The abundance of Chu Kangs back then was due to the system of land ownership for the gambier and pepper plantations, and since gambier was a cash crop back in the day due to the discovery of its use as a dye, it is no wonder that there were so many Chu Kangs around.
These gambier and pepper plantations eventually died down due to the unsustainability of farming them and were replaced with rubber plantations as it grew in prominence. If that did not happen, perhaps Singapore would have become Chu Kang Pore instead…
Chu Kang Pore!
Although we do not know much of Kranji in the 19th century, it has been recorded that there were not only extensive gambier and pepper plantations in the regions, there were many, MANY, Chu Kangs.
The names "XXX Chu Kang" originated from the Chinese word “kangchu” which translates as “owner of the river”. From this, it can be derived that these plantations and their surrounding village settlements were nearly always situated on the riverbanks.
Official records placed the number of Chu Kangs in Singapore at 26 in 1850, but who knows, there could be even more. Today, only a few of the Chu Kangs remain standing in the region, such as Lim Chu Kang or Choa Chu Kang. However, in the past, there were places such as Chu Chu Kang (Choo Choo) and even Yeo Chu Kang (not with an I but an E).