Singapore

Author: Rose Jing, Compiled by the Chinese Cartographic Society
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The history of Singapore is a magnificent epic filled with spice trade, pirate legends, colonial colors, and the blood and tears of growth. In the 7th century, Singapore was known as Temasek and was a trade center of the ancient Srivijaya Empire of Sumatra. The name Singapore originates from the Sanskrit Sri-Vijaya, with a beautiful legend. The ancient name of Singapore was Temasek. It was founded in the 8th century and belonged to the Indian Srivijaya Empire.
Legend has it that in the 11th century, Prince Sri Nil Utama of the Srivijaya Kingdom of Sumatra settled in after marrying the daughter of the Queen of. One day, Sri Nil Utama went hunting with his wife and entourage. While chasing a small deer, he came upon a rock and accidentally spotted a stretch of silvery-white beach in the distance. His followers told him that the place was called Temasek. So, Sri Nil Utama and his entourage set sail for the place, but they encountered a fierce storm on the way. The boat was about to sink, and they had no choice but to throw all their belongings into the sea. However, the storm still raged, and the waves kept surging into the boat. In the end, Sri Nil Utama had no choice but to throw his remaining crown into the sea as well. Strangely enough, the storm immediately calmed down. They happily rowed the boat to the shores of Temasek and finally reached their destination.
After arriving in Temasek, Sri Nil Utama first rested on the grassy banks of the river mouth, then went hunting with his entourage in the nearby forest. Suddenly, they spotted a monster with a black chest, a red body, slightly larger than a ram, and extremely agile and strong. When the monster saw Sri Nil Utama and his group, it immediately fled into the forest. Sri Nil Utama did not know the name of the monster and asked his followers. An older follower told him, "This is a lion." Hearing this, Sri Nil Utama was delighted, believing it to be a lucky place, and decided to stay. He renamed Temasek as Singapura. "Singa" means lion, and "pura" means city, so Singapura translates to "Lion City." This is the origin of Singapore and the Lion City.