Long Ya Men
Part of the Early history of Singapore | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Topynymy | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Malay Annals | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Archaeology in Singapore | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Singapore portal | ||||||||||
Long Ya Men (simplified Chinese: 龙牙门; traditional Chinese: 龍牙門; pinyin: lóngyámén; Malay: Batu Berlayar) or Dragon's Teeth Gate, is the name Chinese explorer Wang Dayuan recorded for Batu Belayar, a craggy granite outcrop that formerly stood at the gateway to Keppel Harbour in Singapore. In his description, “The strait runs between the two hills of the Danmaxi (Temasek) natives which looked like dragon’s teeth.” From there, the name Long Ya Men or Dragon Teeth’s Gate was born.
The rocky outcrop served as a navigational aid to ancient mariners sailing through the swift waters of the narrow channel, but was subsequently destroyed by the British in 1848 to widen the channel for larger vessels to sail through.[1] In 2005, a symbolic replica was erected by the Singapore government near its original site to mark the role it played in Singapore's maritime history.[2]
Long Ya Men was documented in Wang Dayuan's travelogue
History
Historically the rocky outcrop was known locally by the
It was recorded that during the
The Keppel passageway was used by
Sir
Commemoration
In July 2005, a 6m high stone replica of Long Ya Men was put up near its original site by a joint collaboration involving the Singapore Tourism Board, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the National Parks Board. This was part of a three-month-long celebration of the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's maiden voyage, which began in Nanjing, China. A storyboard telling Long Ya Men's significance to Singapore and Zheng He's story, was also put up next to the replica.[13]
The authorities had initially planned for the replica to replace the red Berlayer Beacon, but the Singapore Heritage Society was against the decision, saying the beacon was itself a heritage site and should not be destroyed because the beacon has been at Labrador Park since the end of World War II. The replica was finally built just meters away from the beacon. The authorities hope the symbolic replica can serve to preserve the memory of Long Ya Men, which is an important part of Singapore's maritime history, for future generations and visitors familiar with the historical voyages of Zheng He.[14]
See also
References
- ^ Cornelius-Takahama, Vernon (2016). "Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ Sim, Glenys (23 March 2005). "Dragon's tooth replica to mark anniversary of Chinese explorer". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Wang Da Yuan". History SG.
- ISBN 978-9971695743.
- ^ a b c EndNote: Information obtained from on-site information board by NParks.
- OCLC 504030596.
- ISBN 978-9812307965.
- ^ "島夷誌略: 龍牙門". Full original text: 門以單馬錫番兩山,相交若龍牙狀,中有水道以間之。田瘠稻少。天氣候熱,四五月多淫雨。俗好劫掠。昔酋長掘地而得玉冠。歲之始,以見月為正初,酋長戴冠披服受賀,今亦遞相傳授。男女兼中國人居之。多椎髻,穿短布衫。繫靑布捎。 地產粗降眞、斗錫。貿易之貨,用赤金、靑緞、花布、處甆器、鐵鼎之類。蓋以山無美材,貢無異貨。以通泉州之貨易,皆剽竊之物也。舶往西洋,本番置之不問。回船之際,至吉利門,舶人須駕箭稝,張布幕,利器械以防之。賊舟二三百隻必然來迎,敵數日。若僥倖順風,或不遇之。否則人為所戮,貨為所有,則人死係乎頃刻之間也。
- ^ OCLC 504030596.
- ISBN 978-9971695743.
- OCLC 504030596.
- ^ "Three month celebration to mark 600th year of exploration". The Straits Times. 25 March 2005.
- ^ "Official Launch of the Singapore Zheng He 600th Anniversary Celebrations on 30 June 2005". Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
- ^ Pereira, Marcel Lee (7 September 2005). "Historic Dragon's Tooth Gate reborn at Labrador Park". The Straits Times.
External links
- Old drawings of Long Ya Men
- Examining the granite outcrops that played a role in Singapore’s maritime history | Video - News report about Long Ya Men produced by Channel News Asia in 2019.
01°15′45.06″N 103°48′18.68″E / 1.2625167°N 103.8051889°E