The most important period in Singapore history

The most important period in Singapore history


I. Introduction
The history before the arrival of Sir Stamford raffles, colonial times and the time from independence and forth on are three main periods in Singapore history. The colonial times from the arrival of Raffles to the early 20th century is the most crucial period in Singapore history. On one hand the history before 1819 had little direct influence on today. Like the history of U.S, the period before arrival of May Flower contributed little to today’s U.S which is of the white culture, the white politics and economy now. On the other hand, today’s Singapore is of a continuous development of the development under British Empire. Thus, the period from 1819 to the early 20th century is the fundamental of today’s Singapore in social, economy and culture dimensions.

II. Why this period is important
The phase of history that contributed most to or had greatest influence on today is most worth studying, especially for a country with a short history. Singapore has a short history, the plot was not so complex and we can easily find the relationship between one period and another period. 1.Kwa Chong Guan pointed out that Singapore history is much about what happened on the island. However, little happened in the period before arrival of Stamford raffles. Thus, the history before 1819 has little relationship with today. The phase from 1819 to the early 20th century is the fundamental of today’s Singapore in social, economy and culture dimensions. At that time, 2. European elements in the region also lay important networks of trade, culture and political influence. Roughly, the money earned from trade and port service is the largest income of Singapore government today and Singapore is famous for its great port. The growth of port was also a main plot of colonial times. Today, Singapore has four main races, which started forming from this period. Today, Singapore has diverse culture, but most things that are standard are of British pattern. From this aspect, we cannot ignore the colonial times.

(1) The development of port and economy
During this time, Singapore developed from a village to a global port city and the developing patterns and policy still influence today’s Singapore. This period was colonial times, so let us see what British did for the development of Singapore.3. Firstly, British established a tie between Singapore and British Empire trading activities, which provided Singapore convenience to develop as a colonial port. Secondly, the continuous technological change and development of port facilities made Singapore available to serve the more and more advanced ships. Thirdly, the capitals provided by British and other Europeans made Singapore competitive. Fourthly, since the arrival of raffles, Singapore has been a free port. With these factors, the development of Singapore is very fast and a total trade of around4. $11 million in the early years had grown to $55 million by early 1860s and $1200 by late 1920s when Singapore is really a global port. Without this period, how Singapore could develop into a global city today? Moreover, let’s look at today’s Singapore. The free port policy has been persisted up to now. There are great berthing facilities, great airport, many insurance companies, banks, financial companies and agency. Singapore also focuses on maintaining as connecting centre around world to maintain the global port. We can see that today’s policy and developing patterns are based on the development experience in colonial times which had successfully made Singapore a star city. Therefore, the history from 1819 to early 20th century was most important to the aspect of the development of port and economy.

(2) The development of society.
From population and races point, in colonial times, Singapore was forming a multiracial society like today. The booming economy in 19th and early 20th century should have been sustained by enough labours. Thus, many migrants came to Singapore in 19th century. Population grew from around 16,000 in 1827 to over 80,000 by 1860 and 65% of that population were migrants from China working here as coolies. There were also a lot of people from India and Malaysia to work in Singapore as craftsman, soldiers, wage earners, public workers and traders. From this period, Singapore’s society became a diverse society with three main races, Chinese, Malays and Indians. Because governors at that time were mostly British, today’s population also includes %1 Europeans. We can see what Singapore society is like today from that period. Therefore, from the aspect of development of society, the colonial time is very important.

(3) The culture
A nation should have common spirit and culture. The colonial time was just the period when mainstream culture today was formed. Although Singapore is a multiracial society and has diverse culture, but the main one is British culture. During the colonial time, British were high class and governors, so British culture and English became the mainstream gradually. Language is a very important form of culture. In today’s Singapore, all the students are educated in English. Papers and publishes are mostly in English. Moreover, education system, government system are inherited from British. Most spiritual value is also western value. Today’s Singapore’s culture is totally different from 200 years ago because of the colonial history. Therefore, from culture aspect, the history from 1819 to early 20th century is important.

III. Conclusion
Singapore is a very unique country. We cannot understand today’s Singapore without knowing the history after the arrival of sir Stamford raffles until Singapore was abandoned by Britain before World War II. Singapore is a small country, how come it can be so prosperous? What’s the ‘trick’ that Singapore became a global port state? What was the developing process? How come does Singapore have so many Chinese and consist of four main races? How come English is the most popular language while most citizens are Asians? The answer can be mostly found in the period between 1819 and early 20th century.

1. Kwa Chong Guan. Early Singapore 1300s-1819.chapter 6, sailing past Singapore, p.183. [reading material]
2. Colonial intensification and the rise of Singapore.p.117.[reading material]
3. Colonial intensification and the rise of Singapore.p.107.[reading material]
4. Colonial intensification and the rise of Singapore.p.108.[reading material]

My Blessing

This Monday, I started my 100k blessing. I wanted to bless a roommate in the first day. However, Tuesday was our test day, and everyone was preparing for the C Programming test. He took it as a joke and was afraid me to waste his time. As it turned out, his prayer request was just the blessing for his exam. When i asked him whether there was any others, he said 'no' descisively without thinking and then came outside. I even have no chance to let him to listen to my blessing to him. However, I still blessed for him in front of god with all my soul, hoping he can get a good mark! And he really did! Praise God!

