Challenging The Raffles Myth
Hero or villain? A new exhibition at Asian Civilisations Museum poses questions on the character and achievements of Sir Stamford Raffles
IN THE PAST DECADE, the general perception of Singapore as a sleepy fishing village before the arrival of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles in 1819 has been changing. Scholarly research coupled with archeological digs show that Singapore was in all likelihood a thriving entrepot long before the British East India Company ever set foot on it.
The history document Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals) noted the existence of a 14th-century Kingdom of Singapura situated between the Singapore River and Fort Canning Hill. Precious Tang dynasty artefacts from the famous Belitung Shipwreck off the coast of Sumatra showed that the Malays had been trading with the Chinese since at least the 9th century.
Similarly, the image of Raffles as a vaunted statesman has also been called to question. Despite what has been taught to millions of Singapore schoolchildren over the years, Raffles is understood to be a gifted and ambitious diplomat, but also deeply flawed and not above trickery and manipulation to get his way.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Lifestyle
Former Zouk morphs into mod-Asian Jiak Kim House, serving laksa pasta and mushroom bak kut teh
Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito
Victor Liong pairs Aussie and Asian food with mixed results at Artyzen’s Quenino restaurant
If Jay Chou likes Ju Xing’s zi char, you might too
Mod-Sin cooking izakaya style at Focal
What the fish? Diving for flavour at Fysh – Aussie chef Josh Niland’s Singapore debut