Prior to its independence, Singapore was a major city of Britain's Straits Settlements and one of the largest trading hubs in Southeast Asia. It was also the economic, cultural, and patriotic heart of the Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora.
新加坡獨立前是英國「海峽殖民地」重鎮，東南亞最大商埠之一，也是東南亞華僑經濟、文化和愛國救國活動的中心。