Merlion
Half fish, half lion — one statue that packs Singapore's entire origin story into a single concrete form.
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The fish body stands for Temasek, the old fishing village whose name means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head stands for Singapura — "lion city." Sculptor Lim Nang Seng built the 70-ton, 8.6-metre figure between November 1971 and August 1972; Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the opening on 15 September 1972.
What to look for
- The seam where fish scales give way to the lion's mane — two eras of the city fused in one body
- The Esplanade Bridge in the background, whose 1997 completion blocked the original unobstructed water view
- The spout from the lion's mouth — a pump malfunction in 1998 once silenced it entirely
Free to visit at Merlion Park at the mouth of the Singapore River; the STB controls commercial use of the image, so unlicensed Merlion souvenirs are technically illegal.
Merlion is one of 30 sights worth the detour in Singapore, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Singapore pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Singapore
- Singapore Botanic GardensThe world's only tropical UNESCO garden — where 1920s rubber supplied half the planet's latex and orchids now carry diplomats' names.
- Marina Bay SandsA 150-metre infinity pool balanced on the world's largest public cantilevered platform, jutting 66.5 metres past the edge of its own tower.
- Marina Bay Street CircuitLewis Hamilton said this 4.927 km loop was twice as physically punishing as Monaco — and you can walk every metre of it.
- Marina BayThe entire bay you're standing beside was open sea until 1992 — 38 years of reclamation drained the anchorage and pushed the Singapore River's mouth inland.
- Gardens by the BayThe world's largest glass greenhouse anchors a 105-hectare park on Singapore's Marina Reservoir.
- Singapore FlyerFor six years this was the tallest Ferris wheel on earth — Las Vegas finally beat it in 2014, by just 2.6 metres.