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Merlion has been the official mascot of Singapore for over 50 years. The 15th century Malay Annals described Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang, lands on a fishing island called Temasek and spies a mysterious beast which he told is a lion. Thus, renaming the island Singapura, "Lion City" in Sanskrit. The word "Merlion" is a simple conflation of "Mer" meaning sea and "Lion", together signifying Singapore's earliest origins as a fishing island and lion city.
In 1965, Alec Fraser-Brunner takes mythical elements with a design that references Singapore's origin as a fishing community and ancient legends of the Lion City. After 6 years after the Merlion design being used, the blueprint of the sculpture was drawn by Kwan Sai Kheong. Lim Nang Seng was then commissioned by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to construct the Merlion Structure.
Lim Nang Seng worked with a Feng Shui Master, positioning the Merlion to face outwards towards the sea. However, in 1997, the eight lane Nicoll highway was constructed, cutting off the auspicious view. In 2002, the Merlion was relocated East of the Nicholl highway.

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1. Ingenuity and adapting to resolve challenges

Upon seeing that the swordfish attacks were causing much fear among the people and that the soldiers were no match for them, the little boy proposed the creative solution of using banana trunks to trap the swordfish. This was what eventually allowed the people to emerge triumphant against the deadly attacks, hence illustrating the importance of developing inventive strategies against new challenges.

2. The clash between good and evil

The Prime Minister, assuming the role of the villain in this legend, felt that his power and authority were undermined by the ingenuity of the little boy, thus resorting to brutally murdering him to eliminate this perceived threat. Despite this tragic end, future generations celebrate the boy's heroism while condemning the Prime Minister's viciousness. This demonstrates the fundamental moral that good ultimately triumphs over evil.

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Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the forefather of Singapore who made Singapore from a third world to a first world country within the span of a few decades. He had a simple and humble family background and was a bright student who eventually made his way into politics after his study of law. He became elected Prime Minister at the age of 36 and with under his leadership, Singapore saw many revolutionary changes in its economy, education and many more

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Singaporean identity came about with the influence of many different cultures due to the diverse races. To navigate our national identity, we have to understand the diversity of our country and to connect with being part of a Singaporean by learning and understanding more about each other.

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In our rapidly globalised world, the concept of being a “global citizen” has come to the forefront in the discourse about identity. Much priority has been placed on being aware and participative in issues on a global scale in order to thrive in this increasingly dynamic world. While I concur that it is important to be well-connected with the rest of the world, I still treasure my national identity as a Singaporean as it plays a key role in shaping my sense of self. I have had many life experiences that are solely unique to Singaporeans that make up my view of the world and the values that I treasure. Thus, my national identity cannot be detangled from who I am. Furthermore, being conscious of my national identity enables me to deeply understand the community around me. This allows me to contribute to the betterment of society starting from the community which I have direct influence over.

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It’s important to understand where you fit in the world and we can gain a better understanding by embracing our diversity in singapore. it’s important to understand singapore’s stance in various world issues. This will help us to navigate our national identity whilst also being a cohesive part of the globalised world.

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Bowing out: former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, has died at the age of 91. EPA/Stephen Morrison

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of one of Asia's smallest but most developed economies, has died. Lee led Singapore after its separation from Malaysia to emerge as one of the world's most powerful financial centres.

The tiny nation, whose main industry was manufacturing at independence, saw its GDP per capita skyrocket under Lee to one of the highest in the world in 2013, behind just oil-rich Qatar and private banking centre Luxembourg, according to the IMF. Its population has doubled to more than 5m.

Singapore flourished on the inherited advantages and foresightedness of Lee to transform into the ranks of New York, London and Switzerland as a global financial hub. As a key port in the British Empire, Singapore was in a strong position for trading activity. Lee built on this, as the country had no natural resources of its own to exploit.

Even though Lee was criticised by many for leading the country in an authoritarian style that stifled political dissent and press freedoms, his firm grip on power and maintenance of stability gave little scope for corrupt financial practices. The orderliness that Singapore became known for was attractive to foreign investment - billions of dollar poured in, ensuring the country's success.

Lee maintained a tight grip on domestic finance by preventing the internationalisation of the Singapore dollar and limiting the operations of foreign banks. This meant international firms saw an opportunity to establish themselves in the tiny island nation. Sound financial and economic policy coupled with a corruption free environment and technological advancement meant many multinational firms chose Singapore as a regional hub. Lee championed free trade, which helped Singapore attract a free flow of foreign investment and multinational giants such as General Electric.

