Singapore River: Past to Present
Singapore River is microcosmic of Singapore’s development from a small fishing village to a vibrant metropolis and global city. Along this river, Singapore’s past, present and future are inextricably intertwined.
As a small settlement situated mid-way along the China-India trade route, Singapore’s fortunes changed when Sir Stamford Raffles landed on her banks on 28 Jan 1819. From the start, Singapore River has been the focal point of trading activities. As this river developed into a main commercial centre, sampans, which served as houseboats for the orang laut, gave way to sailing lighters brought from southern India by the East India Company. From the 1880s, merchants swiftly built offices, godowns and jetties along the sheltered banks of Singapore River, which made excellent loading and unloading places. This river quickly became the island’s lifeline, as commerce flourished along the wharves within Boat, Clarke and Robertson Quays. Today, Singapore River is a vibrant activity corridor with a rich and unique history.
To read more..click on the following weblink:
TOP 10 LONGEST RIVER IN THE WORLD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fxi65bWS14&feature=related
YELLOW RIVER
The Yellow River has been called the cradle of the Chinese civilisation, just as the Nile gave birth to the Egyptian civilisation more than 4000 years ago. The river runs for 4345km. The unusually large. The high amount of mud and sand discharged into the river makes earning the Yellow River its name, make it the most sediment-laden river in the world.
It has earned itself a nickname “China’s sorrow” because of its tendency to overflow and change its course, till date it has overflowed more than 1600 times and shifted its course 26 times noticeably and 9 times severely, affecting the lives of thousands of people, especially those who base the river for living.
The video provides a short introduction on the benefits of the Yellow River:
ANCIENT RECORDS:
Historical maps from the Spring and Autumn period (771 until 476 BC) and Qin Dynasty (1644–1912) indicate that the river flowed considerably north of its current course.
 |
A Qin dynasty (1644-1912) illustrated map of a section of the Yellow River.
|
These maps showed that the river passed Luoyang, flowed along the border between Shanxi and Henan, the border between Hebei and Shandong until it reaches the river mouth which it empties into Bahai Bay (near present day Tianjin). However, the river left this path in 602 BC and shifted completely towards South of the Shandong peninsula. This new position made sabotaging of dikes, canals, and reservoirs and deliberate flooding of rival states a possible military tactic during the Warring States period (a period in China after the Spring and Autumn Period and concluding with the victory of Qin Shi Wang or the Qin state).
Apart from the military use of the Yellow River that contributed to the uprising of the Qin Dynasty. Floods alsong the River Banks is also the cause of the downfall of the fleeting Xin Dynasty (AD 9 - 23), in AD 11 in the downfall of the short-lived Xin dynasty. And another flood in AD 70 returned the river north of Shandong on essentially its present course.
For Details, visit http://www.drben.net/ChinaReport/Sources/Geography/Rivers/Yellow_River-Huang_He-Main.html
Also Check out : Yellow River Concerto
The Yellow River Cantata allegedly in a cave in just six days by Xian Xinghai in 1939, during the Sino-Japanese War (1937 - 1945). It is an eight-moement piece in which he used traditional folk melodies to represent the image of the Yellow River and a symbol of Chinese defiance against the Japanese invaders. Xian's original piece was re-orchestrated into Yellow River Concerto.
The below is performed by Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra, Singapore with Pianist Sim Keng Boon.
Credits:
Information adapted from Wikipedia, the China Report from http://www.drben.net and http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/huangheriver.htm.
Pictures from eBay and Wikipedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment