How Singapore Built Its Riches With These Crops: Gambier, Nutmeg, Rubber | Lost Plantations

Key Concepts

• Cash Crops: Agricultural products grown for sale on the market.
• Alien Species: Plants or animals not native to a particular region.
• Gambia (Kachuk): A plant whose leaves are a source of tannin, historically used for dyeing and leather tanning.
• Betel Nut Chewing (Pan/Makan): A practice involving chewing betel leaf, areca nut, and other ingredients, with betel nut being a stimulant.
• Tannins: Plant compounds that can cause a puckering sensation and are useful in leather processing.
• Nutmeg: A spice derived from the seed of the nutmeg tree, historically highly valuable and a source of conflict.
• Mace: The aril (outer covering) of the nutmeg seed, also used as a spice.
• Coconut (Nipah Palm): A versatile plant used for cooking fuel, street lighting (oil), and its dried flesh (copra) for export.
• Copra: Dried coconut flesh, a significant export commodity.
• Rhino Beetle: A pest that damages coconut trees.
• Koulie: Indentured laborers, often from China, who worked on plantations.
• Kungchu System: An early land administration system in Singapore, where a "river boss" managed settlements along rivers.
• Secret Societies: Organized groups that often operated in the underbelly of plantation society.
• Pineapple: A fruit that became a major canned export from Singapore.
• Singapore Spanish: A local hybrid pineapple variety suitable for canning.
• Gutta-percha: A latex from a local tree species, vital for early insulation in telegraph cables and other industrial applications.
• Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis): A tree whose latex is used to produce rubber, a crucial commodity for tires and other products.
• Vulcanization: A process that strengthens and makes rubber more elastic.
• Herringbone Method: A cutting technique for extracting latex from rubber trees.

The Era of Lost Plantations: A History of Singapore's Cash Crops

This video explores Singapore's rich history as a hub for lucrative cash crops, detailing how these "alien species" transformed the island's landscape, economy, and society over two centuries, while also highlighting the accompanying challenges and disasters.

Early Beginnings: Gambia and Pepper

The cultivation of cash crops in Singapore began even before British colonization, with Teochew Chinese planters establishing Gambia and pepper plantations on Fort Canning Hill. These early planters, who had previously worked for the Tumangong in Bintang, brought their seeds with them when they fled to Singapore.

• Sia Yu Chin, an ancestor of the narrator, was a prominent Teochew figure and one of the earliest Chinese plantation owners, involved in the Gambia and pepper trade. He was a financier, trader, and investor, employing a strategy of intercropping to ensure continuous harvest.
• Gambia, also known as hookvine or kachuk (meaning astringent in Malay), was a significant crop due to its high tannin content (up to 60%). This made it valuable for leather tanning, especially during the Crimean War when demand for leather combat boots surged.
• Pepper, a vine requiring support structures, was grown alongside Gambia.
• Betel nut chewing, known as pan or makan, was a widespread practice where Gambia leaves were a key ingredient. This practice, along with the stimulant properties of betel nut, contributed to the demand for Gambia.
• The Singapore River played a crucial role in trade, with the north bank being quieter and the south bank bustling with loading and unloading of produce. The river's shape was considered auspicious by the Chinese.
• The Teochew Market (Elmra), located on the south bank, is considered the birthplace of Singaporean Teochew food.

The Rise and Fall of Nutmeg

The pursuit of wealth led to the introduction of other exotic crops, with nutmeg being a prime example.

• Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), native to the Banda Islands (Moluccas), was incredibly valuable, even more so than gold. Its high demand stemmed from its use as a spice and its perceived medicinal properties.
• The Dutch and British fought over control of the nutmeg-producing islands, with the British eventually trading the island of Run for Manhattan.
• Experimental gardens at Fort Canning, established by figures like Raffles and Nathaniel Wallik, were used to trial non-native plants like nutmeg.
• Nutmeg plantations were established in District 9, giving rise to the name Orchard Road.
• Sia Yu Chin was a co-founder of Nan Kongi, a Teochew community organization that played a role in managing these plantations.
• The land tenure system in Singapore was influenced by these plantations. Initially, Chinese planters had more informal land rights, while Europeans sought formal leases. Negotiations led to laws granting freehold status for agricultural land, impacting present-day property ownership.
• Despite initial enthusiasm, nutmeg plantations faced a decline by 1850 due to the nutmeg borer beetle (Plagiohammus spinipennis), which stunted fruit production.

Coconut Cultivation and Challenges

Coconuts (Cocos nucifera) were another significant crop, contributing to Singapore's economy and infrastructure.

• Coconuts were likely introduced from the Philippines and used for cooking fuel and street lighting via coconut oil.
• Street lights, powered by coconut oil and operated by lamp lighters, were introduced in the 1820s. These were initially dim and prone to outages.
• Copra, dried coconut flesh, was a major export, adding significantly to Singapore's wealth and providing livelihoods for families.
• Coconut plantations were widespread, often community-owned.
• The rhinoceros beetle posed a significant threat to coconut trees, leading to the enactment of a coconut tree preservation ordinance and the creation of coconut tree inspectors.
• The expansion of plantations also led to the displacement of mangrove swamps and the creation of secondary forests, which attracted wildlife.

The Darker Side: Koulies, Gangsters, and Tigers

The plantation era was not without its hardships and dangers for the laborers.

• Koulies, indentured laborers, often traveled on credit and worked under harsh conditions.
• The Kungchu system organized settlements around rivers, with Kungchu (river bosses) managing plantations and providing essential services, including gambling dens and brothels.
• Secret societies became powerful forces, leading to conflicts. The Guihin gang attacked Bookang, a Catholic settlement, in an 1851 riot, resulting in significant loss of life.
• Sia Yu Chin played a role in mediating this riot, showcasing his peacemaking abilities.
• Alfred Russel Wallace, a co-discoverer of the theory of evolution, stayed at the Bookang church and observed the plantation system.
• Koulies lived in basic bangals (workshops) and faced grueling work, low pay, and exposure to dangers like tigers.
• Tigers, attracted by the secondary forests and prey like wild boar, posed a constant threat to plantation workers, with accounts of daily tiger attacks.
• The pigtail (queue), a symbol of Manchu dominance, was a mandatory hairstyle for Chinese men, requiring regular shaving by traveling barbers. The fall of the Manchu regime led to the abandonment of this practice.

The Pineapple Boom and the Search for Rubber

As some plantations became unsustainable, new crops emerged, most notably pineapples and rubber.

• Pineapples, originating from South America, became a major export, with Singapore becoming a world center for canned pineapples.
• Sia Yu Chin's second son, Salia, ran a large-scale pineapple canning factory.
• Tankaki, a "king of pineapple," established a canning factory and later planted his own pineapples.
• The Singapore Spanish variety became a key canning type.
• The enongai (pineapple) is symbolically linked to wealth in Hokkien.
• Competition from Hawaii led to a price drop in canned pineapples by 1906.
• The demand for Gutta-percha, a latex from a local tree, was crucial for the telegraphic age due to its insulating properties. This led to the overexploitation and near extinction of the native species.
• The search for a sustainable source of latex led to rubber (Hevea brasiliensis).
• Henry Ridley, the first director of the Botanic Gardens, played a pivotal role in developing the herringbone cutting technique for latex extraction and promoting rubber cultivation.
• Despite initial resistance and skepticism ("Mad Ridley"), Ridley's efforts, along with the work of others like Tanche Yan, led to the widespread adoption of rubber plantations.
• Rubber became the dominant crop, driving further immigration, particularly from Kerala, and contributing significantly to the wealth and modern economy of Malaya and Singapore.
• The Japanese invasion during World War II highlighted rubber's strategic importance.
• Post-war, rubber plantations were largely abandoned for industrialization and housing.

Legacy and Remnants

The legacy of these lost plantations is still visible in Singapore's landscape and institutions.

• Remnants of rubber plantations can be found in areas like Pulau Ubin, Bukit Batok Town Park, and Jalan Besar.
• The oldest rubber tree in Singapore is located at a mosque in Sembawang, with a legend of a spirit residing in it.
• The urbanization and Green Plan of modern Singapore are built upon the foundations laid by these historical agricultural endeavors.
• The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of remembering the past and appreciating the lessons learned from Singapore's lost plantations.