Uwe Schwarzbach via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

One clear factor in Singapore's rise was Lee's ability to take consistent advantage of global financial upheavals. This began in 1971 when America de-linked the dollar from gold. Lee was quick to grasp this opportunity and established Singapore as a regional centre for foreign exchange.

Indeed, since 1968, the Singapore government has provided incentives and preferential tax treatments to cultivate an Asian Dollar Market. This initiative proved instrumental in helping Singapore to develop as a financial centre and a lead over its nearest rival Hong Kong.

Keeping locals happy

Lee knew that for Singapore to compete with global giants, he needed to provide Singaporeans with housing and employment opportunities that would bring the nation economic stability. For this purpose, he established the Housing Development Board and Economic Development Board. The housing board transformed this space constrained island into a world class metropolis that helped its citizens to move out of small ghettos into carefully planned mixed townships and provided superior living conditions for its citizens.

World Bank

Meanwhile, the development board slowly built up Singaporean industries and businesses to provide job opportunities not only for locals but for expats to thrive in an economy that could support a population swiftly moving out of poverty. These efforts of the premier saw Singapore's per capita GDP jump from around US$500 in 1965 by a staggering 2800% to US$14,500 by 1991. Building on Lee's economic model, it has since continued to grow to US$55,000.

Singapore under Lee also adopted a two-pronged strategy with regards to its financial sector. As well as making Singapore an international financial hub, it wanted the financial sector to play a key supporting role to the growing industries located in Singapore such as manufacturing and shipping.

Lee's style of running Singapore earned him many accolades and was once described by Richard Nixon as "A big man on a small stage who in other times and other places, might have attained the world stature of a Churchill, Disraeli or a Gladstone".

He was a man with a mission to transform a small seaside town into a financial giant. The size of the country's GDP per capita compared to its tiny size and lack of resources is testament to his success at doing so.

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How Lee Kuan Yew transformed Singapore from small town into global financial hub

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Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of one of Asia's smallest but most developed economies, has died. Lee led Singapore after its separation from Malaysia to emerge as one of the world's most powerful financial centres.

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"It's no accident that Singapore has a much better record, given where it started, than the United States. There, power was concentrated in one enormously talented person, Lee Kuan Yew, who was the Warren Buffett of Singapore."
- Charlie Munger

***

Singapore seemed destined for failure or subservience to a more powerful neighbor. The country is by far the smallest in Southeast Asia and was not gifted with many natural resources. Lee Kuan Yew thought otherwise. "His vision," wrote Henry Kissinger, "was of a state that would not simply survive, but prevail by excelling. Superior intelligence, discipline, and ingenuity would substitute for resources."

To give you an idea of the magnitude of success that Lee Kuan Yew achieved, when he took over, per capita income was about $400 and now, in only about two generations, it exceeds $50,000.

Here are 12 things I learned from Lee Kuan Yew about the world and the source of many of our present ills reading Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World.

1. You need a free exchange of ideas. "China will inevitably catch up to the U.S. in absolute GDP. But its creativity may never match America's, because its culture does not permit a free exchange and contest of ideas."

2. Technology will change how governance operates. "Technology is going to make (China's) system of governance obsolete. By 2030, 70% or maybe 75% of their people will be in cities, small towns, big towns, mega big towns. They are going to have cell phones, Internet, satellite TV. They are going to be well-informed; they can organize themselves. You cannot govern them the way you are governing them now, where you just placate and monitor a few people, because the numbers will be so large."

3. Don't try to install a democracy in a country that has never had one. "I do not believe you can impose on other countries standards which are alien and totally disconnected with their past. So to ask China to become a democracy, when in its 5,000 years of recorded history it never counted heads; all rulers ruled by right of being the emperor, and if you disagree, you chop off heads, not count heads."

4. Welcome the best the world has to offer. "Throughout history, all empires that succeeded have embraced and included in their midst people of other races, languages, religions, and cultures."

5. It's about results, not promises. "When you have a popular democracy, to win voices you have to give more and more. And to beat your opponent in the next election, you have to promise to give more away. So it is a never-ending process of auctions-and the cost, the debt being paid for by the next generation. Presidents do not get reelected if they give a hard dose of medicine to their people. So, there is a tendency to procrastinate, to postpone unpopular policies in order to win elections. So problems such as budget deficits, debt, and high unmployment have been carried forward from one administration to the next."

