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Historical Background Source : Choa Chu Kang - from "Kampong" to New Town, 1986 (National Archives of Singapore) The name "Choa Chu Kang" is derived from the word "kang chu". In the late eighteenth century or the early nineteenth century, the Sultan of Johor allowed the Chinese immigrants to plant "ganmi" and pepper along the river bank. These immigrants were called "Kangchu" - the work "kang" means river and "chu" is the clan name of the first headman in charge of the plantations in the area. Choa Chu Kang became a small rural Chinese district. It was a diverse area with old kampong housing and rubber plantations. Residents had to depend on boats or bullock carts for transportation. Among the few villages which sprang up were Kampong Belimbing and Kampong Choa Chu Kang. Interestingly, most of the inhabitants belong to the Teochew dialect group. The early Teochew settlers were mainly farmers growing "ganmi" and pepper. The Hokkiens, who moved in later, established pineapple, rubber and coconut plantations as well as vegetable farms and poultry farms. In the early days, the area was infested by tigers. The last tiger of Singapore was shot here in the 1930s. The old attap houses, street hawkers and Chinese kampongs have since disappeared from Choa Chu Kang. Today, Choa Chu Kang is being developed into a modern housing estate with ample community and recreational facilities.
Story by ADELE ONG appeared on 9 July 2000 in "The Sunday Times". Only a couple of decades ago, Choa Chu Kang was regarded as an inaccessible part of Singapore, home to fish farms and cemeteries. These days, it's home to a growing community of young families. Choa Chu Kang is easy to reach now, with an MRT station, the LRT, a bus interchange, and expressways. It's also an up-and-coming residential area. New condominiums and HDB flats are springing up, as are spanking new retail outlets. This, however, is just its latest incarnation. It's a place that has gone through many metamorphoses. In the beginning ..... It was first put on the map, so to speak, as a collection of little farms. When mostly Teochew Chinese immigrants arrived on Singapore's western shores in the late 18th century, they got the Sultan of Johor's permission to plant pepper and ganmi by the river in the Choa Chu Kang area. Apparently, these immigrants helped to create the "chu kang" used in some Singapore place names - "kang" referred to a river, while "Chu" was said to be the clan name of the first headman in charge of the plantations in these areas. Next, it grew into a rural Chinese district of kampungs and rubber plantations. Later Hokkien immigrants established pineapple and coconut plantations, along with vegetable and poultry farms. Attap houses and street hawkers, bullock carts and river boats soon abounded, and Choa Chu Kang was on its way. It was also a dangerous area where wild tigers posed a threat to people and domestic animals. Among wildlife conservationists, Choa Chu Kang still has a dubious reputation as the place where supposedly the last wild tiger to roam free in Singapore, was shot dead in the early years of the 20th century. Not so rural anymore ..... Today, the only "tigers" one finds here are striped domestic cats and children wearing tiger masks in playgrounds. Of course, the Singapore Zoo is a very short drive from this district, so residents who are really nostalgic for the old days can hop into a taxi and admire the stripy big cats from a safe distance. Many young families are moving into this fast-growing town. Six primary schools and four secondary schools cater to their children. A library, the Lot 1 Shoppers' Mall and community centre encourage recreational family togetherness. A sports stadium is almost ready, and a golf club is being built, so more leisure activities will be available soon. Residents with a penchant for getting close to nature and back to basics love it here, because Choa Chu Kang is close to the Sungei Buloh sanctuary and the Jurong Bird Park, Fish farms still thrive here, although these are out of the way. On the whole, residents appreciate this place for being less congested than most living areas in Singapore. They also find that being so close to Johor makes it easy to pop across the Causeway for a shopping trip. Those who drive to work like having the BKE to zip onto, while those who don't enjoy a direct MRT line from home to the heart of town. Shape of things to come .... Because Choa Chu Kang is a new residential town, most of its HDB flats have modern designs, and look like condominiums. These blocks of flats feature underground carparks too, resulting in better-looking surroundings. More flats, condos and retail outlets are being built, so the place promises to grow livelier and more convenient to live in. The town council has a vision for Choa Chu Kang: that it should become "a choice residential district with attractive amenities and recreational areas". It looks like this vision will soon become reality - Choa Chu Kang has yet to see its final incarnation. |
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