Singapore of More(b)|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?

　　Every country sees itself in a certain way. Its citizens are very familiar with their nation's past and where it is going. In terms of establishing a strong national identity, symbols play a vital role because they often show the world the past, present, and future of a country. What's more, symbols can be an inspiration for residents as they represent an ideal.

　　Singapore's symbol is the Merlion, which is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The Merlion has been used by Singapore since 1964, when it was first developed by Alec Fraser-Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board. The Merlion ties Singapore's past and present together. The fish stands for its history, when Singapore was just a fishing village known as Temasek, meaning sea town. The lion has a double meaning: it represents Singapore's original name Singapura, which means lion city, and it also symbolizes Singapore's strength in today's global economy. The original Merlion statue used to sit at the mouth of the Singapore River. However, the completion of a new bridge limited its visibility, and it was moved to Merlion Park near Singapore's Central Business District in 2002. The statue stands 8.6 meters high, weighs 70 tons, and was created by the artist Lim Nang Seng.

　　Although images of a lion with a fishtail also appear in Western and Indian mythology, Singapore's strong embrace of the Merlion has turned it into a recognizable symbol of the city-state. The Merlion appears on everything from picture frames to key chains to plush toys for visitors to take back to their friends and loved ones as souvenirs. These trinkets, no matter how small, are reminders of Singapore's history as well as its bright future ahead.

 

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？

　　每个国家都会用特定的方法来看待自己。它的人民对于国家的过往和未来展望都相当熟悉。就建立一种强烈的国家认同而言，标志就扮演了极其重要的角色，因为标志往往向全世界展现一个国家的过去、现在和未来。除此之外，由于标志代表一种理想，因此它们也会让居民有所启发。

　　新加坡的标志是鱼尾狮，那是一种狮头鱼身的神话生物。自从 1964 年 Alec Franser-Brunner 为新加坡旅游局设计出鱼尾狮起，该国便持续沿用该标志。鱼尾狮将新加坡的过去和现在连结在一起。鱼代表着该国的过去，从前新加坡只是一个渔村，人称 Temasek，也就是『海之镇』的意思。狮子则有双重涵义，它代表新加坡原本的名字『新加坡拉』，意味着『狮子城』，它同时也象征新加坡在当今全球经济的力量。鱼尾狮雕像原本座落在新加坡河的河口。然而，一座新桥的完工降低了它的能见度，因此它在 2002 年时被移至邻近新加坡主要商业区的鱼尾狮公园。这座雕像高八点六公尺，重七十公吨，是由艺术家林浪新一手打造。

　　虽然鱼尾狮的形象也在西方和印度神话中出现过，但新加坡对于鱼尾狮的强力拥护让它成为众所皆知的城邦标志。从相框、钥匙圈到绒毛娃娃，鱼尾狮可以说是随处可见，好让观光客可以带回家送给他们的朋友和爱人当纪念品。无论这些装饰品有多么微小，它们都会令人想起新加坡的历史以及其光明的前程。