Travel in Singapore: Strolling in the Garden City (Photo)

In the world, if any country could be described as a city garden, then Singapore as a nation is undoubtedly the most deserving of that title. From March 10 to 16, 2006, the journalist visited Singapore and Malaysia for a week-long fact-finding trip, and the first stop, Singapore, left a very deep impression.\nMerlion statue (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAlthough Singapore is a very beautiful garden city, due to historical reasons, it has no prominent historical sites. However, because Singapore integrates multiple races and cultures, its rich history and multicultural background have created various styles of buildings, landmarks, churches, temples, etc. For example, the most well-known and symbolic Merlion Park is one such example.\nGarden city Singapore (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nRaffles Hotel is the birthplace of the famous cocktail "Singapore Sling" and is also the preferred accommodation for celebrities, writers, and movie stars from various countries, such as Michael Jackson, when they come to Singapore. In addition, various museums, mosques of Islamic culture, and brightly colored Buddhist temples all show the historical heritage of Singapore from the past to the present. All of this constitutes Singapore's unique tourism resources. It is a country full of irresistible charm.\nPhoto taken at a Singapore temple (Photo by Xiao Chen)\nSingapore is a city-state island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Composed of 57 small islands, this city-state has a land area of over 6.9 million square kilometers and a population of over four million. Its original meaning is Lion City. According to Malay historical records, around 1150 AD, a prince of the Srivijaya Kingdom from Sumatra arrived on this island by boat and saw a black beast. The locals told him it was a lion, hence the name "Lion City."\nSingapore street view (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nSingapore is a homophone for "Lion City" in Sanskrit. Because local residents are deeply influenced by Indian culture, they like to use Sanskrit as place names. Since lions are brave and strong, it is natural to use this as a place name. It is said that there is a magical legend about the origin of Singapore.\nGreen Singapore (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAccording to legend, a prince of the Srivijaya Kingdom accompanied his father on a tour of Bintan Island. The prince married the princess of Bintan Island and became the king of Bintan Island. One day, he went out to sea on a cruise. Unexpectedly, a fierce storm capsized his boat. The prince relied on his excellent swimming skills to fight against the waves. Just as he was exhausted, he encountered a strange creature with a lion's head and a fish's body that was also battling the waves. They supported each other, finally overcoming the storm and swimming to Singapore Island, saving their lives. There, he established his own kingdom. Later, people called this creature, as brave as a lion and as beautiful as a mermaid, the Merlion, and revered it as a symbol of Singapore. In Malay, "Singa" means "lion" and "Pura" means "city."\nChangi International Airport (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nOn the morning of March 11, 2006, the journalist walked out of Changi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, and first felt the hot and humid climate. Then, scenes outside the car window came into view. The roads were lined with green trees, and countless gardens and lawns were scattered along the streets. The fragrance of flowers and the green grass, the fresh air, and the city's pervasive green life and civilized pride all made people feel comfortable in this beautiful, clean, and green garden city.\nMount Faber Park (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe journalist first arrived at the famous Mount Faber scenic area. Mount Faber, also known as "Phoenix Mountain," is the "highest peak" in Singapore. Looking out from the top of the mountain, one side is the blue sea, with numerous towering chimney landscapes standing on the sea, which is very eye-catching; those are Singapore's refining islands. The other side is a cityscape of high-rise buildings arranged in a staggered and orderly manner. From here, you can overlook the World Trade Centre Cruise Terminal, Singapore Container Terminal, and the beautiful scenery of the entire Sentosa Island.\nOverlooking the oil refinery (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThere are three famous Merlion statues scattered throughout Singapore. The white Merlion statue on Mount Faber is said to be the only one that people can touch with their hands.\nView of the city from the mountain (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nHere, there is a group of sixteen copper murals depicting the Lion City, the colonial era of Singapore in the 14th century, the late 1800s to early 1900s, the Japanese occupation period, independence and self-government, transportation development, telecommunications services, art development, industrial and commercial development, the building industry in transition between old and new, and a map of present-day Singapore. The lifelike images and words in these murals record the development history of Singapore from the 13th century AD to the present.\nLion City mural (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe area around Elizabeth Park in downtown Singapore is the most concentrated place for tourists to sightsee, as many of Singapore's famous landmarks are gathered here, such as Government Plaza, Parliament House, Supreme Court, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Victoria Memorial Hall, the Opera House and Science Centre, and the Civilian War Memorial.\nHotel and cathedral (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAmong them, the architectural design of the Science Centre and Opera House, known as the Esplanade, is the most distinctive. Their shapes resemble durians and pineapples respectively. There are many tropical and subtropical plants shaped like large umbrella trees nearby, said to be named because they spread their leaves like umbrellas whenever it rains.\nEsplanade (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nFrom here, you can see Singapore's tallest hotel, the Westin Stamford. From the green lawn, this towering, magnificent white circular building is very eye-catching.\nThe tallest hotel (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nOn the wide lawn, a fierce football match was in full swing, with students running and dribbling, attracting the attention of many passersby. One side of the lawn is the oldest government building in Singapore, now the seat of the Singapore Parliament. In front of this building stands a bronze elephant, a gift from the King of Siam in 1871.\nOld Parliament House (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAcross a small road in front of Parliament House is a majestic green-domed granite building, whose style is typical of colonial-era European design. This is the former Supreme Court of Singapore.\nFormer Supreme Court (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nWalk under the bridge by the Singapore River waterfront, then cross the bridge in front of the Esplanade and continue forward. The straight path seems endless, but in fact, Merlion Park is right beside the bridgehead. From the bridge, the spraying Merlion statue looks extremely spectacular.\nCivilian War Memorial (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nMerlion Park, the symbol of Singapore, is actually a very small park. At the tip of the park extending into Marina Bay stands an 8-meter-tall pure white Merlion. This Merlion can be said to have two images: daytime and nighttime. During the day, against the backdrop of ships coming and going from Singapore port and the blue sky and white clouds, it is a majestic male Merlion. At night, amidst the darkness and lights, it becomes a mysterious and beautiful female Merlion, glowing greenish-white.\nPhoto taken at Esplanade (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe journalist observed that because Merlion Park is located between the bay and the financial district buildings, there is an endless stream of people taking photos here. The Merlion statue the journalist saw, being by the sea, indeed cannot be touched.\nAnderson Bridge (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nSentosa Island was the second major stop of the journalist's Singapore fact-finding trip. Unfortunately, it was nearly dusk when they arrived. However, the beautiful scenery of Sentosa Island still had an irresistible charm. This relatively independent Sentosa Island, according to recent TV news, was also one of the hottest candidate venues for the Trump-Kim summit.\nPhoto taken at Elizabeth Park (Photo by Xiao Chen)\nThe name "Sentosa" sounds quite poetic, derived from the Malay word "Sentosa," meaning "peace and tranquility." Sentosa Island is located south of mainland Singapore, only about 0.5 km away. Historically, this island was called "Pulau Blakang Mati," which is also Malay, meaning "Island of Death."\nPhoto taken on Sentosa Island (Photo by Wang Jue)\nThere was originally only a fishing village on the island. Later, the British colonial army used the island as a coastal defense fortress at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula until the British withdrew from Singapore in 1967. The fortifications built by the British are now tourist attractions.\nView of the harbor from Sentosa Island (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nSentosa Island has many attractions, such as the Singapore Wax Museum, the Stone Museum, the Maritime Museum, Underwater World, the Butterfly and Insect Museum, the Coralarium, and the Musical Fountain. Among them, the famous Coralarium is a masterpiece that uses local materials to showcase the island's features. Built from stone and nestled against the hillside cliffs, entering the museum feels like entering a cave. Outside, a cylindrical coral tower is covered with thousands of corals, making the entire tower look as if it were built entirely of coral reefs, which is truly amazing.\nFountain on the island (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nHowever, the most breathtaking sight on the island is the Musical Fountain. It is one of the landmarks of Sentosa Island, a European-style garden. The journalist arrived late on the island mainly to see the famous laser musical fountain performance on Sentosa Island.\nThe largest Merlion statue (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nOn Sentosa Island, the journalist saw the third Merlion statue since arriving in Singapore. This tall and large Merlion stands on the hill behind the Musical Fountain Park. Due to the lateness, it was not possible to get close. Only the figures of tourists could be seen moving at the top of the Merlion, indicating that this is indeed the largest Merlion in Singapore.\nWatching the musical fountain (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAt 7:30 p.m., the performance began. In the darkness, a deep male voice sounded, introducing in English that the musical fountain would use the language of water to tell a joyful, magical story.\nMusical fountain opening (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAt that moment, a clown appeared. He directed like a conductor, dancing and gesticulating. Music started, and 30-meter-high water jets shot up into the sky, synchronized with the music. Then, under laser light, rows of water jets danced up and down in straight lines, like a group of vigorous men performing an energetic dance. Suddenly, the music became melodious and gentle, and the water jets followed suit, swaying left and right tenderly, as if a group of white-clad beauties were washing silk, creating a dazzling and dreamlike fairyland.\nMysterious and unpredictable (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe joyful music approached from afar. In the laser light curtains on both sides of the fountain pool, the water jets moved rhythmically, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, swirling and splashing. At the climactic melody of the music, the water jets soared from the ground, scattering like heavenly maidens scattering flowers, then abruptly stopped with the music.