Merlion Park In Singapore

This park gets its name from the famous statue which adorns its lawns. The Merlion is a fish and lion mix and the national symbol of Singapore. The park is located near Marina Bay and is home to two of the famous Merlions, the mother Merlion and her cub. The park was designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964 and officially opened in 1972. The Merlion figure with the head of a lion and body of a fish perched on a wave became so popular it became a cultural icon. It represents Singapore's origins as a fishing village. The original name was Singapura or "lion city" in Malay. The statue itself stands in front of the Hotel One Fullerton. The Merlion is 8.6 meters tall and weighs 70 tons and its cub is 2 meters high and weighs 3 tons. It is constructed from cement fondue and was created by Lim Nang Seng. The Merlion faces east which is the traditional source of prosperity and a fountain pours out of its mouth. When the Esplanade Bridge was completed in 1997 the statue could not be viewed from the waterfront as before. This resulted in the Merlion being relocated 120 meters from its original position to where it stands today in front of the Fullerton Hotel.

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