.  The mosque was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 March 1975.