I understand

I ‘Understand’
I’m reading a novel titled Cards of Identity these days. One sentence attracted my attention, which is‘well, I understand it, sir, though I couldn’t say what it means.’ This was spoken by a handmaid after her master preaching whole page of words to her. Yes, I acknowledged that those words are much of psychology and philosophy and I even cannot understand. The handmaid told us truth that what the word “understand” really means.

After we listen to tutors’ teaching, study the key to a mathematics problem, read the concept of economy, we always say “I understand”. However, most possibly we understand but be unable to say the meaning. After class dismissed, those knowledge we seem to understand is return to tutors; after study a solution of a problem, we understand but we cannot solve even the same problem; after we learn the economy concept, we understand it but we cannot apply. Those are examples by which I want to illustrate that sometimes we understand without thinking by ourselves. Our ‘understand’ is just a process that you cover the information. The author, tutor and solution lead you cover the information and with following their idea, you’ understand’. However, we cannot say the meaning after that like that handmaid.

Here I do not want to write too much because my eyes are tired. I want to highlight that if we students can do active and critical thinking whenever er come across new ideas, we can really understand it and get a good result in the examination. How to change? I ‘m not sure.

हैप्पी फ़ादर's दय

Happy Father’s Day
Today is father’s day. The first time I heard of father’s day was two years ago, in high school 2. In that evening, I used Chen Xiao’s hand phone to send my papa a short message. I do not know what was going on in my mind that day, for I never expressed my love to others, esp relatives, openly and I actually did not want to bless him. Because others sent, I sent.
Two years past, I came to Singapore and become a Christian. In my church service, the pastors led us to bless and pray for the fathers and mothers on father’s day and mother’s day. We showed our love for all the fathers today. I also rose up my hand to bless the physical fathers in our church and spiritual fathers, our pastors. Some of my Christian friends bought cards for their fathers. I suddenly found that our Christian really love others.
I thought of God’s words. God taught us to obey and love our parents. He commanded us to love and glory Father. In Bible, there is a story:
There was a man who had two sons. The younger one requested his father to divide the property. The man did so. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. Then he was quickly in need. He began to set back. His father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The father let the servants bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet and kill the fattened calf to celebrate……
This is the father’s love. No matter what the son have sinned against him.
Yes, my father also has a great love for me. Of all the memories I have of him, one was when I was five years old, I wanted a robot toy; He went out to buy at night while it was raining. Then nothing impressive was memorized except negative feelings about him until the night before I went to Singapore. In that evening, we had a dinner with his friends. He was so proud of me. When we back home, he is a little drunk but very happy. I suddenly knew that after 12 years’ hard work for the family and me, he can finally smile.
Recently, I started to reflect on the relationship between me and my father. To obey and love Father, I obey and love my father. I appreciated the effort he has made. God has a special plan for every one. That I lived separately with my parents is also God’s plan for me, for my father and for my mother and even for my whole family. Now I felt very peaceful in my heart. I will not lose tempter to my parents nor refuse the love from them.
Once again, my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to my father and Father in heaven.

Separation between spirit and body
I have always been encountering an idea that human spirit and body (substance) are united. I regard it quit true. On one hand, a haphazard collection of body doesn’t make a person unless it combines the spirit, on the other hand, in death, in a scientific view, spirit is gone. In my opinion, it is natural that spirit and body is wholeness, and we should be like that. However, my classmate’s oral presentation made me rethink of it. She said:“if you take bread everyday, your body will thank you a lot.” Why‘your body’ will thank ‘you’? Are they not the same thing? In this case, I think, “you” and “your body” are not the same one. Definitely,“you” stands for the spirit which controls the body, your body is substance, the other thing. So the separation comes. Separation is that in people’s mind, the spirit and the body are two isolated things without consciousness. This kind of separation does exist among most of us. What is different is the extent. Next I will explain my view from how separation occurs and the relation between separation and some social problems like suicide.
How does the separation between body and spirit come? In my opinion, there are 3 aspects. Firstly, because humans are intelligent creatures, we are able to think advanced. We have faith, conviction and ideas. Thus, we create spirit images for ourselves unconsciously. It is the precondition of separation. Second, after renaissance, human’s spirit was liberated. Great strides have been made in technology and philosophy since renaissance. Since 20th century, people have entered a duration when much importance has been attached to spirit world. People are living in a world where people’s mind, thought, knowledge and ideas are admired greatly. Thus, spirit becomes so important that it is strong enough to get separated. Third, the spirit and the body combine each other and keep a balance to make a person function well. In this state of balance, a person remains what human should be like naturally. However, for example, if a very frustrating thing happens, spirit is trilled and the balance between spirit and body is broken, which makes the person function badly. If spirit is spurred excessively, the separation of spirit from body may happen. It is like the atom which originally keeps a balance with electrons running around the atomic nucleus in stable orbits. However, if extra energy is given, the balance is broken----the electrons are thrilled to change the orbit, and electrons even can be out of control if the energy is great enough.
Separation causes part of suicide and self-hurt. Encountering frustrating things, people (mind, spirit) may consider that the body, whose disability to resolve the problem causes suffer of their spirit image, is the other thing. Thus they want their bodies to suffer what their spirit has suffered. So many people may hurt their body to make up for the spirit. When separation is on the way, they don’t realize the wholeness of spirit and body. Accordingly, if people know that spirit and body is wholeness that the hurt of the body actually is the hurt of whole person(including spirit) but not the other thing, there will be less suicide and self-hurt because they won’t let their body suffer to liberate the spirit.
In summary, the separation really exists. It becomes worse in modern life. The serious separation is against the natural principles. If everybody realizes that the spirit and body are united, we will live a more better and natural life.

