via the Temasek History Research Centre, a webinar on 9 June about the ancient settlements in Singapore in a talk by Tai Yew Seng.
Wang Dayuan was the first ancient Chinese trader who wrote about Southeast Asia in his travels. In Wang’s book Dao Yi Zhi Lue (1350) (loosely translated as A Brief Account of Island Barbarians), “Banzu” is mentioned in reference to Singapore, along with “Temasek” and “Longyamen”. This webinar will identify Banzu with the present-day Rochor area. The “crater peak” recorded in the passage that mentions Banzu referred to “Bukit Kawah” in the 1825 city map of Singapore, known as Mount Emily today. Longyajiar (龙牙加儿) on the Mao Kun Map will be identified with Kallang River and Bukit Kallang. The toponym Longyajiar (Lenggakar in Hokkien) on the map is upstream of Kallang River near the Whampoa River, once known as Manggakar (芒加脚). The webinar will explain the linguistic linkage between Lenggakar and Manggakar, and elaborate on the types of materials that were unearthed along the Rochor River.
Source: Webinar Registration – Zoom