Choa Chu Kang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| English | Choa Chu Kang |
| Chinese | 蔡厝港 |
| (Pinyin | Càicuògǎng) |
| (Teochew Peng'im | Chùa Chu Kăng) |
| Malay | Choa Chu Kang |
| Tamil | சுவா சூ காங் |
Choa Chu Kang or Chua Chu Kang is a suburban area in the West Region of Singapore.
Contents |
[edit] Etymology and history
Choa Chu Kang's name is derived from its historical core at the former site of Chua Chu Kang Village located near the junction of Choa Chu Kang Road and Jalan Sungei Poyan, currently occupied by the grounds of the National Shooting Centre. The name began to be applied to the general area around the village when Choa Chu Kang Road, a main arterial road linking the village to Upper Bukit Timah Road towards the east was built.
The name "Choa Chu Kang" is derived from the Teochew word "kang chu". In the late eighteenth century or the early nineteenth century, the Sultan of Johor allowed the Chinese immigrants to plant "ganmi" and pepper along the river bank. These immigrants were called "Kangchu"-the word "kang" means river and "chu" is the clan name of the first headman in charge of the plantations in the area.
Choa Chu Kang became a small rural Chinese district. It was a diverse area with old kampong housing and rubber plantations. Residents had to depend on boats or bullock carts for transportation. Among the few villages which sprang up were Kampong Belimbing and Chua Chu Kang Village. Interestingly, most of the inhabitants belonged to the Teochew dialect group. The early Teochew settlers were mainly farmers growing "ganmi" and pepper. The Hokkiens, who moved in later, established pineapple, rubber and coconut plantations as well as vegetable farms and poultry farms. In the early days, tigers used to roam in the area. The last tiger of Singapore was shot here in the 1930s.
The old attap houses, street hawkers and Chinese kampongs have since disappeared from Choa Chu Kang. Choa Chu Kang evolved into a modern housing estate with ample community and recreational facilities.
[edit] Politics
When the new town of Choa Chu Kang was built by expanding Teck Whye Estate near the other end of Choa Chu Kang Road at its junction with Upper Bukit Timah Road and Woodlands Road to the north, the place name began to be applied to a much larger area, especially when political divisions like the Chua Chu Kang Ward applied to the entire northwest sector of the country during some editions of the Parliamentary elections. Today, the Chua Chu Kang Single Member Constituency as at the general election of 2001 largely covers only the area in Choa Chu Kang New Town, while the rest largely falls under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kah Group Representation Constituency.
[edit] Education
Primary Schools
- Chua Chu Kang Primary School
- South View Primary School
- Concord Primary School
- Teck Whye Primary School
- De La Salle School
- Kranji Primary School
- Unity Primary School
- Yew Tee Primary School
Secondary Schools
- Bukit Panjang Government High School
- Chua Chu Kang Secondary School
- Regent Secondary School
- Kranji Secondary School
- Unity Secondary School
- Teck Whye Secondary School
- West Spring Secondary School
Junior College
Institute of higher education
- ITE College West (Under Planning)
[edit] Amenities
Medical
- Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic
Sports
- Choa Chu Kang Swimming Complex
- Choa Chu Kang Stadium
[edit] Trivia
In 2002, The Amazing Race came to a Housing Development Board flat in Choa Chu Kang to collect a clue for Singapore actor Gurmit Singh, who posed as Phua Chu Kang from the TV show Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd.
