Merlion Park (Singapore)
Merlion Park, is a Singapore landmark and major tourist attraction,
located at One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District (CBD).
The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish
that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Two
Merlion statues are located at the park. The original Merlion structure
measures 8.6 meters tall and spouts water from its mouth. It has subsequently
been joined by a Merlion cub, which is located near the original statue and
measures just 2 metres tall.
The park was first designed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in
1964 as an emblem of Singapore. On 15 September 1972, the park was officially
opened at an installation ceremony for the statue, officiated at by then Prime
Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The original statue of the Merlion used
to stand at the mouth of the Singapore River. The statue was made from November
1971 to August 1972 by the late Singaporean sculptor, Mr Lim Nang Seng. It
measures 8.6 meters high and weighs 70 tons.
Upon the completion of The Esplanade Bridge in 1997, the statue could
no longer be viewed clearly from the Marina Bay Waterfront, so on 23 April
2002, the statue was relocated to a new pier specially built on the other side
of The Esplanade Bridge adjacent to One Fullerton hotel. The move, which cost
$7.5 million, was completed on 25 April 2002.
Merlion statue damage
On 28 February 2010, between 4 pm and 5 pm, the Merlion statue was
struck by lightning. Staff in the vicinity said they heard an explosion
followed by a loud thud when broken pieces fell to the ground. Repairs were
completed in March that year, although the Merlion itself resumed spouting
water on 18 March 2010.
The Merlion statue has undergone restoration in 2006 and 2012 to repair
cracks and clean stains
The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is a well-known marketing icon of
Singapore depicted as a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a
fish. It is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore.
The Merlion was first used in Singapore as the logo for the tourism
board.
Singapore Merlion
The Merlion is the national personification of Singapore.
Its name combines "mer", meaning the sea, and
"lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing
village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in
Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning
"lion city" or "kota singa".
The symbol was designed by Alec Fraser-Brunner, a member of the
Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997 and has been
its trademarked symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo
in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be
received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion appears frequently on STB-approved
souvenirs.
Original statue
On 15 September 1972, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the
installation ceremony of the Merlion statue. The original Merlion statue used
to stand at the mouth of the Singapore River, at the tip of the current The
Fullerton Waterboat House Garden with Anderson Bridge as its background.
It was conceptualised by the vice-chancellor of the University of
Singapore (now known as National University of Singapore) then, Kwan Sai
Kheong. Made from November 1971 to August 1972 by the late Singapore sculptor,
Lim Lang Xin (Chinese: 林浪新; pinyin: Lín Làngxīn), it measures 8.6 metres high
and weighs 70 tons. The project cost about S$165,000.
Relocation of original statue
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, 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.
Another solution considered—to raise the Merlion on a pedestal at its
original location—was deemed unsuitable as the view would still be blocked by
the bridge. Other possible relocation sites considered included Nicoll Highway
Extension Bridge, Esplanade Park, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a promontory
at Marina Centre (near where Singapore Flyer is located now), a promontory site
at Bayfront (near the tip of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort) and Kim Seng
Park. However, all were either unsuitable or not technically feasible.
The unprecedented feat of relocation began on 23 April 2002, and
finished on 25 April. A carefully engineered journey required one barge, two
DEMAG AC1600S cranes of 500 tonnes lifting capacity, plus a team of 20
engineers and workers on site. The entire statue was hoisted onto the barge,
which then sailed to the new installation site at the current Merlion Park,
near the mouth of Singapore River. During the voyage, the statue had to be
hoisted from the barge, over the Esplanade Bridge and then back onto the barge,
as it was too tall to pass underneath.
Exactly 30 years after it was officially launched, then-Senior Minister
Lee Kuan Yew returned on 15 September 2002 to ceremonially welcome the Merlion
again – this time in its new home. A viewing deck now stretches over the
Singapore River, allowing visitors to pose for a photograph with a front or
side view of the Merlion, including a new city skyline backdrop in the picture.
The sculpture was aligned to face East, a direction advised to be most
auspicious. Relocated, the statue once more spouted water from its mouth,
having stopped in its old location since 1998 due to a water pump malfunction.
The Merlion now has a new two-unit water pump system with units working
alternatively, so a partner is always on standby. The relocation and new site
(four times larger than the original) cost S$7.5 million.
Maintenance of original statue
From 5 June till 10 July 2006, the Merlion at Merlion Park underwent
maintenance. The last one was right after its relocation. Dirt and stains were
removed using high-pressure water streams, and various wear and tear of the
statue was mended.
During that period, visitors were greeted with illustrated hoardings
and canvases covering the safety nets and scaffolding. The illustrations were
designed by Miel, an award-winning senior artist at The Straits Times. The
illustration on the canvases made them look like shower curtains, with the
Merlion sticking its head out with the shadow of its tail behind the curtain. The
illustration on the hoardings showed the Merlion scrubbing himself with a brush
and showering using a Merlion shower head spouting water. The Merlion said
"EXCUSE ME while i take a shower..." in a speech bubble.
The Merlion on Sentosa was designed and sculpted by an Australian
Artist named James Martin. It is made of Glass Reinforced Cement (GRC) over a
steel armature that is attached to the centre.
The Merlion Park was temporarily turned into a single-unit hotel suite,
as part of an artwork by Tatzu Nishi, for the duration of the 2011 Singapore
Biennale.
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