\nCartoon monkey appears on water screen (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe whole scene paused for a few seconds. Then the protagonist of the story appeared: lasers projected onto the water screen, showing a mischievous and funny cartoon monkey. When the music resumed, many fairy tale animal images appeared on both sides. Accompanied by melodious and soothing music, people felt as if they were strolling in a fairy tale world, chasing and running...\nPhoto taken by Singapore seaside\nSoon, the clown's image also entered the fairy tale world in the water screen, joyfully dancing, carrying a lifebuoy, turning up and down, swimming happily in the fairy tale world—very amusing. Just as the audience was entranced, a graceful beauty appeared on the water screen, singing and dancing softly. At the end, music, lights, lasers, and flames intertwined, creating a breathtaking spectacle.\nBentley wedding float (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nOverall, this performance centered on Singapore's national symbol, the Merlion, with the fountain as the main axis, skillfully integrating lights, lasers, fountains, flames, smoke, music, and the performers' movements. The ever-changing fountains and the blazing bright flames raced through the air together.\nCorner of a residential area (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nEspecially the lasers and music gave life to the fountains. The laser animations danced gracefully with the male performer, like spirits, like dancers, sometimes singing softly and dancing gently, sometimes passionate and unrestrained, sometimes laughing and playing, sometimes chasing and running, sometimes raising colored ribbons high, sometimes cascading like white silk, sometimes swaying like willow branches in the wind, sometimes pouring like a rainstorm—picturesque and dreamlike, providing great spiritual enjoyment and leaving people in awe of high technology.\nGarden city street view (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAccording to an introduction, this fountain can produce 49 patterns, with background music from over a dozen countries. The water screen and lasers can change according to different music to depict the architectural features and customs of different countries, rotating nightly depending on festivals and seasons. This alone shows how Singapore fully utilizes its tourism resources.\nStreet Chinese medicine clinic (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nSingapore is a shopping paradise. The main shopping venues include Changi International Airport, Arab Street shopping area, Holland Village, Marina Square, shopping centers, Orchard Road, Centrepoint, Little India, Chinatown (Niu Che Shui), and Arab Street. There is a wide variety of goods, with everything available.\nSeafood food stalls (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nSingapore is an international metropolis and one of the world's food paradises. Dining establishments are spread throughout the island, gathering local flavors and cuisines from around the world, diverse and distinctive. Singapore is rich in tropical fruits, which are cheap and of good quality. Durian, mango, rambutan, banana, and coconut are all famous tropical fruits.\nRoadside gas station (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nStrolling through the commercial streets in downtown Singapore is also one of the best ways to enjoy the cityscape. Walking among modern shopping malls, dazzled by an array of goods, is truly a wonderful experience. Whether in the area known as Singapore's "Chinatown" also called "China Town" (Niu Che Shui), or on Orchard Road, which is known as the Wangfujing of Singapore, both are very prosperous central business districts.\nShops on Orchard Road (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nThe name "Niu Che Shui" (Chinatown) originates from early Chinese immigrants who often used oxcarts to carry water for cleaning streets. One of the streets is called KERETA AYER in Malay, meaning "cart water," and the Chinese called it Niu Che Shui. Today's Chinatown is located in the area around Bridge Road, South Bridge Road, and Outram Park.\nPhoto taken on Orchard Road (Photo by Wang Jue)\nOrchard Road has cinemas, traditional Chinese Cantonese restaurants, tea houses, and various shops and Chinese travel agencies. The merchandise is dazzling, affordable, and of good quality, available for your choice. It also retains old two-story Chinese row houses. Chinatown is a must-visit for foreign tourists. When the journalist passed by here in a car, they caught a glimpse of the lively scene with bright lights and crowds at night.\nCorner of airport duty-free shop (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nOrchard Road is the busiest commercial avenue in Singapore. Lined with large department stores, hotels, and dining and entertainment venues, it is a must-visit for overseas tourists coming to Singapore.\nSingapore street (Photo by Xiao Chen)\nMany large-scale celebrations (such as the New Year's Eve 2000 dance party with thousands of people) are held here. Occasionally, there are wonderful street performances that are pleasing to the eye. It is said that if you haven't been to Orchard Road, you haven't been to Singapore.\nSingapore waterfront night view (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nA night river cruise in Singapore is also an important tourist activity here. The Singapore River is the only river in Singapore. At its estuary stands the Merlion statue. Taking a "yacht" from Clarke Quay to the sea allows you to enjoy the scenery of Singapore's commercial and financial center. Along the cruise, dozens of sparkling lights on the banks, along with many large and small bars and specialty restaurants, create a unique nighttime scene that is fascinating.\nMerlion at night (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nReturning to Clarke Quay, if you are in the mood, you can choose an outdoor seat, have a cup of coffee or a mug of local beer, order a few snacks, and taste the local cuisine. Then browse the nearby souvenir shops and pick out some favorite souvenirs. These are all good choices for tourists visiting at night.\nNight river cruise in Singapore (Photo by Feng Ganyong)\nAlthough the journalist only stayed in Singapore for a short two days, the unique garden-like cityscape of Singapore was truly pleasing to the eye and made one linger. This beautiful memory will last forever. (Text and photos by Feng Ganyong)