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Sampan

Sampan, a.k.a. kolek, small wooden boat, skiff, a canoe-like coastal craft usually propelled by oars. Also known as Chinese shoe-boats, it is a common native craft sometimes with a sail, used for fishing and short range transportation. The word originates from the Chinese word sanpan meaning "boat"; san means "three", pan means "board". It is also spelt champana, champan, sampane, siampan, sampaan, and sampang. Used all over the Asian region, it was once seen in great numbers at the Singapore River, until 1983. Now, only a few remain. Others still can be seen in the coastal areas of mainland Singapore and the surrounding islands.

History
The earliest of these type of boats came from China. In travel writings from the west in the 17th Century, much is written about the Chinese sampan. The word and name is applied by Europeans to any small boat of Chinese pattern in the China seas. There are many types of sampans of different size and design variations in the Asian region. In Singapore, it was used along rivers and coastal areas, for fishing and short range transportation. Although primitive, the sampans for a time were virtually the sole means of transporting passengers and crew between ships at the anchorages and the various landing jetties. Sampans were much used in the heyday of economic activity at the Singapore River until September 1983, when the river was cleared as part of the Clean Rivers campaign.

Description
Native craft, keelless boats, generally made of at least three planks or pine boards which gave it its Chinese name, sanpan (san means "three", pan means "board"). Sampan is also the official English and Malay word meaning "small boat" which is usually about eight ft long or less; the large versions are about 20 to 23 ft long, and the even larger 30 ft long sampans, are used as cargo carriers or trading vessels. A small-sized craft takes one or up to three people, and it was also used to carry small amounts of goods, and some were even hawking snacks and sundry items at the waterfront. Normally propelled by a short, single-bladed paddle or, by a double-bladed paddle, the more modern sampans are outboard-motor powered.

River transport 
Dhonies a.k.a. thonee
The Singapore River divided Singapore into the commercial and government sectors, and before bridges were built, the two sides were linked by dhonies (English spelling of Tamil word thonee), a form of row-boats or sampans operated by Indians.

Sampans for hire
Sampans operated by Chinese, also provided a leisurely ride accross the river, and often ferried clerks from locations on the river to the seafront. For many years a Punjabi girl or her brother rowed and ferried passengers between Havelock Road river-bank and Robertson Quay for a few cents.

Fare cost
In the early days before bridges were built, each river crossing cost a duit or quarter-cent.

Today
The sampans can still be seen along the coastal areas of mainland Singapore and the surrounding islands. It is used now mostly for fishing and pleasure rides.

Variant names
Tam-ban Annamite word (tam means "three"). Annam in Indo-China was former kingdom (3rd Century to 1428).
Malay: Kolek
Champana, champan, sampane, siampan, sampaan, and sampang.



Author
Vernon Cornelius-Takahama, 2000



References 
Awang Sudjai Hairul & Yusoff Khan. (1977). Kamus Lengkap (p. 954). Petaling Jaya: Pustaka Zaman.
(Call no.: RCLOS 449.230321 KAM)

Berry, L. (1982). Singapore River: A living legacy (pp. 43, 50, 75). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57.19 BER) 

Hon, J. (1990). Tidal fortunes: A story of change: The Singapore River and Kallang Basin (p. 18). Singapore Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 HON-[HIS]) 

Jayapal, M. (1992). Old Singapore (p. 31). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 JAY)

Oxford English dictionary (pp. 432-433). (1989). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
(Call no.: R 423.18 OXF)

Port of Singapore Authority. (1984). Singapore: Portrait of a port: A pictorial history of the port and harbour of Singapore 1819-1984 (p. 42). Singapore: MPH Magazines.
(Call no.: RSING 779.93871095957 SIN)

Singapore Lifeline: The river and its people (pp. 66-70, 80). (1986). Oral History Dept. Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 779.995957 SIN) 

Gibson-Hill, C. A. (1951). A note on the small boats of the Rhio and Lingga Archipelagos. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 24 (1), 121-130. Singapore: Malayan Branch, Royal Asiatic Society.
(Call no.: RSEA 623.8245 GIB) 

Gibson-Hill, C. A. (1952). Tongkang and lighter matters. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 25 (1), 84-110. Singapore: Malayan Branch, Royal Asiatic Society.
(Call no.: R 969.9 JMBRAS)

The information in this article is valid as at 2000 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Wooden boats--Singapore
Skiffs--Singapore
Boats and boating--Singapore
Storage and moving trade--Singapore
Business, finance and industry>>Industry>>Services>>Transportation and logistics

Librarian Recommendations
>> Singapore River Historical Overview
>> Clean Rivers Education Programme and Clean River Commemoration


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