6. Governments shouldn't have an easy way out. "American and European governments believed that they could always afford to support the poor and the needy: widows, orphans, the old and homeless, disadvantaged minorities, unwed mothers. Their sociologists expounded the theory that hardship and failure were due not to the individual person's character, but to flaws in the economic system. So charity became "entitlement," and the stigma of living on charity disappeared. Unfortunately, welfare costs grew faster than the government's ability to raise taxes to pay for it. The political cost of tax increases is high. Governments took the easy way out by borrowing to give higher benefits to the current generation of voters and passing the costs on to the future generations who were not yet voters. This resulted in persistent government budget deficits and high public debt."

7. What goes into a standard of living? "A people's standard of living depends on a number of basic factors: first, the resources it has in relation to its population . . .; second, its level of technological competence and standards of industrial development; third, its educational and training standards; and fourth, the culture, the discipline and drive in the workforce."

8. The single most important factor to national competitiveness ... "The quality of a nation's manpower resources is the single most important factor determining national competitiveness. It is a people's innovativeness, entrepreneurship, team work, and their work ethic that give them the sharp keen edge in competitiveness. Three attributes are vital in this competition-entrepreneurship to seek out new opportunities and to take calculated risks. Standing still is a sure way to extinction. . . . The second attribute, innovation, is what creates new products and processes that add value. . . . The third factor is good management. To grow, company managements have to open up new markets and create new distribution channels. The economy is driven by the new knowledge, new discoveries in science and technology, innovations that are taken to the market by entrepreneurs. So while the scholar is still the greatest factor in economic progress, he will be so only if he uses his brains-not in studying the great books, classical texts, and poetry, but in capturing and discovering new knowledge, applying himself in research and development, management and marketing, banking and finance, and the myriad of new subjects that need to be mastered."

9. Earning your place in history ... "A nation is great not by its size alone. It is the will, the cohesion, the stamina, the discipline of its people, and the quality of their leaders which ensure it an honorable place in history."

10. Weak leaders rely on opinion polls. "I have never been overconcerned or obsessed with opinion polls or popularity polls. I think a leader who is, is a weak leader. If you are concerned with whether your rating will go up or down, then you are not a leader. You are just catching the wind ... you will go where the wind is blowing. . . . Between being loved and feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, I am meaningless. When I say something ... I have to be taken very seriously."

11. We are fundamentally competitive. "Human beings are not born equal. They are highly competitive. Systems like Soviet and Chinese communism have failed, because they tried to equalize benefits. Then nobody works hard enough, but everyone wants to get as much as, if not more than, the other person."

12. The value of history: "If you do not know history, you think short term. If you know history, you think medium and long term."

***

Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights on China, the United States, and the World offers Yew's timeless wisdom.

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12 Things Lee Kuan Yew Taught Me About the World - Farnam Street

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"It's no accident that Singapore has a much better record, given where it started, than the United States. There, power was concentrated in one enormously talented person, Lee Kuan Yew, who was the Warren Buffett of Singapore." - Charlie Munger *** Singapore seemed destined for failure or subservience to a more powerful neighbor.

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This tale tells the story of how Redhill got its name. Many years ago, Singapore was under attack by swordfish. To stop the swordfish from attacking fishermen, the king ordered his men to stand in the water to attack the fish. Unfortunately, many men were killed instead. A young boy then suggested that the king used banana stems instead. Fearing the cleverness of the boy, the king ordered the boy killed. When his men went to search for the boy in his house on the hill, they found an old lady instead who cursed the men for trying to kill an innocent boy. She then caused a red liquid to gush forth which made the hill red. The hill remains red to this day, which is why it's called Redhill or Bukit Merah.

Title

The Redhill : a Singapore folktale

Creator

Chia, Hearn Chek

Subject

Tales--Singapore--Juvenile literature
Singapore--Folklore--Juvenile literature
Literature

Publisher

Federal-Alpha, 1976

Contributor

Kwan, Shan Mei

Digital Description

application/pdf, 2775 KB, 26 p. : col. ill.
All rights reserved. Alpha Press Pte Ltd, Federal Publications, 1975

http_x_forwarded_for: 54.204.20.249 REMOTE_ADDR: 172.30.9.34

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The Redhill : a Singapore folktale - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore

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This tale tells the story of how Redhill got its name. Many years ago, Singapore was under attack by swordfish. To stop the swordfish from attacking fishermen, the king ordered his men to stand in the water to attack the fish. Unfortunately, many men were killed instead.