神的计划

神的计划
读 ECCLESIAYES 11 : 1-6
当乌云中全都是水时，他们就会下大雨在地上， 这不是以你的意志为转移的。当大风袭来， 大树是倒向南还是倒向北是决定不了的，因为你不知道风走哪条路。 大树就躺在那个他倒下来的地方。 在我们的生命里，一定会有许许多多迷茫，挫折，与失败。但是你并不知道什么时候，这些令我们难受的事情会来到，你也不知道他们会怎么影响你的生活。当失败到来， 你无妨改变结果：你失败了， 首先你只能接受结果。因为你不知道神在我们生命中有着怎样的计划， 神在我们身上动了工。你无法预知未来， 惟有神。所以， 那些忧愁大于与暴风的人， 永远不会成熟与收获。因为他们只是盯住那些失败与烦恼。当你只是担忧时，而不去做事时， 你连成功的机会都没有。所以不要去想结果怎么样。 在早晨， 去泼洒你希望的种子， 去实实在在做事。 不要什么都不作， 不要让在黄昏收获是你两手空空。因为在你撒种时， 你不知道那一棵会长成收获。 是这个还是那个。或者都很好？ 你不知道就像你不知道风雨何时来到一样。所以， 在现在就播洒种子吧， 去耕耘吧。 不要担心结果， 一定会有种子失败的。 但是只要你播洒于耕耘过， 你就会从神那里得到你所应该得到的。

神的计划
读 ECCLESIAYES 11 : 1-6
当乌云中全都是水时，他们就会下大雨在地上， 这不是以你的意志为转移的。当大风袭来， 大树是倒向南还是倒向北是决定不了的，因为你不知道风走哪条路。 大树就躺在那个他倒下来的地方。 在我们的生命里，一定会有许许多多迷茫，挫折，与失败。但是你并不知道什么时候，这些令我们难受的事情会来到，你也不知道他们会怎么影响你的生活。当失败到来， 你无妨改变结果：你失败了， 首先你只能接受结果。因为你不知道神在我们生命中有着怎样的计划， 神在我们身上动了工。你无法预知未来， 惟有神。所以， 那些忧愁大于与暴风的人， 永远不会成熟与收获。因为他们只是盯住那些失败与烦恼。当你只是担忧时，而不去做事时， 你连成功的机会都没有。所以不要去想结果怎么样。 在早晨， 去泼洒你希望的种子， 去实实在在做事。 不要什么都不作， 不要让在黄昏收获是你两手空空。因为在你撒种时， 你不知道那一棵会长成收获。 是这个还是那个。或者都很好？ 你不知道就像你不知道风雨何时来到一样。所以， 在现在就播洒种子吧， 去耕耘吧。 不要担心结果， 一定会有种子失败的。 但是只要你播洒于耕耘过， 你就会从神那里得到你所应该得到的。

God's plan

The God’s Plan
(You can plant and water, but only God can give you increase and grow)

(Read ECCLESIASTES 11: 1-6)
When clouds are full of water, they pull rains upon the earth, regardless of you will. When the wind comes, whether the tree falls to the south or to the north is not decided, for you do not know the path of wind. In the place where it falls down, there it will lie. In our life, there is depress, frustration, and failure. However, you do not know when it will come and how it will influence you. When failure comes, you cannot change and decide the result but only like the tree, lies where it falls. You do not understand God’s work and plan on us. Thus, whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. That means that if you only look at the bad result but do nothing work and preparation, you even have not chance to succeed. When the failure will come is decided, you needn’t to worry about the bad results. Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Therefore, just according to your destination, do your work well， to sow and plough, and then you can get what you are rewarded to get from God.

today, i'm very happy. Because this is my third blog. However, in first two blogs, I have not written even 1 article. After reading Shijiang's blog, I make up my mind to creat a new blog , plant it and water it. thank your support!