Singapore and the Maritime Silk Road

Singapore was a node in the ancient maritime Silk Road. Archaeological excavations at Fort Canning, along the banks of the Singapore River and the Kallang estuary have uncovered thousands of glass shards, beads, globules, ceramics and coins.

The ceramics found at Fort Canning are of Chinese origin and are datable to the 14th century. The Chinese ceramics found near the Singapore River are from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The Chinese coins were from the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).

We have also found ceramics from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. This shows that ancient Singapore was already an entrepot port, trading with China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The modern Singapore is a major shipping nation and port state. It is only logical that Singapore should be an important hub in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.