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https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_938_2004-12-27.html

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The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.The emblem's concept was first devised in 1963 for the STPB by Fraser Brunner, curator of the Using the fish in its design alludes to the idea of Singapore's beginnings as a fishing village, while the lion refers to the sighting of a lion in Temasek by a prince from Palembang, While STPB encouraged the commercialisation of the Merlion including through approved souvenirs,The two statues were originally constructed from November 1971 to August 1972With the completion of Esplanade Bridge in 1997, the Merlion statues could no longer be viewed clearly from the waterfront. In 2002, the STB decided to relocate the statues to a new pier specially built on the other side of Esplanade Bridge, overlooking Over the years, the statue's pump system has broken down periodically due to corrosion from exposure to seawater and subsequently replaced.Completed in 1996, the Merlion tower on Another Merlion statue is located outside the STB's office at Tourism Court. Made in the Philippines from glazed polymarble, it is 3 m tall. A similar statue can be found on Faber Point at 2. Kwong, D. (2010, January 17). 9. 12. 26. 31. Tee, H. C. (2002, September 15). 32. Thumboo, E., et al. (Eds.). (2009). The information in this article is valid as at 1 Regarded as a Singapore icon, the Merlion was designed in 1964 for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB; now known as the Singapore Tourism Board) and functioned as its logo from 1964 to 1997. ² There are seven authorised Merlion statues in Singapore, Van Kleef Aquarium. ⁸ Later named the "Merlion", its registration as a trademark of the STPB was finalised on 20 July 1966, granting the board exclusive rights to use the symbol. ⁹ Sang Nila Utama, as narrated in the Sejarah Melayu, leading him to rename the island Singapura ("lion city" in Sanskrit). ¹⁰ ³ the most well-known being an 8-metre-tall statue designed by Kwan Sai Kheong and sculpted by Lim Nang Seng. ¹¹ members of the public are not allowed to produce artefacts featuring the Merlion or anything that resembles it without first seeking permission from the board. According to the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board Act, failure to comply with these regulations could result in a fine of not exceeding S$1,000. Although the STPB was renamed Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the board replaced the Merlion as its corporate logo on 19 November 1997, ¹² the popularity of the Merlion continues and STB had admitted that it was not possible to keep track of all Merlion reproductions. ¹³ Approved Merlion statues
In Singapore, there are seven Merlion statues that have been built with approval from the STB. The two most well-known statues are located at the new Merlion Park next to One Fullerton. Designed to project seawater from its mouth, the larger statue weighs 70 t and stands at 8 m, ¹⁴ reinforced by a 0.6-metre concrete beam beneath it. ¹⁵ The smaller statue is 2 m tall, weighs 3 t and is commonly referred to as the "Merlion cub". It is inlaid with Chinese porcelain plates and bowls as part of its design. 17 by local sculptor Lim Nang Seng, based on a blueprint by artist Kwan Sai Kheong, the late Ambassador to the Philippines and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Singapore from 1975 to 1980. ¹⁸ After completion, the two statues were unveiled on 15 September 1972 by then Prime Minister Marina Bay. ²⁰ This relocation, and the subsequent extension of the Merlion Park by up to four times its previous area, cost a total of S$7.5 million. ²¹ The move started on 23 April 2002 ²⁷ On 28 February 2009, the larger statue was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm, causing a crack in the Merlion's mane, and a hole at the base of the statue due to falling debris. 28 The statue was repaired and reopened for public viewing on 18 March 2009. ²⁹ Sentosa is a 37-metre 12-storey structure. It costs S$8 million and was designed by Australian sculptor James Martin. ³⁰ ²² and finished on 28 April 2002. Mount Faber. It is owned by the National Parks Board and was installed in 1998, following the redevelopment of the park. ²³ The then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew unveiled the statue at its new spot at One Fullerton on 15 September 2002, ²⁴ in a simple ceremony that also celebrated the Merlion's 30th birthday. Merlions in Singapore literature
The Merlion has also inspired several works by local poets, among them Ulysses by the Merlion by

AuthorYong Chun Yuan Edwin Thumboo, and

References
A place for Merlion in distant lands. Merlion is fact and legend, not a fishy tale. (1999, April 9). 2016 and correct as far as we are able to 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. Merlion is fact and legend, not a fishy tale. (1999, April 9). Roaring from coast to coast. (2002, September 15). National icon? Reflecting on the Merlion: An anthology of poems. Singapore: National Arts Council. (Call no.: RSING 808.81 REF)

