Singapore of More(a)|亚洲之星——新加坡

Singapore of More

by Rebecca A. Say and Marcus Maurice

Singapore has been one of Asia's shining stars for many years. What's the secret?

　　Singapore is one of the 20 smallest countries in the world, but its influence is huge. Much has happened to the land and people as the country has grown to become the nation we know it as today. Singapore declared independence from Britain in 1963, but groundwork for its strong economy started before that. Singapore was the main British naval base in East Asia, and that fact stimulated its growth. Once the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Singapore became an important stop on trade routes. In fact, importing and exporting remain important to the Singaporean economy today. Initially, when it first gained independence, the country focused on building an industrial-based economy. These days, the economy has shifted to a market-based one. People from all over the world do business in Singapore because of its outstanding reputation as one of the freest, most competitive, innovative, and business-friendly economies in the world. To top it all off, Singapore ranks as one of the least corrupt countries globally.

　　In recent times, Singapore has looked to expand its economy through tourism. Since 2005, this city-state has promoted leisure tourism and even repealed its prohibition of gambling in order to attract higher numbers of visitors. Medical tourism has also been growing, as more and more people from surrounding countries travel to Singapore for medical treatment.

　　As a young country, Singapore is still developing. Its society is a mix of cultures, so there is not one distinct lifestyle that represents being Singaporean. With four national languages and followers of all of the world's main religions, diversity is the norm. The country is generally conservative, and unlike in some regions, people tend to judge others much more according to their abilities than their backgrounds.

 

 

亚洲之星——新加坡

新加坡多年来一直是亚洲的闪亮之星之一。其背后的祕密是什么呢？

　　新加坡是全世界最小的二十个国家之一，但该国的影响力却相当深远。随着该国日益茁壮并发展成如今我们所知的国度，许多事情也发生在这片土地上。新加坡于 1963 年宣布从英国独立，但该国在那之前便已为其有力的经济打下基础。新加坡曾是英国在东亚的主要海军基地，这项事实刺激了它的成长。苏伊士运河于 1869 年开通时，新加坡便成为贸易航线中重要的停靠站。事实上，进出口业在当今的新加坡经济中仍然相当重要。起初，该国刚刚独立时，便专注于打造以工业为主的经济型态。而最近，该国经济已经转为以市场为主的型态。由于新加坡以全世界最自由、最具竞争力、最创新以及最亲商的经济国家之一而享有盛名，因此来自全球各地的人都前往该国做生意。尤有甚者，新加坡名列全球最清廉的国家之一。

　　近来，新加坡有意藉由观光产业来拓展其经济。自从 2005 年以来，这座城邦国家一直在推广休闲观光业，该国甚至废除赌博禁令以吸引更多观光客。随着越来越多来自邻国的人民为了医学疗程到新加坡旅游，医疗观光业也不断地蓬勃发展。

　　就一个建国不久的国家而言，新加坡仍在发展中。该国社会是一个文化大融炉，因此没有一种独特的生活方式能够代表新加坡人。由于该国有四种官方语言，且拥有全世界各大宗教的信徒，多样性已俨然成为一种常态。这个国家大体而言是很保守的，而且不像有些地区，人们往往都会根据能力而非背景来评断他人。