CHAN CHU KANG

If you live in Singapore you would know of Yio Chu Kang, Chua Chu Kang and Lim Chu Kang. Would you then have heard of Chan Chu Kang?

If the secrets of Penang are the hills then the secrets of Singapore could possibly be the rivers. Not just the Singapore river but all other rivers. Just as Raffles happily reached the Singapore River mouth to find value in work, so did everyone else in different rivers.

In an Article found in National Library's Infopedia titled: Chinese villages in the North talks about the Northern communities what we collectively understand them to be Yishun today. It listed down about 10 villages.

in a 1937 map we see swamp lands with small rivers meandering like worms. A strong road is drawn connecting Nee Soon village to Chong Pang to S.Simpang Village to Sembawang Village.

Some semblance of the Sembawang  and Seletar Airbase shows up in a later map in 1945.

This 1953 map show 3 trampline venturing from Simpang Village to Jalan Kuala Simpanag, Sembawang School to Swamps, Chong Pang to Ban Soon Bah Road.

Today's Google Map shows most of the swamps filled up

Always think the original geography of the place of sometime still generate the same desires. In the early days migrants quietly sailed into the rivers to start their homes. Now migrants from nearby countries settle in likewise. You may argue that Singapore is mostly made of migrants to start with and that being true attract a significant amount of people who used to live in Malaysia.

You can erase the name of the places but the new and old community will still hold true.