The Straits Times, p. 6; Merlion the muse. (2009, November 3). The Straits Times, p. 46. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The Straits Times, p. 49. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. The Straits Times, p. 49; Use of Merlion emblem: Warning by the tourist board. (1967, January 27). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The Sunday Times, p. 9. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Board badge protection. (1964, April 30). The Straits Times, p. 5; Merlion is fact and legend, not a fishy tale. (1999, April 9). The Straits Times, p. 49. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Yeoh, B. S. A., & Chang, T. C. (2003). "The rise of the Merlion": Monument and myth in the making of the Singapore story. In B. S. A. Yeoh & R. B. H. Goh (Eds.), Theorizing the Southeast Asian city as text: Urban landscapes, cultural documents, and interpretive experiences. River Edge, N.J.: World Scientific, p. 36. (Call no.: RSING 307.760959 THE)
3. The Merlion to Ulysses composed by Lee Tzu Pheng as a response to Thumboo. ³¹ These and other poems dedicated to the Merlion have been collated into an anthology titled Reflecting on the Merlion published in 2009. ³² ²⁵ In its new location, the Merlion statue faces east as it did in the old location to preserve the optimal (Chinese geomancy). ²⁶ Lee Kuan Yew as part of the waterfront Merlion Park located at the mouth of the Singapore River. ¹⁹ ¹⁶ ⁴ First unveiled on 15 September 1972, ⁵ this statue is now located at the new Merlion Park, adjacent to One Fullerton at the Marina Bay waterfront. ⁶ As a symbol representing Singapore, the Merlion features prominently in tourist souvenirs sold locally. ⁷

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The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Regarded as a Singapore icon, the Merlion was designed in 1964 for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB; now known as the Singapore Tourism Board) and functioned as its logo from 1964 to 1997.

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https://theculturetrip.com/asia/singapore/articles/what-exactly-is-singapores-merlion-anyway/

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Do a quick search on google for Singapore's history and you would likely chance upon the image of the Merlion: a half lion, half mermaid creature that has slowly become an embodiment of the country's past. But how did the Merlion come to be? Read on to find out more about the mythical creature's beginning and its impact on Singapore's tourism.

It has been said that the Merlion reflects the legend of Sang Nila Utama, a Malay prince that sailed across the seas before discovering a fishing island called Temasek (which mean "fish town" in Javanese). It was there that he met with a majestic creature, a lion, which purported him to name the island Singapura which translated to "Lion City" in Sanskrit.

Fun fact: Singapore hasn't had any sightings of lions since, leaving some to think that this is nothing more than an old wives' tale.

So the Merlion reflects the lion that Sang Nila Utama discovered, but what about the half-fish? With Sang Nila's tale as a basis, the Merlion was designed by Fraser Brunner in 1964 as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board, adding a fish tail to the statue to signify Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village. The symbol then served as Singapore Tourism Board's corporate logo for 31 years, from 1966 to 1997.

The first Merlion and the Cub were originally located at the Esplanade Bridge, before moving to its present location at One Fullerton. The area has also been nicknamed the Merlion Park for being a popular destination for tourists.

With million-dollar developments happening around Singapore in recent years, the country's tourism symbol has since shifted to focus more on the Singapore skyline, with Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer garnering more interest amongst tourists for the premium pull factor.

However, for the many that have resided here since Singapore's independence, the Merlion serves as an irreplaceable reminder of the country's humble roots. The Merlion Park is still one of the most visited places for tourists, with the Merlion being one of the most photographed icons of Singapore to date.

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The Roaring History of Singapore's Merlion

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Do a quick search on google for Singapore's history and you would likely chance upon the image of the Merlion: a half lion, half mermaid creature that has slowly become an embodiment of the country's past. But how did the Merlion come to be?

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Some myths and legends convey inspirational messages that guide us to act in a manner that benefits our community and nation. Others serve as cautionary tales so that we can learn from the mistakes that they depict. Regardless of the historical accuracy of these myths and legends, it is undeniable that they serve a valuable purpose of education and inspiration.

As Singapore progresses in the midst of a rapidly evolving global landscape, we are bound to encounter fresh obstacles. These stories play a key role in reminding us of the timeless values that we ought to cherish, hence guiding us as we wade into uncharted waters of the future. Through this, we can overcome present and future challenges and continue to prosper as a nation. Hence, it is only natural that Singapore has continued to preserve these invaluable myths and legends.

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Singapore has ensured that all its future generations of Singaporeans are well educated on its myths and legends by teaching it one form or the other via social studies in primary and secondary school

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The retelling and reinventing of local myths and legends have been woven into the yearly National Day Parade celebrations. This allows the wider local population to be reminded of these stories while passing them on to younger generations, hence preserving this valuable part of our local cultural heritage and identity.

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Singapore has preserved its myths and legends as shown in the case of 1997, The original statue stood at the mouth of the Singapore in Merlion. The after completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997, it blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River. So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay, where it stands on a newly reclaimed promontory in front of the Fullerton Hotel. Instead of completely eradicating, which would be cost efficient, Singapore took an extra step of relocating our mascot.