Comparing the World Through Experience — A Singapore Travelogue, August 18, 2025

Comparing the World Through Experience — A Singapore Travelogue, August 18, 2025

When my companion and I looked at each other in bewilderment after riding eight stops on a bus, we truly felt the efficiency of this developed country. If you don't press the bell, it doesn't stop, so no time on the route is wasted.

"Efficiency" was my first impression of this developed country. At a zebra crossing, if I don't press the crossing light button, the light stays red indefinitely. Efficiency is demanded in the details. My companion and I, heading to a remote zoo, almost ended up sleeping rough in the wilderness at 11:00 PM, anxiously and amusingly waiting for the last bus. Those efficient details nearly made us scream like groundhogs.

The imprint of a developed country also shows in these words:

Second is "respect." Many restaurants put up notices reminding customers to respect their staff. Of course, this respect is also reflected in the 10% service charge. Although the service that comes with that 10% isn't particularly outstanding — maybe it's because we have been spoiled by the intense competition in China's service industry.

Third is "tolerance." There is a high degree of ethnic integration. At Universal Studios, you can see a group of women in black robes, with only their eyes visible, queuing for a roller coaster. Later, a friend who studied in Singapore for many years told me that at the entrance of Hermès, there are also many women in black robes carrying LV bags while queuing. You can also see girls of all shapes and sizes wearing leggings on the streets — leggings whose main function back home is to accentuate the figure. There is much less body anxiety here, or rather, they are more confident in themselves.

Fourth is "cleanliness." Smoking is strictly done in designated areas. The streets are almost entirely free of litter — at least on the roads I passed during the days I was there. Perhaps this is thanks to Singapore's impersonal rules; after all, Singapore's laws are notoriously strict. When Lee Kuan Yew announced the gum ban, he declared, "We want clean streets, not sticky freedom."

Fifth is "friendliness." Perhaps because of the confidence stemming from strict laws, people are not afraid to show kindness to strangers. You might be walking and chatting about not knowing where a certain place is, and a shopping mall staff member will tell you, just as you part ways, that it's over there. A complete stranger will also hold the elevator door for us until everyone has exited.

The above words are in no particular order.

Singapore also has drawbacks, with high prices topping the list! A bottle of mineral water costs two Singapore dollars, nearly 14 RMB, which naturally makes one frugal. A podcast told me that this is because Singapore is a tiny island with insufficient resources, so prices tend to be high, especially for fresh water. As for meals, a dinner costing five or six hundred yuan, to be honest, gets you very little. But this is what we, as people from a developing country, perceive; if converted to local salary levels, it is within a reasonable range.

One novelty is the Geylang red-light district. Thanks to the local overseas students, we took a stroll around there. Though we dared not look too much, it greatly satisfied our curiosity. I heard that 30% of Singapore's tax revenue comes from the red-light district. Row upon row of small villas, each with a man guarding the door. Behind the screens, colorful lights glimmer.

Let me circle back to the zoo mentioned at the beginning. The animal performances at the zoo only showcase the animals' natural behaviors — no compulsion, only inducement. That felt very comfortable. There is no denying that the scenic spots in developed countries are exceptionally refined. For example, the Jurassic Park-themed tropical botanical garden at Marina Bay; the realism of the dinosaurs made me, a thirteen-year-old girl at heart, feel that the dinosaurs in China's Dinosaur Land are really not up to par… However, concepts in China are also evolving. For instance, the nighttime zoo tour format, or the practice of abolishing animal performances. Our Hongshan Zoo has done a great job in terms of animal enrichment and respect for animals. Other zoos still have bad habits, but ideas are progressing; the rest will be left to time.